Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

The Toll of Terror

Some of the greatest military and political minds the world has known have graced the pages of Israel’s modern history. Idealists all, they believed in an Israel not yet realized, a nation based on biblical principles, morally superior and committed to tikun olam (repairing the world, a concept expressed as the obligation or responsibility of

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Is Coexistence Possible?

Security footage shows Ashraf Na’alowa racing down a flight of stairs on the morning of October 18, 2018, frantically peering over his shoulder for anyone in pursuit. The 23-year-old Palestinian sprinted out of an Israeli-run factory in the Barkan Industrial Park in Samaria, leaving behind a grisly scene. Na’alowa, who had worked as an electrician

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Operation Brothers: A Top-secret Mission to Rescue the Jews of Ethiopia

The covert mission had all the makings of a spy thriller: international intrigue, daring and danger. Yet it wasn’t the fictional plot of a novel or movie. It really happened. The actors? The Israeli intelligence service (the Mossad). The stage? A fabricated resort on the Sudanese shores of the Red Sea. The plan? To rescue

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Jerusalem: Home Away from Home

Boasting some of the most famous and oldest tourist destinations in the world, Israel sees over four million visitors each year. No tour of the Promised Land would be complete without a stop in the nation’s heart—Jerusalem. You could tour this city for weeks—months even—and still not experience everything it has to offer. The best

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Shavuot: The Torah, Mount Sinai and Ruth?

Each of the biblical feasts celebrated in Israel comes with its own set of Scriptural instructions, tried traditions and weird and wonderful customs. The Feast of Tabernacles signals seven joyous days of dwelling in temporary booths, and Purim (Feast of Esther) means dressing up in dazzling costumes. On Rosh HaShanah (Jewish New Year) the piercing

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Sea of Galilee Levels Rising Daily

For many years, Israel has suffered under drought conditions with rainfall disappointingly below average. At the beginning of the rainy season late in 2018, the level of the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s main freshwater lake, was below the lower (dangerous) red line. The Sea of Galilee is in a deep basin, which lies below sea

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Daniel’s Shavuot Cookie Crumb Cheesecake

Nearly every feast in Israel comes with its own food-related traditions. Some holidays call for abstinence from a food group, while others command fasting altogether. Then there are those that invite you to indulge in special delicacies. Shavuot falls in the latter category. On the Feast of Weeks, Israelis dine on all kinds of dairy

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Talking from Both Sides of the Mouth

In 2014 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas of “talking from both sides of his mouth.” The verbal dressing down came on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day. Netanyahu pointed out Abbas’s hypocrisy in decrying the Holocaust as a “most heinous” crime on the one hand, while cozying up to

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Israeli Start-up Developing Home Diagnostic Kit

Imagine you haven’t been feeling well and sense something is wrong, but it’s difficult to make it to the doctor’s office to be tested and diagnosed. Perhaps you live in a remote location or don’t want to wait several weeks for an appointment. Jerusalem-based start-up Diagnoz.me is seeking to solve this problem and revolutionize modern

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Ag-Tech Company Helps Boost Global Food Production

According to the World Hunger Index, a staggering 124 million people across the globe suffer acute food shortage. This makes crippling hunger a daily reality for roughly one in every nine people worldwide. Israeli ag-tech start-up Taranis offers a solution to help, employing cutting-edge technologies to boost the possible output of food production. The Tel

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