When one thinks of the early days of Israel and Zionism, the images that typically come to mind are those of agriculture, of pioneers working the land and kibbutzniks struggling to make the desert bloom. Read More »

This is a post from contributor Andyboy. You can visit him at the Andyboy blog. The second in a series of anecdotes relating some of my experiences in the air, having a connection to Israel or things Jewish. Boeing 707 – London/Tel Aviv This concerns an incident on a flight in the early 1970′s. Read More »

I have been watching the recent events in Egypt with growing concern and confusion. The people are clearly far from satisfied despite the fact that the hated Mubarak regime is long gone. Read More »

Welcome to the newest edition of Haveil Havalim, the Jewish and Israel blog carnival. In this carnival, we highlight some great Jewish and Israel blog posts from the recent weeks from great blogs around the web. If you are interested in participating, be sure to visit our group on Facebook . Read More »

On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was moments away from completing its 28th mission when it disintegrated over Texas, killing the seven crew members on board. Amongst the crew members of the Columbia was Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut. Read More »

The most recent round of peace talks held between the Israelis and the Palestinians has been declared a failure by the Palestinians, Even though the talks were held at a low level, involving only negotiating representatives from each side, there always somehow seems a little more hope when a dialogue is taking place. Read More »

Some of the most frequently used party lines of Israel advocates are words that highlight Israel’s diversity. Supporters and defenders of Israel, and Israelis themselves, constantly reference the incredible diversity of the population of the State of Israel when singing its praises. Read More »

It has been interesting to watch developments within Hamas over the past few months, and especially since the prisoner exchange deal which saw the release of Gilad Shalit. For Hamas, this has been a significant political event and has driven the organisation’s popularity to new heights amongst its Palestinian constituency. Read More »

No – this is not another review of the famous book by Erica de Jong. It’s just a memoire of my introduction to the wonderful world of flight. So, it is both appropriate and ironic that I am beginning to write this article seated in a departure lounge at Ben Gurion airport. Read More »

Israel is frequently accused of racism, particularly by those who continue to undermine her right to exist. Despite being forced to fight a war of survival against the Arab nations since independence in 1948, Israel continues to come under a microscope for the way in which she behaves towards Arabs who are Israeli citizens, and those who are not. Read More »

Hi friends, I recently spoke at “Ignite Chanukah” about flash mobs. Ignite is a speaker series where people make 5 minute speeches on interesting topics. This was a Jewish Ignite event, so I had to sprinkle in some Jewish humor and talk about Israel. Enjoy the talk. Read More »

This is a guest post from Andyboy. You can read more of his thoughts at the Andyboy blog. This is another little anecdote from my first visit to Israel 47 years ago, when I participated in a study mission, organised by the JNF of Great Britain. Read More »

The meeting of the Judicial Appointments Committee on Friday turned out to be something of a pleasant anti-climax. In a meeting that lasted only 90 minutes, four new justices were duly appointed to the bench of the Israeli Supreme Court. Read More »

As we welcome 2012, it gives the opportunity to reflect on the best and worst parts of 2011. In Israel, 2011 was an important year for a number of reasons. For some, it was a year that many people would choose to forget. Read More »

Anyone who reads the news in the United States or Europe might think that the Gaza border has been calm lately. That is far from the case. Terrorist rocket fire has been escalating and the IDF is preparing for a new war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday alone, four rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Read More »

Despite many indications that Israel is a country that appears to promote gender equality more than most other countries around the world, there have been worrying signs of greater gender segregation creeping into some aspects of Israeli society recently. Read More »

For many in the American Jewish community, the lights of the Chanukah candles are their way to feel a part of the festivities of the holiday season. Though the lights of Christmas trees may beckon, the flickering lights of the candles give American Jews pride in their own holiday, their own heritage, their own history. Read More »

Many were taken by surprise last week when it was announced that the Apple Corporation has decided to open a development centre in Israel. The main reason for the surprise, is the fact that Apple’s strategy to date has been to centralise all of its development effort at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California. Read More »

This is a guest post from Andyboy. You can read more of his thoughts at the Andyboy blog. It happened 47 years ago, on my first visit to Israel. Some background In 1964 I participated in what was euphemistically called a “study mission”, organised by the Jewish National Fund. Read More »

This past October, after more than five years in captivity, Gilad Shalit was released from Hamas capitivity and returned to his family in Israel in exchange for hundreds of convicted Arab terrorists. Read More »