Michele Chabin
Kosher? Historic ruling lets Israeli diners decide
The high court decision is a challenge to the ultra-Orthodox establishment.
World’s oldest man—an Auschwitz survivor—dies at 113
Yisrael Kristal, an Orthodox Jew, celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel last October, 100 years late.
Hobby Lobby purchase shows ethical problems in the antiquities trade
Israel is the only Middle Eastern country that permits state-licensed dealers to sell ancient artifacts.
Unearthed fishing village may be the birthplace of three of Jesus’ apostles
For decades archaeologists have searched for the home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.
Archaeologists find further evidence of Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem
An excavation also showed that ancient Jerusalem was larger than previously thought.
Metal detectors at Jerusalem Temple Mount cause clashes
Thousands of Muslims prayed in alleys and streets rather than inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. Then police used force against demonstrators.
American Jews plan campaign to change Israeli minds about Judaism’s diversity
American Jewish leaders, frustrated by a recent Israeli government decision to abandon an agreement to create a pluralistic, state-funded prayer space at the Western Wall, plan to plead their case ...
Nonprofit offers Talmud in English online for free
For some, the notion of delving into the Talmud in English for free with the click of a mouse was something they could only dream of. Now that dream is becoming a reality.
...Christian and Jewish groups form partnerships to care for Holocaust survivors
When Ya’akov Edelstein, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, agreed to a bar mitzvah ceremony he never had as a child, he asked that it take place at Haifa’s Home for Holocaust Survivors.
...Archaeologists discover ancient Jewish artifacts, part of Jerusalem walls
Israeli archaeologists have made two recent discoveries expanding knowledge of Jewish history as far back as the time of the First Temple in the seventh century BC.
...Yisrael Kristal, world's oldest man, finally gets a bar mitzvah
Yisrael Kristal, 113, considered by Guinness World Records to be the world’s oldest man, celebrated his bar mitzvah 100 years after Jewish boys traditionally mark this rite of passage.
...Mohammad El Halabi, World Vision manager, charged with diverting funds to Hamas
Israeli security officials have charged Mohammad El Halabi, the operations manager in Gaza for World Vision, with funneling tens of millions of dollars in donations to Hamas’s military wing.
...Rare biblical mosaics uncovered in ancient Galilee synagogue
Unusual mosaics depicting biblical scenes—one of Noah’s ark, the other of the parting of the Red Sea—were uncovered this summer by archaeologists excavating a fifth-century synagogue at Huqoq, an a...
Medical workers in Israel support each other’s religious observance
Stuart Levy, a nurse at a Jerusalem hospital, updates his ward’s work schedule several times a week with staffers’ vacations, birthdays, and more religious holidays than many people know exist.
...Israeli high court approves new routes for converting to Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Jewish lawmakers have vowed to pass a law nullifying an Israeli Supreme Court decision recognizing all Orthodox conversions—not only those performed by the state-sponsored Chief Rabbinate—...
Israeli entrepreneur creates jewelry-sized full Bibles through nanotechnology
Nanotechnology has been revolutionizing science, medicine, and industry for decades, but it took until now for someone to turn it into a religious fashion statement.
...Archaeologists find King David era fabric
Israeli archaeologists have discovered fragments of “remarkably preserved” 3,000-year-old fabrics, leather, and seeds dating to the era of the biblical kings David and Solomon.
...U.S. Jewish groups, Israel reach Western Wall deal
Several American Jewish groups celebrated a recent Israeli government decision to greatly expand—and fund—a pluralistic and egalitarian prayer section adjacent to the Western Wall plaza as a first ...
Ultra-Orthodox Israeli men break a taboo by working
At the age of 36, Michael Luc realized he needed to find a good job.
...Israeli religious settlers grapple with charges of inciting extremism
At the hilltop outpost of Esh Kodesh the only sound for miles around is of a dog barking or a rooster crowing.
...