The Blog Down: Year in Review

Hot button topics that seized readers' attention in 2012 included the Iranian threat, PA UN bid, Gaza operation.

New Year's Eve 2012 in NYC 370 (R) (photo credit: Gary Hershorn / Reuters)
New Year's Eve 2012 in NYC 370 (R)
(photo credit: Gary Hershorn / Reuters)
As we quickly approach the New Year with hopes, aspirations and resolutions let's take a brief moment to look back on 2012’s highlights on The Jerusalem Post blog site.
The past year saw a fresh redesign for the JPost.com blog site, as we said goodbye to many esteemed writers and welcomed the addition of several new high profile bloggers like International Broadcaster and Journalist Earl Cox and Pro-Israel Activist Maurice Ostroff. Veteran bloggers like Abe Foxman, David Harris, and Ed Koch were also exceedingly popular with readers as they weighed in on some of the top stories of 2012.
Click for special JPost coverage
Click for special JPost coverage
New addition to the team, Radio Talk Show Host Gadi Adelman, whose blog post Benghazi- October Surprise was the most popular blog of the year, captured readers with his analysis of the Obama administration's response to the tragic attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi and his exclusive sit down interview with former CIA operative Clare M. Lopez.
Other hot button topics that seized readers' attention this past year included the Iranian threat, the Palestinian UN bid, and Operation Pillar of Defense.
Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza
Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza
Michael Omer-Man's blog post Iran: A game gone too far was an especially popular post on the subject. Under an eye-catching headline, he claims that the Israeli government engaged in a dangerous "good cop, bad cop" game with the Iranian regime and the international community whose path may ultimately lead to war.
Similarly, Rabbi Eric Yoffie's aptly titled article Five things I never want to hear again about the conflict in Gaza was well-received by readers. Writing the piece in the midst of Operation Pillar of Defense, Yoffie lists five statements commonly heard about the Gaza conflict and then proceeds to tear them to shreds. The post ignited great debate among readers, with some individuals even creating lists of their own in the comments section.
Another popular blog was Gil Troy's post, Why Israel should say 'NO' to the Palestinians' UN UDI (unilateral declaration of independence). While the title is self-explanatory, readers clicked in to get the full scoop and read veteran blogger Troy's analysis on the UN bid.
Palestine wins historic UN upgrade
Palestine wins historic UN upgrade
Other notable blogs of 2012 included David Turner's series on the Foundations of the Holocaust, which sparked debate amongst readers the likes of which the blog site has never seen; with each post receiving hundreds of comments. Michael Ordman's series of uplifting posts in his blog Just Look at Us Now were also increasingly popular and were even picked up by sites and newspapers as far as Malaysia. Yisrael Medad and Petra Marquardt-Bigman also intrigued readers, as they took on anti-Israel bias in the mainstream media and anti-Semitism on Twitter and social media respectively. And of course, our Jewish pop-culture blogger Abe Novick managed to entertain readers throughout the year.
Finally, I'd like to remind our readers that the Post is looking for new bloggers to join the team in 2013. If you are interested in becoming a regular blogger and have a novel idea for a new blog send a proposal along with a writing sample to jpostblogeditor@gmail.com.
What will 2013 have in store for us?
The writer is The Jerusalem Post’s blogs editor