Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Amanda’s Matzah Toffee Crunch

For the seven days of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jewish people forgo all chametz (leaven)—just like their ancestors did when God delivered the Children of Israel from slave master Pharaoh. With bread, cake, pastry, pasta and even rice off limits for a week, matzah becomes a daily staple. Over generations the Jewish

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Fighting Death with Life

Since the rebirth of the state, the threat of terror has loomed like a menacing cloud over everyday life in Israel. Sometimes the attacks occur sporadically, allowing Israel time to breathe between tragedies. Sometimes they come in waves, with Palestinian suicide bombers, gunmen and knife-wielding murderers turning city streets into bloody battlefields. The statistics of

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Scientists in Tel Aviv Slowing Kidney Deterioration

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), or chronic kidney failure, affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide. Illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure can lead to the gradual loss of kidney function, which requires dialysis or kidney replacement when patients advance to End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD). According to the American Kidney Fund, an estimated 31

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Does Israel Hold the Key to Saving the World’s Coral Reefs?

While the coral reefs are dying out in most parts of the world due to the devastating effects of climate change, they appear to have adapted to the scorching temperatures of the Gulf of Eilat in southern Israel [and are] thriving—to the astonishment of the scientists. A study published by the Journal of Experimental Biology

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Israeli Device Creates a Personal Contact List Using Face Recognition

Imagine you’re at the office for a business meeting. A VIP walks in, sees you and starts walking toward you. You recognize the person, but you can’t put a name to the face. Your mind goes blank. Israeli company OrCam created a product called MyMe to solve this problem. Using a small, wearable camera that

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Horse Figurines Uncovered Following Heavy Rains

Recent heavy winter rains have revealed parts of two impressive clay figurines of horses that have been buried in the ground for well over 2,000 years. One of the figurines was found in the vicinity of Kfar Ruppin in the Beit She’an Valley. It was dated by Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologists to be about

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Rare Gold Coins Discovered

Excavations continue at Caesarea as archaeologists uncover some of the most exciting finds of recent times. With the financial backing of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, some US $40 million has been invested in uncovering hidden treasures under the ground and in the sea. Caesarea has connections with many periods of history, including the Roman

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Peace Train Coming?

In 1971, Cat Stevens wrote a song called “Peace Train.” He confidently envisioned everyone riding a train bound for world peace. Fifty years later, the peace train seems to have barely left the station. But lately, hope for peace in the Middle East is picking up steam—and it comes on the heels of an initiative

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Busting the Apartheid Libel

Afrikaans is neither a common nor a widely spoken language. Outside the borders of South Africa, few are aware of the existence of the mother tongue of the Afrikaaner people. Yet regardless of its international obscurity, one Afrikaans word demands global recognition: apartheid. In 1948 the ruling white minority in South Africa began enforcing an

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The New “Normal” in Syria

Peace in the North Could Mean Danger for Israel There’s an old saying that the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. What about a devil you used to know but don’t recognize any longer? That’s what has happened in Syria, where an old enemy—the regime of President Bashar al-Assad—was once

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