Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

I once bought myself a mug with the inscription “Prayer Changes Things.” It is still my favorite mug, despite a slight chip on top from several years of use. It is a daily reminder that, indeed, prayer changes things. I have learned that prayer also changes. At least mine has over the years. From the…

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has implied a number of times since 2020 that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey. Most recently, on December 22, 2024, in response to the loud chants of “Mr. President, take us to Jerusalem” from a crowd of young people at a speech he gave in Mardin, Turkey, he shockingly responded, “Patience brings…

The Jewish holiday of Chanukah is an annual eight-day celebration of religious liberty and freedom from oppression. It centers on the lighting of the Chanukah menorah as a means of publicizing the miracle of the oil, which the Talmud explains is the basis for the holiday of Chanukah. The ancient Greeks had occupied the Second…

Since October 7, Jewish fortitude has been evident on more fronts than the battlefront. Despite a raging war in Israel on all its borders, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes in the country’s North and South, there has been a significant uptick in Jewish people making aliyah. Nefesh B’Nefesh…

I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense-Pete Hegseth for the past ten years. I and my wife attended his wedding to Jennifer Rauchet in 2019. I have traveled the world with both of them and have witnessed a blessed and beautiful marriage. Pete Hegseth is a…

The advocacy group J Street has voiced its support for legislation being pushed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to oppose giving arms to Israel, which is in the middle of a multifront war. J Street, however, still bizarrely advertises itself as a pro-Israel organization. The fundamental litmus test of a pro-Israel organization is its support…

The Israel Heritage Foundation (IHF) has strongly condemned
the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest
warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. This move is widely regarded
as a blatant display of anti-Israel bias and politicization. 
“This is a dark day for justice and a stark reminder of the ICC’s
troubling pattern…

Those who love America often love Israel as well. Pete Hegseth is in a singular position to appreciate the shared uniqueness of the two countries. A military veteran who holds two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is a former CEO of the Concerned Veterans for America…

The Amsterdam pogrom that took place two days after the U.S. elections was a teaching moment. It demonstrated the shaky footings of “Never again” in European countries where mass numbers of Muslim immigrants are augmenting widespread innate Jew hatred. And it validated the euphoria that Jews around the world feel about the triumphant comeback of…

Israel is getting back its mojo. Stunning military successes against Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran, have emboldened Israel’s leaders to act, despite worldwide pressure for restraint. Victories in Rafah and Lebanon, especially the obliteration of enemy chiefs and operatives, have encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli leaders to thumb their noses at detractors in the U.S.…