Throughout our history there have been times when it’s been illegal to be Jewish, when our land has been occupied by foreign powers who tried to force us to bow to their gods and make us forget about ours. We’ve been scattered, enslaved, accused of every evil in the world, tortured and slaughtered. There … More UN resolutions and Hanukah: legacy, promise and opportunity
Sneakers put out to dry. Wet and full of sand, they looked tired. My heart almost burst to see them. They tell a story people who live elsewhere wouldn’t recognize but most Israelis would. Those who don’t have this story in their own home know the story well. Across political affiliations and religious denominations, it … More Zionism looks like a dirty pair of sneakers
Whoever would have thought that manger scenes and mall Santas could become a topic of contention in America? That saying “Merry Christmas” is becoming taboo in some circles? Wow. I spent the first decade and a half of my life in America. Most of my neighbors were Christian, not Jewish. They put up Christmas lights … More My Jewish perspective on the “War on Christmas”
24 year old Rabbi Yerachmiel Levin, decided to donate a kidney to someone he doesn’t know. He wanted to save a life in honor of his father Rabbi Kalman Levin whose life was stolen away by a terrorist who murdered him while he was praying in the Har Nof synagogue. The man who received his kidney … More You didn’t just save me, you saved my entire family
It’s amazing how many things can be wrong with one little sentence. Nov 24th was the day fires started appearing in different places in Haifa. 60,000 people were evacuated from 12 neighborhoods in the city. The day before the fires were in Zichron Ya’acov. Throughout the week fires appeared in towns in the north and … More Facebook Safety Check In: Are you safe from the bush fires in Haifa?
It’s not the plane, it’s the man in the cockpit: Brig.Gen.(res.) Ran Pecker-Ronen – may his memory be a blessing and an inspiration … More It’s not the plane, it’s the man in the cockpit: Brig.Gen.(res.) Ran Pecker-Ronen
One week after my city was set on fire, I’m having a hard time writing about what happened. It’s different when something traumatic happens to you. I don’t even have a full picture of the day in my head. It’s like scenes in a play, disjointed blips and in between, blank. Last week, before the … More What do you do when someone sets your neighborhood on fire?
Why is it that, although terrorism and war are not infrequent in Israel, the number of IDF soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is actually amongst the lowest in militaries around the world? In 2013 the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps Mental Health Department released a study on PTSD with staggering statistics. For … More 5 reasons IDF soldiers suffer less from PTSD
Last week I went to a library dedication ceremony. Those words sound so normal when I write them but what I attended was something uniquely Israeli. The ceremony took place in the Reali high-school in Haifa. During the evening my thoughts ranged from the history of the school, the ceremony itself, the library and the … More People of books
Sneak-peek at the topics he covers: What drives the economy? What makes Israel’s economy so strong? What is the connection between government and entrepreneurship? (Hint: very little!) Bonus question: Can you guess who initiated MIT’s first entrepreneurship course?
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 