NEW YORK (JTA) -- I have this internal iPod in my head that provides theme music for my life. Lately my theme song is “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. Not only is it my theme song, but this year it is the theme song of the entire Jewish people.

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I stand here today moved and appreciative of the trust you have placed in me on behalf of our people. Your trust is of value to me, it places a great duty on me, one which I, as President of the State, will carry with reverence and a deep feeling of mission. click here for more

MOSCOW (JTA) -- Nadezhda Gerzhoy splays her jacket and plops down in the middle of the verdant park, taking in the bright blues and whites of Israeli flags fluttering around her. more...

Six months after the Iron Dome defense system rendered Hamas rockets largely ineffective during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza,  I got a tour of the factory that produces its most vital component: a laser. The system, which can shoot down rockets within a circumference of 65 sq. miles, takes two trucks to transport and tens of millions of dollars per unit to build. In November’s Gaza fighting, it boasted almost 90 percent accuracy.

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Most members and friends of Chochmat HaLev, a Jewish Renewal-style community, had hiked a lot. Many had prayed or meditated. Some had done both together. more