Jewish Society Is a Lot More Christian Than We Think
In Israel, we're taught to look down on Christianity. But we're more Christian than we'd like to believe
Judaism
A Scion of Zionist Aristocracy Wants to Quit the Jewish People. Will Israel Let Him?
Why Avraham Burg, who has served as Knesset speaker, interim president and head of the Jewish Agency, is asking Israel to annul his registration as a Jew
Why Jews Don’t Worship Statues of God
Rejecting idolatry is one of the main pillars of Judaism, but it wasn’t always so. How did a people who once worshipped idols come to abhor religious imagery?
Inglorious Jewish Medieval Bastards: New Book Tells How the Bad Guys Made Crime Pay
The English-language work by Ephraim Shoham-Steiner tells about the thieves' and killers' quirky methods – and sometimes they outsourced the job to their sturdier non-Jewish neighbors
The Rabbis' Gambit: A Brief History of Jews and Chess
If at first the rabbis were appalled by the notion of Jews squandering time better spent on Torah study, over the centuries playing chess would become encouraged – as long as they didn’t gamble on Shabbat
Eighty Percent of State-funded Hanukkah Events Have Male-only Casts
Local authorities organize the events, but the Jewish Culture Department of the Ministry for Higher Education funds and advertises them. Channel 20 will air eight performances for children, all of which will feature only men
'I Fast Out of Respect for the Congregants. But I Would Feel Great Eating Shrimp on Yom Kippur'
What do ultra-Orthodox people do if they cease to believe but are fearful of losing all they hold dear? Answer: They lead a double life
PODCAST Haredi Hijack of ‘Jewish Parliament’ Foiled. Plus: Borat's Jewish Nobel?
How a new alliance of rightists and ultra-Orthodox attempted a 'hostile takeover' at the World Zionist Congress. PLUS: Will Borat win a Jewish Nobel for his creator?
'I Lived in Europe and I See No Reason Why a Jew Shouldn’t Live in Israel'
An Italian expat who believes that only in Israel a Jew can focus on what he is, and a Russian expat who doesn't feel at home in her homeland
In Israel, Coronavirus Makes the Annual Simhat Torah Dancing a Whole New Ballgame
In Jerusalem there was less kissing of the sacred Torah scrolls, but it turned out that a soccer field or parking lot could be a cracking good place to spend the holiday
Are the Big Bang and Genesis Actually the Same Story?
For many generations, narratives about the origin of life were divided into enemy camps. But perhaps it’s actually the same story, told in two languages?
Thank You God, We'll Take It From Here: Why the World Is Becoming More Secular
After years in which religious observance was on the rise, new studies show a global trend toward secularization. Maybe in Israel, too
'And Then the Rabbi Said: The Conversion You Underwent in the '80s Isn't Kosher'
This week at the Tel Aviv airport: One family that's growing closer to its religion, and another searching for its roots (and good food) in Bulgaria
The Metamorphosis of the Sun God in Ancient Synagogues in Israel
What are the zodiac and other images doing in those bastions of monotheism? The answer lies in a Judaism we don’t know anymore
Israel Seeking to Close Its Doors to Converts From ‘Emerging’ Jewish Communities
Position of Interior Ministry, sure to anger advocates of Jewish pluralism worldwide, revealed in brief submitted to Israel’s top court
Central Israeli City Bars Women From Event Against AG's Anti-segregation Order
Despite women complaining about the events, the Ramle mayor said that 'these isolated events are held in many cities ... it’s nothing new'
For Glory and Matchmaking: The Very Lively History of Jewish Tombstones in Turkey
A new online database of 61,000 graves reveals that, for Jews in Turkey, investing in death was also investing in life
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Groundbreaking Talmud Translator, Dies at 83
Steinsaltz, an Israel Prize winner and a highly respected commentator on Jewish religious scriptures, made the Talmud accessible to all with his translations and commentaries
Israel Drops Satirical Sketches From Bible Curriculum Over Conservative Pressure
Ultra-Orthodox, right-wing politicians slam public broadcaster's TV show poking fun at historical, biblical events for 'mocking everything that's holy'
The Pagan Gods That Still Exist in the Holy Land's City Names
Conquerors came and went, but cities all over Israel and the region, not least Jericho and Jerusalem, retained identification with ancient deities
Israeli Man Charged With Arson Attacks on Jewish Religious Institutions
Zion Cohen, 68, is accused of torching six institutions, including the Tel Aviv rabbinical court, in a bid to separate religion and state in Israel
DNA Unlocks the Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Is every word in the Bible holy? When did prayers replace sacrificial offerings? The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of 25,000 fragments, but no one knows how to put them together. A new study suggests a way to solve that puzzle, which sheds new light on life in this land 2,000 years ago
LISTEN: High Priests, Holy Smoke and Cannabis in the Temple
Ancient Israelites used hash in religious ceremonies - and may even have done so in Jerusalem's Temple. PLUS: Why even archaeology is political in Israel. LISTEN FREE
Is the Ancient Karaite Jewish Community About to Disappear?
A visit to the last two predominantly Karaite communities left in the world
WATCH 'Jewish Illiteracy' Is the Biggest Threat to Diaspora Jews, U.S. Ambassador Friedman Says
Speaking at Haaretz's Judaism Conference, Trump's ambassador to Israel says lack of 'fluency' in Judaism is the 'greatest threat of all' ■ Isaac Herzog says Jewish Agency has handed out $6M in loans to Jewish communities, says 'no doubt' coronavirus will lead to aliyah uptick ■ Watch
When Jews Become anti-Semites: Why Reading Sartre in 2020 Is More Relevant Than Ever
The publication in Israel of a new translation of Jean-Paul Sartre's important essay on anti-Semitism reminds us that it isn’t the Jew – but rather the human being – who is the victim of anti-Semitism
Israel to Compensate Ethiopian Rabbis for Decades of Discriminatory Funding
Spiritual leaders of the Jewish Ethiopian community were denied equal funding by local religious councils, and have been fighting in court since 1992
Underground Economy: Israel's Burial Societies Exploit Diaspora Jews
Israeli cemetery operators charge exorbitant prices in violation of the law, flout rules and crowd graves into any available space. Regulation is spotty
How Jewish Mystics Sought to Vanquish Hitler – and the Coronavirus
Stopping the Nazis with the aid of magic and fighting the coronavirus with blasts of the shofar? Neither surprise Yuval Harari, a scholar of Jewish magic and mysticism at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev