Dateline Jerusalem — Yom Yerushalayim…Jerusalem Day. Jerusalem has been known as the “heart of the Jewish people.” No city is holier to Jews. Jews pray in the direction of Jerusalem while Muslims and Arabs pray with their backs to Jerusalem. For Muslims, Jerusalem is their third holiest city. It ranks behind Mecca and Medina, and it is not even mentioned … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — Mother’s Day?  In Israel, every day is Mother’s Day.  This weekend most of the world will be celebrating the typical commercialized Mother’s Day that people associate with the second Sunday in May — flowers, candy, dinner out, and sometimes a once-a- year telephone call from their children. In Judaism, the Fifth Commandment is to always honor our … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — One week to the day after observing Holocaust Memorial Day, we stood at attention again. We bowed our heads as the sirens wailed and everything came to a halt in Israel for Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for those who died protecting Israel and for those who were victims of terrorism. The very next day Israelis danced … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — Israel literally came to a standstill this week on Holocaust Memorial Day, known as Yom HaShoah and Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day. “Yom” in Hebrew means “day” and “HaShoah” means “The Catastrophe.” At 10 a.m., a loud air raid siren sounded throughout the country for a full two minutes, bringing cars, buses, trains, and pedestrians to … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — Springtime in Israel is a glorious time of year.  I wake up in the morning to birds chirping, a perfect blue sky and a variety of palm trees, exotic ferns. Kumquats and colorful blooming trees and flowers are outside my apartment windows. They reflect the beauty of Israel as a people and as a nation.  Israelis have … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — Never ah uninteresting day living in Israel.  I am totally amazed at the friendliness, helpfulness and generosity of the people here, how accommodating they can be.   Yet often they have a reputation for being rude.  Perhaps that is why native born Israelis are called sabras.  A sabra fruit is a prickly pear.  Both the fruit and … Read More

Dateline Jerusalem — Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I say “It is that time of year again.”  In two weeks, Jews throughout the world will be observing the holiday of Pesach (Passover), commemorating the Exodus from Egypt to Jerusalem.  Not only has the story of the Exodus under the leadership of Moses been retold for thousands of … Read More