menu_open Columnists
Asaf Elia-Shalev

Asaf Elia-Shalev

The Times of Israel

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Israel boycott proponents claim victory after Carrefour rebrands in some Arab states

Israel boycott proponents claim victory after Carrefour rebrands in some Arab states

French multinational changes name of stores to HyperMax in several countries, earning applause of BDS, though move hasn’t been explicitly linked...

04.10.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Israel to spend up to $4.1M in bid to bolster support among Christians in western US

Israel to spend up to $4.1M in bid to bolster support among Christians in western US

Federal filings show Foreign Ministry hired US firm to run campaign targeting churchgoers with digital ads, mobile ‘Oct. 7th Experience’

04.10.2025 90

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

NYC pilot program offers Jewish day school subsidies — and hope for overextended parents

NYC pilot program offers Jewish day school subsidies — and hope for overextended parents

With a 3-year, $15 million fund, New York’s UJA-Federation seeks to address the longstanding issue of prohibitively expensive Jewish schooling...

01.10.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Inside Israel’s ‘Esther Project’: DOJ filings reveal paid US influencer campaign

Inside Israel’s ‘Esther Project’: DOJ filings reveal paid US influencer campaign

As officials call social media the current war’s ‘eighth front,’ new documents reveal how Jerusalem is paying to shape US opinion,...

01.10.2025 100

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Musk attacks ADL, calling it a ‘hate group’ that ‘hates Christians’

Musk attacks ADL, calling it a ‘hate group’ that ‘hates Christians’

Billionaire makes accusation in response to post about group’s page on ‘Christian Identity,’ a specific white supremacist theology...

30.09.2025 80

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Apple TV+ has postponed a Jessica Chastain thriller inspired by this secretive ADL unit

Apple TV+ has postponed a Jessica Chastain thriller inspired by this secretive ADL unit

A NYT report says the charged atmosphere around Charlie Kirk’s murder has delayed the release of ‘The Savant,’ based on a real-life highly...

27.09.2025 70

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

California lawmakers approve narrowed bill targeting antisemitism in schools

If enacted, state would be first with coordinator to prevent antisemitism in public schools, as religiously motivated bigotry against Jews soars;...

17.09.2025 80

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

In Epstein’s birthday tribute, traces of a Jewish upbringing surface alongside lurid tales

From his Hebrew name to a bar mitzvah photo, the now-deceased disgraced businessman’s 238-page album, made public this week, shows his...

10.09.2025 9

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

‘L’chaim Intifada’: New Jewish group spurns anti-Zionist JVP as insufficiently radical

Anti-Zionist Jewish Student Front declares its commitment ‘to dismantling Zionism in its entirety by confronting Zionist institutions on...

10.09.2025 80

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Orthodox, right-wing slates secure majority of US seats in World Zionist Congress

Certification comes after election tribunals and the Zionist Supreme Court settled disputes over fraudulent ballots and other irregularities

06.09.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Clock ticking on bill to make California 1st state with antisemitism watchdog in schools

A new law could set a template for other US states to follow and an example on how to draft such legislation without restricting free speech —...

05.09.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Some US Jewish groups prefer risk of violence to security grants requiring ICE cooperation

JTA — With $274 million in federal security grants about to go up for grabs, dozens of progressive Jewish groups and several synagogues say they are...

29.08.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Amid NYC mayoral race, Jewish school requires parents to show proof of voter registration

Orthodox Brooklyn school catering to Syrian community frames requirement as a way to safeguard communal interests in move apparently against Mamdani

23.08.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

After leadership shakeup, FIDF sticks to its guns on claim it is IDF’s sole US fundraiser

The group says it’s the only US charity authorized to raise money for Israeli soldiers – but the military won’t confirm it, and other groups...

22.08.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Renowned trauma expert banned from NY healing center over ‘antisemitic comments’

Bessel van der Kolk issues apology for likening Israelis to Nazis, as incident at Omega Institute highlights how once-apolitical institutions are...

