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Shlomo Toren

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May 13, 2018, 3:19 PM

Grab an Israeli flag and dance with joy

"What are you planning to do tomorrow for Jerusalem Day?" I asked my youngest son. Young is not little anymore. My youngest son towers above me, tall, dark and handsome. He is learning Arabic in his spare time and...

Apr 22, 2018, 10:15 AM

So Natalie Portman is acting out? Let her

Definition of act out (intransitive verb) : to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (such as fear or frustration) Catching us between Independence Day and preparations for the coming Shabbat/Friday Gaza riots, Natalie...

Apr 18, 2018, 4:15 PM

HaTikvah: Biased towards hope

When Naftali Herz Imber wrote his poem Tikvatenu or "Our Hope" following the establishment of the settlement of Petach Tikva in 1878, he did not address his poem to the Arabs. His audience were downtrodden and discriminated against Jews of...

Apr 10, 2018, 3:19 PM

If you were an Israeli sniper near Gaza, you would shoot too

The cheers we hear when someone gets shot are embarrassing, but let's not forget what our soldiers do for us

Apr 8, 2018, 11:28 PM

‘If you were a cannibal, you’d invite a “friend” for dinner’

We have all seen it before. Palestinians riot, or worse, murder, and there rises a small and annoying voice. "If you were a Palestinian you would do that too". But would you? Gaza is a mess. Life, for the majority of...

Mar 27, 2018, 8:23 PM

A million obstacles?

Quiet there, Mr. Ruff! Of your noise, we’ve had enough. Wouldn’t it drive you really bats If we were a million. --Katz The Two State Solution has been having a bit of a renaissance lately since around the last AIPAC conference. Executive Director of AIPAC,...

Feb 21, 2018, 11:18 AM

An economic migrant/refugee choice model

לאו עכברא גנב אלא חורא גנב (גיטין מה ע"א) There is a saying in the Talmud: "It isn't the mouse that steals, rather it is the hole that steals". Applied to the present issue of the migrants/refugees from Africa and I...

Jan 29, 2018, 3:17 PM

Black, white and the gray void between them

An African migrant in Levinsky Park in southern Tel Aviv (photo credit: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

How is it OK to compare 'refugees' from Africa to our grandparents who fled Nazi-occupied Europe?

Dec 7, 2017, 11:14 AM

Recognizing Jerusalem is like saying ‘I love you’

US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, May 22, 2017, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Hearing Jerusalem recognized out loud is transformative -- and deserves a celebration

Jun 28, 2017, 10:11 PM

Just some Fake News on the Wall

"Netanyahu to millions of Jews: We don’t really want you". Not some minor Op-Ed by some nobody (yours truly), but by David Horowitz right up front so no one could miss it. Though I am a bit of a...

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About Me

Shlomo Toren has been a resident of Israel since 1980, and a transportation planner for the last 25 years. He has done demand modeling for the Jerusalem Light Rail and Road 6. He is married to Neera and lives in Shiloh.