Jerusalem Vivendi- Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Jerusalem Vivendi

by Ilene Prusher

Love or loathe Obama, Jerusalemites share a common concern: how to navigate the president’s trip

'We walked here on foot during the snowstorm, and if we have to do that again, we will' says the manager of the neighborhood supermarket closest to where Obama will be staying.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 20, 2013 | 07:34 AM

An Israeli family hold signs reading "welcome" in Hebrew and English

President Obama departs for Israel in Air Force One
By Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury | 10
LIVE BLOG: Barack Obama visits Israel: Day one
By Haaretz | 150

The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance's 'flash waltz' performance at Hadassah University Hospital

Waltz in the ward: A musical flash mob at Hadassah goes viral

A spontaneous musical performance of Tchaikovsky in the ward of a Jerusalem hospital raises the question of whether flash mobs can be purely a deed to 'make people feel good,' or whether they're inherently – and unavoidably - political.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 13, 2013 | 05:10 PM

Arab woman attacked by Jewish women at Jerusalem light rail station

Let's face it: Israel has a racism problem

When an Arab attacks a Jew, he’s a terrorist, he’s been taught to hate. When a Jew attacks an Arab, he’s just a loner, an oddball, a bad egg. But we’ve seen so many bad eggs at this point that something here has begun to stink.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 12, 2013 | 03:05 PM | 22

King David Hotel's Executive Chef Michel Nabet

No bread for Obama: Presidential fare to be kosher for Passover

The entire King David Hotel, where he’ll be staying with an entourage that will fill all 233 rooms from Wednesday March 20 to Friday March 22, will be made kosher for Passover (Pesach) ahead of his visit.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 10, 2013 | 11:20 PM | 2

Jerusalem teenagers put up signs with alternative wording.

Bringing women back to the streets, one sign at a time

A group of Jerusalem students say city signs don’t do justice the great women they’re supposed to commemorate.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 8, 2013 | 10:34 AM

Spring is in the air. So why is Israel's government still hibernating?

The almond trees are in full bloom around Jerusalem, but when it comes to forming a government, things seem to be stubbornly frozen.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 5, 2013 | 12:08 PM

The Jerusalem Marathon, a runners' high

Jerusalemites cheer the runners on, tolerate our roads being closed to traffic, our kids being home from school, but don’t ask me to be an ambassador.

By Ilene Prusher | Mar 1, 2013 | 05:11 AM

Hallel Silverman and siblings in costume

On Purim in Jerusalem, all quiet on the Western Wall front

It's common on Purim to do things upside down, and this year, Jerusalem Police seemed to go completely inside out by choosing not to arrest any female worshippers at the Kotel.

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 25, 2013 | 03:52 PM

Boogie Nights - Jerusalem's unparalleled Purim party

Every Jerusalem resident that doesn't feel commanded to avoid mixed dancing has been to the Boogie at least once, or should have.

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 22, 2013 | 11:15 AM | 2

Young activists fight for their neighborhood against city hall's tractors

Residents of Jerusalem's Beit Safafa say the city's plan to build a highway right through the middle of the Arab neighborhood will end life as they know it, and will only serve settlers.

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 20, 2013 | 10:23 AM

Experiencing Jerusalem from a non-fundamentalist brain

British-Jewish author Naomi Alderman, in town for the Jerusalem International Book Fair, talks about writing, creating games and about how Israel feels today, now that she's no longer 'frum.'

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 15, 2013 | 11:48 AM

'Radical Responsibility – Celebrating the Thought of the Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks'

A radical book is born in Jerusalem

A book launched at the Jerusalem International Book Fair is, according to its publishers, helping to 'bring Jewish tradition into conversation with secular wisdom, highlighting the relevance of Judaism to the dilemmas of the 21st century.'

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 14, 2013 | 10:09 AM | 2

In Jerusalem (the City of Books), a Spaniard is crowned

Antonio Munoz Molina accepts the Jerusalem Prize at the Jerusalem International Book Fair on Sunday, rejecting pressure to culturally boycott Israel in protest of its policies.

By Ilene Prusher | Feb 11, 2013 | 11:05 AM | 4

About this blog

Ilene Prusher is a journalist and novelist who recently published her first book, Baghdad Fixer. Born and raised in New York, she spent many years as a foreign correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has also lived in Istanbul, Tokyo, and Philadelphia – but has come to call Jerusalem home. The Jerusalem Vivendi blog takes its name from the Latin term “modus vivendi,” which refers to (1) a way of living or (2) the status which results when two parties in an unresolved conflict agree to disagree. For more information, see Ilene’s website, or follow her on Twitter @IlenePrusher.