#Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: What’s the Rational Rationale for Destroying Gaza?

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: What’s the Rational Rationale for Destroying Gaza? A solid majority of Israelis think that the Israeli government should place the hostages’ return as its number one priority, and totally defeating Hamas as only a secondary goal. A minority feels strongly the opposite. The issue has become so explosive in Israel that neither side is willing to understand the other’s…

[ringlawfirm]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Two Roads Taken Towards Israeli Integration: Arabs & Haredim

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Two Roads Taken Towards Israeli Integration: Arabs & Haredim

Source: Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig – Two Roads Taken Towards Israeli Integration: Arabs & Haredim

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Humility as an Antidote to Humiliation

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Humility as an Antidote to Humiliation After 77 years of independence, Israel’s perennially painful question remains: why is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict still continuing? There are several reasons bandied about (most partly correct). But I think that there’s an important factor not much discussed: humiliation. Actually, that’s national humiliation – an important…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Democracy on the Ropes? Not so Fast!

What do we want? Image Cloudcatcher Media. Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Democracy on the Ropes? Not so Fast! How’s democracy doing? It’s under attack in Israel, the U.S., and several other countries around the world. Indeed, in 2018 no less than two Harvard political science professors published a best-selling book: “How Democracies Die.” It was a warning regarding democracy’s slow slide to autocracy…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The (Un)Educated Voter

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The (Un)Educated Voter There’s another haredi scandalous issue that’s gotten lost in Israeli politics. Sometimes an issue can be so fraught with emotion that it sucks the air out of other related topics e.g., the “Draft Exemption” law the Israeli government has been (so far unsuccessfully) attempting to pass in the Knesset. Meanwhile, the “other” haredi issue – general…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The Opening Round of Israel’s 2026 Election Campaign

Jerusalem Post Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The Opening Round of Israel’s 2026 Election Campaign You weren’t aware that Israel’s election campaign just started, were you? But it did a few days ago when Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer predicted that the Gaza War will be over in a year, with regional peace deals following thereafter. To understand why (and how) this is the opening…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam. Lehman-Wilzig: Meshuggeh to Mainstream: You Name It

Prof. Sam. Lehman-Wilzig: Meshuggeh to Mainstream: You Name It What’s in a name? A lot, if you know the story behind it. Ours is an age when virtually everything has become politicized – even names. Recently, President Trump demanded that American maps switch to the “Gulf of America” instead of the Gulf of Mexico. On the human level, numerous people send emails with the signature “they” instead…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The Passover Seder’s “4 SONS”: Different Lessons

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The Passover Seder’s “4 SONS”: Different Lessons Passover’s Haggadah at the evening “seder” is not about answers but about questions – less regarding back then and more for the present. That’s because the text is not static – we are encouraged to provide our own interpretations, the more the merrier (especially with four glasses of wine!). Indeed, the Talmud encourages…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel-Freedom Isn’t Unlimited for Us or Our Leaders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in the Knesset on March 26, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel-Freedom Isn’t Unlimited for Us or Our Leaders With the “Judicial Reform” package, the Israeli government is trying to give itself far more freedom of action and policymaking by relatively weakening the judiciary – the judges as well as governmental judicial advisory…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig:The “Deep State”: Deep in Human History (and Today)

Avi Ohayon GPO Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: The “Deep State”: Deep in Human History (and Today) PM Netanyahu recently let loose with a diatribe against Israel’s “Deep State,” i.e., high-level officials in the civil service who are supposedly conspiring to undermine the country’s democratically elected leaders. Among them: the present government’s Attorney-General (Gali Baharav-Miara) whom the Cabinet…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Bibi the Waiter

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a meeting of the right-wing bloc at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Nov. 20. GALI TIBBON/AFP via Getty Images Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Bibi the Waiter We all know the adage: “Better late than never.” Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has changed that to  “better late, forever…”. For the leader of a country that needs decisive decision-making…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Megillat Esther in the Shadow of Joseph

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Megillat Esther in the Shadow of Joseph The Book of Esther is a travesty of Jewish values. And that’s precisely why it was included in the Bible. If that sounds shocking to you, read on and you’ll find out what’s the true message of this strange biblical book. Most Jews understand that Purim is a strange holiday, and nothing is stranger than its central piece: Megillat…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel: State or Shtetl?

Anu museum of the Jewish people Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel: State or Shtetl? Israel has ten million residents, a military the envy of the Middle East and other nations far and wide, a leading high-tech economy, and other strengths (vibrant culture etc.). And yet, domestically Israel acts more like a shtetl than a state. (that’s the Yiddish word just as it sounds: a tiny state – or more like…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israeli Arabs in Israel’s War: The Good News

Israeli Arab citizen votes in elections (file photo)AP Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israeli Arabs in Israel’s War: The Good News A major “flaw” in human psychology is that we focus far more on what “is” than on what “isn’t”. There are some rare exceptions (e.g., an extended period of no rainfall), but the rule holds almost universally. After all, when did you last read in the news about something…

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: For Government Leaders, War is Almost Always a Losing Proposition

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: For Government Leaders, War is Almost Always a Losing Proposition The expression “War is Hell” doesn’t only reflect what the combatants go through; it’s just as relevant to the warring governments and their leaders. Some historical examples: right after WW2 ended Churchill lost the election in Great Britain. Closer to home, Menachem Begin resigned out of depression after…