Only in Israel

Hoarding and tossing

December 4, 2022

On the 90th anniversary of The Jerusalem Post, a look back at some of the thousands of clippings I’ve obsessively hoarded – and am now tossing.

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The eternal optimist

November 19, 2022

I was devastated with the results of our fifth election in four years. But there are, in fact, several reasons to be optimistic.

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Israeli TV for my mom

February 28, 2022

My mother loves Israeli TV. She looks to me, her son in the Holy Land, for advice. So here are my top Israeli TV picks for mom.

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Convincing the anti-vaxxers

March 13, 2021

Israel is the leader in terms of vaccination speed. What can the world learn from this vaccination “beta country” on how to flip anti-vaxxers?

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Dystopian fiction cuts close to home

February 14, 2021

The haredi “autonomy” we’re seeing in real-world Israel today is strikingly similar to the fictional “Autonomies” on TV. What can we learn?

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Tuesday tiyulim and Wednesday walks: Prescription for a pandemic

January 31, 2021

With international travel off the table for the last year, Jody and I have been exploring what’s closer to home. 8 short treks near Jerusalem.

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Vaccinations and lockdowns reveal Israel’s extremes

January 15, 2021

Israel’s vaccination drive is offset only by its high number of new cases and our third lockdown. They highlight the extremes of living in Israel.

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Twenty-five reasons to live in Israel

October 13, 2019

Last week marked our “aliyah-versary.” Twenty-five years ago, on October 10, 1994, my wife, Jody, and our two young children immigrated to Jerusalem from Berkeley, Calif. A third child – our only Sabra – was born a few years later. The Blum family in the sukka, 2019 So, on this, the silver anniversary of our […]

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New kosher restaurants make dining out on Shabbat a mitzvah

September 1, 2019

A few weekends ago, my wife, Jody, and I ate out in a kosher restaurant open on Shabbat. In Jerusalem of all places.

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Datlashim: can there be a second generation?

August 4, 2019

Last year, I wrote a column that asked the question: “how do datlashim – the Hebrew acronym for formerly religious Jews – want to raise their children?” The main response I received during the course of my research: “to be just like them”– that is, to also be datlashim. This poses a dilemma, as to […]

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