Most presidents have had the sense not to bully the FBI by defaming its leaders and — ridiculously — painting its agents as leftist political hacks. Most members of Congress have also understood how unwise it would be to pull such stunts. But Trump and his hapless henchmen on Capitol Hill, led by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), have chosen the wrong enemy. History strongly suggests they will be sorry.

…given the expectations around the document — not least because of the warnings about its content by the FBI and Democrats, it will have to contain some stunning disclosures to justify the buildup. If the wow factor is not there, it could quickly fade as a political issue. Another danger for Trump and his supporters is that the days of ventilating could actually undercut his claims that the FBI is corrupt, if the memo fails to deliver.

If and when it’s released, the Nunes memo will probably only vindicate Trump among people who already share right-wing assumptions. But it will put the F.B.I. in a difficult position, since to defend itself against accusations that it relied solely on Steele’s findings to get a warrant on Page, it would have to release additional classified evidence.

I’m not here to debate whether this should be done or not.

Frankly, I don’t care either way and don’t have a problem with the update.

But is this the sort of thing Canadians want their politicians to spend their time and our tax dollars on?

The first Arab-Israeli Supreme Court justice, now retired, said he cannot sing the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”

“Right now, I cannot sing an anthem that includes the words ‘Beats true a Jewish heart,’” Salim Joubran said in an interview published in the Israel Bar Association’s journal in honor of his August retirement. “If the state expects all of its citizens, including the Arab ones, to respect its national anthem, it needs to respect them and their rights.”

Tweaking a national anthem to manifest equality is serious business. The idea seems noble when only one side of the equation is considered: that of creating a more inclusive environment. But what if more inclusiveness means less cohesiveness and hence a weaker society?

Moreover: should a tweak be the result of social change (women in Canada), or the catalyst for such change (Arabs in Israel). In other words: should a change be considered only when the group wanting it fully identifies with the national ethos?

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, likened African migrants in Israel to the “Dreamers” at the heart of a contentious US immigration debate and suggested that deporting them would make Israel appear racist…. Greenblatt has joined calls on Israel not to deport the African migrants, but casting the call in terms that suggested that it would look racist is an escalation of the debate.

Israel is far from being the only democracy that sends back illegal immigrants. The United States expels 400,000 illegal immigrants every year. Germany has been sending back illegal immigrants to Afghanistan, and Italy to Sudan. In 2017, Germany expelled 80,000 illegal immigrants. . . .

Israel is a safe haven to all Jews, as well as to non-Jewish asylum seekers who meet the criteria of the Refugee Convention—which most illegal immigrants don’t. Israel’s policy is consistent with international law and with the practice of other democracies, and it should not be judged by higher standards.

…once you have sealed off the border, Israelis learned, you are still left with the illegal immigrants who are already on your side of it. This is an issue the U.S. will have to contend with if and when it builds its wall. Israel is dealing with it now.

It may strike some as odd to suggest an Eagles championship would usher in an era of assured civic pride… What will this future Philadelphia look like if we win and finally get this middle linebacker of a monkey off our backs? If we’re no longer losers, are we still lovable? Can Philadelphians be self-assured and proud without turning into obnoxious jerks like everyone from New York and Boston?

More than 100 million people are expected to tune in Sunday night to watch the 2018 Super Bowl, and advertisers are betting that few of them want to hear about politics. But after a year in which the NFL itself became the epicenter of America’s culture wars, and with political divisiveness at an all-time high, it could be hard for Sunday night’s game to go down without a partisan fight.

Professional football games are not quite so obviously religious in character. Yet there is a remarkable sense in which the Super Bowl functions as a major religious festival for American culture, for the event signals a convergence of sports, politics and myth. Like festivals in ancient societies, which made no distinctions regarding the religious, political and sporting character of certain events, the Super Bowl succeeds in reuniting these now disparate dimensions of social life.

…kosher is seen by most as the quintessential chok, a commandment whose reasoning we do not know, and whose practice is more a sign of religious commitment than anything else. And although religious commitment is seen by many as praiseworthy, it is personal interest that often times motivates change (As the Sages say, “One comes to do mitzvot for the right reason by initially engaging in them for the wrong reason [ie, for selfish reasons]”). In kosher’s case, and as regards the profit to the individual, the burdens are perceived as far outweighing the potential benefits.

A young couple, Janet and Izhak Faiziev, own a three-month-old Asian fusion restaurant called Mea Shearim, serving sushi, Chinese food and noodle bowls. The restaurant was recently written up as “koscher, cool und asiatisch” (kosher, cool and Asian) in Wina Magazin, an independent Jewish magazine published in German. The restaurant’s clean lines, ultra-modern design and unique tableware contribute to the hotspot’s modish appeal.

The high temperature during Super Bowl Sunday is expected to be a frigid 11 degrees, but Chabad plans to warm up Jewish fans who will be on hand for the game.

Rabbi Sholom Brook, co-director of Chabad Young Professionals Uptown Minneapolis, will host a kosher tailgate along with other local Chabad rabbis, offering up deli sandwiches, hot dogs, cold drinks and a stand for people to wrap tefillin before the 6:30 p.m. game at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.