Category Archives: OPINION

There is a general mood that the future is brighter than the immediate past, bringing unique opportunities to chart a positive momentum.  By ROBERT SINGER DECEMBER 20, 2024 16:30 Israelis protest for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip near Yokneam, northern Israel, November 30, 2024. (photo credit: Dor Pazuelo/Flash90) As 2024 draws to a close, the latest survey conducted by the Center for Jewish Impact, in collaboration with the Geocartography Knowledge Group, paints a sobering yet insightful picture of Israeli public sentiment.  The survey, which canvassed 500 Israeli men and women across diverse sectors of society, reveals both pressing concerns and glimpses of hope, capturing a nation navigating complex challenges at home and abroad.  One of the most striking findings from the survey is the widespread

So many are suffering from the consequences that war has; not only war, but watching friends, family, and loved ones be decimated on October 7. By JPOST EDITORIAL DECEMBER 20, 2024 05:54 Tired pensive military man feeling worry and despair overhead view. Psychological trauma and PTSD treatment at therapy session. Tired pensive military man feeling worry and despair overhead view (photo credit: INGIMAGE) A handful of research, reviews, and data have come out in the aftermath of October 7, exposing the mental health crisis Israel is currently experiencing, and it is devastating. Out of the thousands of lone soldiers who have served in the reserves since the start of the war and who need treatment, only 500 have received treatment. The Hostage Family Forum revealed that the psychological harm of

In today’s competitive business landscape, organizations increasingly recognize that employee experience (EX) is critical in driving long-term growth and success.  Employee experience encompasses every interaction an employee has with their workplace, from onboarding and career development to recognition and work-life balance.  Prioritising EX isn’t just about keeping employees happy—it’s about fostering a culture that supports engagement, productivity, and innovation. In this blog, we’ll explore why investing in employee experience is key to organizational growth. Boosting Employee Engagement and Productivity Employee engagement is a vital contributor to productivity and business success. Engaged employees are more motivated, committed, and willing to go the extra mile to help their organization succeed. By investing in a positive employee experience, businesses can improve engagement levels, enhancing productivity. Offering personalized benefits, recognition, and career development opportunities

“We believe that the entire matter of establishing a commission of inquiry should be addressed after the war ends,” the government representative’s said. By URI SELLA DECEMBER 11, 2024 12:45 The Nova Massacre Scene (photo credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90) The High Court of Justice discussed a petition on Wednesday calling for the establishment of a National Commission of Inquiry into the events of October 7.  Relatives of October 7 victims and hostages held in Gaza captivity were present at the discussion. Among them were Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and Ilana Gritzewesky, his partner. They were joined by Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel, an IDF observer who was killed on October 7, and Chagit Chen, the mother of Itay Chen, whose body is held in

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 What you need to know: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights would, seven decades later, become the backbone of justice systems worldwide, ending epochs of unquestioned barbarism, under which countless injustices had been perpetuated. International Human Rights Day marks 74 years today, having first been observed on December 10, 1950, exactly two years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was promulgated on the same date, December 10, 1948. Thus today is a very important day globally, as, using the words of the United Nations, “it commemorates the anniversary of one of the world’s most ground-breaking global pledges (UDHR).” This ground-breaking pledge is of utmost importance as it protects everyone from the dangers and possibilities of being treated as less human or as less deserving

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has nominated Rawhi Fattouh to take over if he cannot continue in his post due to poor health. As Israel continued its war on Gaza – killing more than 44,000 people and injuring and starving countless others – criticism of Abbas and his presidency heightened. Abbas, 89, who also leads the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), was elected president of the PA in 2005, a year after then-leader Yasser Arafat died. So why is he nominating a successor now and how would the succession process go? Rawhi Fattouh arrives to attend the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkiye on June 2, 2023 [Metin Aktas/Anadolu via Getty] First, what’s the Palestinian Authority? The PA was established as an interim

If you care about Israel’s future—and I know you do—then it’s time to act. Meet with the rabbis. Challenge them. Urge them to find solutions.   By ZVIKA KLEIN NOVEMBER 21, 2024 21:23 Using donations to force change in Haredi draft row. (photo credit: Dall-E) I recently returned from a visit to the United States—a fascinating time to be there, fresh off the 2024 presidential elections, with the Trump administration gearing up for its second act. One morning, I found myself praying in a modern Orthodox synagogue. As the service concluded, the rabbi announced that a rabbi from Israel, representing a haredi yeshiva, had come to collect donations.   Normally, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. After all, supporting Torah learning is a deeply ingrained value in Jewish

