This week, Israel will be marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War. The conflict is known by other names, but six days stands out because so much happened in such a short time to change so much. By the time the ceasefire was called, the relatively new nation of Israel had captured territory from Egypt, Jordan and Syria, defended its right to exist, proven itself as a military power and changed the balance of power in the Middle East.

But that victory came at a cost. It started what has become a 50-year military occupation of the West Bank with no end in sight. It includes the flashpoint of East Jerusalem. Israel still controls entry and exit from Gaza. And it created what writer and editor Jane Eisner calls quote, "a painful ambiguity," unquote.

Now, a very great deal has been written and will be written about this anniversary, but we thought Jane Eisner's column stood out, so we asked her to tell us more of her thoughts. She's editor in chief of The Forward. It's a national Jewish news organization in the U.S., and we called her in New York. Jane Eisner, thanks so much for speaking with us. ...