Israel News - Haaretz Israeli News source

Inciting graffiti spray-painted outside home of Women of the Wall activist

Grafitti reading 'Torah tag' and 'Women of the Wall are wicked' was painted on a wall leading up to the apartment of Peggy Cidor, a longstanding member of the board of Women of the Wall.

By Judy Maltz | May 20, 2013 | 10:18 AM

Graffiti reading "Women of the Wall are wicked" and "Torah tag" outside home of Peggy Cidor, May 20,

Women of the Wall, what do you want?
By Ithamar Handelman-Smith | 14

Vandals spray-paint inciting graffiti outside Jerusalem home of Women of the Wall activist 11:45 AM
Palestinian prisoners used forbidden mobile phones to plot terror attacks 10:00 AM
Bennett pushing vast reforms to pry Israel’s rabbinate from ultra-Orthodox grip 05:33 AM
Before confronting Syria, Israel should consider saving its energy for Iran 02:47 AM

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Lapid to NYT: I oppose freeze on Israeli settlement construction

Finance Minister Yair Lapid opposes a freeze on Israeli settlement construction as a gesture to jumpstart negotiations with the...

By Barak Ravid | 10:15 AM

Actress and singer Barbra Streisand performs 'Memories' during the Oscars

Barbra Streisand to get honorary doctorate from Hebrew University

The legendary Jewish actress and singer Barbra Streisand will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the Hebrew...

By Haaretz | 11:24 AM

Palestinian prisoners used forbidden mobile phones to plot terror attacks

A recent trial before the Samaria Military Court revealed a startling connection between Palestinians and the employee of at...

By Chaim Levinson | 09:01 AM

Israeli report on Mohammed al-Dura affair may cause more harm than good

Publishing the report 13 years after the incident took place and accompanying it with a government PR campaign is not only surreal, but could backfire by awaking sleeping dogs.

By Barak Ravid | May 20, 2013 | 02:28 AM | 2

Amy Shahar (left), Yifat Gurion and Salome Fakiel.

Despite doubters, Tel Aviv art fair adds function to form

The Fresh Paint art festival is ignoring the protests of art purists and officially featuring design for the first time in its successful five-year history.

By Yuval Saar | May 20, 2013 | 04:00 AM

Tourist tip: Tuesdays in May mean free jazz in Jaffa

The cacophony of the flea market is replaced by the jive of jazz, once a week after sunset. And it's free.

By Ruth Schuster | May 19, 2013 | 06:07 AM

Bennett pushing vast reforms to pry Israel’s rabbinate from Haredi grip

Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett promotes reform that will streamline marriage process through 'Tzohar Law.'

By Yair Ettinger | May 20, 2013 | 04:00 AM | 2

Diplomacy & Defense

Before confronting Syria, Israel should consider saving its energy for Iran

Israel made an effort Sunday to clarify its position on the increasingly messy situation in Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin...

By Amos Harel | 11:28 PM | 7

Israeli panel: Palestinian boy 'killed' by IDF at start of intifada did not actually die

Thirteen years after an exchange of fire in Gaza appeared to have resulted in the death of a Palestinian boy at the start of the...

By Barak Ravid | 08:40 PM | 24

Peres sends condolences to Turkey following May 11 terror attack

President Shimon Peres sent a personal message on Friday to his Turkish counterpart, President Abdullah Gul, expressing his...

By Barak Ravid | 06:00 PM

Middle East

Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah try to retake rebel town near Lebanon border

Lebanese Hezbollah militants attacked a Syrian rebel-held town alongside Syrian troops on Sunday and Israel threatened more...

By Reuters | 09:05 PM

Egyptian police blocking Rafah crossing into Gaza, May 18, 2013.

Egyptian police block Israel border crossing in fury at kidnapping

Egyptian police enraged by the kidnapping of seven of their colleagues by Islamist gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula blocked a...

By Reuters | 02:57 PM | 2

Memebers ofIran's Revolutionary Guard and a clergyman walk on U.S. and Israel flags, iran

Iran hangs two spies allegedly working for Israel and U.S., local media reports

Iranian authorities executed two men on Sunday convicted of working for Israeli and U.S. spy agencies, Iran's Fars news agency...

By Reuters | 11:23 AM | 2

Jewish World

In defense of Jewish pluralism

In her recent Open letter to Naftali Bennett, Allison Kaplan Sommer made the case for why the national religious public in...

By Arie Hasit / Jewish World blogger | 10:13 AM

The Moroccan Jewish pig farmer preaching peace in Israel

With one side of his family having lived through the Holocaust, and the other through the Inquisition, Bruno Frydman knows a...

By Danna Harman | 12:20 PM

A screen grab from a YouTube video of Attila Petrovszki.

'Death to Jews’ tattoo costs Hungarian martial artist Prague gig

A Hungarian martial arts fighter was disinvited from a tournament in Prague because of his Nazi tattoos, including one reading...

By JTA | 08:30 PM | 3

Hungary for Jewish identity

A program called Minyanim is helping young Jews in Hungary and other Central and Eastern European countries reconnect with the religion they were cut off from under Nazi and Soviet rule - no aliyah required.

By Judy Maltz | May 16, 2013 | 09:37 PM

The Jewish birthday blessing that teaches us to count

On birthdays, Jews greet each other with 'ad meah v’esrim' - 'may you live until 120.' This blessing, which can be traced back to the Torah, seems to acknowledge that our days are numbered.

By Rabbi Micah Peltz / Jewish World blogger | May 19, 2013 | 12:01 PM

New synagogue dedicated in Moscow

The Michurinsky congregation is the sixth operational synagogue in the Russian capital, which is home to at least 100,000 Jews, according to the European Jewish Congress.

By JTA | May 19, 2013 | 05:57 PM

Jordan River to drink up Kinneret water

The southern Jordan River.
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Yaron Kaminsky
The southern Jordan River.
/polopoly_fs/1.524732.1368957334!/image/3655806653.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_474/3655806653.jpg
Yaron Kaminsky
The southern Jordan River.
/polopoly_fs/1.524734.1368957452!/image/1808265901.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_474/1808265901.jpg
Yaron Kaminsky
The southern Jordan River.
/polopoly_fs/1.524735.1368957668!/image/1453841181.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_474/1453841181.jpg
Gil Eliahu
The southern Jordan River.
/polopoly_fs/1.524736.1368957797!/image/285712845.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_474/285712845.jpg
Yaron Kaminsky
The southern Jordan River.
/polopoly_fs/1.524730.1368957055!/image/2737274333.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_474/2737274333.jpg
Yaron Kaminsky