Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎, alt. Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew [...]

The young beauty is celebrating its 100th birthday
Prologue
Sticking to proper English grammar rules, one would have to refer to Tel Aviv as “It”. You will excuse me, as for me Tel Aviv has always been a living organism, so I shall refer to Tel Aviv as a “She”, and a glorious She for that [...]

After mastering reading in first grade, the Israeli child is ready to read the Torah in its own language. The second graders go through an exciting process that prepares them to receive the Torah. The peak of this process is a big ceremony in which they receive the book of Genesis.
My daughter Daphna just received [...]

Mikve Israel was the first agricultural school and the first agricultural settlement in the land of Israel. Most of the Jewish people who lived in the land of Israel in the 19th century lived in one of four holy cities: Jerusalem, Hebron, Zephath, and Tiberias. Most of them were financially supported by the Jewish communities [...]

יוֹם כִּפּוּר - זִכְרוֹנוֹת יַלְדוּת
The Synagogue – בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת
When I grew up, my next-door neighbor was the Central Synagogue of Mount Carmel (בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַמֶּרְכָּזִי בְּהַר הַכַּרְמֶל).  It gave a special atmosphere of holiness and respect, especially during Shabat and the Holidays. Although I grew up in a secular home, my mother used to bless [...]