Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, a senior contributor for The Federalist, a columnist for Newsweek and a contributor to many other publications. He covers the American political scene, foreign policy, the U.S.-Israel relationship, Middle East diplomacy, the Jewish world and the arts. He hosts the JNS “Think Twice” podcast, both the weekly video program and the “Jonathan Tobin Daily” program, which are available on all major audio platforms and YouTube. Previously, he was executive editor, then senior online editor and chief political blogger, for Commentary magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia and editor of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger. He has won more than 60 awards for commentary, art criticism and other writing. He appears regularly on television, commenting on politics and foreign policy. Born in New York City, he studied history at Columbia University.

He popularized conservatism with wicked and sometimes abusive humor. Is abhorrence of his worst comments more important than support for Israel? Or is this really about partisanship?
White supremacy is a danger that should not be discounted. But scaring the country into regarding it as a threat justifying an assault on civil liberties is about politics, not safety.
American presidents have tried and failed to influence elections in attempts to derail Netanyahu. If that’s what the president is considering, he should think again.
An actress is fired for an inappropriate pro-Trump Holocaust comparison, though Trump critics use them all the time. Seventy years after leftists were purged for their politics, the practice is revived.
A controversy about the West Bank is exposing the legacy Zionist institution to attacks from the left and the Biden administration. It should stand its ground.
Steven Spielberg won the Genesis Prize’s Internet poll. That he defeated a beloved scholar and leader speaks volumes about what’s wrong with contemporary Jewry.
The prospect of the first vote in 16 years may be intended to win over Joe Biden. But the pretense of democracy won’t fix a political culture that is incompatible with peace.
The president sent a strong message to Tehran about nuclear talks. A day later, his spokesperson walked it back, showing that Obama-era appeasers remain in charge.
A columnist’s contempt for Trump voters who plowed her driveway without being asked reminds us that our Founding Founders believed in a cure for what Jews call “baseless hatred.”
The Georgia congresswoman deserved censure, but the claim that Rep. Ilhan Omar and other pro-BDS radicals on the left should not be compared to her is plainly false.
The latest illiberal proposals for curbing speech in the name of fighting hate or untruths are being cheered by some liberals. But among their targets could be Zionists and Israel’s leaders.
Despite renewed U.S. outreach to the Palestinians, the most viable peace deal is the one left behind by the Trump administration that was officially trashed.