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
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
The Switzerland Forest provides beautiful hiking opportunities and breathtaking views of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. It’s a park that was created by Keren Kayemet (Jewish National Fund) through donations from the Jewish community in Switzerland beginning in 1927 to prevent soil erosion and landslides on the steep slopes Read more
The Jewish community lived adjacent to, and just north of the city walls of Caesarea. This is the remains of the synagogue. Note the Greek inscription on the floor mosaic. Usually and inscription honoring donors would be made in Greek (or Aramaic) which was the commonly spoken language in the Read more
Jacob’s brother Esau was also called Edom… and the Sages tell us that Edom is Rome. No wonder so much of our Jewish history is intertwined with a love/hate relationship with Rome and its descendants who try to take control of the Land of Israel without living by Torah values. Read more