Tzedek-Tzedek

Ivanka and Jared Kushner are probably the world's most powerful Jewish couple. Whereas Benjamin Netanyahu is a vastly more mature statesman and head of state, and so the most powerful Jewish man, the Kushner/Trump couple, now with senior (if unsalried) jobs and titles in daddy's White House are poised for global influence. Jews have long memories and so various historical prcedents come to mind. Most immediately, with Purim just passed, Mordechai and Esther could be en equivalent couple. Queen Esther used her family position of power (one of many wives to the King) to obtain influence, and following that, her uncle Mordechai's position as Prime Minister, to save the Jewish people from genocide. Not much is known about their wider influence in the Persian Empire, but a mention is made in the Book of Esther of levying taxes (boo, hiss). Less sympathetic is the model of the "Court Jew". During the Middle Ages, due to the ban on usuary (money lending) in...

Donald Trump's wild accusation that Barack Obama was wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower have astounded commentators the world over. Trumps accusation is grave, and it appears to be baseless. This follows Trump's unprecedented and fierce attacks on the Press, calling them liars, deliverers of 'fake news', and the 'enemy of the American people', and Trump's bitter campaign to stop leaks from the FBI and secret services. Attacking the Press for telling lies, while accusing the FBI of leaking true information to the press, appears contradictory. Either the stories in the press are false, or the unnamed sources of secret information are telling the truth - it can't be both. The link between Trump's senior campaign staff and Russian Government officials is now undeniable. Attorney General Jeff Sessions met Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice last year, and lied under oath about it to the Senate confirmation hearing. Michael Flynn, the sh...