20.08.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

US Conservative rabbi quits movement, preempting sanctions over performing intermarriages

As the denomination’s ethics committee opens an investigation into rabbinical scion Ari Yehuda Saks’ participation in interfaith weddings,...

14.08.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Inside one man’s quixotic quest to preserve 200,000 Israeli tchotchkes

Boris Gorbis spent a lifetime scouring garage sales, thrift shops and eBay for discarded souvenirs from the Jewish state’s early days. Now,...

11.08.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

As images from Gaza spread, US rabbis wrestle with war’s morality from the pulpit

Amid pressure on Jewish institutions to reckon with ongoing war, clergy ask Israel to alleviate suffering in Gaza, employing a Jewish moral vocabulary...

30.07.2025 70

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

US’s largest Reconstructionist synagogue quits movement for allowing anti-Israel hostility

A letter to congregants by California’s Kehillat Israel cites concerns over ordination of anti-Zionist clergy and ‘hostile’ atmosphere toward...

24.07.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Post of envoy to combat antisemitism remains unfilled 6 months into Trump’s 2nd term

US president tapped Hasidic fixer Yehuda Kaploun for the ambassador-level role, but GOP-controlled Senate has yet to schedule a confirmation hearing...

16.07.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Missouri AG threatens lawsuits after AI chatbots give Trump low marks on antisemitism

Andrew Bailey sends letter to major tech firms demanding explanations on how they train their AI tools, which ranked US president as worst ever...

11.07.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Friends of the IDF in crisis after internal report alleges financial abuse, toxic culture

Critics say chair consolidated power, authorized lavish spending, betrayed donors’ trust; organization accused of holding huge cash reserves but...

09.07.2025 6

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

In first, US Conservative synagogue allows clergy to participate in interfaith weddings

While the policy change at Adath Jeshurun, a large Minneapolis-area congregation, goes against rules set by the denomination, top leadership has...

03.07.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Board of Haredi news site preaching openness quits after founder renounces mission

Shtetl CEO Naftuli Moster says he didn’t think 3-member board would ‘go along with my evolution,’ decision to quit came from disgust...

21.06.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Once the poster child of the US yeshiva reform movement, Naftuli Moster now has regrets

The founder of Yaffed, a group decrying lack of secular education in Haredi schools, is having a reckoning fueled by distrust of progressive politics...

20.06.2025 9

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Bay Area synagogue mobilizes for two Palestinian visitors detained at airport

Cousins from Masafer Yatta face deportation after arriving on valid visas for awareness mission sponsored by local synagogue; authorities revoked...

14.06.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Israeli hostage solidarity movement Run for Their Lives presses on after Colorado attack

Following initial pause, the group is telling local chapters to decide for themselves whether to continue weekly runs as interest skyrockets after...

06.06.2025 8

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Ethnic studies compromise opens door to broader antisemitism legislation in California

Jewish groups don’t want Jews painted unfairly or Israel singled out in a new curriculum mandate. Now, several racial caucuses may be willing to help

04.06.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

School vouchers would expand across US under federal proposal cheered by Orthodox groups

Trump’s tax and spending cut bill currently offers $5,000 per student to attend Jewish schools and yeshivas as the initiative moves closer to...

25.05.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

The rise of Yehuda Kaploun: How a Hasidic fixer became Trump’s antisemitism czar nominee

For decades, the candidate has kept a low profile while active in Jewish life, business and politics. Now, as he awaits Senate confirmation, the...

19.05.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

NY state budget weakens oversight of yeshivas in blow to secular education advocates

Deadline to comply with state education standards delayed to 2032-33; state to check how many students took unstandardized exams, but not how well...

10.05.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Murders of 2 Israelis in Los Angeles on the same day said to be unrelated

Bodies of Aleksandre Modebadze and Menashe Hidra found within hours of each other, sparking fear in Jewish community; LAPD has reportedly found no...

