Steven Neil Simon, Visiting Professor at Dartmouth College
“My sense is that Israelis see American Jewry in instrumental terms, that is, useful as a source of pressure on the US government to adopt policies that favor the interests of the Israeli state. But this is really just an impression.” The Interviewee – Steven Neil Simon (Born 1952), Visiting Professor Dartmouth College. Born in New York City. […]
Michael J Bass, Senior Research Fellow ISGAP, Canada
“My most frustrating aspect of the Jewish world is the antisemitic Jews who do not have the capacity to understand the harm they are causing to Israel and Jews in general by blindly promoting their misunderstood and ignorant perceptions of what Israel is and what it means to Jews.” The Interviewee – Michael J Bass […]
Rabbi Rachel Bat-Or, Director at JQ International Warmline, L.A
“I do feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions. I heard that there is so much poverty and women who are sex slaves and soldiers getting away with killing Palestinians. I’m embarrassed every time I read about another of these incidents.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Rachel Bat-Or (Born 1945), Director of the JQ International Warmline, a […]
Charles H. Manekin, Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland
“I feel committed to defend the future existence of Israel as a state of all its citizens and to work for regime change.” The Interviewee – Charles H. Manekin (Born 1953), Professor of Philosophy, University of Maryland. I was born in Baltimore, MD. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish […]
Rich Levy, Director at give2gether, Buffalo, New York
“I don’t understand how ‘Religious’ Jews in Israel have more power to set policy.” The Interviewee – Rich Levy (Born 1955) Director at give2gether. Born in the Suburbs of NYC. Lives in Buffalo, New York. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in […]
Steve, Entrepreneur, Philadelphia
“Israel’s policy needs better marketing!!! The Interviewee – Steve, Entrepreneur, Philadelphia, age 58. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “Extremely important.” Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel? “Yes.” Do you […]
Nuno Wahnon Martins, Director EU Affairs European Jewish Congress, Belgium
“That Jews in the Diaspora absorb the culture of the country they live in and sometimes the Israeli culture does not help support Israel in certain places.” The Interviewee – Nuno Wahnon Martins (Born 1976), Director EU Affairs European Jewish Congress. Born in Lisbon. I’m passionate about Jewish history but not at all a practicing Jew, going to synagogue […]
Rabbi Darío Feiguin, Congregation B’nei Israel, Costa Rica
“We are as the Midrash says: One People with one heart. We need to be close to Israel as Israel is to us.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Darío Feiguin (Born 1957), Congregation B’nei Israel, Costa Rica. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I studied Education and Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where I […]
Mitchell Plitnick, Vice President at Foundation for Middle East Peace, Washington D.C
“I work every day to save Israel from the disastrous course it is on, while also maintaining Israel’s ability to defend itself from the real threats it faces.” The Interviewee – Mitchell Plitnick (Born 1966), Vice President, Foundation for Middle East Peace. Born in New York City. I’ve been active in trying to bring a secure […]
Shlomo Levine, Real Estate Broker, NYC
“Obviously this is a longer discussion, but only the orthodox should have a say in halachic and religious matters. This is not a respect issue, it is a Torah one.” The Interviewee – Shlomo Levine (Born 1961) Real Estate Broker. Born in Syracuse NY, lived in Providence, RI, Jerusalem and metro NYC. In your opinion, what importance, if […]
Joel Shapiro, Businessman, NYC
“Israel should not be governed as if it is a theocracy. The Orthodox should not be able to control issues of gender equality, ‘who is a Jew’ for purposes of the right of return, or marriage and divorce.” The Interviewee – Joel Shapiro (Born 1948) Managing member of a small private company in NY. Born […]
Ted Farber, President at TBF Consulting, Washington D.C
“Most Israelis are ignorant about the Diaspora. They think we are all embattled by assimilation of anti-semitism. We many are, not early to the degree they believe.” The Interviewee – Ted Farber (Born 1946), President, TBF Consulting. Grew up in Lebanon, Connecticut a small rural town with few Jews. Almost by accident was in Israel […]
