Jewish Life
Jewish life, community news, and Torah perspective.
Ancient Egyptian fortress uncovers soldiers’ homes, royal inscriptions, and horse burial
Also found at the site were a number of scarabs, some bearing the names of Kings Ramesses II and Seti I, while others carry the names of several deities, including Amun, Sekhmet, Ptah, and Set
Not Only the Haredim: Why Do Israelis Have More Children While the West Has Fewer?
In the West, fewer children are being born, but Israel continues to deviate from the trend, and not only thanks to the Haredim. Economist Yanai Spitzer points to an exceptional family culture, and warns that…
Daily Tehillim: Parashat Hashavua: Sukkot I
The sukkah is a temporary hut with a roof that lets in the sky and the rain. It has no permanent walls. For one week, we live in fragility. And the tradition says: be joyful.…
When Documentation Becomes Complicity
A Gazan photographer's admission that he withheld footage of hostage abuse on October 7th cuts to the heart of what we expect from war reporting. The photographer, whose work appeared in major international outlets, acknowledged…
Mourning in Jerusalem: The Chassidic Activist Passes Away at 57
Rabbi Yehuda (Duki) Greenwald, may his memory be a blessing, passed away this evening at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after a prolonged battle with a serious illness.
The Human Desk Beats the AI Employee
Everyone wants to fire their content team and hire an AI agent instead. The pitch sounds perfect: never sick, never tired, posts at 3 AM, costs pennies per thousand words. Your LinkedIn feed fills with…
The Approval Death Spiral That Kills Your Content
You write a post. It goes to marketing for review. Marketing sends it to legal. Legal wants changes. Back to marketing. Marketing wants different changes. Back to you. You make the edits. Round two begins.…
The Woke Ideology Operates Like a Religion
Woke ideology functions as a comprehensive belief system with its own sacred texts, rituals of purification, and mechanisms for excommunication. This resembles traditional religious structures more than political philosophy. The doctrine ce…
Money can disappear in minutes: Israelis warned about scammers
Ahead of Sukkot, the risk of encountering fraudsters in Israel when booking accommodation and paying for vacations increases. Criminals create copies of travel websites, post attractive ads, and force potential victims to transfer money or…
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
Arutz Sheva-Israel National News is stopping its round-the-clock news updates at this time in honor of the start of Shabbat and the holiday of Sukkot in North America, where they are being written now. Updates…
Does Sukkot Hold a Lesson for Fighting Antisemitism Today?
The Stanleigh family sit inside their sukkah, or ritual booth, used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in their yard, in Jerusalem, Oct. 14, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun. Jonas Hanway was not a…
I’m Jewish at a Christian high school. It’s taught me a lot about who I am.
The student choir stands harmonizing beneath a glowing wooden cross suspended above the stage, their voices blending together as the lyrics glow across the projector at the front of the auditorium. Around me, most of…
The Kohen Who Didn’t Know About the Priestly Blessing – and the Bullet That Became a Star of David
Daniel Garon grew up in Kibbutz Revadim of Hashomer Hatzair, strengthened his faith after the army, and returned home with a desire to bring Jewish tradition to a place where Yom Kippur prayers were not…
Chief Rabbi hails ‘miracle’ of Immanuel rescue as he opens sixth form centre
The new building is part of the school’s mission to produce ‘global Jewish leaders’
Beat the clock: The race to sell Sukkot’s ‘Four Species’
Eliran Nachmias is a school teacher who for the past 15 years has been renting the basements of two synagogues in Netanya and spends the weeks before Yom Kippur selecting sets of the “four species”…
Permanent Sukkahs
On a bus, an OSB hut, tents, and canopies - four temporary structures of pioneers who live under the shadow of the Divine Presence even during the rest of the year. From improvised toilets to…
The Hook in Your Mouth
You know what your problem is. You have been running the same patterns for years, managing the same frustrations, escaping through the same release valves. You tell yourself you will change after this project, after…
A New Jewish Story
What suited the early days of the state does not suit the current Israeli reality. The war has led to a deep identity upheaval; many seek to deepen their belonging, in their own way. The…
Christians must stand alongside the Jewish people
First of all, he called me a 'lover of Jews.' It was meant to be an insult, but for me, it is an honor. I do indeed love the Jews, and I told him so…
Albert Axelrad, Brandeis Hillel rabbi who championed pluralism and social justice, dies at 87
(JTA) — Rabbi Albert S. Axelrad, a Reform rabbi, community leader and political activist who headed Brandeis University’s Hillel Foundation for 34 years, died on Sept. 18. He was 87. Starting in 1965, Axelrad sought…
When You Need a Fiscal Sponsor Fast
You have a donor ready to write a check. They want it tax-deductible. You need a 501 c 3 to receive it. You need one now. This happens more than people think. A family foundation…
We have accessed the Book of Life.
