In Memoriam: 1928-2025 I grew up in an English cultural environment in which the old British stiff Upper Lip class ridden society was being challenged by irreverence. Imagine a pompous British society of class distinction, conformity and stiff upper lips. In the 1950s a new generation emerged of intelligent graduates challenging the system. You can think of a whole generation…
Author: Jeremy Rosen
The Future
This past Shabbat, as every year before the Fast of Av, is called Shabbat Chazon, and we read the negative Haftarah from the First Chapter of the Book of Yeshayahu (Isaiah). It is a crushing condemnation of the Jewish people living in Yehudah (Judeah). Predicting the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple because they had failed in their mission to follow the commands,…
Ninth of Av and the Holocaust
Every year the Ninth of Av ( this year on Sunday) raises the issue of the Holocaust. We commemorate the destruction of two Jewish states, of two Jewish temples , of Jerusalem twice, and the Ninth of Av is the only fast after Yom Kippur that starts the evening before and runs through for 25 hours. It represents the two greatest…
Sir Thomas More
I was always interested in history. And having been brought up in England, specifically English history. One of the most significant eras in English history was the 16th century. After years of disastrous infighting in the Wars of the Roses, Henry 7th and then Henry 8th began to stabilize English society and lay the foundations for the empire that was…
Fasting
In The Economist of June 20th, there was an interesting article under the heading “Do longevity drugs work.” The subtitle was that animal studies suggest that certain drugs are no more effective than long-term fasting. The article was comparing a series of pharmaceutical drugs that are being touted as guaranteeing longevity. “As elixirs of life go, long-term fasting is the surprising candidate. Yet…
Is Peace Possible?
For the past two years I’ve been conflicted, even close to despair over whether real peace is ever possible in Israel, and under what conditions. The existential evil that Hamas and indeed Iran and its proxies represent has been devastating. And the almost universal betrayal of Israel by hierarchies, leaders, intellectuals and journalists incomprehensible. At the same time the debate…