The biblical feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are just days away, falling this year on April 10-17. Here in Jerusalem, holiday excitement is in the air. Meticulous pre-Passover housecleaning is dwindling to its final sweep of leaven from homes and businesses. Shoppers scurry through streets in last minute preparation…...
Who Owns Jerusalem? (Probably not who you’d think.)
To the surprise of many, Christians own most of the wealthiest parts of Jerusalem. Despite global focus on the Arab-Jewish controversy, traditional churches hold title deed to large swaths of real estate here. The Prime Minister’s and President’s Residences, Knesset, Israel Museum, King David Hotel, Great Synagogue, Mamila Mall and…...
On Israeli Memorial and Independence Days (May 1 and 2, 2017): Does the Day of Jacob’s Trouble Lie Ahead?
This week we celebrate with thanksgiving the 69th anniversary of the re-gathered Jewish state. Israeli Independence Day always comes the day after Memorial Day, which honors fallen soldiers and terror victims. The unusual timing was intentionally set so that 24 hours of sorrow and mourning would be followed by joy…...
THEY DIDN’T JUST KILL JEWS: Why You Should Remember the Holocaust
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed annually on January 27. The UN established Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005, choosing January 27 because the date marks the liberation of the notorious death camp at Auschwitz. (International Holocaust Remembrance Day is distinct from Israel’s own Holocaust Remembrance Day occurring in the…...