A picture of me playing dreidel with some of the kids at the Tiferet Shalom Chanukah party Saturday night Read More »

I only have about three weeks left before I go back to the States. I’m excited to see everyone back home, of course – 6 months without any visits at all is a long time – but I’m not at all excited to leave Israel. Part of the problem is that I really feel like I wasted a lot of my time here. Read More »

israelinmyheart : awesomespots : The Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, Israel I’ve been here three times, and I’ve gotta say, it’s more beautiful each time Read More »

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A tree at the TAU Botanical Gardens. My first thought when I saw it? It’s the White Tree of Gondor! Read More »

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For those who go looking, there’s a beautiful place for a nature walk tucked away in Ramat Aviv, a residential neighborhood in northern Tel Aviv. It’s called the Tel Aviv University Botanical Gardens, and it’s nestled between TAU’s Ramat Aviv campus and the highway. Read More »

How I learned the difference between news and information : Encounters with classified military information at the age of 20 left the author with the unshakable understanding that the media has no choice but to report on the banal – because they just don’t have access to the intricacies of what’s really happening. Read More »

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It feels like time has sped up. We’re several weeks into classes now,the professors are already talking about midterm exams, and I’m signing up for courses for spring semester back home. It’s a little depressing, actually, how quickly the time has gone by. Read More »

Complying with court order, general stri… JPost – National News : Public services, transportation expected to be back in full operation by noon; court permitted strike to take place from 6 to 10 a.m., intensive court-supervised negotiations to go on over 100,000 contract workers. Read More »

Israeli killed as a result of rocket barrage on southern Israel – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News : Man wounded in Ashkelon rocket strike dies of his wounds; some 20 rockets, mortars fired from Gaza into Israel; IDF kills five Islamic Jihad militants just hours before rocket attack, then kills two more in retaliatory strike. Read More »

The fall semester started Monday. After nearly a month off for the holidays, I’m glad to be back in classes. I registered for six classes last month with the intention of dropping whichever one I didn’t end up enjoying, but I’ve quickly realized that I’m excited about all of them. I’m a little concerned about the workload; six classes is a lot. Read More »

“Every morning, we goes where we wishes/we’s as free as fishes/sure beats washing dishes/what a fine life/carrying the banner home to y’all!”* *”Carrying the Banner,” music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman Read More »

Money from Israel’s past on display at the Eretz Israel Museum’s Kadman Numismatic Pavilion Read More »

traditional costumes from Jewish cultures on display at the Ethnography and Folklore Pavilion at the Eretz Israel Museum Read More »

Today I met my new temporary roommate. She only stopped by for a few minutes with her grandmother, so I don’t know her very well yet, but she seems friendly and easy going. As a bonus, I won’t have any trouble remembering her name, which she shares with my home town. Read More »

Today, I’m attending my first Potluck. Well, not my first, technically speaking, I’ve attended potlucks with my parents and we’ve had them at our house, but my first as myself rather than as “and family.” More importantly, it’s my first time making a dish for a potluck. I made rice with cinnamon, turmeric, ground ginger, and golden raisins. Read More »