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Features

Word of the day / Botz

The drink of Ottoman Sultans is now known in Israel as simply 'black coffee' or, more endearingly, 'mud'.

By David Sarna Galdi | Jun 18, 2013 | 01:08 PM

This day in Jewish history / The British army officer with a Zionist heart dies

John Henry Patterson led Jewish soldiers in battle in World War I but is perhaps best known for his adventures with two man-eating lions in Kenya.

By David B. Green | Jun 18, 2013 | 09:27 AM

On Root / Calling the fink phone using the Holy Tongue

Judaism has frowned on gossip for eons, prompting the modern Israeli to give the taxman's tax-cheating hotline an unflattering name.

By Jeremy Benstein | Jun 18, 2013 | 08:30 AM

Out of Iran, into Africa: Hezbollah's scramble for Africa

Across East and West Africa, Iranian and Lebanese nationals have been arrested in connection with Hezbollah-related terrorist activities. What is Hezbollah and Iran - building in Africa, and why?

By Ely Karmon | Jun 17, 2013 | 02:12 PM

Ben Gurion uncensored: The 'Old Man' we never knew

50 years his retirement Israel's first Prime Minister, it is worth returning to the Encyclopaedia Hebraica's entry on Ben-Gurion, written by Yeshayahu Leibowitz - especially to the parts that were originally censored about the Dimona nuclear reactor, his style of leadership and questions of Jewish identity.

By Aluf Benn | Jun 17, 2013 | 11:17 AM

Aligning text to the right: Is a political organization editing Wikipedia to suit its interests?

An employee of NGO Monitor was recently banned from editing articles about the Israeli-Arab conflict for bias and not revealing his place of work.

By Oded Yaron | Jun 17, 2013 | 11:05 AM | 3

This day in Jewish history / Paris is burning...Talmuds

An apostate Jew started the process that led to a bonfire consuming 24 wagons piled with copies of the multi-volume work.

By David B. Green | Jun 17, 2013 | 09:46 AM | 3

Word of the Day / Meltakha

The Hebrew word for wardrobe is another useful term to add to your collection.

By Elon Gilad | Jun 17, 2013 | 09:02 AM

Marc Chagall's 'Introduction to the Jewish Theater,' circa 1920.

In Moscow, searching for a homeland

Here, people aren't obsessed with a bitter nostalgia for another place and time; they simply exist.

By Avital Chizhik | Jun 16, 2013 | 05:20 PM | 3

Edward Snowden will never be safe again. Neither will we

1984, make way for 2013: Big business and government are merrily mining our data. Yet nobody's taking to the streets.

By Asher Schechter | Jun 16, 2013 | 04:38 PM | 6

Word of the Day / Koksinel

A politically incorrect Hebrew word for cross-dressing and feminine-appearing men has origins in red dye, ladybugs, Christian symbolism and a transsexual French entertainer.

By Elon Gilad | Jun 16, 2013 | 12:30 PM | 3

This day in Jewish history / The murder of Chaim Arlosoroff

The mystery of who assassinated this pre-state leader of the Zionist movement remains unresolved.

By David B. Green | Jun 16, 2013 | 10:36 AM | 2

Word of the Day / Kanyon

To escape the summer heat, Israelis love to dip into the canyon. And by that, we mean the mega shopping mall.

By David Sarna Galdi | Jun 14, 2013 | 10:35 AM

This day in Jewish history / The Germans take Paris, but Curious George's creators escape

When Hans and Margret Rey fled the Germans, they took with them the first pages of what would become the popular children's series about a mischievous monkey.

By David B. Green | Jun 14, 2013 | 09:17 AM

This day in Jewish history / A banker outs American anti-Semitism

When prominent banker Joseph Seligman was denied entrance to a hotel for being Jewish, he turned the rejection into a major public debate.

By David B. Green | Jun 13, 2013 | 10:00 AM

Word of the Day / Shafan

Biblical confusion about two furry animals still carries over today, with the hyrax winning out as the symbol of cowardice in Hebrew.

By Elon Gilad | Jun 13, 2013 | 08:53 AM

On Root

On Root / Peace be unto the schlemiels

By Jeremy Benstein | 08:21 AM

On Root / How now, dead cow: Are you kosher?

By Jeremy Benstein | 06:18 PM

On Root / The one and only alphabetic system and the elephant

By Jeremy Benstein | 07:41 AM

Word of the Day

Word of the Day / Makhsanit

By Elon Gilad | 08:52 AM

Word of the Day / Mishkafayim

By Elon Gilad | 07:03 PM | 2

Word of the Day / Hamzan

By Elon Gilad | 10:06 AM

David's Harp

David's Harp / Israel, the Startup Nation with ADD

By David Rosenberg | 09:11 AM

Stanley Fischer, the dove that roared

By David Rosenberg | 09:16 PM

Don't dance so joyously on the tycoons' grave

By David Rosenberg | 06:05 PM

Where are they now?

Where are they now? / Miri Gold, the trailblazing Reform rabbi still waiting for a paycheck

By Leora Eren Frucht | 12:20 PM | 3

Where are they now? / A former slave reclaims her life

By Leora Eren Frucht | 11:55 AM

Where Are They Now? / An Ethiopian refugee who built an Israeli home

By Leora Eren Frucht | 04:35 PM | 3

State of the Union

State of the Union / When Talia met Koby

By Danna Harman | 06:12 PM

State of the Union / When Gon met Edu

By Danna Harman | 06:34 PM

State of the Union / When Zvi met Regina

By Danna Harman | 12:58 PM

Someone Else's Simcha

Someone Else's Simcha / Jackie's 40th birthday bash: Dancing to the (Turkish) music

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 11:50 AM

Someone Else's Simcha / Daniel and Zehava's wedding - Getting it right, for good

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 07:06 PM

Someone Else's Simcha / Yoel and Dvorah's engagement party - Pleased to meet you, I'm sure

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 01:00 PM

Exodus to Tel Aviv

If I forget thee, O Tel Aviv

By Judy Maltz | 09:10 AM

The New Jerusalem: Once I believed in the future. Now I believe in Tel Aviv

By Bradley Burston | 09:09 AM | 17

The White City at the end of the rainbow

By Brian Schaefer | 03:42 AM

Double Take

African migrants looking through the fence at the Egyptian-Israeli border on August 4, 2012.

Double Take / African asylum seekers out of the spolight but not in the clear

By Joel Greenberg | 08:39 AM

Double Take / A month after Gaza war, Hamas still rides a wave of popularity

By Joel Greenberg | 07:22 AM | 4

Double Take / The politics of potholes in East Jerusalem

By Joel Greenberg | 09:41 AM