Category Israel

New draw to Ben-Gurion site

photo - In 2023, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev opened a new home in Sde Boker for the David Ben-Gurion archives

In 2023, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev opened a new home in Sde Boker for the David Ben-Gurion archives. (photo from Ben-Gurion University) For visitors to Israel – and for Israelis looking for an engaging getaway – there is a…

Hebrew U marks 100

photo - Canadian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer Rick Hansen, known for his work to break down barriers for people with disabilities, receives an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University from then-Hebrew U president Menahem Ben-Sasson. In December 2010, Hansen visited Hebrew U as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of his “Man in Motion” tour

Canadian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer Rick Hansen, known for his work to break down barriers for people with disabilities, receives an honorary doctorate from Hebrew University from then-Hebrew U president Menahem Ben-Sasson. In December 2010, Hansen visited Hebrew U…

A theme of “Am Israel Run”

photo - The Jerusalem Winner Marathon

The Jerusalem Winner Marathon encompassed multiple races, from a full marathon to a 5K circuit and a 1.7K family run. (photo from Jerusalem Municipality) On April 4, approximately 40,000 runners participated in the 14th International Jerusalem Winner Marathon, which broke…

The Sussita’s short history

photo - Sussita entrepreneur Itzhak Shubinsky driving a Sabra Sport car, from the newspaper Barkav, in the 1960s

Sussita entrepreneur Itzhak Shubinsky driving a Sabra Sport car, from the newspaper Barkav, in the 1960s. (photo from Haifa City Museum) For a trip down memory lane, cruise over to Haifa’s City Museum at 11 Ben-Gurion Blvd., in the German…

Israel has so much to see

photo - Light projections on the internal walls of the Tower of David, in Jerusalem, part of the Night Spectacular

Light projections on the internal walls of the Tower of David, in Jerusalem, part of the Night Spectacular. (photo by Pat Johnson) Tourism to Israel plummeted after Oct. 7, 2023. For example, January 2024 saw an 80% drop in visitors…

Flights to Israel resume

photo - Air Canada Boeing 778 Lifting off Runway 23, Toronto-Pearson YYZ

With Air Canada’s announcement of the resumption of flights from Toronto and Montreal to Tel Aviv, it will be much faster for Canadians to fly to Israel. But will it be cheaper? The Canadian national carrier is set to resume…

The people’s army of Israel

photo - Volunteers with Sar-El in Israel last March

Volunteers with Sar-El in Israel last March. (photo from Marina Sonkina) Last year, about this time, I was in Israel, volunteering with Sar-El, an organization that connects the Israel Defence Forces with volunteers from more than 30 countries, who provide…

US long interested in Mideast

photo - A photograph of Gen. Lewis Cass taken by Mathew Brady, circa 1860-65. In 1837, Cass dropped the anchor of the USS Constitution off Jaffa

A photograph of Gen. Lewis Cass taken by Mathew Brady, circa 1860-65. In 1837, Cass dropped the anchor of the USS Constitution off Jaffa. (photo from US National Archives and Records Administration) President Donald Trump’s unconventional proposal on Feb. 5  to annex the…

Their wait to return home

photo - Thomas Hand and the survivors of the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri hope to return home in 2026

Thomas Hand and the survivors of the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri hope to return home in 2026. (photo by Gil Zohar) Kibbutz Hatzerim, eight kilometres west of Be’er Sheva, best known for its drip-irrigation plant, also houses the newly established…

Standing up to the PM

photo - MK Dan Illouz opposes legislation that would enshrine the exemption of Haredim from military service

MK Dan Illouz opposes legislation that would enshrine the exemption of Haredim from military service. (photo from Knesset) Dan Illouz, a Montreal-born Likud rookie member of the Knesset, is making a name for himself in Israel’s Parliament by speaking against…