I was just browsing through the newly released “CableGate” collection on WikiLeaks, and came across a cable written by someone in the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, making observations about the Persian (Iranian) psyche, and how understanding this should change the way in which you negotiate with them. The conclusion was: THERE ARE SEVERAL [...]

We were at Home Center (a home goods store – the Hebrew name is הום סנטר rather than what you might think it would be, something like מרבז הבית) on Friday, looking at different options for curtains to hang in one of the rooms for our house. Predictably, it is hard to choose among all [...]

Since making aliyah, I have discovered a big cultural difference between Israelis and non-Israelis when it comes to resting on Shabbat – many Israelis hold it as their sacred right to sleep on Shabbat day from 2pm to 4pm. From what I heard, there used to be a law that prohibits making noise outside between [...]

Today’s Arutz Sheva email had three aliyah-themed stories, all playing along the same theme: the Jewish Agency (the government sponsored organization whose mission statement used to be directed towards encouraging aliyah) doesn’t really care about olim from North America (read: the US) anymore. And Nefesh b’Nefesh does. 1) Is Aliyah from American being Shunted Aside: [...]

The NY Times currently has a story up on the front page of its website with the following headline: 4 Divers Killed Near Gaza by Israeli Navy Judging from the headline, I would guess that since the Israeli Navy has not had its fill of violence after it killed nine humanitarian activists from the Freedom [...]

I just read Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s review of The Eye of the Storm by Rav Aharon Feldman, which appeared in the most recent Jewish Action (always a good read, this time particularly stellar). Following on the heels of the reprint of Stephen Savitsky’s call to achdut within the greater Orthodox community that appeared in Mishpacha [...]

An online acquaintance recently posted a link on Facebook to an article Myths And Facts On U.S.-Israel Diplomatic Row. In it, the anonymous author seeks to state for the record what the myths and facts are regarding the recent diplomatic tension between Israel and the US. I responded that I think that it is laughable [...]

Last Purim we received for Mishloach Manot a bottle of liquor that was not quite to our taste. It sat in the closet for the entire year. So when Purim came around this year, we thought that it would be the perfect thing to regift to someone else – after all, someone might like it, [...]

There is a good article by Danny Ayalon in the Wall Street Journal called “Israel’s Right in the ‘Disputed’ Territories“: The recent statements by the European Union’s new foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton criticizing Israel have once again brought international attention to Jerusalem and the settlements. However, little appears to be truly understood about Israel’s [...]

View Israel on Google Maps. Then look at the embedded version of the same page below. View Larger Map (Here is a screenshot in case the embedded version doesn’t work). Something missing? If you don’t see it, try zooming in on the map, and comparing Israel with Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon or even Syria. Looks like [...]