IsraelityBlog

Nostalgia Sunday – The Womens Corps

A new exhibit has gone up at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv: Women in the Service of the British Army. The exhibit tells the story of the women in the pre-State Israel Yishuv who served in the British Army during World War II. Curator Batya Donner writes, “The volunteers, who were called to [...], Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:31:46 +0000

Volunteering for Rhianna

Even a seemingly ‘everybody wins’ scenario can hit some snags when thrust into the realities of Israeli life. Take, for example, the upcoming concert at Jaffa’s Bloomfield Stadium by R&B sensation Rhianna. The concert’s promoter and its sponsor, cell phone provider Orange, have hooked up with the international organization Rockcorps, which has successfully galvanized thousands of [...], Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:37:36 +0000

The roof is green

We stayed home this weekend, enjoying some peace and quiet at the ‘ol homestead. But last weekend we headed down for our annual Shabbat at Kibbutz Ketura with my husband Daniel’s group of high school students — he runs a program called TRY, Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim, and they always spend a week at Ketura. But back [...], Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:57:23 +0000

Life as a board game

My life has become like a board game. Specifically, one that I created 38 years ago. When I was in sixth grade in 1972, my friend David Saunders and I decided to create a Monopoly-like game with a board, dice, play money, and various cards which players would pick from a pile and then act on. We [...], Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:52:01 +0000

Foto Friday – Biking to the Extreme

Israel is a natural location for extreme sports. Some would even venture that just living in Israel is an extreme sport, given our highway conditions and of course that pesky security situation. Even the Israel Postal Company has gotten into the act, with a series of stamps celebrating windsurfing, and — of course — the [...], Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:07:48 +0000

Using the Mossad to sell food

The charade that Israel wasn’t involved with the Dubai murder of Hamas commander Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in January continues, but that’s not stopping one advertising creative team from exploiting the scenario involving the Mossad to develop a TV commercial based on the killing. Supermarket chain ‘Machsanei Kimat Hinam’ (The Almost Free Warehouse – one [...], Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:44:08 +0000

Sinai-bound

Is it only in Israel that going on vacation can turn into a political act? Or at least one with nationalistic implications? We needed a family vacation, and decided to get away before Pessah. Despite the infinite holiday possibilities that await us in our backyard of Israel, we talked about going abroad – maybe because of [...], Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:23:40 +0000

Sharav Dos and Don’ts

If you’ve ever been a reader of Glamour Magazine, you’ll remember that there is always a popular item in the back of the mag called “Dos and Don’ts.” As expected, the Dos are outfits photographed on the street that work, and the Don’ts are the ones that, well, don’t. Given that we’re dealing with some very [...], Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:54:12 +0000

Life without chocolate

Have you ever tried to go off chocolate? I can tell you from first hand experience, it’s no mean feat. My banning of chocolate has to do with a book I’m reading called Insomniac by Gayle Green. The author, like me, suffers from chronic insomnia and, as with anyone who is sleep starved, she has researched [...], Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:31:26 +0000

Ride the Einstein express

Albert Einstein keeps on coming up on my radar. Seems that to mark National Science Day and Einstein’s birthday on March 14, Hebrew University and Israel Railways are organizing a ‘Science Train’ crossing Israel from Beersheva to Haifa, part of their ongoing monthly ‘Scientists on the Trains’ lecture series. (No, I had no idea that there is [...], Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:16:56 +0000