Born Yosef ben Matityahu in in Jerusalem in 37 CE, Flavius Josephus became commander of a Jewish rebel force fighting Rome during the Great Revolt of the late 60s. Following his defeat, he defected to the Romans, gained the patronage of the emperor Vespasian, and spent the remainder of his life writing books on Judaism and Jewish history for a Gentile audience. Martin Goodman discusses Josephus’ life and work with J.J. Kimche, explaining his courage in defending the Jews at a time when they were especially unpopular, delving into his ideas about the Hebrew Bible, and much else.

Taking stock of the events of the last year, including the recent battering Israel has dealt Hizballah, Ben-Dror Yemini believes it is time for the Jewish state to take an even more significant step:

The Iranian axis of evil has attacked Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, and Syria—and a significant part of the world has aligned with the dark and murderous forces. A year in which even the leaders of countries expected to lead the free world, who should oppose the axis of evil, are imposing arms embargoes on Israel.

With or without the U.S., Israel must destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. . . . Because if this regime is not eliminated, if it gains the capability, if it [obtains] nuclear weapons, it will destroy Israel. It will commit genocide on millions. Oil prices will rise? Let them rise. Our lives are more important.

The Middle East needs peace and rehabilitation. They will not come so long as the ayatollahs rule Iran. Tens of millions of Iranians, Lebanese, Iraqis, Yemenis, and Palestinians are the primary victims of the Iranian regime, which brings destruction, hunger, devastation, and bloodshed. It’s not clear if the U.S. can afford to abandon them. It is clear that Israel cannot abandon itself. It is possible that an action by Israel, alone, will exact a high price. But any price today will be lower than the price Israel will pay in the future.