Category Israel

Israeli poet talks to JI

After years of writing poems that blend his Algerian/Arabic background and his Ashkenazi-influenced schooling, Israeli poet Erez Biton, 73, this year received the Israel Prize for Hebrew literature and poetry. Born to Moroccan parents in Oran, Algeria, in 1942, he…

Israelis flipping for acro-yoga

photo - Jerusalem-based instructor Ayo Oppenheimer bases student Rabbi Rachel Kobrin in her first acro-yoga flight

Jerusalem-based instructor Ayo Oppenheimer bases student Rabbi Rachel Kobrin in her first acro-yoga flight. (photo by Daniel Cuevas) As I walk through Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park on a gorgeous day, I watch people enjoy nice, normal activities like soccer, running,…

Hebrew U marking 90 years

photo - Duvdevan elite unit veterans who visited Vancouver on the weekend are, left to right, Gilad Waldman, Daniel Kolver, noted singer and actor Tzahi Halevi, who sang at the event, Ariel Rubin and Boaz Faschler

Duvdevan elite unit veterans who visited Vancouver on the weekend are, left to right, Gilad Waldman, Daniel Kolver, noted singer and actor Tzahi Halevi, who sang at the event, Ariel Rubin and Boaz Faschler. (photo by Robert Albanese Photography) The…

A more realistic future

photo - Ari Shavit speaks at Winnipeg’s Shaarey Zedek Synagogue

Ari Shavit speaks at Winnipeg’s Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. (photo by Rebeca Kuropatwa) As part of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada’s Annual Sol and Florence Kanee Distinguished Lecture Speaker Series, leading Israeli columnist and writer Ari Shavit addressed a…

Making an impact in Israel

Canadian Hadassah-WIZO’s 2015 annual campaign, “Big needs, caring hearts,” is underway in support of projects in Israel. This pillar of CHW’s fundraising provides $1.42 million in aid to children in CHW’s six day-care centres, at-risk youth at CHW’s four schools,…

Writing is really on the walls

photo - An inscription on a water fountain built by Suleiman the Magnificent

An inscription on a water fountain built by Suleiman the Magnificent. (photo by Ariel Fields) When it comes to Jerusalem, the writing really is on the wall. The problem is, some people (easily recognized, as they go around saying “it’s…

Cookbook resurfaces

photo - Having received letters asking for copies of her 40-year-old cookbook, the author has had it reprinted, and it is available for purchase

Having received letters asking for copies of her 40-year-old cookbook, the author has had it reprinted, and it is available for purchase. (photo by Barry A. Kaplan) In the 1970s, when I made aliya, I discovered that Israel was a…

Unique taste of Israel

image - The Seven Fruits of the Land of Israel

Chana Bracha Siegelbaum is founder and director of the Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin: Holistic Torah for Women on the Land. Located 20 minutes south of Jerusalem in the Gush Etzion community since 1994, its programs include monthly seminars for English-speaking…

Israeli election scenes

photo - Left to right: Winnipeg transplants Miriam, Ronit, Dor and Bruce Brown

Left to right: Winnipeg transplants Miriam, Ronit, Dor and Bruce Brown. (photo by Bernie Bellan) Rehovot, Israel Once again, Election Day has come and gone and the world continues to spin; albeit slightly more rightward for Israel. I went to…