Ben, Financial Services Management Consultant, London
“I feel some moral responsibility, though feel that much of that is forced upon me by both Israel and the non-Jewish outside world asserting that Israel acts on behalf of all Jews, or that all Jews support Israel’s actions.” The Interviewee – Ben (Born 1992), Financial Services Management Consultant. Born and still lives in London, […]
Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui, Palm Beach, Florida
“Well, if they ask for help they should be willing to help. If we are to live like a Jewish people, we all have responsibility for each other.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui, Director of Chabad House Lubavitch of Palm Beach Headquarters. The first Chabad House to Palm Beach sent by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson […]
E. Senior Director of Education at Holocaust museum, Massachusetts, U.S
“Other concerning issues are the high level of racism (against Ethiopians and other non-Ashkenazim), pervasive sexism, and homophobia.” The Interviewee – E. Senior Director of Education at Holocaust museum and educational institution in Massachusetts. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in […]
D’, New York
“Of the Movements, I am most connected philosophically to the Reform Movement: its focus on equal treatment of women and men, and its understanding that each of us needs to understand Jewish tradition well enough to decide and uphold the traditions most meaningful to us.” The Interviewee – D’ (Born 1964), Born in Brooklyn, New […]
Rabbi Chaim Smulowitz, Oak Park, U.S
“I am Orthodox, and I believe it’s necessary for the survival of the Jewish identity of the state. Contrary to popular propaganda spread among the ignorant, Orthodoxy is the only one that is a legitimate extension of the original religion.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Chaim Smulowitz (Born 1970). I was born in Brooklyn, moved to Queens […]
Edwin R. Frankel, Ohio
“The time has come to call on the Orthodox to realize that they have no monopoly on Jewish life.” The Interviewee – Edwin R. Frankel (Born 1963), Owner of Thrive Jewishly and Frankel Fine Food. Born in Rochester, New York. I left as a young boy to Philadelphia, Pa was my home town. Yet I left there when […]
A. Connecticut, U.S
“Israel is critical to the Jewish people. It is my home land even if I don’t live there. I would not want to even imagine what life would be like for worldwide jewry without the state of Israel.” The Interviewee – A. Born 1962. Live in Connecticut. Asked to remain anonymous. In your opinion, what importance, if […]
Rabbi Renee Edelman, Springfield, New York
“Interestingly enough, I would sooner join the Israeli army than the American forces. I would do what it takes short of sparing my life to support Israel.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Renee Edelman (Born 1968), Community Rabbi. Born in Sudbury, Mass, Lives in New York. The author of the blog- Chaffing the Wheat: Musings of a Woman […]
Cantor Nancy Dubin, Hazzanit, New York
“We aren’t all Orthodox. There is not one way to express Judiasm and live Jewishly. As more of us interact with Israel, this needs to not only be considered, it needs to be embraced.” The Interviewee – Cantor Nancy Dubin (Born 1968), Hazzanit. Born in Fair Lawn, NJ. I grew up as a workman’s circle Jew. […]
Rabbi Philip J Bentley, U.S
“I work actively defending Israel in a number of organizational settings, especially interfaith, human rights, and peace. There is a lot of disappointment and discomfort with Israel in such places.” The Interviewee – Rabbi Philip J Bentley. Born in 1945. Grew up in Chicago and Skokie. Attended Shimer College (a small Great Books school, 1963-66); the […]
Alan Goldsmith, Temple Administrator, NYC, U.S
“We are equally as responsible for the position and views as those living in the country. That we are Jews too.” The Interviewee – Alan Goldsmith (Born 1953) Temple Beth El of Great Neck Administrator, Queens, NYC. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and […]
Volodymyr Mozghovyi, Acting Head of Ukrainian Youth Association, Kiev, Ukraine
The Interviewee – Volodymyr Mozghovyi (Born 1981) Acting Head of Ukrainian Youth Association. Born in Kiev, Ukraine. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “For me personally and for Jewish people in general – symbolically. Do you feel committed in […]
Chaim Szmdt, Writer, Brooklyn
