Category Israel

Israel’s decade of austerity

photo - Israeli ration cards, which were distributed to all citizens, had to be presented at the neighborhood grocery to which a person was registered

Israeli ration cards, which were distributed to all citizens, had to be presented at the neighborhood grocery to which a person was registered. (photo from National Library of Israel) If Rip Van Winkle – or his Jewish equivalent, Honi the…

Between city walls

photo - Slackliner Heather Larson at the Tower of David on May 2

Slackliner Heather Larson in action. (photo from Ashernet) On May 2, slackliner Heather Larson, from Denver, Colo., traveled the 35-metre distance between city walls at the Tower of David. Wearing a harness attached to the line, in case she fell,…

JNF hosts Israel’s Rasnic

photo - At the Jewish National Fund, Pacific Region, Negev Dinner on April 10, left to right, are Ruth Rasnic, dinner honoree Shirley Barnett and B.C. Premier Christy Clark

At the Jewish National Fund, Pacific Region, Negev Dinner on April 10, left to right, are Ruth Rasnic, dinner honoree Shirley Barnett and B.C. Premier Christy Clark. (photo from JNF Pacific Region) When many people think of feminism, it’s likely…

A glimpse of new Israel

photo - Participants in the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ annual convention, which took place in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in February

Participants in the Central Conference of American Rabbis’ annual convention, which took place in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in February. (photo from Dan Moskovitz) Among the approximately 400 Reform rabbis who gathered in Israel in the last week of February…

Kids4Peace keeps growing

photo - Kids4Peace youth present religious items to friends at an interfaith session

Kids4Peace youth present religious items to friends at an interfaith session. (photo from Kids4Peace) Kids4Peace (K4P) started in 2002 as a two-week summer retreat/camp in the United States for 12 kids: four Muslim, four Christian and four Jewish. It is…

Restoring ritual of tea

photo - “The mini cube is our modern interpretation of the traditional ceremonies of ancient cultures,” say Cérémonie Tea’s Elli and Efrat Schorr

“The mini cube is our modern interpretation of the traditional ceremonies of ancient cultures,” say Cérémonie Tea’s Elli and Efrat Schorr. (photo from Cérémonie Tea) From the professions of law and psychology, Elli and Efrat Schorr turned to tea. And,…

Supportive of Shalva

photo - A 6-year-old Shai Gross with his family in 1976, after the successful Entebbe Operation. (photo from Shalva)

A 6-year-old Shai Gross with his family in 1976, after the successful Entebbe Operation. (photo from Shalva) Seeing is believing. At first, it sounds like another cliché, another pat answer to brush off an unwanted question. But, sometimes in life, we…

Germs, humans, numbers

illustration - bacterial vs human cells, from Wiezmann Institute

How many microbes inhabit our body on a regular basis? For the last few decades, the most commonly accepted estimate in the scientific world puts that number at around 10 times as many bacteria as human cells. In research published…

Our sons, daughters

What happened last month in Hebron is heartbreaking. A young soldier is being vilified for killing a terrorist who had come for the sole purpose of murdering Jews. He is now facing charges of manslaughter. One of the most difficult…

Kashua talks at U of W event

photo - Sayed Kashua spoke in Winnipeg as part of the University of Winnipeg’s annual Middle East Week

Sayed Kashua spoke in Winnipeg as part of the University of Winnipeg’s annual Middle East Week. (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa) On Feb. 25, as part of the University of Winnipeg’s annual Middle East Week, about 75 people came out to…