Israel

In the first three years after the State of Israel was declared, over half a million Jews came home. This effectively doubled the population of the brand-new struggling State. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol attempted to help settle this flood of immigrants by building “Maabarot” throughout the country. These Transit camps Read more…

When the Romans appointed Herod absolute ruler over Israel, there was a fierce rebellion by the Jewish people. Resistance was particularly strong in the Galilee and Herod took brutal steps to put down the rebellion. Eventually most of the Jewish opposition was defeated, but Herod’s soldiers could not reach the Read more…

During the spring days between Purim and Passover, the Galilee fields and hills (and most of the rest of Israel) explode into a glorious palette of colors. One of my favorites are the wild anemones. Because of their shape and their deep red color, some people mistake these beauties for Read more…

I was invited to speak about Chanukah at the Yeshiva for the Nations which takes place throughout the year at the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) MK Rabbi Yehuda Glick was the host of the program and shares words of wisdom on various topics throughout the year. There were about 120 people Read more…

Milton Rubenfeld (Pee Wee’s dad) was a top fighter pilot during WWII in the US Air Force. After the war, he watched from the comfort of America as many of the Jewish refugees from the Holocaust had emigrated to “Palestine” to help rebuild the Jewish State of Israel. The Jewish Read more…

Recently we were invited to a wedding at Nes Harim – a small moshav (agricultural settlement) established in 1950 in the Judaean foothills. To get there you need to drive through the hills outside Jerusalem on winding roads with spectacular vistas. Before we share with you a few highlights from Read more…

Nachal Teninim (Crocodile stream) is a wonderful national nature reserve and is home to an amazing Roman Dam and Aqueduct that brought fresh water to Caesarea. The river is named for the Nile crocodiles that inhabited the nearby Kebara swamps until the early 20th century. The last crocodile was hunted Read more…

I opened the front door this morning and it was hard to breathe. Instead of feeling the fresh morning country air, my eyes and lungs were assaulted by gritty sand. While walking to synagogue I had to cover my mouth with my talit (prayer shawl). About fifty days out of Read more…

Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) is one big national party in Israel. However each year, the previous day is commemorated as Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers (Yom HaZikaron). It helps us remember the terrible sacrifice we had to pay, and continue to pay to live in our small country. A Read more…

Why were these soldiers in Jerusalem for Pesach over 100 years ago? During WWI the British captured Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks on December 9 of 1917 (picture on right is the Turks surrendering the Holy City which they had occupied for 400 years). This began a year-long campaign by Read more…