How a Group of Christian Thinkers Argued That the Poor Are the New Jews

Sept. 26 2023

The story of the exodus from Egypt, arguably the central narrative of the Hebrew Bible, is one of a group of persecuted and enslaved people who are led to freedom. In the 1960s and 70s, a number of Christian clergymen—influence by Marxism and other popular ideas—combined this fact with God’s manifest concern for the poor and the downtrodden throughout both Testaments to create a “liberation theology” concerned with the ending of various forms of oppression. In conversation with Ryan Gregg, Jon D. Levenson explains the limitations of this approach, and its connection to supersessionism—the idea that the Jews have been replaced in their special status. (Video, 34 minutes.)

Read more at Deeper Podcast

More about: Christianity, Exodus, Hebrew Bible, Liberation theology

As the IDF Grinds Closer to Victory in Gaza, the Politicians Will Soon Have to Step In

July 16 2025

Ron Ben-Yishai, reporting from a visit to IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, analyzes the state of the fighting, and “the persistent challenge of eradicating an entrenched enemy in a complex urban terrain.”

Hamas, sensing the war’s end, is mounting a final effort to inflict casualties. The IDF now controls 65 percent of Gaza’s territory operationally, with observation, fire dominance, and relative freedom of movement, alongside systematic tunnel destruction. . . . Major P, a reserve company commander, says, “It’s frustrating to hear at home that we’re stagnating. The public doesn’t get that if we stop, Hamas will recover.”

Senior IDF officers cite two reasons for the slow progress: meticulous care to protect hostages, requiring cautious movement and constant intelligence gathering, and avoiding heavy losses, with 22 soldiers killed since June.

Two-and-a-half of Hamas’s five brigades have been dismantled, yet a new hostage deal and IDF withdrawal could allow Hamas to regroup. . . . Hamas is at its lowest military and governing point since its founding, reduced to a fragmented guerrilla force. Yet, without complete disarmament and infrastructure destruction, it could resurge as a threat in years.

At the same time, Ben-Yishai observes, not everything hangs on the IDF:

According to the Southern Command chief Major General Yaron Finkelman, the IDF is close to completing its objectives. In classical military terms, “defeat” means the enemy surrenders—but with a jihadist organization, the benchmark is its ability to operate against Israel.

Despite [the IDF’s] battlefield successes, the broader strategic outcome—especially regarding the hostages—now hinges on decisions from the political leadership. “We’ve done our part,” said a senior officer. “We’ve reached a crossroads where the government must decide where it wants to go—both on the hostage issue and on Gaza’s future.”

Read more at Ynet

More about: Gaza War 2023, IDF