How to Defend Israel? Talk About Rights. Not Just Security

By: Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary Magazine— Israel diplomats were reportedly shocked this week when their country’s new deputy foreign minister asked them to speak up about Israel’s rights in the conflict with the Palestinians rather than just its security needs. As the Times of Israel reports, Tzipi Hotovely raised more than a few eyebrows when she…

Shavuot. Pentecost. Harvest. First Fruits. Revelation at Sinai. Holy Spirit. Torah.

By: Marcie Lenk, Times of Israel— Jews and Christians will be celebrating Shavuot and Pentecost on the same day this weekend, in a rare year that the two calendars correspond. Technically, Pentecost is the English name for Shavuot (Hebrew for “weeks”), indicating the fiftieth day after Passover. So, are Jews and Christians celebrating the same…