“I’m an IDF veteran, and I constantly go onto various forums online to expose the lies, the distortions, the half truths, of Jew hating ‘anti-Zionists’. I love to debate the distorters, the ignoramuses, the haters.” The Interviewee – Chaim Szmdt, I’m a ghost writer who has written both fiction and non-fiction for various clients from all […]
Laurence Thomas, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University, New York, U.S
“I have been to Israel on several occasions; and each visit was a truly majestic form of affirmation. My sense is that the typical Jew very much values the existence of Israel.” The Interviewee – Laurence Thomas, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Political Science at Syracuse University. I have been fortunate to have and […]
Dr. Silvia Haia Antonucci, Responsible of the Historical Archives of the Jewish Community of Rome, Italy
“The Jews are in Rome since II century b.c.e., so we have a very long history. Now many Roman Jews are going to live in Israel because of the financial crisis and because of the growing of the antisemitism.” The Interviewee – Dr. Silvia Haia Antonucci (Born 1969) Responsible of the Historical Archives of the Jewish […]
Rabbi Larry Moldo, Rabbi at Mount Sinai Congregation, Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S
Rabbi Larry Moldo, Rabbi at Mount Sinai Congregation, Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was born in 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and lived there until I graduated college (University of Minnesota). I later moved to Peoria, Illiniois; Omaha, Nebraska; Prairie Village, Kansas; Manhattan, New York; Elmwood Park, New Jersey; Buffalo, New York; Modesto, California; Baldwin, Long Island, New York; […]
Robin Moss, London, UK
“My experience is that Israeli Jews sometimes fail to appreciate the vibrancy of Jewish life outside of Israel, the creativity that the interaction of Judaism and the many other cultures we come into contact with daily can breed and the almost radical harmony that many Jews feel between their Jewish identity and the identity of […]
Jeremy Kasman, NYC, U.S
Jeremy Kasman, Director of Operations, Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, NYC, U.S. Mr. Kasman’s answers that are posted here represent his own personal views and not hose of his employer. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “Israel is […]
Moshe Pitchon, Rabbi, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Biblical Literature, U.S
Moshe Pitchon (1948) Rabbi, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Biblical Literature. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Turkish father and French mother who ran from the war. Served as a leader of the Jewish community of Chile during some of the years of the military dictatorship. For the past 40 years live in the United States […]
Sonia Bloomfield, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, University of Maryland, U.S
Sonia Bloomfield (former Sonia Bloomfield Ramagem), Professor of Cultural Anthropology at University of Maryland. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the 50s. I am a Geographer, and I hold a M.A. in Cultural Anthropology (studying the first Brazilian community who deemed itself “anussim” and decided to be Jews), and a Ph.D. in the same […]
Miriam, Senior Campaigns Officer, London, UK
Miriam (1984), Senior Campaigns Officer, London, UK. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “A lot.” Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel? “Yes but that doesn’t mean blanket support. For me […]
Jeremy Dery, Guest Relations representative at the Dan Tel Aviv Hotel, Israel
“Israelis do not understand that being Jewish outside is a religion to many Jews not an identity a way of life like in Israel, where going to synagogue and eating kosher is something special and unique.” The Interviewee – Jeremy Dery, Guest Relations representative at the Dan Tel Aviv Hotel in Israel. I was born […]
Noa Lerner Sauerbaum, Owner at Milk & Honey Tours, Berlin, Germany
Noa Lerner Sauerbaum (1965), founder and Owner of “Milk & Honey Tours“. Born near Düsseldorf, moved to Berlin in 1999. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “Very important.” Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future […]
Herb Levine, Retired historian, Journalist and Editor, Tacoma, Washington, U.S
Herb Levine (1944), retired historian, journalist and editor. Born in Brooklyn, New York City. Degrees from Columbia, University of Minnesota and Yale (Ph.D, 1969, in modern German and European history). One Book “Hitler’s Free City: The History of the Nazi Party in Danzig” (1973) and many scholarly articles. Journalism includes a series of articles in the ’70s in […]
