Submitted Stories by Rafael Medoff RSS Feed Stories Submitted by Rafael Medoff
Benzion Netanyahu’s role in U.S. politics
Benzion Netanyahu, who died this week at age 102, played a little-known role in American history that has some parallels with his son, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Read more »
Op-Ed: On Iran, Auschwitz is relevant
In the debate over Iran's nuclear weapons program, Auschwitz is relevant -- notably the failure to bomb the death camp -- writes the director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. Read more »
Op-Ed: Recalling a Mormon senator who tried to save Anne Frank’s life
When the issue was not saving Anne Frank's soul but saving her life, the most powerful Mormon political figure in America at the time -- Utah Sen. William H. King -- did what he could at a time when too few were willing to do anything at all, writes the director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. Read more »
Op-Ed: A Palestinian mufti and the U.S. election, then and now
With remarks by a Jerusalem mufti echoing a controversy from the World War II era, the co-author of an upcoming book about Herbert Hoover and the Jewish vote says all sides would do well to keep in mind what 1948 says about the potential electoral impact of Middle East politics. Read more »
Op-Ed: Christians mostly failed to act in response to Kristallnacht
Most American Christian leaders strongly condemned the Kristallnacht pogrom that the Nazis carried out against Germany's Jews 73 years ago next week, but the words of condemnation were not always accompanied by calls for action, writes the director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. Read more »
Op-Ed: Why recognizing the Bergson Group matters
It's important that the 1940s' rescue activists known as the Bergson Group are finally receiving the recognition they deserve to ensure historical accuracy, to promote Jewish unity and, most of all, to help inspire a new generation of activists, writes the director of the The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. Read more »
Op-Ed: From father to son, the Netanyahu legacy in Washington
With Benjamin Netanyahu's success in attracting bipartisan support in Washington, the prime minister is following in the footsteps of his father, who accomplished a similar feat 67 years ago, writes historian Rafael Medoff. Read more »
Op-Ed: Obama, Libya and the Holocaust
By intervening in Libya, America’s leaders are recognizing a role for historical lessons in shaping policy decisions -- a welcome change from the attitudes of some of their predecessors, writes the director of a Holocaust studies institute. Read more »
Inviting Nazis to campus
Ivy League lecture invitations to Iran's president have a precedent: In the 1930s, Harvard and Columbia welcomed members of the Nazi regime to address their students. Read more »
Zionist Brando play turns 60
Broadway plays don’t usually produce political or social change. But Ben Hecht’s controversial pro-Zionist play “A Flag is Born,” which debuted 60 years ago, had an impact on three of the most contentious issues of its day. Read more »
RSS Feed Breaking News
Updated 05/24/12 @ 04:11PM EST
- Jewish groups called on Israel to protect African migrants in Israel after riots in Tel Aviv.
- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel is returning campaign donations under investigation by federal authorities.
- A new survey suggests that Germans have lost some love for Israel over the past three years.
- An Arab-Israeli immigrant to the United States was found guilty of murder in Michigan.
- Israel's Arava Power Company has closed on financing for eight solar power projects worth $204 million.
- U.S. Jewish groups condemn anti-African violence in Tel Aviv
- Mandel returns funds under investigation
- Obama’s same-sex marriage nod echoes historic Catholic-Jewish debate
- Survey: Israel losing ground with Germans
- Israeli Arab guilty of murder in Michigan
- Israel’s Arava firm finances $204 million for solar projects
- Israel will solve African migrant problem, Netanyahu assures
- Senate distinguishes between Palestinian refugees and descendants
