Jews read the books of Moses not just as history but as divine command. The question to which they are an answer is not, "What happened?" but rather, "How then shall I live?" And it's only with the exodus that the life of the commands really begins.

A survey carried out across the U.S. between 2004 and 2006 showed that frequent church- or synagogue-goers are more likely to give money to charity.

Governments cannot make marriages or turn feckless individuals into responsible citizens. That needs another kind of change agent.

Focus on the mind and the soul. Read. Study. Enrol in a course of lectures. Pray. Become a member of a religious congregation. Study the Bible or other ancient works of wisdom.

Israel is a democratic state with an independent judiciary, a free press and a diverse population of many cultures, religions and creeds.

The people of Israel are entitled, as is any other nation, to live in peace and safety.

There's always hope. You can lose everything else in the world, but Jews never lose hope.