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Jonathan S. Tobin

Jonathan S. Tobin

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.

Kristen Clarke, President-Elect Joe Biden's choice for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Source: Screenshot.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Is there a statute of limitations on racism and anti-Semitism?
Biden’s choice to run the civil-rights division of the Department of Justice engaged in public racial incitement as a student leader at Harvard. Should that disqualify her for high office now?
Jan. 13, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
Jonathan Greenblatt
From the Editor-in-Chief
Will impeachment and censorship defend Jews against anti-Semitism?
Impeaching President Trump can be debated on the merits. But the Anti-Defamation League’s endorsement of it and the silencing of dissent shows how far it has strayed from the purpose for which it was created.
Jan. 12, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
A damaged window in one of the rooms of the U.S. Capitol after it was stormed by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
From the Editor-in-Chief
America needs healing, not more partisan warfare
After COVID, racial unrest, a bitter election and then a shocking Capitol riot, Americans look to their new administration for hope, not recriminations and efforts to suppress speech.
Jan. 11, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in November 2018. Source: Spokesman of the Egyptian Presidency/Facebook.
From the Editor-in-Chief
The Arab Spring created a consensus against Middle East interventions
Ten years later, the neo-conservative dream of spreading democracy is dead. But both Israel and America are largely content with their undemocratic Arab allies.
Jan. 8, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
A view of Capitol Hill at night. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/M. Fitzsimmons.
From the Editor-in-Chief
There’s no such thing as an acceptable violent riot
The conspiracy theories and symbols of intolerance that abounded at the Capitol riot should prompt questions about how to deal with protests of all kinds that can get out of hand.
Jan. 7, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
From the Editor-in-Chief
When the rule of law breaks down, no one is safe
The assault on the Capitol was shocking and disgraceful. It’s also a reminder that everyone’s rights, including minority groups, depends on the preservation of order and respect for democracy.
Jan. 6, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
Heads of different religious communities in Israel get a COVID-19 vaccine at the Ziv Hospital in Tzfat, Dec. 24, 2020. Photo by David Cohen/Flash90.
From the Editor-in-Chief
The COVID vaccine blood libel against Israel
The myth that the Palestinians were denied the vaccine demonstrates the persistence of anti-Semitism and ignorance about who governs Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza.
Jan. 5, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
U.S. President Donald Trump holding a rally in Georgia in Dec. 2020. Source: Facebook/Donald Trump.
From the Editor-in-Chief
A referendum on Trump rather than a radical critic of Israel
The Georgia Senate runoff hinges on the tribal culture war about the president, rather than on whether an effort to legitimize an intersectional radical like Raphael Warnock could succeed.
Jan. 4, 2021
Jonathan S. Tobin
A view inside an empty synagogue.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Zoom can’t be the formula for a post-pandemic Jewish future
With the vaccine bringing hope for a possible return to normalcy, synagogues and groups must use what they’ve learned during the crisis while recognizing that real communities aren’t virtual.
Dec. 30, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
U.S. Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner seen ahead of his departure with US-Israeli delegation from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi, at the Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, August 31, 2020. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90
From the Editor-in-Chief
The most consequential Jew of 2020: Jared Kushner
The presidential adviser/son-in-law was demonized as the Modern Orthodox face of white supremacism and all Trump failures, but his accomplishments should long be remembered.
Dec. 29, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas addresses the U.N. Security Council concerning details of the Mideast peace plan put forth by the United States on Feb. 11, 2020. Credit: Eskinder Debebe/U.N. Photo.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Can the Palestinians adjust to changing times?
The Arab states have moved on. The Israeli left is powerless. And no one expects the Biden administration to help. So why are the Palestinians acting as if they don’t have to change?
Dec. 28, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2019. Photo by Marc Israel Sellem/POOL.
From the Editor-in-Chief
The verdict of history and Benjamin Netanyahu
The prime minister is again the issue as Israel heads for another election. But the unseemly aspects of his quest for political survival are obscuring his achievements.
Dec. 24, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
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