Pnina’s Tu BiShvat Bread

All Jewish holidays have special food customs. Tu BiShvat, or the New Year for Trees, is celebrated on the 15th of Shevat (usually in February). The holiday originated as a way to calculate the age of trees. The first three years, no fruit may be eaten. Fruit produced in the fourth year belonged to God

A New Approach to Peace in the Middle East

Jerusalem: Capital of Israel “Israel, like all nations, has the right to determine its capital city…It is simple common sense that foreign embassies be located there. In virtually every country in the world, U.S. embassies are located in the host country’s capital city. Israel should be no different…Our actions are intended to help advance the

Creative Hydroponics

Hydroponic solutions for growing plants aren’t new. Sir Francis Bacon mentioned the process in a book published in 1627! There are many benefits derived from this method of growing food: it conserves water, eliminates the need for pesticides, utilizes waste products for nutrients and makes weeding unnecessary! Employing the creativeness for which they are famous,

Cutting-edge Glass Technology

Imagine completely eliminating the need for privacy shades and curtains in the windows of your home. No more need to take heavy drapes to the laundromat…no more concern about the curtain pulls and their safety for young children. An Israeli startup, Gauzy, launched in 2009, has a patented process for combining film technology into glass.

Artificial Cornea Transplants

Injuries and diseases of the cornea are a leading cause of blindness worldwide “with 20-30 million patients in need of a remedy and around 2 million new cases a year,” according to information from Almog Aley-Raz, vice president of research and development for CorNeat Vision. After much research, this Israeli company has introduced a process

The Diet of Early Jerusalemites

Recent archaeological activity in the City of David in Jerusalem found evidence of a 1,100-year-old refuse pit which sheds some interesting light on what the population of the Abbasid period (AD 750–940) was producing and eating. Eggplant seeds, among other things, were identified in the pit. This was the earliest evidence of eggplant found in

Hidden Life of the Dead Sea

The turquoise blue waters of the Dead Sea shimmer in the sunshine like an exotic jewel set between the Judean Hills of Israel and the Moab Mountains of Jordan. For millennia, this natural wonder has cast its allure over people who have come to seek the healing properties of its mineral-laden waters and nutrient-rich black

From North Korea with Hate–Nuclear Program Threatens Israel Too

North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on September 3rd that literally shook the region. The United States Geological Survey, a government entity that measures earthquakes, reported on their website a “possible explosion” measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale. They reported the rumble was felt by persons in China, Russia and Japan. And symbolically, the

Friend or Foe? The Complex Country of Lebanon

There’s complicated, and then there’s Lebanon. The country’s government is effectively controlled by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization. That same group murdered current Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri’s father, but now he is something of a figurehead for the government mastered by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army is tasked by the United Nations with keeping Hezbollah’s arms

Lifeline for the Old

As I stepped into the room filled with elderly artisans, I sensed a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. For the most part, we had no shared language, but I knew each one was happy to be there. Seated at tables in groups of three or four, some were chatting with a neighbor as they worked, while others

Promised Land or West Bank

I grew up during the days when the Second Intifada (uprising) raged in Israel. Night after night, the 7 o’clock news brought tidings of terror attacks and suicide bombers. In the mornings, newspaper headlines screamed that the prospects for peace looked increasingly grim and clashes between Israel and Palestinians continued. While cities like Tel Aviv

A Year of Extraordinary Anniversaries

“In Israel, to be a realist you must believe in miracles,” David Ben-Gurion said. The nation’s first prime minister was right—Israel is no ordinary country. Yet, even in a land where biblical prophecies are being fulfilled, 2017 was extraordinary. This year, Israel celebrated a group of milestone anniversaries that marked significant beacons in the nation’s

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