Frontlines

I was in Gush Katif in 2005. It was one of the most magnificent agricultural developments and enterprises in all of Israel. Some of the finest organically grown produce in the world, including The New York Times’ number-one-rated tomato, came from Gush Katif. The pioneering Jewish farmers who worked the land truly made a desert bloom. There were 21 beautiful communities strung together like pearls on a necklace. There were wonderful schools and regal synagogues. They were a sight to behold. It was a dream-come-true like the rest of Israel, and the rebirth of a nation after 2,000 years in exile.

President Trump is at his best when he travels the high road and stands on the high ground. He did just that at Mount Rushmore on Friday, July 3.

I have been asked by a number of people to share my thoughts on school openings in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a very challenging and complex subject. Like so much of this trying and unprecedented time, nothing is simple and straightforward. There are no quick fixes or unequivocal paths. Unfortunately, whether we want to admit it or not, we are learning as we go. SARS-CoV2 is a wily and formidable foe. Recriminations and blame are not appropriate at this time. Political leaders can only do so much.

With the decision by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in conjunction with the Mayor, to remove the equestrian statue of President Theodore Roosevelt, it is time to revisit the life of this exceptional human being. As the 26^th President of the United States (1901-1909), he combined his life as a crusader for truth, an outdoorsman, naturalist, Police Commissioner, soldier, Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Vice President into one spectacular synthesis and tapestry. The reason his monument stood from 1940 till now in front of the American Museum of Natural History is that he did more for wildlife preservation than any other President.

Every now and then, an article appears that is so disturbing it burns every fiber of your being. It is just more “rubbish,” as the British call it, or “fake news,” as the President would have it. Most of the time, it is wiser to simply dismiss it and write it off. Why call attention to a grotesquely obnoxious op-ed that has its sole aim to cause trouble and highlight the theater of the absurd?

Nike came up with a great expression used in all of their advertisements, which has had a profound influence on the world. Their motto is “Just do it.” I say to the State of Israel and to the US administration, in reference to applying sovereignty over Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley: “Just do it.” This is the right time. The longer one waits, the more the naysayers have time to apply pressure and make trouble.