Divided Jerusalem

Jerusalem today is an explorer’s paradise. You can watch the sun rise from the Mount of Olives before taking the pilgrims’ path down the slopes to Gethsemane, where Christian tradition says Jesus (Yeshua) prayed before His crucifixion. From there, you can slip through the Lion’s Gate to marvel at the Western Wall that has stood

The Saudi Slap

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood on the White House lawn on September 15, 2020 with the foreign minister of Bahrain, then-President Donald Trump and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Each leader displayed their copy of the Abraham Accords, the peace agreement normalizing ties between Israel and her two new Arab

Israel—a News-obsessed Nation

One morning, as I walked up HaRav Kook Street in downtown Jerusalem, I paused to read a plaque on one of the buildings. I learned that this location was the site where Jerusalem’s first printing press, owned by the Salomon family, had operated from 1939–1992. I’m not sure why it piqued my interest, but I

Iran’s Tightening Noose

In April, the Hebrew daily Makor Rishon ran a chilling op-ed entitled ‘“Death to Israel’: The Iranian Plan to Attack Israel.” The piece was penned by Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a well-respected Arab scholar with 25 years of service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military intelligence under his belt. According to Kedar,

Robbie’s Sweet and Seder-y Exodus Cake

On the night of Passover, families and friends will sit down to a table groaning with tasty treats for the seder (Passover ritual meal). Each of these dishes will have one thing in common. Regardless of whether it is sweet or savory, hot or cold, starter, main or dessert, every single dish will be free

Happy 75th Birthday Israel!

At 16:00 on May 14, 1948—hours before sunset signaled the start of the Sabbath—David Ben-Gurion banged his gavel on the table to call the 250-strong crowd in the Tel Aviv Museum to order. “I shall now read to you the scroll of the Establishment of the State,” the architect of the modern State of Israel

A Step in the Right Direction?

The State of Israel has endured one of the longest periods of political instability in recent memory. Since the dissolution of the government in December 2018 until the end of 2022, the nation has seen four rounds of indecisive snap elections, one haphazard coalition government made up of incongruent political parties and finally a fifth

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: Unpacking the Controversy

The global media has its eagle eye continually focused on the Jewish state. Its Knesset (Parliament) and the legislative branch of the government, the prime minister and the executive branch, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s security forces—to name a few—all take their turns under the microscope. And the international community is never short on

A Ray of Sunshine in a Sea of Rage

Everyday life is an uncertain thing. We never really know when our best-laid plans will go awry, our happiness turn to sadness or our joy to mourning. Yet men have learned to live with that uncertainty, even harness it into an energy that keeps us going—looking forward and not back—hopefully always ready for the next

Cloud Theft and Spying Cows

Efforts by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and other enemies of the Jewish state to delegitimize Israel in the eyes of the international community have ranged from twisting the truth and presenting misinformation to outright, absurd lies. To their own people, the PA’s anti-Israel libels know no bounds. Creative ways of blaming the Palestinian people’s problems

My Kinneret

Near the northern end of the Syrian African Rift lies a sparkling gem: Israel’s Sea of Galilee. Known in biblical times as the Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11), this fascinating body of water has nurtured fishermen and farmers, poets and prophets for millennia. Lowest Fresh Water Lake on the Planet The Sea of Galilee really

The Quirks of Israel—Swimming in Tel Aviv

From the pen of Peter Fast, CEO-elect, comes the seventh installment of the Quirks of Israel. Join Peter on a journey through the wonderfully peculiar culture, traditions, heritage and daily life of this singular nation as he unpacks, introduces and celebrates the quirky aspects that make Israel so wonderfully unique. If you’re fond of the

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