When people think of Jews, sports are not one of the first things that come to mind. Or the second. And probably not the third. And that is exactly the point of the Maccabiah. Named after the Maccabees, the Jewish fighters who led the revolt that ultimately restored Jewish sovereignty in Israel from the Seleucid … More The Maccabiah 2026: More Than Ever
Lebanon is a powerless country Imagining that they will rid themselves of Hezbollah is ridiculous Hezbollah is an integral part of their very divided nation, which includes Muslims, both Shia and Sunni, Christians, and Druze. Hezbollah supporters are part of the Lebanese army. At the moment, there are quotas in the army of how many … More Is the agreement with Lebanon good for Israel?
Just because we aren’t on the floor crying and screaming, don’t imagine this is easy for us. It isn’t After writing about Purim as a guide for Jewish survival, I realized there are things harder to explain — what survival feels like in real time. There are things I don’t want to write about. Like … More Before we win: surviving the war
What happened here on October 7th? We came to help farmer Rami harvest his cherry tomatoes — red, yellow, orange, and chocolate-colored. Though he has foreign workers, there was so much work to be done that he welcomed the extra help. We had never been to Mavki’im before — a small moshav north of Gaza … More October 7th – a farmer’s story
“I hope I don’t see you again.” That’s not something normal people say to their neighbors. But these are not normal times—even for Israel. And when I said it, I got a smile, a hug, and the same words back: “I hope I don’t see you again either.” When the siren screams at 3:00 a.m., … More Israeli whiplash: from the bomb shelter to a ceasefire
A new wall has appeared along the highway near Israel’s southern town of Sderot. Since the war began, the train has been forced to take a long detour to reach Sderot because this stretch of track is visible from Gaza—leaving it vulnerable to anti-tank missiles. Now, a wall stands to block the view, ensuring that … More Another Wall? Have You Lost Your Mind?!
In Kibbutz Gvulot we helped harvest red grapefruits. The fruit is designated for industrial use, meaning it will be used for juice, jam, and other products. Each generation has defining moments that give rise to the questions: “Where were you when…?” and “What was it like when…?” In America, for my mother’s generation, it was … More “Because here, I feel at home”
Ice cream is something I used to think of as a luxury item. I needed someone else to make it. I had to pay the prices they dictated. I was glad that it’s not cheap because it made it easier not to have the delicious fat-making stuff around. Now there is ice-cream in my house … More Are you disgusted by Ben & Jerry’s political ice cream? Try Forest’s flavors of yum!
This is a campaign sign for one of Israel’s religious, ultra-orthodox Jewish political parties – Shas. The name of the party is in Hebrew, the face is that of the party leader and the text is in Arabic. A Jewish, religious party reaching out to Arab voters? Yup. It might be mind-bending to those who see … More Israel is not what you think: election campaign signs
