Israel

Judaism’s honesty problem

January 6, 2019

Does Judaism actually encourage dishonesty? Two stories from Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz during a talk at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.

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Turning empty hotel rooms into “healing holidays”

September 17, 2018

“You look like you need a l’chaim,” the yeshiva bocher said to me, extending a plastic cup. “I can’t,” I responded. “But it’s Shabbos!”

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Can Startup Nation save Israel from itself?

August 5, 2018

The Nation-State Bill. The Surrogacy Law. The detention of Rabbi Dubi Haiyun. Where did the words of Israel’s Declaration of Independence go?

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The death of rational Judaism

June 25, 2018

Nearly all Jews today are “rational” in that we know which thoughts and behaviors to assign to the religious domain and which remain beyond it. But can that kind of Judaism survive?

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Famous germaphobes

June 10, 2018

I recently joined some dubious company. Among my companions are Michael Jackson, Howard Hughes and Donald Trump. We all suffer from mysophobia.

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Finding the groove at Jacob’s Ladder

May 14, 2018

A pre-show “review” from last week’s Jacob’s Ladder indie, folk, country, blues and bluegrass festival at the Sea of Galilee.

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What getting chemotherapy’s really like

April 22, 2018

I’ve long harbored a grim curiosity about chemotherapy. Does it hurt? Do you feel like vomiting the whole time? Here’s my personal experience.

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What datlashim want: “children just like us”

April 1, 2018

Will your datlashi children be driving to and from your Seder this year? Rabbi Shlomo Riskin says that’s OK – even into and out of Efrat.

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Lessons from lymphoma

February 25, 2018

To her great credit, my doctor never used the word cancer. “You have a growth on your lymph nodes,” she said at the start of a 45-minute conversation. “It’s indolent” – linguistically idle or, in medical terms, slow growing.” “It’s the lowest grade of the least aggressive form of lymphoma.” Yet, no matter how she […]

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Secrets of the Startup Nation

February 5, 2018

How did Israel become the Startup Nation? Here are five new reasons.

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