Israel imports palm fronds from Gaza for Sukkot

Israel imports palm fronds from Gaza for Sukkot Maan News Agency, September 30, 2009 Yesterday the Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak, approved the immediate importation of palm fronds from the Gaza Strip to Israel, according to the Hebrew daily Ma’ariv. The move came at the behest of Minister of Religious Services, Yakov Margi, who feared …

Weekend in Nazareth: dig in

 Weekend in Nazareth: Dig in The Jerusalem Post, September 25, 2009 The small green door, peeking out onto a sliver of an alley in Nazareth’s Old City, is deceptively humble. The low frame makes visitors bow their head, as though they were in prayer, as they enter. But the gesture feels appropriate. Stepping into the …

Israel tightens the noose on advocacy organizations

Israel tightens the noose on advocacy organizations The Electronic Intifada, September 23, 2009 Israel’s new tactic The Khaleej Times, October 3, 2009 Mu’tasem Billah Abu-Mastfa was born in Gaza. Though he is just nine months old, his parents are already trying to get him out of the Strip. Abu-Mastfa was born with severe congenital heart …

A wildfire of art in Tel Aviv

 A wildfire of art in Tel Aviv The Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2009 It’s a Thursday night in Tel Aviv and the sparks are literally flying—outside the Engel Gallery on Gordon Street, artist Jack Jano is using a blow-torch to put the finishing touches on his installation, soferstam (torah scribe). Art enthusiasts mill about, sipping …

Bringing artistry to the orchards

Bringing artistry to the orchards The Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2009 There’s something new coming from one of Israel’s oldest communities—fruit bearing curious names like Watermelon Plums, Plumegranates, and Pita Peaches. They’re the creative product of Ben-Dor Fruits and Nurseries, which is located in Yesud Hama’ala. Founded in 1883 during the first aliyah, Yesud Hama’ala’s …

Sidebar: A different kind of activism

The Palestinian village of Bil’in, located in the West Bank, is a flashpoint for the Arab-Israeli conflict. Since 2005, Bil’in has been the site of Friday demonstrations attended by hundreds of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals in protest of the impending construction of the separation wall, the division of Palestinian-owned land, as well as the continued …

A different kind of activism

A different kind of activism The Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2009 It’s Friday afternoon in the West Bank village Bil’in. A crowd of protestors—Israeli, Palestinian, and international—is gathered at the barbed-wire separation fence. Facing the IDF on the other side, they chant in Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Spanish. Their voices are punctuated by the occasional …

Prague from on high

Prague from on high The Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2009 Viewed from Old Town’s cobblestone streets, Prague is Europe rendered as a confectionary wonder. Pastel-hued buildings, with baroque curves and curlicues that resemble icing, lick at the spire-filled sky. Even the sharp lines of Gothic structures seem the stuff of children’s birthday cakes—reminding the viewer …

The Missing Mizrahim

   The Missing Mizrahim: review of Rachel Shabi’s Not the Enemy: Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands, and Q & A with the author Zeek, August 31, 2009 Some critics have faulted Rachel Shabi’s Not the Enemy: Israel’s Jews from Arab Lands as one-sided. Shabi neglects the animosity that existed between Jews and Muslims long before …