John Prescott, who has died aged 86, was a figurehead of New Labour, who was also instinctively sceptical of some of its instincts. He was a bridgehead to Labour’s traditional working class roots who saw the value in, and indeed personified, championing the aspirations of the less well off. His value to Tony Blair, who swept to a landslide victory in 1997 and went on to win two further elections with Prescott at his side, was that he could reassure and lead those within Labour sceptical of its movement towards the centre. He was also a binding agent, skilled at holding the party and its sometimes warring factions together. It is not hard to see the parallels between then and now, when we once again have a plain-speaking working class

A strong US-Israel relationship benefits not only the Middle East but the world, and that will come when our enemies know messing with us is not worth the trouble.  By JUDAH WAXELBAUM NOVEMBER 20, 2024 04:06 US REPRESENTATIVE Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is applauded by US House Speaker Mike Johnson during a meeting with House Republicans in Washington, last week. President-elect Donald Trump has named Stefanik the next US ambassador to the UN, among other pro-Israel cabinet choices. (photo credit: Allison Robbert/Reuters) Donald Trump is heading back to the White House, and with him, a return to ironclad support for the US-Israel relationship. Trump ushered in new levels of Israeli normalization in the Middle East during his first term, and he is poised to pick up where he left off. The

Shortly after Donald Trump snagged the US 2024 election, Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes uttered the words that would ripple across the nation and the globe as a whole: “Your body, my choice”. This comment mirrors Trumps’ plan to ban women’s right to pregnancy termination in every state as well as being a dog whistle for rape culture as the US politics seem to be regressing when it comes to women’s rights and autonomy. In a post that went viral on Reddit, a woman shared that her own sister had disowned her after her husband said Fuentes’ now infamous phrase. “My sister freaked out when she realised my husband and I voted for Trump because she assumed we would vote for Kamala. Things got heated and my husband ended up saying, ‘your

In his poem The Right to Dream (1995), Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano imagines “how the world will be in 2025”. He dreams of a better future where there is respect for nature, equality and peace. Unfortunately, 2025 is coming up and we are nowhere near fulfilling Galeano’s dream. In fact, we increasingly find ourselves in a situation where the survival of human civilisation is at stake. This year alone, millions of people worldwide experienced extreme climate events, groundbreaking temperatures, genocide, and deadly exposure to toxic chemicals and pollution leading to mass death, injury, displacement, poverty, and trauma. While the near future seems bleak, our education systems are nowhere near providing children with the right tools and knowledge to help them understand it. Schools continue to be battlegrounds for the building

The first day at a new job is always weird. You have no idea what you’re supposed to be doing, who to talk to, or how to even really be. The theory is that over time you get the hang of it — but lots of workers make it months into their jobs and feel like they’re still kind of winging it. It’s not that they don’t want to learn; it’s that nobody’s teaching them. In many pockets of corporate America, on-the-job training mostly amounts to “figure it out.” Workers are struggling to get a handle on their jobs, and this failure falls on everyone — companies, managers, human-resources departments, and, in some cases, the workers themselves. You don’t need to look far to find evidence that people don’t feel

Americans felt the vibe – that American wokeness and moral self-doubt were insidious weaknesses. Therefore, they ruled that the Obama era must finally end. By DAVID M. WEINBERG NOVEMBER 17, 2024 09:09 FORMER US president Barack Obama speaks during a presidential election campaign rally for then-candidate Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last month. (photo credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS) More than last week’s US presidential vote being a victory for Donald Trump, it was a searing defeat for Barack Obama. This month’s real headline is “Trump thrashes Obama again.” In a torrent of impassioned campaign stops over the past two months, former president Obama made it clear that this election was a referendum on his policies. He explicitly warned that unless Kamala Harris was elected president, everything that he stood for and worked

Cairo, Egypt – The reception of the Palestine Hospital was busy as usual in early November, but the mood among the Palestinian staff was clouded by an approaching anniversary. On November 11, 2004, a thunderbolt announcement on all major networks: PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat had died in Paris – poisoned with polonium-210, according to an investigation by Al Jazeera and French, Swiss and Russian scientists. Yasser Arafat was not the only icon the Palestinian people lost that year – his brother Fathi was deathly ill as well, in a coma due to his stomach cancer. As Yasser lay ill and dying, Fathi woke from his coma suddenly and asked, “Where’s Yasser, is he OK?” Fathi’s son Tarek told Al Jazeera. He replied, back then, “He is fine, Dad, in Ramallah,”

THE author is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at London Metropolitan University, UK, and a regular communist in both the Daily Graphic and Daily Statesman newspapers. Prof. Haynes seeks to challenge simplistic portrayals of the political career of Flt-Lt Jerry Rawlings to examine the complex interactions between state institutions, civil society, public welfare and global influences in Ghana’s political evolution. Upon my first reading of the review copy during my leisure time, I knew it had a vast potential for intellectual trouble.  It is that very fact that makes it such a valuable and worthwhile publication. For me, reading the book is just like a rare breed of sweet wine whose taste still lingers in the mouth and makes the taste buds want more. Questions The book effectively addresses many