Opinion

Unpacked’s opinion hub: incisive editorials, expert viewpoints, and persuasive analysis on Israel, Judaism and Jewish life. Our writers and guest thinkers push beyond the headlines to unpack complex history, policy and culture with the nuance and insight Unpacked is known for: challenging assumptions, proposing bold ideas, and offering original takes that spark conversation and help readers make sense of the big questions shaping Jewish life today.

I fulfilled my dream of making aliyah — days later Israel went to war with Iran

I came to Israel expecting a fresh start. Instead, I got sirens, uncertainty, and a powerful lesson in what it means to build a life from scratch.

Egypt was not the last time: Seeing the Iranian struggle in the Passover story

At her Persian-Jewish seder table, Chloe Levian reflects on her family’s escape from Iran and why Exodus still feels painfully present.

Yonit Levi & Bianna Golodryga on Antisemitism, October 7, and Don’t Feed the Lion

Satirizing nazis can be defiance — the ‘Drag Race’ Hitler Snatch Game performance wasn’t quite that

Jewish humor has long used Nazi mockery to reclaim power and affirm survival. On “Drag Race,” The Only Naomy’s performance lacked the target satire requires.

Love, Unpacked with Logan: Can your relationship survive with differing views of Israel?

Can couples disagree about Israel and still stay together? Dr. Logan Levkoff explains the line between policy debates and core values and why it matters for love and intimacy.

Elica Le Bon on Why It’s “Safe to Hate Jews” — and Why She Won’t Stay Silent

What Israelis and Diaspora Jews get wrong about each other

As a new immigrant to Israel, I keep being asked: why move here now? The answer says as much about the Diaspora as it does about Israeli life.

Hugging, Hitting, and Helping: Mitch Julis on the Future of Jewish Giving

We came to Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah. Then the gunshots began

Chavi Israel thought she heard fireworks. Then the security guards yelled, “Down, down.” A mother’s first-person account of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack.

Did Jews ‘steal the land’ in Israel? What the 1945 JNF map reveals about the partition plan

Jews didn’t just “show up” in 1947 and get handed Israel. This piece breaks down how much land Jews bought before the UN voted on partition.

Do Jews benefit from or lose out under DEI?

DEI was meant to make institutions fairer — but for many Jews, its categories erase Jewish identity instead of protecting it.

When friendship meets the front lines: How standing with Israel cost me my ‘chosen family’

Aliya Zigman writes about losing friendships for enlisting in the IDF: “I chose, and will always choose, to stand with the Jewish people.”

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