How Israel Honored Gino Bartali, the Italian Cycling Champion Who Saved Jews
Gino Bartali helped save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust by smuggling forged documents in his bike
Ariel David
Ariel David is an editor at Haaretz English, and a Tel Aviv-based foreign correspondent for Italian and English-language publications. He worked for five years as AP's correspondent in Rome, covering Italy and the Vatican.
Opinion Not to Be Outdone by Trump, Italy Flirts, Dangerously, With Fascism
A Mussolini-style census of Roma people, proposed by Italy’s new hardline interior minister, was met by outrage. But Matteo Salvini's racist, unconstitutional pandering to his base has already paid off - and another red line has been crossed
Unique 1,000-year-old Islamic Amulet Found in Jerusalem
Clay talisman from the time of the Abbasid caliphate was owned by a man named Kareem, who prayed for Allah’s protection against the evil eye
Opinion Steve Bannon's Campaign to Conquer Europe Marks Its First Victory: Italy
Trump ex-strategist Bannon famously called himself a Leninist, but he's more like Trotsky, wandering Europe whipping up revolutionary fervor for his global populist movement. In Italy, he found the perfect set of circumstances
Opinion Return of Mussolini: Will Powerful Anti-immigrant Populists Bring Down the Italian State?
It’s certainly 'anti-establishment' for Italy’s populist political leader Matteo Salvini to threaten violence if his demands are not met. But it's also dangerous in a country that's never really come to terms with its fascist past
Analysis Italy’s New Populist Rulers Love Putin, Hate Immigrants and Are Confused About Israel
The ‘Italy first’ parties that will govern in Rome have expressed diametrically opposing views on Israel. But they have few doubts about putting Russia first in their foreign policy
Sacrificed Donkeys in Ancient Gath Reveal Canaanite Trade Secrets
4,700-year-old donkey skeletons found under houses in Gath, the biblical home of Goliath, show the Canaanites had mastered the art of the bit 1,000 years earlier than we thought
Jewish God Yahweh Originated in Canaanite Vulcan, Says New Theory
The cult of YHWH as god of metallurgy originated among semi-nomadic copper smelters between the Bronze and Iron Age, suggests biblical scholar: And he was not worshipped only by Jews
Archaeologists Glance Into Fox Burrow in Iraq, Find 4,000-year-old Sumerian Port
The ancient harbor uncovered near Ur, homeland of Abraham, is the oldest port found in Iraq and shows the Sumerians weren't only good farmers, they were skilled sailors too
WATCH Israeli Schoolkids Perform Lost Music Written by Jews During Holocaust
Jewish-Italian musicologist Francesco Lotoro has spent the past 30 years uncovering some 8,000 musical works, composed largely in concentration camps and ghettos during World War II. An Israeli orchestra featuring 20 teenagers will premiere some of them in Jerusalem this Sunday
Opinion Vladimir Putin Just Won Italy's Election
It's the first real solo win for anti-establishment protest parties in a Western democracy, and a triumph for populist and racist parties. But post-election coalition chaos will spark anxiety in the EU – and delight in the Kremlin
To Save Middle East From Climate Change, Ancient Egypt Mounted Massive Relief Effort, Archaeologists Discover
As drought wracked the region in the late Bronze Age, Egypt stepped up grain production in conquered Canaan, and also bred resilient cattle, Israeli archaeologists deduce
Opinion No, Israel Didn’t Just Declare, Then Revoke, a Holy War on Christianity
How did a dispute about taxation lead Christian leaders in Jerusalem to shutter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and cries of 'persecution', when even Pope Francis agrees church properties should pay their dues?
Dating King David Archaeologists Drop Bible, Pick Up Science to Solve Jerusalem Puzzles
Israeli researchers have embarked on a four-year quest to accurately date the remains of ancient Jerusalem, hoping to find clues about the biblical city and the elusive kingdom of David and Solomon
Israeli Archaeologists Find Oldest Human Remains Out of Africa, From Nearly 200,000 Years Ago
The discovery of a prehistoric human jawbone in a cave near Haifa pushes back the clock on the evolution of Homo sapiens and our ancestors’ first exodus out of Africa
Opinion Is American Catholicism Under Attack by Extremists Nostalgic for anti-Jewish Teachings?
A 19th century Pope forcibly abducted a Jewish boy from his family, causing international outrage. Now, a traditionalist minority eagerly justifies the Church's actions, as part of their war on today's 'heretical' Pope - and decades of improved Jewish-Catholic relations
Huge Prehistoric 'Picnic Spot' From Half a Million Years Ago Found in Israel
Trove of advanced flint tools unearthed in central Israel indicates hominids developed modern thought patterns well before they physically evolved into modern humans
Europe’s Prehistoric Cave Painters Had Roots in the Middle East, Archaeologists Say
Dating of prehistoric layers in Manot Cave, northern Israel supports theory that early human culture developed in the Middle East more than 45,000 years ago before expanding to Europe
How 2017 Rewrote the Book on Human Evolution
Discoveries in 2017 are changing the story of humanity: Homo sapiens may have been around as long as 400,000 years, migrating out of Africa and having sex with Neanderthals and Denisovans much earlier than thought
Before Islam: When Saudi Arabia Was a Jewish Kingdom
The discovery of the oldest-known pre-Islamic Arabic writing in Saudi Arabia, from ca. 470 CE, evidently caused some consternation, given its Christian and Jewish context.