03.05.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Jewish US justice ponders publicly funded yeshivas in case of religious charter school

As Supreme Court seen set to extend state support to Oklahoma Catholic school, Elena Kagan asks if NY would have to fund ultra-Orthodox...

01.05.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

US Jewish cultural institutions reeling as Trump defunds arts and humanities

Widespread cuts are touted as cutting costs, but come two years after a Biden administration initiative described museums as a critical tool against...

10.04.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

An inside look at Jewish Onliner, the anonymous website that got a Yale scholar suspended

A member of the faceless team using AI to expose ‘issues impacting the Jewish community’ answers questions about how the site picks its targets,...

29.03.2025 8

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

From far left to Haredi right, Jews question ethics of voting in World Zionist Congress

As Jewish voters across the globe help decide Israel’s future, diametrically opposed groups on the fringes are united in taking issue with the terms...

25.03.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Arielle Zuckerberg, partners launch $181,818,181 fund for ‘magically weird’ startups

Lee Jacobs says Hamas attack ‘awakened something dormant at my core,’ announcing, with Meta CEO’s sister, symbolically summed...

21.03.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Three more NYC yeshivas to lose funding as secular education standards take effect

Parents at ultra-Orthodox schools in Brooklyn told to look elsewhere for their kids’ education, ahead of New York’s June 30 deadline for...

21.03.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

World Zionist Congress polls open in US, with ‘soul of the State of Israel’ at stake

American Jews will select 173 candidates from 21 lists, ranging from right-wing Orthodox to anti-Netanyahu Israeli expats, to serve in 39th session of...

11.03.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

These are the 21 slates vying for US Jews’ vote for the 39th World Zionist Congress

First post-Oct. 7 election features new lists committed to fighting campus anti-Israel activity, as well as Reform, Orthodox mainstays, and satellites...

11.03.2025 70

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Adidas sells last Kanye West shoes, donates some proceeds to charity

Causes fighting discrimination, antisemitism among the beneficiaries; German sports apparel company cut ties with rapper, now known as Ye, after his...

08.03.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

How Trump’s refugee ban is keeping 700 persecuted Iranian Jews out of the US

The US president has signed an order indefinitely halting the admission of refugees – including applicants of a special program for members of...

07.03.2025 10

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Hebrew Union College sells part of LA campus, in Reform flagship’s latest downsizing

Sale to neighboring University of Southern California, an academic partner since 1972, follows move to smaller facility in Manhattan and end of...

28.02.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

2 NYC yeshivas are not meeting standards and must effectively close, state rules

Schools face most significant consequences to date in ongoing fight between Haredi institutions and education officials over minimum requirements for...

20.02.2025 50

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

A US Supreme Court case could pave the way for publicly funded Jewish day schools

A ruling on religious charter schools in Oklahoma could make education a lot cheaper for many American Orthodox Jews while opening up new options...

17.02.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Edit wars over Israel spur rare ban of 8 Wikipedia editors — from both sides

Case emerged amid allegations of widespread anti-Israel bias that have cast doubt on the open-source encyclopedia’s credibility and dovetailed with...

01.02.2025 60

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600 billion of US investment, trade over 4 years

Bin Salman does not clarify source of funds, offered in US president’s first call with a foreign leader since returning to office; figure represents...

24.01.2025 30

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

Michael Bloomberg steps in again to fund UN climate body in response to Trump moves

In repeat of 2017, billionaire former mayor of New York vows support for Framework Convention on Climate Change after new US president cuts funding,...

24.01.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

US attorney uses ‘lawfare’ to force $700K settlement from Jewish Voice for Peace

David Abrams makes a living off hunting alleged fraud by groups critical of Israel; in JVP’s case, the group allegedly misrepresented itself...

20.01.2025 20

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev

US Jewish groups pushed Meta to crack down on hate speech. Now, it’s reversing course

The company will loosen restrictions and halt automation to detect most violations as it adapts to a political era increasingly shaped by Trump and...

19.01.2025 40

The Times of Israel

Asaf Elia-Shalev