Some of you are currently listed as PENDING REVIEW. You have until sundown to correct this. G’mar Chatima Tova, from @TheMossadIL.
Converted to Judaism and married in Israel - but the Population Authority refuses to regulate his status
From the rabbinate's perspective, he is Jewish and married to an Israeli citizen, but the dispute over recognition of his conversion has left him without status in the country
Teaching Tzedakah Through Action: Why Families Need Hands-On Giving Experiences
Jewish families face a peculiar modern problem: we've made giving too easy. Write a check, swipe a card, click donate. The transaction completes in seconds, but what does a seven-year-old learn from watching their parent…
The map that didn't prove anything
In September 1854, Dr. John Snow removed the handle of the Broad Street water pump in London's Soho district during a cholera outbreak. His famous dot map, showing deaths clustered around the pump, is often…
Gov't warns against bringing Four Species into Israel without authorization ahead of Sukkot
The warning was issued with special consideration for the situation at Ben-Gurion Airport, which has become a bustling hub, with chaos on the rise.
“You are going there with a great torch in the name of the entire people of Israel.”
Moment before takeoff to New York, Netanyahu met with Chabad rabbis, received the Four Species, joined the melody “Lekhatchila Ariber,” and received in his hands the book “Oseh Shalom,” which he promised to read on…
Daily Rambam (1 Chapter): Daily Rambam: Divorce 5
Imagine you have to make a big decision, but the facts aren't clear. What if you could pause and refuse to decide until you know more? That's exactly what a medieval Jewish scholar did in…
Akiva Novick: The struggle moves to the synagogue
Akiva Novick referred in an interview with Mendi Grozeman on ‘Kan Moreshet’ to the changes that Shabbat bulletins have undergone, which have become in part newspapers with a distinct ideological identity, and to the struggle…
What Hotels Can Learn From 35 Years of Obsessive Craft
Randy Hage spent 35 years building a 3,400-square-foot model of New York City in his garage. Eight hundred thousand structures. Every building, every street sign, every fire hydrant carved by hand. No blueprints, no CAD…
When Systems Lie to You
The control room alarm screams. Every screen flashes red. Your first instinct says "power supply failure" because that's what killed you last month. You're probably wrong. Complex systems fail in ways that mock your pattern…
In Israel, Preparing for a Sharp Weather Change During Sukkot
Today, Friday, there will be variable cloudiness, with the sky in some places being predominantly clear. In the morning, light precipitation is possible — from drizzle to weak local rain — along the coastal plain,…
Ahead of UN speech, Netanyahu meets Chabad delegation and receives Four Species
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a delegation of Chabad rabbis before departing for New York. The delegation presented him with the Four Species and spoke with him ahead of his UN address. During the…
What Does Israel Mean to the Jewish People, and Why Should the World Care?
Jews praying at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90 Every person living on the face of the earth can understand the feeling of being born on a particular…
The Torah world mourns the passing of Rabbi David Batzri: "A holy and pure man"
In the world of Torah and Kabbalah, they bid farewell to the elder of the Kabbalists, head of the "HaShalom" yeshiva, the gaon and righteous Rabbi David Batzri, of blessed memory, who passed away at…
So we meet again – the new Israel...and the new me
The day before my flight to the Jewish state was the three-year anniversary of my mastectomy
AFHU’s Bel Air Affaire honoring Soraya Sarah Nazarian raises more than $2.6 million for student scholarships
More than 320 guests gathered for the 17th Annual Bel Air Affaire event, highlighting American Friends of the Hebrew University’s support for student scholarships at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Following the Scapegoat – A Journey to the Cliff
We always wanted to see this hidden place with our own eyes. At the end of Rosh Hashanah, Arnon Segel and I set out on a foot journey to Mount Montar in the Judean Desert…
Your Personal Mission Is Not What You Think It Is
You have been running from the wrong question your entire life. The question is not whether you are Jewish. You already know that answer. You can recite your credentials, your observance, your lineage. That question…
Renewal Called Teshuvah
Why do we find it hard to believe that people around us are capable of changing? Because if that is the case, then we too can change for the better. And if we have not…
Where is Hashem?
Where is God? Without ever truly managing to answer the question, entire volumes have been devoted to the question asked: Where is God? Does He exist? Personally, I think that the people who ask this…
He was a hidden child during WWII. The French town that saved him lost his painting and rediscovered a chapter of its history.
