Free Phone Calls Courtesy of Israel’s PokeTalk

January 15, 2009

Residents of the southern part of Israel in range of missiles from Gaza can now make phone calls up to 30 minutes to their friends and relatives entirely for free, thanks to a new Israeli startup called PokeTalk. The service, which is already operational in 60 countries around the world, is good for any calls […]

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A Visit to Israel’s First Apple Store

January 8, 2009

I shouldn’t be so crazy over a store. After all, it’s just a large rectangular space whose sole purpose is to sell me expensive stuff I may or may not need. But this store, full of shiny toys, mesmerizing images and deliriously happy shoppers, is something else entirely. And it’s a welcome break from all […]

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War in Gaza: Which Way Will the Dreidel Fall?

January 4, 2009

Our friend Joan called last night just as the news broke that the IDF had begun its ground operation in Gaza. Joan was panicked. She knew a number of families in our neighborhood who had boys in combat units. “Why are we doing this?” she said. “Can’t we pull them all out now?” My first […]

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Doughnut Quiche

December 26, 2008

(Today’s post is a holiday-inspired TNL Classic first published in 2002.) I know they’re bad for me. But I can’t resist. I’m talking about doughnuts, of course. Whatever shape, size or variety, I go do-m’shuga-nut over them. And at this time of year, in the midst of Hanukkah, Israel is overflowing with that uniquely Jewish […]

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Better Holiday Shopping with ViewScore

December 19, 2008

It’s been a particularly tumultuous holiday shopping season. With pocketbooks worldwide squeezed especially tight this year, price conscious consumers have been weighing every decision particularly carefully, pouring over reviews posted online by both professionals and other users. With sometimes hundreds of reviews appearing for a new camera or cell phone, that process can be daunting […]

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Detox

December 12, 2008

It’s been six years now since I’ve been unable to sleep without pills. It’s not something I like to talk about, despite the big drug companies’ reassuring promotion of sleep medications as a safe and tested long term solution for the some 30% of sufferers around the world who report regular bouts with insomnia. I […]

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Sigd: the Next Generation

December 5, 2008

50 days after Yom Kippur, on the 29th day of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, thousands of Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia converge on our southern Jerusalem neighborhood. This year, my wife Jody and I joined them. The gathering is for the Sigd festival, a holiday that symbolizes the acceptance of the Torah at Mount Sinai. […]

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A Sneak Peek at the Future of Jerusalem Mass Transit

November 28, 2008

Stepping into one of the sleek and shiny new light rail vehicles set to zip through Jerusalem in the next year and a half, it’s hard to imagine the controversy the system’s roll out has engendered. CityPass, the international corporation that is building and operating the Jerusalem light rail system, recently opened the doors to […]

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Voices of the Levites

November 21, 2008

I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that in the ancient Jewish Temple, the Levites used to play music on Shabbat and holidays. What did it sound like? What instruments were used? How is it that the tradition of music on the holy days became lost and later even prohibited? Ilan Green had a similar […]

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From Barack to Barkat: A Look Back at the November Elections

November 14, 2008

The just concluded Jerusalem election, while certainly not as important on a world stage as last week’s U.S. presidential contest, was in many ways spookily similar to its overseas counterpart. For those who supported Nir Barkat, who beat his main competitor Meir Porush by a commanding 9 points (52 to 43 percent), the sheer jubilance […]

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