Open Search form

Shai Franklin

Apply for a Blog

May 9, 2018, 2:29 AM

Trump acts on embassy and Iran deal, but at what cost?

Congratulations! Trump has delivered on his two big promises, ditching the Iran deal and transferring the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Just one caveat: All sales are final. While the direct impact on Iran's nuclear ambitions remains unclear, President Donald Trump's...

Jan 4, 2018, 8:32 PM

Day schools: Don’t force scholarship families to raid their 529s

Illustrative. US dollar bank notes (CC BY-SA Manuel Dohmen/Wikimedia Commons)

US tax reform allows scholarship families to raid college funds to cover Jewish education; it is no salvation

Dec 5, 2017, 11:02 AM

On ‘collusion’, Jewish groups need to say something – now

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently been pushing U.S. President Donald Trump to allow Jonathan Pollard to emigrate to Israel. Pollard was convicted 30 years ago of spying for Israel, having betrayed his loyalty oath to the United...

Sep 28, 2017, 1:03 AM

While Trump adds to Gulf crisis, Sisi brokers Palestinian unity

News reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump has urged his Afghan counterpart to pressure Qatar into closing the Taliban's Doha office. For all the claims Saudi Arabia and its allies have leveled against Qatar, hosting a Taliban presence -- which even...

Feb 6, 2017, 8:45 PM

Modern Orthodoxy’s failings transcend Jared Kushner

My friend Peter Beinart has eloquently opened an important conversation, using as his lens the Modern Orthodox upbringing of Jared Kushner, now a senior advisor to his father-in-law, President Donald Trump. The inherent and explicit failings of the Modern Orthodox establishment...

Jan 5, 2017, 3:46 PM

Nothing new from Obama, or from Netanyahu

U.S. President Barack Obama has been accused of waiting until after the 2016 election to show his true colors and act on his hatred for Israel. But the American abstention on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334, along...

Dec 18, 2016, 12:38 PM

Why I Attended the Jewish-Azerbaijan Event in Trump’s DC Hotel

He has his qualms about the president elect, but boycotting last week's party was the wrong strategic choice

Mar 22, 2016, 2:52 PM

First Netanyahu, now Trump

Is it ever possible for pro-Israel advocacy to be too successful? No, I'm not worried about a pogrom or expulsion of the Jews from America, and I'm not shirking my Jewish pride. When the Israel brand reaches such a...

Nov 9, 2015, 5:59 PM

Netanyahu’s empty reconciliation

Welcome back to Washington, Prime Minister Netanyahu. In case you’re truly looking to turn a new leaf this week, here are a few tips: As you know, today, November 9, is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the curtain-raiser for the Holocaust. It...

Oct 7, 2015, 10:23 PM

Must Afghans’ human tragedy be Israel’s PR triumph?

Even on his deathbed, the story goes, Niccolo Macchiavelli refused the bishops' entreaties to renounce the devil, declaring that "this is no time to start making new enemies." In the hours since the horrific and jarring U.S. attack on an Afghan hospital,...

Load more

About Me

Shai Franklin, a consultant with U.S. and overseas clients, has served as an executive with American and international Jewish organizations.