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Apr 24, 2018, 9:46 AM

I love Israeli television. At this time of the year I can watch it for hours. I don’t mean the programs, they prompt me to make a cup of tea or fill the dishwasher. And definitely not the news....

Feb 3, 2018, 10:44 PM

22 namesakes for murdered teen Gil-ad Shaer

Ofir Shaer (left) with his son Gil-ad Shaer, who, together with Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah, was kidnapped and murdered by Palestinian terrorists in June 2014. (Courtesy)

It is no small gift to name your own precious future after someone else’s legacy

Feb 1, 2018, 7:56 PM

Planting seeds of righteousness

Last winter, I planted lemon pips on my balcony. When I squeezed the juice from a lemon I found more than 20 pips, so I wanted to see what would grow. Green shoots sprung up from 14 of the...

Jan 31, 2018, 9:53 PM

It’s Tu B’Shvat, and Israel Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

In Israel, as in most countries, our woodlands and forests are mostly on state-owned lands -- even those widely known as “JNF forests.” Managing these forests for the benefit of the public is clearly the duty of the state,...

Jan 31, 2018, 7:27 PM

What Does Tu B’Shevat Have to do With the Brain?

Today is Tu B’Shevat, which is the day in the Jewish calendar that is dedicated to celebrating the trees, plants, and other agriculture. We can use this day to marvel at the wonders of the gifts of nature –...

Jan 31, 2018, 12:30 PM

In the beginning, there was just the land

As a nature-loving, vegan, environmental Orthodox Jew, it’s obvious why I love Tu B’Shvat. A whole day in the Jewish calendar when tree-hugging becomes normative and accepted! And while we know that the original intention of the day was...

Shira Koenigsberg

Jan 31, 2018, 12:20 PM

Tu B’Shvat: Exploring ‘Potential’ within the Miracle of Nature

Potential is probably one of my least favorite words. It was used excessively in my report cards as a child; it’s a noun that disguises itself as an adjective, and vice versa; it confused me most in Physics class...

Jan 31, 2018, 12:14 PM

I'm not feeling inspired. But neither was the tree. I'm giving a talk tonight, but I'm not feeling rooted, or even grounded. How am I to spread my branches and give off fruit, if I don't feel connected to my...

Shira Pasternak Be'eri

Jan 31, 2018, 3:41 AM

An SOS for Israel’s palm trees

An afflicted palm tree on Rabbenu Politi Street in Jerusalem (Photo: Shira Pasternak Be’eri)

Browning leaves, collapsing crowns, stunted growth: The red palm weevil is wreaking havoc across the country

Yitzchak Besser

Jan 31, 2018, 1:21 AM

Trees, transformation, and Tu B’Shevat

Religions, like trees, have lifecycles. They change with the times. Some elements fade away, while others grow with new life. Ironically, Judaism’s holiday for the trees is itself bound up in our faith’s ever-evolving lifecycle. This symbol of renewal...

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