Israel won the 2018 Eurovision song contest. Great! This means that next year (2019) – the contest is due to take place in the Holy Land. It’s a big opportunity for income and public relations. For many it’s also a good opportunity to strengthen the status of Jerusalem, or at least its sectors that are […]

What do you know… a large stone fell off the Western Wall. Almost hit a Jewish woman who was standing there praying. Here, see for yourself. What does one usually do when a large stone breaks apart from a big wall? Well, if it’s Berlin Wall – you do your best to keep it as […]

The Israeli ‘Games of Chef’ TV series has a history of picking “interesting” candidates for the competition. The last program (May 22, 2018) presented, among others, two men: Tamir, a person who recently became ultra-Orthodox, and, Leizer, who has left the “Haredi” (ultra-Orthodox) world and became secular. The two were preparing their dishes at the […]

How do you know when modern law is influenced by old archaic religious rules? At least one of the criteria is when it becomes too “recursive” – when it starts heavily dealing with itself. Laws about the law. Ancient legislators were well-aware of the fact that things may change in the future. Anxious to preserve […]

Traditionally, Passover (‘Pesach’ in Hebrew) represents the holiday of freedom. According to the legend (perceived as history by many), it was the time the ancient Hebrews escaped slavery. In Passover many Jews read the ‘Haggadah’, which tells all these ancient stories. Yet, Passover is identified by one distinct famous tradition: The avoidance of bread. Actually, […]

Many of Israel’s officials have condemned Poland’s recent legislation and announcements about denying Poland’s part in the Holocaust, and rightfully so. It’s bad to twist history to suit one’s agenda. It’s even worse when performed by official representatives of a big country. Not only have they condemned the actions, but they have also mentioned the […]

It’s that time of the year again… when the number changes and people celebrate. Progress has taken its toll, and terms like “Christmas”, “New Year’s Eve” and “Silvester” have all mixed up worldwide into something vague, often called “the holiday season”. This may include vacations, Christmas trees and pictures or dolls of the imaginary Santa […]

Apparently, it’s very hard to leave an ultra-Orthodox Jewish environment not only in Israel, but also in the U.S.A. Netflix has released a wonderful new peace, describing the extreme difficulties of people trying to leave the “Hasidic” New-York community. The latter does its best to make life miserable for those who want to break free, […]

“The State of Israel … will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex …” — From the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel Wait a minute… Suppose someone’s religion is in favor of killing innocent people? Does he or she still […]

Many religious leaders don’t want their flock to study science. The excuses may vary. Some say they want the people to concentrate on studying [what they claim is the] “important things”. Others don’t want them to, say, have males and females in the same class. No matter what the “official” reason is, it always boils […]