Snapshot

Apparently, I’m what’s called a “Doehead.” I’d never heard the term before last month. It refers to people who are very into Colorado’s HAW Tabor, Augusta and Baby Doe saga.

August 1. It is the birthday of the two places where I have lived the longest — Colorado and Switzerland, two places I call home. In 1291, three men met on a field in Switzerland to take an oath, committing to an alliance. A little over half a millennium later, 585 years to be exact, Colorado declared statehood, earning itself the moniker the Centennial state.

In times of crisis, the limitations of the two-party system are in full view. The recent vote on Israel aid in the US House of Representatives provides no better example. Democrats who in their political careers have been supportive...

The list of non-Jews, non-Israelis and non-Palestinians who I won’t be taking guidance from about Judaism, Israel and anti-Semitism continues to grow. The newest addition: Melat Kiros. The Democratic nominee for Colorado’s Congressional District 1 joins a long list.

In the UK, broadcasters are not permitted to report on elections on election day itself. What a contrast from here, where for weeks I’ve been receiving regular reports from the Secretary of State on how many primary ballots have been returned. Some are very detailed — for example how many Democratic or Republican ballots have been returned. It feels like there’s an undercurrent there.

I never understood people who said Trump was Israel’s best friend. One thing we know about Donald Trump is that he is unreliable. Suddenly, for Israel’s “best friend,” uranium enrichment by Iran, a 747 from Qatar and cutting Israel out of Saudi-US engagement — all red lines for Israel and its allies — are on the table. With a best friend like this, who needs enemies?

The year I was a graduate student at the London School of Economics overlapped with the peak of pro-EU sentiment. It was the year of the single largest accession of 10 new member states. As a student of post-communist transition...

The problem with holding an industry conference in New York City is not mainly the high cost of hotel rooms or conference spaces. It’s the temptation of what’s happening outside. There is no way I could be in Manhattan for the annual American Jewish Press Assn. meeting without visiting family and friends.

“No offense[/dropcap] . . . ” “Fact is . . . ” “I’m sorry to say . . . ” “If I didn’t know better . . . ” Do you spot what these have in common? They are all clichés that mean the opposite of what they say.

When anti-Israel activists decided to protest an Israeli real estate expo outside a synagogue in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, Ben Auerbach (grandson of the late Ralph and Carolyn) had a great response — energetically singing, dancing and proclaiming his faith in G-d and the Jewish people.