The day Isabelle Siméon cleared out a basement storage area in the town hall in Houdan, France, and found a rolled-up painting on top of a bookcase, she discovered a forgotten piece of history. My…
Yom Kippur 2026 (5787): Times for the Start and End of the Fast Across the Country and the World, Customs and Laws
The fast of Yom Kippur 5787 will begin this evening, at sunset on Sunday, September 20, 2026 (9 Tishrei), and will end at nightfall on Monday evening, September 21, 2026 (10 Tishrei). The start of…
MDA medics finish building woman's sukkah for her after treating head injury
The woman had begun building the sukkah beneath her home as part of preparations for the approaching holiday when an iron pole fell while the upper supports were being tied together and struck her
So Simple: The Uniqueness of the Sukkot Holiday | Rabbi Menachem Gerlitzky
The Four Species - that's really not a problem. Sukkah - that's also really easy. You invite a few talented and hardworking young nephews, and together you build the sukkah | The simplicity of the…
Parsha: Parashat Hashavua: Sukkot I
Sukkot asks us to leave our solid homes and dwell in a fragile hut for a week. It's not about discomfort. It's a reminder that real security doesn't come from walls or roofs. The sukkah…
"I managed to convey this message": The will that Rabbi Avraham Shapira left for his son
In a personal conversation, the head of the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva tells about his childhood alongside his father, the concern for every student, and dealing with fateful issues as the Chief Rabbi. Shortly before his…
Why Hotel Art Commissioning Fails Before It Starts
Walk through any high-end hotel lobby and you'll see the same mistake repeated in oil and bronze. Commissioned pieces that look expensive but feel hollow. Art chosen by committee, vetted by consultants, designed to offend…
The Geography of Power Still Matters
The internet was supposed to flatten the world. Digital networks would dissolve borders, making geography irrelevant to power. Twenty years later, we have fiber optic cables that follow ancient trade routes and data centers clustered…
Welcoming Sukkot: History, Traditions, and Symbols of the Holiday
Tomorrow evening, September 25, one of the warmest and most symbolic Jewish holidays begins — Sukkot. The festive period will last until the evening of October 3. Sukkot is called the Feast of Tabernacles. During…
Strock paid 2,500 shekels for opening of Cave of the Patriarch
Minister Orit Strock paid out of her own pocket for the honor of opening the prayer hall on Yom Kippur at the Cave of the Patriarchs
The revered Rabbi David Batzri evacuated to hospital after resuscitation
The revered Rabbi David Batzri, aged 85, collapsed on Rabbi Landau Street and required resuscitation. After his pulse returned, the rabbi was evacuated while sedated and ventilated to Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital. His son, the…
UK Jewish emigration to Israel jumps by one third
Aliyah from Britain is up 32 per cent year-on-year, according to the Jewish Agency
Mobile emergency clinic offers care to Jerusalem tourists over Sukkot
A mobile emergency medical clinic offering walk-in care to thousands of tourists visiting Jerusalem for Sukkot, as well as local residents, will open in the heart of the capital on Friday. United Hatzalah’s Ruderman Mobile…
The Scrooge Delusion
You know the story. Scrooge wakes up transformed, throws open the windows, buys the biggest goose in London, and becomes the most generous man in the city. One night changes everything. The spirits show him…
Apology Without a Response
Everyone is saying sorry, but the response—acknowledgment of the sin, pangs of conscience, and taking responsibility—has been left behind. Just look at the campaigns ahead of the elections to understand what the politicians have chosen.…
Yom Kippur 5787: Despite the Wars, Israel a Great Power
Israel: 78 Years of Miracles. If you do not know why you pray, among other things on Yom Kippur, open your eyes and look at the miracles. In just 78 years, this small country, which…
Why the closing prayers of Judaism’s holiest day focus on repairing relationships with each other
Each Passover, as Jewish families start the Seder meal, a child asks, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” And each Yom Kippur, as worshippers attend the last prayers of the day, they…
Erev Yom Kippur: Tens of Thousands at the Western Wall to Recite Selichot | Live from the Western Wall
Tens of thousands arrived tonight in Jerusalem for the central event hours before the fast. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the beginning of the ceremony. Hostage survivors arrived at the event, including Elkana Bohbot…
Massive newly-unearthed complex may shed light on how Jewish pilgrims prepared to enter the Temple
The discovery was made during five seasons of excavations, directed by Prof. Uzi Leibner and Prof. Orit Peleg-Barkat of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology
