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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.

The cover for the New York Times 1619 Project. Source: Screenshot.
From the Editor-in-Chief
A toxic race curriculum has no place in Jewish schools
Adopting the “1619 Project” version of history and indoctrinating students with its talk of Jews as racist beneficiaries of white privilege is a terrible blunder.
Dec. 23, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
A view of Capitol Hill at night. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/M. Fitzsimmons.
From the Editor-in-Chief
In COVID-aid bill scrum, Israel becomes a familiar scapegoat
The coronavirus bill was insufficient to deal with both the crisis and the usual congressional spending mess. But blaming the problem on foreign aid is for fools and anti-Semites.
Dec. 22, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Right-wing activists and supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rally outside his Jerusalem residence on Aug. 20, 2020. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Red-state Mizrahi Israelis don’t want liberal sympathy or solutions
Attempts to draw analogies between Trump voters and the Israeli right fail to understand Jews who trace their origins to the Muslim world and illustrate the left’s contempt for “deplorables.”
Dec. 21, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Birthright Israel participants hike up Masada. Credit: Courtesy.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Is there something wrong with a program that encourages in-marriage?
A new study shows that the Birthright Israel program is having a positive impact on participants’ decision to marry a Jewish partner. That has angered interfaith outreach advocates.
Dec. 18, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
American, Israeli Flags
From the Editor-in-Chief
Can the bipartisan consensus on Israel be revived?
The Biden administration has the chance to end the division between the parties about support for the Jewish state. It remains to be seen whether that’s what they want to do.
Dec. 17, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Peter Beinart
From the Editor-in-Chief
Stop pretending that anti-Zionism isn’t anti-Semitism
Jews who provide cover for those who wish to eliminate the one Jewish state on the planet aren’t defending criticism of Israel; they’re legitimizing a dangerous form of hatred.
Dec. 16, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Gideon Sa'arleaving Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv on Dec. 18, 2019. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.
From the Editor-in-Chief
A reshuffled Israeli political deck still means ‘no’ to two states
Despite the prospect of elections and party chaos, a broad consensus on the Palestinian issue appears to be holding in Israel. But will anyone in the next administration listen to it?
Dec. 15, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
U.N. peacekeepers in the Western Sahara. Credit: U.N. Photo/Martine Perret.
From the Editor-in-Chief
In praise of diplomatic quid pro quos
Trump’s critics blasted the Morocco-Israel normalization agreement as merely a transaction, rather than peace. They forget that deals based on mutual interests are the only kind that last.
Dec. 14, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
New York City Jewish Solidarity March
From the Editor-in-Chief
One year after Jersey City attack, Jewish unity is on the rocks
When Orthodox Jews were targeted for violence, the non-Orthodox belatedly responded with talk of solidarity. The pandemic and politics have put the lie to their pledges.
Dec. 10, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Roald Dahl signs books for children in Amsterdam on Oct. 12, 1988. Credit: Rob Bogaerts/Anefo via Wikimedia Commons.
From the Editor-in-Chief
No one needs posthumous apologies from an anti-Semitic writer
Unfortunately, Roald Dahl got a pass for Jew-hatred during his lifetime and even after his death. But that doesn’t mean that we should now cancel his beloved children’s books.
Dec. 9, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Illustration of a lit menorah on the sixth night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Photo by Mendy Hechtman/Flash90.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Jews of no religion and the war on Hanukkah
A “New York Times” article about “saying goodbye” to the holiday helps explain why Jewish faith and history remain meaningless to assimilated Americans.
Dec. 8, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
Supporters of Americans for Peace Now in Israel. Source: Americans for Peace Now/Facebook.
From the Editor-in-Chief
Why are Jews trying to undermine the fight against Jew-hatred?
Palestinian critics of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism are unimportant. It’s their Jewish fellow travelers who are legitimizing anti-Zionist prejudice that is the real problem.
Dec. 7, 2020
Jonathan S. Tobin
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