Jews, Judeans, and Jerusalem: Masquerading Academics - Blog #10
Today I saw a story about an Israeli journalist, who studies in the US, and has a Russian passport. That in itself was intriguing. The...
Israel: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Blog #9
Obviously, I love Israel, the national embodiment of the Jewish people. No other place on earth provides the cultural atmosphere --...
It Never Rains in Southern California... Blog #8
I remember the song, though not the performer, composer, or lyricist: “Seems it never rains in Southern California … But girl, don’t they...
Celebrating Shavu'ot in Israel - Blog #7
Of the three festival holydays Shavu’ot is strikingly different. It is a 1-day holiday in Israel, whereas Pesach and Succot last for a...
Jewish Cultural Life in Israel -- Blog #6
Most Israelis self-identify as not Dati -- not religious. But what that means is highly imprecise and to understand we have to dig a bit...
My Incredible Tiyul (excursion) to the North - Blog #5
My first tour so far has been to the Galil, about a 1½ hour bus ride north from Modi’in. Our first stop was at Beit She’arim, not far...
Israel’s 75th Yom ha-Atzma’ut Memorial and Celebration -- in Modi’in - Blog #4 (2023)
It was something special to be here -- I was blessed to attend an outdoor youth program and special Arvit for a combination...
The People and Synagogues of Modi’in -- Blog # 3 (2023)
My plan was to rent three different places, each for a month, to get to know three different areas in Israel. My criteria were: (a) An...
Haifa, the Central Synagogue, and Orthodox Variations
Our son, Ezra, and his wife, Shiri, recently relocated north, a result of the prohibitive housing costs in Israel’s central region, and...
Pesach in Haifa + Life in Modi'in
Our seder (in Haifa, where Ezra and Shiri live) had 9 adults -- Marian and me, Micah and Alyssa, Ezra and Shiri, Ranana, and two of...
