The big news out of Israel this week is the imminent release of Gilad Shalit, after five years of being kept in a dungeon in Gaza by Hamas, refused access to the International Red Cross or anything mandated by international standards or human decency. If you have mixed feelings about whether the release of 1,000… Read More »
The most holy day of the year in the Jewish calendar begins at sunset tomorrow. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement” and its strict observance is commanded in Leviticus 16. Arutz-7 has a summary of the significance of the day. It begins: The highest of the High Holidays – Yom Kippur – is only about… Read More »
An American Christian guy is hiking the Israel Trail, reports the Jerusalem Post, and I’m wondering if they have an article about me. No, my doctoral dissertation is not on “hiking trails and tourism in Israel.” Where did I lose my way? If you ‘re an IBEX alumnus, you should join the Facebook group. If… Read More »
That’s the title of a NY Times article that captures so much of Israeli life from the perspective of a foreigner. Here’s a taste: Israel is a country held together by argument. Public culture is one long cacophony of criticism. The politicians go at each other with a fury we can’t even fathom in the… Read More »
Interesting. I had no idea. From Arutz-7: Though the sun is some 400 times larger than the moon, a blessing over the latter is made nearly 350 times more often than over the former. This coming month will see that rare occasion when the Blessing Over the Sun is recited. Jewish Law stipulates that a… Read More »
Take a close look at this picture. (Click to enlarge) First, try to guess where it was taken. If you guessed Jerusalem in the 1930s, you ‘re right. Next, tell me what’s wrong with it. Unbelievable. And we think we ‘re tough. Third, I wonder if a photo exists of me anywhere from my pole-vaulting… Read More »
It looks like I’m not going to say much about Spring Break, given that some time has passed and I really need to spend a lot more time with my friend Jehu. I’ll say simply that it was probably my best Spring Break when I didn’t leave home. Admittedly, it feels weird to call wherever… Read More »
A friend writes: I am looking for a guy (it pretty much has to be a guy since we travel all the time together) who is experienced in computer animation and graphics. When I say computer animation I don’t mean cartoons, I mean building a city of Jericho with walls and having them fall down… Read More »
I don’t know these people or this situation personally, but it strikes me as a fair presentation of the on-going persecution of believers in Arad. This 15-minute video was made by a messianic believer in the 12th grade. μακάÏιοι á¼ÏƒÏ„ε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν ονηÏὸν καθ ὑμῶν [ψευδόμενοι] ἕνεκεν á¼Î¼Î¿á¿¦. χαίÏετε… Read More »
Just in case your calendar is like mine, lacking the Jewish holidays, here’s a heads-up: The Jewish People begin nearly a month of holidays Wednesday evening: Two days of Rosh Hashanah, followed immediately by the Sabbath of Repentance. Sunday will be the Fast of Gedaliah, commemorating the end of Jewish rule in the Land of… Read More »