Alan J. Grossman, Director of Marketing and Communications, American Friends of Bar-Ilan University,New Jersey, U.S
Alan J. Grossman, Director of Marketing and Communications, American Friends of Bar-Ilan University. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York in a Zionistic family. My mother was the President of the major Brooklyn chapter of Hadassah. I earned my BA in Print Communications and Political Science from Binghamton University. Most of my career has been focused […]
Rabbi Dr Leslie Schotz, Doctor of Ministry, New York, U.S
Rabbi Dr Leslie Schotz (1961), Doctor of Ministry. Born in West Islip, New York. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “With many Holocaust survivors in my family the Jewish state is of great importance.” Do you feel committed in […]
D’, holds a position in the British Jewish community, UK
D’, holds a position in the British Jewish community, UK. Unfortunately, I need to remain anonymous due to my position in the community. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “As Hatikvah says, it is literally ‘The Hope’. […]
Julie Brook, Cincinnati, Ohio
Julie Brook (1960), born in Chicago, currently live in Cincinnati, Ohio. MBA graduate, University of Illinois. Holds the position of the Executive Vice Chairwoman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “Very important.” Do you feel committed […]
Gina Roitman, Short story Writer and Biographer, Saint-Colomban, Canada
Gina Roitman, Short story Writer and Biographer. In 1948, I was born in Passau, Germany although my parents resided in the DP camp at Pocking. We came to Canada when I was 19 months old and I have lived in Montreal all my life. I co-produced a documentary called “My Mother, the Nazi Midwife and […]
Vladimir Minkov, Retired Nuclear Scientist, Skokie, Illinois, U.S
Vladimir Minkov Ph.D, a retired nuclear scientist, published author and writer. He is the co-author of “Nuclear Shadow Boxing”, a scientific history of the nuclear confrontation between the Soviet Union and USA during the cold war and is the author of “The Jews and Their Role in Our World”, which explores his personal journey to […]
Dr. Helene Maimann, Historian, Filmmaker, Author, Vienna, Austria
Dr. Helene Maimann, historian at University of Vienna, filmmaker, author. I am a Viennese Jew in 3rd generation, there are not many left, as the community has changed deeply because of the Shoah during the postwar period and esp. during the last 25 years, mainly because of the immigrants from Eastern Europe, USSR and the successor […]
Michael Rosenzweig, Formerly president and CEO of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Atlanta, Georgia
Michael Rosenzweig (Born 1952), Retired. Formerly president and CEO of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, and before that president and CEO of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lived in Atlanta Georgia since 1987. Trained as a lawyer and was a law professor and then […]
Simon Henri Goldberg, Professor, Dakar, Senegal
Simon Henri Goldberg (Born 1953) Professor, I was born in Brussels; my mother survived after two years in Birkenau, due to a resistance network inside the extermination camp. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “To me, a Jewish […]
Alejandro Wajner, Chairman of the Jewish Community in Paysandú, Uruguay
Alejandro Wajner (Born 1987), manager at Barraca Sanitaria Paysandú, I am the chairman of the Jewish community in Paysandú, the capital of Paysandú district in western Uruguay. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general? “The importance is self evident in every aspect […]
Michael Steinlauf, Professor of History, Philadelphia, U.S
Michael Steinlauf, Professor of History, Born 1947 to Polish Holocaust survivors. Raised in Brooklyn, now live in Philadelphia. Lots of time in France and especially in Poland. Involved in the Jewish revival there. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people […]
Ira Robinson, Chair in Quebec and Canadian Jewish Studies, Concordia University, Canada
Ira Robinson (1951), Chair in Quebec and Canadian Jewish Studies, Department of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. I was born in Boston. I received my Ph.D. from Harvard University and have been teaching Jewish Studies at Concordia University since 1979. In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you […]
