Tu Bishvat ties Jews to the land * As a Gazan I say we must talk * The ANC’s sinister election ploy * Your son died for my son * Betrayed by my favorite queer Jewish poet

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, January 25, 2024 [The fruit of Kfar Aza]( By Rachel Sharansky Danziger Overripe pomegranates highlight the loss of those who would have harvested them, but also point to the resilience of those who first planted the tree (Tu Bishvat) Alon Tal [70 years of planting trees for the next generation]( How do you explain that Jewish nationalism is not the ’settler colonialist paradigm’ that today’s progressives claim it is? Start with the trees P. David Hornik [How can anyone who supports Israel call for a two-state solution now?]( Have some empathy for Israelis’ trauma, in the wake of October 7’s butchery, the hostages’ plight, and the multifront war [As a Gazan, I still believe Israelis and Palestinians must talk]( By Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib My relatives were killed, my childhood homes destroyed, yet I know dialogue is the only way to start building a different future Kayla Schneider-Smith [A slap in the face from my favorite queer Jewish poet]( It’s exhausting to have to keep defending Israel’s right to exist to those who won’t even acknowledge the October 7th atrocities Nick Merkin [A terrorist injured my son and the US said nothing]( The US ignored last week’s terror attack that injured my son – so much for all the ’advantages and blessings’ accruing to American citizens [‘Your son gave his life for my son,’ I said]( By Jeremy M Staiman He said: If the reverse had happened, the pain would have been the same; they are all my children Moshe Shoshan [Their sons are not getting killed]( I feel alienated from my Haredi co-religionists, whose young men are not on the front lines with my son and his peers Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz [What South Africa gets wrong about the Jewish take on ‘Amalek’]( If you want to build a case in The Hague that Israel is calling for genocide, then you should have better evidence than thousands of years of metaphor [A sinister election ploy destined to backfire]( By Muzi Kuzwayo The ANC is betting its attack on Israel in the International Court will distract voters from its years of failed leadership James Inverne [Actors’ readings of South Africa’s case at the Hague miss the real drama]( If only Susan Sarandon, among many others, had given stage time to Israel’s efforts to protect civilians and Hamas’s role in killing both peoples Ari Berman [The global hug of a united Jewish community]( I went to Israel to support the troops, and discovered a gap between the US and Israeli Jewish experience like none I have felt before [When our hearts turned orange]( By Shira Pasternak Be'eri The image of Shiri Bibas being taken hostage with her redheaded babies haunts Israelis like no other image. Here’s why more choice voices Avidan Freedman [Thank goodness we didn’t act like we talked]( Reckless rhetoric about there being ’no innocents in Gaza’ has highlighted Israel’s dire lack of responsible leadership David Debow [Victory is possible, if you name it right]( Hamas will never really be eradicated, so Israel must keep fighting… until more Gazans prioritize their own well-being over Israel’s destruction Haim Watzman [Prospero underground: The crater (part 5)]( ’This whole country, we’re all hurting, we’re all horrified by what happened, and all we can think about is more death.’ Shimon Glick [An open query to all people of good will]( Please define for us and our fellow Israeli citizens what you consider a “proportionate” response [The Blogs Weekly]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved