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Persia


Go to Ammon and Moab Go to Ammon and Moab
Monday, February 25, 2013 by Daniel Gordis | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

Imagining themselves to be the wise men consulted on Vashti’s fate, the Rabbis deferred to the Jews’ enemies, saying, “from the day when we were exiled from our land, wisdom has been taken from us."
Purim in a New York Taxi Purim in a New York Taxi
Friday, February 22, 2013 by Viva Hammer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

In reading the megillah together, my brother and I share a special bond of experience, family history played out against the rich backdrop of our people’s history.
The Halakhah of Selling Arms The Halakhah of Selling Arms
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

Jewish law prohibits individuals from selling weapons to irresponsible or violent customers.  But how does this apply to Israel's arms sales to foreign governments?
Chemical Warfare in the Middle East: A Brief History Chemical Warfare in the Middle East: A Brief History
Thursday, December 13, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

At this time of Hanukkah’s memories of Syrian tyrants past, the Syrian tyrant present, Bashar al-Assad, has reportedly assembled chemical weapons for use against the rebellion.
Cousins: Jews and Arabs Seek Each Other Out Cousins: Jews and Arabs Seek Each Other Out
Thursday, October 18, 2012 by Moshe Sokolow | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. So, it seems, is the rule governing Jews and Arabs: the farther apart they are from one another, the greater their mutual interest, while the greater their proximity, the more antagonistic they seem.
Iranian Jewry Today Iranian Jewry Today
Thursday, August 16, 2012 by Shai Secunda | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features

In late June 2012, the Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran addressed an international conference on the proliferation of illicit drugs.  He acknowledged his country’s extensive border with Afghanistan, the largest producer of illegal opium in the world.  But he also blamed the crisis on the Babylonian Talmud.
Editors' Picks
From Cyrus to Ahmedinijad Norman Berdichevsky, New English Review. Liberated by Cyrus, protected by the Sassanids, and even favored for a time by the Mongols, Jews had a relatively good time in Persia—until Shia Islam became dominant.
Caught in the Crossfire Matthias Schulz, Spiegel. Was pre-Islamic Yemen a multicultural paradise, where Jews, Christians, and pagans lived in perfect harmony until the Byzantines ruined everything?
The Afghan Genizah Samuel Thrope, University of Chicago Divinity School. A trove of medieval Jewish documents recently found in Afghanistan promises to shed light not only on Jewish life at the time of the Mongol invasion but also on the evolution of the Persian language.  
The Most Dangerous Man in the World Reuel Marc Gerecht, Weekly Standard. The West may hope that Iran would have enough acumen not to actually use a nuclear bomb, but her Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, hasn’t exhibited much sense yet.