Doing Good When Times Are Bad
In 1973 I was a student in Jerusalem during the Yom Kippur War. Following several days in and out of bomb shelters, our student group was split into volunteer teams that fanned out across Jerusalem. I was dispatched to a poor neighborhood to go door-to-door and deliver new garbage bags to the residents. This was one small thing that I could do to help. (more…)
As of the date this article is written, Israel is under attack from all sides. While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) relentlessly continue their mission of dismantling Hamas in Gaza following the atrocities of October 7, amid all the tragic collateral civilian casualties due to Hamas having embedded deeply in the local population, Israeli cities and towns continue to be targeted by rockets fired from Gaza. Other Iranian-sponsored terrorists have joined in this naked aggression: Hezbollah rockets have forced Israel to evacuate civilians from the “finger of the Galilee” emptying towns from Metulla to Kiryat Shemona. Combined with surviving residents forced to flee their homes in Israel’s south (the “Gaza envelope”), at least half a million Israelis are now refugees in their own homeland living in hotels, shelters, or with family elsewhere in the country. Iranian-backed terrorists based in Syria have launched rockets and drones at Israel, one of which landed on a kindergarten in Israel’s Red Sea resort town of Eilat. From the south, Iranian-backed Houthis have also launched rockets at Israel, though so far none of these have reached their targets, having been intercepted by US naval forces or Israeli missile defense systems. (more…)
This Time is Different – Israel Under Attack – A Personal View
October 7, 2023, may be the worst day in Israeli history.
I arrived in Israel on October 3rd. Israel is a place I have visited dozens of times. There are so many things I love about Israel – the people, the culture, the food, the air, walking on the “tayelet” (boardwalk) along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, visiting the many historic, cultural and religious sites, and being in a place where it isn’t an effort to be Jewish.
But this trip to Israel was different.
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Sabra Celebs!
Too frequently, what the world sees, hears, and thinks about Israel is negative (frequently with a not-so-accurate and anti-Israel slant). But on the other end of the public opinion continuum, Israel has a number of internationally-known “celebs” (a “celeb” or “סלב” in Hebrew is just what you might expect – a celebrity), who routinely shine a bright spotlight on the country. Israel Matters is proud to devote this month’s issue to highlighting a few of these famous folks of Israeli descent who, through their exemplary work, bring a positive feeling about the State of Israel to many around the world. (more…)
More Israeli Weird Science!
In the February 2022 issue of Israel Matters we introduced you to a goldfish that could drive its fish tank around the campus of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Tel Aviv research that detected liars based on the movements of facial muscles, and 3D-printed meatless meat inspired by research at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. A year and a half later, and just in time for Rosh Hashanah when we should be inspired by fresh ideas and new thoughts, Israel Matters is proud to present an encore edition of Israeli Weird Science. (more…)
I consider May’s TBS tour of Israel led by Rabbi Scolnic to be my first time in Israel. In actuality it was my second as I did spend two nights in Tel Aviv attending my nephew’s wedding back in 2012. That visit consisted of a quick afternoon visit to Jaffa, a couple of wonderful meals alongside the Mediterranean Sea, and the aforementioned wedding ceremony and celebration. (more…)
Just before Israel marked seventy-five years of independence, it lost two literary giants who defined in their work and in their lives the best of modern Zionism. Meir Shalev and YehonatanGeffen, both born in the legendary cooperative village (moshav shitufi – מושב שיתופי) of Nahalal shortly before Ben-Gurion declared the founding of a Jewish state in Palestine, exemplified the hopes and the distresses of their generation of “new” Jews. Secular, socialist, and critics of the rise of messianic Zionism, their death in the days in which democratic Zionism is fighting back, reminds us that the values of the founding generation of Israel are alive and kicking. (more…)
Israel has been in world news headlines for several months
now, but not for reasons involving conflict with neighbors.
Instead, the world has witnessed four consecutive months
where Israelis have participated in massive anti-government
demonstrations, as well as a smaller number of gatherings
in support of the current government. What is happening
on the streets of Tel Aviv and other major Israeli cities?
Understanding Israel’s Political System. (more…)
It’s that time of year again! Jews everywhere have cleaned out their pantries and refrigerators and cooked up a storm for Pesach. As you might guess, the ‘concepts’ are the same no matter where in the world you celebrate: Clean out the chametz, have a Seder and tell the story of Pesach, eat a lot of special foods, eat even more of those special foods, drink 4 cups of wine, pour some for Elijah, celebrate with friends and family. However, there are some things that we’ve discovered that are unique to Israel during Pesach. IM is happy to share some of these with our readers! (more…)
The title of this month’s column is not a typo – with artificial intelligence (aka AI) at the top of the news these days, we decided to take the heralded large language model ChatGPT for an Israel-oriented spin. That is to say, we typed in queries to and received answers from a computer program! The interview below reports verbatim our Israel Matters questions (IM) and the computer program’s responses (BOT). Fasten your seat belts for an amazing AI ride! (more…)