Only in Israel

Branding Israel

January 26, 2007

During the 2003 run up to the war in Iraq, France found itself bitterly opposed to U.S. plans, earning it derision from conservatives who went so far as to insist that U.S. government cafeterias rename certain “French” foods as freedom fries and freedom toast. But at no time did France lose its image of also […]

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Israeli Sci Fi and Fantasy Fans Get Beamed Up

January 18, 2007

Whether their taste was Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, or just good old aliens, there was something for every Sci Fi fan at the tenth annual ICON Festival held recently in Israel. Bringing together more than 5,000 young enthusiasts to the Tel Aviv Cinemateque, the festival was a four-day celebration for fans of science fiction, fantasy […]

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Friends with Benefits

January 11, 2007

The expression “friends with benefits” usually has less than PG-rated connotations. But this week, my wife Jody and I felt we were true recipients of the benefits of having the right friends when we were invited to a gourmet dinner party held in honor of Mallory and Eli’s upcoming wedding. The venue was a private […]

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The Paradox of Choice: Consumer Lessons for the Holiday Season

December 22, 2006

In his fascinating and compelling book “The Paradox of Choice,” Barry Schwartz describes the process of buying a pair of jeans. At his local Gap, he tells a saleswoman that his size is 32 waist, 28 length. “Do you want them slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy or extra baggy,” the saleswoman replies, then […]

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A Prince in Egypt

December 15, 2006

“Don’t go,” “You’re crazy,” “Its just not safe.” These were a few of the choice admonitions we received when we told friends and family we had planned a vacation in Egypt. Our friends weren’t crazy. They were clearly acting out of love and from what they’ve read in the media: Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is indeed […]

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Thanksgiving in Israel

November 23, 2006

Every year, just about this time of the month, I get a flurry of emails from friends and colleagues all with pretty much the same message. It goes something like this: “Happy Thanksgiving, that is if you celebrate it over there…er, do you?” So, what do immigrants from the U.S. to Israel do on the […]

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A Fallible Nation

November 16, 2006

Nicholas Goldberg, editor of the Los Angeles Times’ op-ed section, published an article in that paper portraying Israel as a nation exhausted and suffering from a deep malaise. The summer’s failed war in Lebanon, the inability of the Israel Defense Forces to stop the Kassam barrage coming from the Gaza Strip, and ongoing corruption and […]

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The Middle Ground

November 9, 2006

There are a few constants in this world: siblings will rival, property taxes will rise, and following a trip to North America, I will wax nostalgic for the “old country.” Our most recent family vacation was no exception. The trip was book-ended by two gala smachot – festive family events that included the bar mitzvah […]

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Top Tech Tools for Bridging the Geography Gap

October 20, 2006

When I visited Israel for the first time in 1984, making a long distance phone call was not for the weak of spirit. With no direct lines out of Israel overseas (at least not for those of us living in private apartments; maybe offices had them but I was just a poor student back in […]

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“Go Back to Brooklyn”

October 13, 2006

I’m still not sure how the fight broke out. Eight-year-old Aviv and I were out in the courtyard in front of our apartment on Shabbat afternoon, throwing a ball around, when this man who I don’t know started yelling at our neighbor Yossi, something about an altercation between their kids. Yossi tried to calm his […]

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