Clinton Softens Rhetoric, But Differences Linger

Reiterates ‘unshakable bond’ with Israel amid calls for calm.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, wants Israel to prove its commitment to peace. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government already has. getty images

by Stewart Ain
Staff Writer

After a week of harsh U.S. criticism over what it saw as an Israeli “insult” to Vice President Joe Biden, the Obama administration toned down the rhetoric Tuesday as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dismissed suggestions that there was a crisis in U.S.-Israeli relations. “We have an absolute commitment to Israel’s security,” she told reporters in Washington. “We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people who share common values and a commitment to a democratic future for the world.” - Read Story -

Almost Everything Is Illuminated

Yeshiva University Museum exhibit features a dazzling array of mostly hand-written Hebrew books.

The new exhibit is devoted to the collection of rare Hebrew books held by Rene Braginsky

by Eric Herschthal

About six years ago, the curator Sharon L. Mintz was looking for rare printed Talmuds for an exhibit she was organizing at the Yeshiva University Museum. She came across the name of a little-known collector in Switzerland who said he could help. Mintz was flown out to the private home of the collector, but discovered that he had much more than Talmuds. - Read Story -