Allison Kaplan Sommer is a journalist at Haaretz, host of Haaretz Weekend podcast and co-host of The Promised Podcast.
Allison Kaplan Sommer
By Allison Kaplan Sommer
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Life Rabbi: Women Can Work, As Long As They Feel Bad About It
As any working mother knows, balancing the competing demands of raising children and successful functioning in the workplace can be stressful and guilt-inducing. Now, as Elana Sztokman wrote on The Sisterhood, a West Bank rabbi has decided to make the situation even worse for the women in his religious community, who might, heaven forbid, feel…
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Life A Holiday From the Holidays
For the first time in months, I am actually sitting down to work and I am able to actually think about work. There are no Hanukkah candles to light, no Purim costumes or mishloach manot gift baskets to prepare, no campfires to plan for Lag B’Omer, no Passover cleaning. I don’t have to take the…
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Life Behind Every Scandalized Prime Minister…
It is said that behind every powerful man is a strong woman. In the professional realm, it is conceivable that a woman who begins as a personal secretary could evolve into an “office manager” — and beyond. But whatever her title, her real value to her employer is her steadfast loyalty, her willingness to keep…
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Life ‘Mikveh Wars’ Pits Haredim Against Religious Zionists
Ouch. That was my visceral reaction while reading the detailed description of the “Mikveh Wars” taking place in the community of Ramat Beit Shemesh. According to The Jerusalem Post, a battle is raging at the local ritual bath — a war that is a microcosm of the tension that exists in the neighborhood between the…
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Life On Yom HaZikaron, Remembering Trailblazer Keren Tendler
The somber atmosphere of Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) permeates Israel today. The entire country stops to memorialize and listen to the stories of soldiers who lost their lives in Israel’s wars, both to honor and celebrate their lives and their contributions, and to embrace their families who must live with the pain of their…
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Life Teaching Four-Year-Olds About Hitler
I’ll never forget the spring day many years ago when my 4-year-old son began coming home from kindergarten chattering about someone named “Eet-er.” This kid, whoever he was, seemed make everyone miserable. I wondered who he was and where he came from. Who in the world was “Eet-er” and why was he getting away with…
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Life Ofra Haza Fans Keep Pop Star’s Memory Alive, a Decade Later
Ofra Haza was the Middle Eastern version of Celine Dion, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Once you heard the opening notes of any song containing the sweet honey of Ofra Haza’s mezzo-soprano voice, it was unmistakable. Even now, a decade after her death from AIDS when any other Israeli singer tries to take on any…
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Life Bus Segregation Inspires ‘Stop in Time’ Protest Movement
The government’s continuing toleration of gender-separated buses, with men sitting in the front and the women in the back, has struck a nerve with the Israeli public, sparking an angry reaction that has been gathering momentum in recent weeks. A large demonstration against the separated buses has taken place, a hotline has been set up…
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