Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Lessons from Susa

On March 20–21, the Jewish community worldwide will enjoy one of the happiest festivals in their yearly cycle. Today, the holiday known as Purim (Feast of Esther) is celebrated by increasing numbers of Christians as well. It’s a time of frivolity, dressing in costumes, giving gifts of food to the needy and lots of boisterous

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“I Will Plant them in their Land”

“I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:15). Aliyah, or immigration to Israel, is a familiar word to most of us. In the verse from Amos, the prophet is speaking about a second and

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A Nobel Endeavor

The Nobel Prize is considered one of, if not the, most prestigious award in recognizing outstanding achievements to science and humanity. The selection process is rigorous, and the award is given only to those who are best in their fields. Out of the 908 individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize, 205 have been

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Shabbat Flowers

Fridays bring many visible clues to announce the arrival of Shabbat (Sabbath) in Jerusalem. The city begins to slow down, delicious cooking odors greet pedestrians as they walk through residential areas and colorful flower stalls appear everywhere—at intersections, on sidewalks, outside small grocery stores and at the shuk (outdoor market). Buying flowers for Shabbat isn’t

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Israeli Salad

If you were to ask someone, “What is typical Israeli food?” chances are their answer would be, “Israeli salad and/or falafel.” Israeli salad is a truly versatile dish that can appear at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The basic ingredients are cucumber, tomato, onion, red pepper and cilantro (or parsley). Your cucumber selection will depend on

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The Menace on Israel’s Southern Border

The past 12 months have been particularly strained for the residents of southern Israel. Barrages of rockets, nights spent huddled in bomb shelters as air raid sirens wail, a scorched earth, violent protests a mere stone’s throw away and waves of incendiary kites and balloons flown across the border are but some of the threats

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Researchers Discover Promising Treatment for Aggressive Brain Tumors

Glioblastoma is a serious and incurable brain cancer. Patients receiving this diagnosis typically have 11–20 months to live. One of the main difficulties in treating this cancer is that its cells quickly build up a resistance to chemotherapy. In Nucleic Acids Research, Professor Rotem Karni and his team at Hebrew University’s Institute for Medical Research

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A Lifesaving Israeli Combat Robot

The Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure of the Ministry of Defense has completed the development stage of the Sahar system: a robotic engineering explorer, and has begun the testing phase. The system was developed to carry out operational missions in various arenas, with an emphasis on dealing with explosives, and is

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Ridding the World of the Red Palm Weevil

The red palm weevil is an invasive pest that decimates palm crops across the world, but an Israeli bio-company has developed a new pesticide that can stop it in its tracks. The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), also known as the Asian or sago palm weevil, is a reddish brown insect that measures about 3–5

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An Ancient Bit between the Teeth

An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest example of the use of a bridle bit with an equid (former species of the horse family) in the Near East. The discovery provides first evidence of the use of the bit to control an animal long before the appearance of the species of horse known

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