We were at Sachne one day last Passover. Sachne, also known as “The Park of the Three Pools,” is located near Beit Shahn in the Lower Galilee. It was a beautiful day, and the place was packed with both Jews and Arabs, religious people and non-religious. The kids had a lot of fun going in…
Since 1993 the Jewish Agency has been running a network of summer camps in the former Soviet Union. The agency describes these camps as “a cultural lifeline to Jewish identity.” These summer camps in the FSU are supported by several Russian-Jewish philanthropists and by Jewish federations in cities such as Phoenix, Tucson, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland…
Very few American Jews marry before they finish college. And even high school sweethearts are usually prepared to wait – or are convinced by their parents to do so – until they turn 21. In Israel, with university coming after a lengthy post-high school period (including army service, travel, making up for screw-ups in high…
Everyone knows why Thanksgiving is so dear to American Jews: Here is a holiday that all of America’s Jews can fully and actively enjoy. Spiritually, of course, giving thanks is praiseworthy in Judaism (“hakarat hatov,” acknowledging the good, is the traditional Jewish term for this), and the ecumenical element of the holiday provides Jews with…
What does it mean to live in a country where the New Year is Rosh Hashanah rather than Jan. 1? Of course, if you are Jewish and care about Jewish traditions, Rosh Hashanah in Israel will provide you with a powerful sense of “group feeling” that comes from living in the only country in the world where…
As soon as the Purim holiday ends, Israeli children start preparing for their next big day. It’s a different sort of holiday, one that “fires” their imaginations for weeks. Of course, we’re not talking about Passover here. What kid is going to get all excited by holiday preparations that chiefly call for the cleaning of…
When we first moved to Israel in the summer of 1997, it took awhile before I got used to referring to where I live as a “house.” We had made aliyah from Miami, and there we clearly had your standard-definition house: a large unattached structure with spacious front and backyards. In Givat Ze’ev, we moved in…
By Teddy Weinberger The Passover season in Israel goes into full force right after Purim, that is, one month before the holiday. Israeli employers are encouraged to purchase various gifts for their employees, and consumers are encouraged to buy anything and everything in honor of the holiday. While it usually makes more economic sense to…
After 17 Hanukkahs here, one thing about the way the Festival of Lights is celebrated in Israel never ceases to amaze me: the total absence of Christmas. In the States, Hanukkah’s relation to Christmas is of crucial concern. The more the two holidays overlap, the more that Jews will be celebrating their winter holiday at…
