We all need a secular education

Ofsted is right to demand better non-religious teaching in Charedi schools: it helps children learn right from wrong.

ive years ago, a welcome change in government policy meant that although independent schools were under no obligation to teach the national curriculum, they would all henceforth be subject to government inspection. This year, so far, Ofsted reports on 14 privately funded Jewish schools have been published. As Simon Rocker's analysis in last week's JC demonstrated, some of these audits make grim reading.

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Why I hope Olmert is tried

The key witness against Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, American businessman Morris Talansky, has declared he won't be returning to Israel to complete his testimony.

Olmert's people say this leaves the prosecution's case in tatters. The prosecution insists he will be indicted. And I hope the prosecution is right. Having a former PM in the dock will be a true embarrassment. But no trial would be even worse.

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Obama could be bad for Israel

I'm tired. It's been seven long, long years and I'm tired. It's so tempting just to lay my head down and rest. Got a pillow, anyone?

It is difficult to understand fully the aims of the 9/11 conspirators, what they were hoping to achieve by blowing up the twin towers. But if one of their objectives was to undermine the unity of the West, then they have succeeded, and succeeded dramatically.

For those of us in Europe determined to argue for solidarity with America and the need for a robust liberal internationalism, it has been a hard, long, rough ride.

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Yes, bury the absurd eulogy rule

The decision of the United Synagogue -- or rather the recommendation of its Rabbinical Council - to relax the rule that only rabbis or ministers be permitted to deliver funeral eulogies is a welcome triumph of common sense over common nonsense. What puzzles me is that the rule was ever introduced in the first place.

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So what if you’re related to Hitler?

This obsession with stories about enemies defecting to our side is a sign of insecurity

Is there a Jewish member of the Hitler family, alive and well - and living as a practising Jew in Israel?
According to Dr Michael Mach, a German-born convert to Judaism and faculty member of Tel Aviv University's Department of Philosophy, his divorced grandmother remarried one Hans Hitler, the illegitimate son of Adolph's half-brother, Alois Jr.

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King David’s food policy is nuts

In defiance of any logic available, King David Primary is angrily defending its packed-lunch ban

Big trees from little acorns grow.

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Smirking over Dunner? Careful

Taking delight in the fall of the rich and famous, however good they were reputed to be, has its own moral pitfalls

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Fund intolerance? No thanks

Charedim in Israel can now opt out of teaching about democracy, but take public money

On July 23, a law was enacted in the Knesset more squalid in its conception than any passed by Israel's parliament since the state's re-establishment.

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Bush has betrayed us on Iran

The Americans have stopped behaving as if a nuclear Iran would be a disaster

In the world of diplomacy, things are often not what they seem. When it comes to the crisis over Iran, there is even more cause to be sceptical. Disinformation in such a stand-off is routine.

That's not to say there is any doubt about Iran's race to develop nuclear weapons. The regime is gloating at having faced down the international community's deadline for halting uranium enrichment.

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The betrayal of the settlers

It is exactly three years since Israel withdrew from Gaza, and few of the settlers banished from their homes have rebuilt their lives.

According to a survey by the Maagar Mohot Institute, 81 per cent are still in temporary housing; 50 per cent are unemployed; and 15 per cent are supported financially by family. Fifty five per cent report a deterioration in their health, and require psychological care.

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