Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Ancient Mosque Unearthed in the Negev

A luxurious estate and a rare rural mosque—among the earliest known worldwide (over 1,200 years old)—was recently discovered in the city of Rahat in the Negev. Large-scale archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority [IAA] to facilitate the construction of a new neighborhood in Rahat are providing graphic details of the gradual transition from

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One of the World’s Most Beautiful Mosaics Return to Israel

After years on display in the world’s most important museums—including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the Altes Museum in Berlin, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and others—the breathtaking Lod Mosaic, among the most beautiful discovered in Israel or anywhere in the world, along with part of the floor of a

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Israel Elections to be Held November 1

Yair Lapid is now Israel’s prime minister, a position he will hold as interim leader until Israelis head back to the ballot boxes on November 1 for the fifth time in three and a half years. After multiple delays, Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) voted to dissolve itself on June 30 in a 92–0 vote, as the

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Russia: Masters of the Skies on Israel’s Northern Border

The Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred to a soundtrack of international condemnation. Yet Israel did not join the chorus of outrage. Instead, Jerusalem avoided taking sides, toeing a diplomatic tightrope between the two warring nations. The impartiality didn’t come easily. Every now and then, a slip of the tongue from a minister or high-ranking official

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The Containment Controversy

Security threats are a certainty in Israel. Every area of society is impacted by the ongoing existence of very real enemies—both inside and outside the nation’s borders—who make no secret of their intention to use whatever means necessary to de-Judaize the Jewish state and rid the neighborhood of Jews. Some say this has, by necessity,

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Likes, Hearts and Thumbs Up for the Kill

On an otherwise run-of-the-mill late winter afternoon in March, a terrorist went on a stabbing spree in the desert city of Beersheva. When Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an’s bloody work was finally halted by an armed bus driver’s bullet, he left a grisly trail of four Israelis dead and two wounded, making it Israel’s deadliest terror

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Israel’s Obsession with Pomegranates

As the early varieties of Israeli pomegranates begin blooming in August, it’s easy to see that these sweet, beautiful treats are a staple in the Jewish state. Pomegranates are everywhere: stocked in market shelves, freshly squeezed at juice stands and served on dinner tables both as a beautiful decoration and a sweet addition to the

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Druze—Loyal Friends

Unlike the melting pot of America, the State of Israel can be compared to a mosaic. Even its Jewish majority contains a dazzling number of expressions of Judaism that can often be identified by the clothing worn or the type of kippah (yarmulke) on a man’s head. Hidden among the many mosaic pieces, we can

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Studying the Weekly Torah Portion in Israel

Do you have any habits or spiritual disciplines that you have maintained over many years in your life? My spiritual life has been greatly deepened and enriched by studying the weekly Torah (Gen.–Deut.) portion (Parashat HaShavua). Each year, the worldwide Jewish community reads through the first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch—together. Every week, they

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The Quirks of Israel—Tours to the Promised Land

From the pen of Peter Fast, national director of Bridges for Peace Canada and the future CEO of Bridges for Peace International, comes the third installment of an exciting new series entitled the Quirks of Israel. Join Peter on a journey through the wonderfully peculiar culture, traditions, heritage and daily life of this singular nation

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