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Features

The American-Israeli alliance is eternal, stated Barack Obama upon his arrival - using the eternal Hebrew word, lanetzah.

By Shoshana Kordova | Mar 21, 2013 | 10:23 AM

Word of the Day / Ke'ilu

It may seem as if you hear this word everywhere and that it doesn't really mean much but, like, it actually has an important biblical history.

By Shoshana Kordova | Mar 13, 2013 | 08:47 AM

Vatican Diary / The Conclave Primaries - the real thing will only start today

Archbishop of Milano Angelo Scola might win if he takes an early lead but if it drags on to Thursday or even Friday, then the pope will once again not be an Italian.

By Anshel Pfeffer | Mar 13, 2013 | 06:21 AM

National Insurance Institute - Lee Kurzweil - February 2012

Living in the margins / An Israeli high school student struggling to provide for her family

Like most high school students, Maya is facing matriculation exams. But unlike her peers, she is too busy earning money for her family to find time to study.

By Orly Vilnai | Mar 12, 2013 | 06:46 PM | 3

Vatican Diary / Silencing the cardinals' voices on Twitter

The leaders of the Catholic Church may have finally jumped on Twitter's 140-character bandwagon, but this week, as cardinals select a new pope, tweets are viewed as a sin.

By Anshel Pfeffer | Mar 12, 2013 | 05:41 PM

Word of the Day / Lehishtolel לְהִשְׁתּוֹלֵל

You can go wild with this word.

By Shoshana Kordova | Mar 12, 2013 | 09:50 AM

This Day in Jewish History / Nazi Germany annexes Austria

A significant majority of Austrians enthusiastically welcomed the Anschluss, which spelled the doom of the country's Jewish population.

By David B. Green | Mar 12, 2013 | 09:05 AM

On Root / How 'Europe' and 'Maghreb' both come from Hebrew

The Hebrew word for 'west' is ma'arav, thus Hollywood cowboy movies are ma'aravonim. Add a scimitar-slinger and camel, and what you get is a falafel western.

By Jeremy Benstein | Mar 11, 2013 | 12:08 PM | 4

This day in Jewish history / An artist who saw minority children is born

Ezra Jack Keats' landmark book 'The Snowy Day,' the first to feature a black child, changed the field of children's literature forever.

By David B. Green | Mar 11, 2013 | 07:16 AM

Word of the Day / Legalgel eynayim לגלגל עיניים

If the kid rolls his eyes at you, he's exasperated – or in Israel, he might be feigning innocence.

By Shoshana Kordova | Mar 11, 2013 | 01:56 AM

Kevin Spacey as U.S. Congressman Frank Underwood in a scene from 'House of Cards'

An Israeli 'House of Cards': Natan Eshel or Ariel Sharon, who is our Frank Underwood?

Jerusalem isn't too far behind the fictional Washington depicted in the U.S. political drama that seethes with Capitol Hill intrigues and power plays - albeit with a lot less style and a lot more flannel shirts.

By Jonathan Lis | Mar 10, 2013 | 05:58 PM

Amani Odeh and the 40 border policemen

The less than romantic tale of black-clad troops, a foam-tipped bullet, a flier, and a female dentist from Silwan laughing at the absurdity of her arrest.

By Amira Hass | Mar 10, 2013 | 03:54 PM

Word of the Day / Sof haderekh סוֹף הַדֶּרֶךְ

The 'end of the road' may be a downer but Hebrew offers a positive twist on termination, suggesting that it just doesn't get any better than this.

By Shoshana Kordova | Mar 10, 2013 | 02:30 PM

Judge, jury and creditor: How Palestinians finance the Israeli military court system

In 2011 alone, Palestinians paid NIS 13 million in fines, which are an integral part of the penalty in the West Bank's military court system.

By Amira Hass | Mar 10, 2013 | 02:32 AM | 7

The Andrew Lloyd Webber of Hasidic music

Musicians and scholars set out to prove the famed Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev authored several disputed Hasidic melodies.

By Tamar Rotem | Mar 10, 2013 | 02:26 AM

This day in Jewish history / A self-taught nuclear physicist is born

Though he'd never been to university, Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich was a natural to be tapped to build the Russian bomb.

By David B. Green | Mar 8, 2013 | 10:05 AM

Where are they now?

Where are they now? / The Jackie Robinson of Israeli soccer

By Leora Eren Frucht | 02:39 PM

Where Are They Now? / A notorious Israeli bank robber, two decades on

By Leora Eren Frucht | 06:20 PM

Where are they now? / From Saigon to the Sea of Galilee

By Leora Eren Frucht | 07:26 AM | 6

State of the Union

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

State of the Union / When Shalom met Yaffa

By Danna Harman | 09:13 AM

Word of the Day

Word of the Day / Kuntz

By Shoshana Kordova | 08:35 PM

Word of the day / Kishta

By Shoshana Kordova | 08:23 AM

Word of the Day / Memshala

By Shoshana Kordova | 08:44 AM

Someone Else's Simcha

Someone Else's Simcha / Amit and Nili's wedding - Don't stop believing

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 06:29 PM

Someone Else's Simcha / Sharon Shaya's bat mitzvah – Logging off long enough to grow up

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 06:33 PM

Someone Else's Simcha / Pnina and Yitzhak's 50th anniversary – Indian love, set in gold

By Ron Ben-Tovim | 01:56 PM

David's Harp

Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, center.

David's Harp / Yair Lapid: New politics, or just born yesterday?

By David Rosenberg | 08:54 PM

David's Harp / Hugo Chavez, Yair Lapid and useful pigs

By David Rosenberg | 09:52 PM

Hungover in Israel's bond market – and partying on

By David Rosenberg | 05:08 PM

On Root

Keep the pita, lose the hummus and pickles for Passover.

On Root / In search of breadcrumbs, oxygen and pickles

By Jeremy Benstein | 07:41 PM

On Root / Cowboys home on the Israeli range at dawn

By Jeremy Benstein | 12:27 PM

On Root / Purim unmasked: In Hebrew, you're looking for yourself

By Jeremy Benstein | 02:17 PM

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