Nathan Jeffay
By Nathan Jeffay
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Life Sukkot and the Rise of Christian Tourism in the Holy Land
Thousands of Diaspora Jews are making their way to Ben Gurion Airport today, heading homeward after a Sukkot visit to Israel. And so are around 8,000 Christians who also fixed their visits to coincide with Sukkot. The Christian Feast of Tabernacles, which comes from the same Biblical source as Sukkot, is the one Christian festival…
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Life Avoiding a Hijacking by Lulav Rod
Many a peeved passenger has arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport this week. Some Diaspora Jews pay big money for their lulav or palm branch, waved with an etrog and two other species in synagogue over Sukkot. But airport security staff around the world have apparently become convinced that the protective lulav bags used to…
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Life On Simchat Torah, Boredom Is Catalyst to Religious Change
Simchat Torah begins in Israel tonight, a day before it starts in the Diaspora. It’s the festival that is notoriously dull for women. If it’s an Orthodox synagogue you’re in, as the vast majority of Israeli ones are, women sit there for hours and hours while every man in attendance is called to the Torah,…
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News On Tour: The History Behind Israel’s Popular Drinks
Imagine you’re at an oasis — a colorful island in the middle of a dry, hot desert with plenty of trees for shade. Could it get any better than this? Well, it does get better. You’re holding an ice-cold glass of the finest chocolate milk in Israel. The stories behind the popular milk and some…
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Life Al Jazeera and the Prospect of Peace
What effect does watching Al Jazeera have on the mindset of Israeli Arabs? A fascinating new piece of research suggests that watching the network makes Israeli Arabs more convinced that the Middle East conflict will escalate. Some 53% of Israeli Arabs who regularly tune in to Al Jazeera believe the Arab-Israeli conflict will escalate in…
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Life Offbeat Israel: Building Sukkahs in the West Bank
There has been wide-scale building in the settlements this week. In some settlements, including most of the Etzion bloc which straddles the Green Line as well as some deep inside the West Bank such as Beth El, there has been almost one new unit built per family. You probably figured it out. These are religious…
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News New Israeli Data Pointing Toward An Erosion of The Middle Class
Economists are bracing for an early warning about what toll the world economic crisis may be taking on Israel’s population. Popular wisdom is that Israel is weathering the current world financial storm, with the economy faring well given the circumstances. Last August, the Bank of Israel revised its forecasts of growth in 2009 to one…
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Life Offbeat Israel: Kitchen Appliances Visit the Mikveh
Of all the characteristics Israelis have been blessed with, electrical safety is not one of them. Bare wires are a common sight. Earthing appliances is seen as a quaint indulgence a bit like wearing ties — popular abroad but not part of the culture here. And oy, the love affair with splitter sockets. One doubts…
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