We wish our members, readers, donors, and friends a sweet and happy new year. From our family to yours, Israel Between the Lines Anyone who is Jewish knows what “holiday” really means: massive amounts of food. Of course, the root of every holiday is steeped in meaning, yet the tradition blossoms with the fruits of…
Despite the summer sunlight, the Jewish calendar points to darkness and destruction. Leading up to the saddest day of the year are The Three Weeks; a period of mourning that culminates on Tisha B’Av, and then extends into the emotional contradiction of Tu B’Av. Today it is celebrated like the Western tradition of Valentine’s Day,…
We mourn for the 45 lives taken by the disaster on Mount Meron and we extend our condolences to their families. Last week on the eve of Lag B’Omer, tens of thousands of Haredim gathered to fulfill their annual tradition to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, light bonfires, and celebrate. However, by…
The central Tel Aviv city municipality building lit up in bright Arabic lights with a “Ramadan Kareem,” wishing Arab residents who practice to “have a blessed Ramadan.” Kicked off at the spring crescent moon, 1.6 million Arabs residing in Israel honor the 30-day holiday as the holiest month and one of the five pillars of…
We live in a world with so many sides, yet somehow our language has whittled its way into a binary state of being. Good or bad, right or left, dark or light. Male or female, black or white, us or them. The need to “choose a side” implies that one’s success means another’s failure, or…
