Feature
Original feature reporting from JNS, including profiles, current stories and in-depth coverage of the people, communities and issues shaping Jewish life.
A years-long effort identified and digitized the names of 9,100 Jews buried in Krakow’s historic Podgorze cemetery before it was destroyed by the Nazis.
Adam Ferziger’s research opened new avenues for understanding “long-standing undercurrents in Israeli society, culture and Jewish identity,” the judges said.
English-speaking educators, therapists and rabbis gathered in Jerusalem to explore how trauma, reserve duty and prolonged war are transforming marriage and relationships.
Maccabiah Israel Chairman Asaf Goren tells JNS that memorial swims, commemorative pins and even favorite foods are helping athletes remember 18 fallen members of the Maccabi family.
SAZF Chairman Craig Pantanowitz urges cabinet ministers to provide evidence or retract suggestions that Israel is linked to anti-immigrant unrest in South Africa.
Two women soldiers from the Nahal Oz base open a Jerusalem café in memory of friends slain on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu says the new museum will showcase Israel’s daring 1976 Entebbe rescue alongside the history of the former Atarot moshav and Jerusalem airport.
A week after deploying to the earthquake zone, NATAN teams are treating survivors, expanding psycho-social support and helping overwhelmed hospitals prepare for the next stage of recovery.
On the 50th anniversary of “Operation Entebbe,” former Sayeret Matkal commando Gadi Ilan reflects on the daring rescue mission—and the faces of the hostages he has never forgotten.
Special events highlight the shared history and enduring ties between the United States and Israel.
Participants in the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s MASHAV programs say missile attacks failed to overshadow lessons in entrepreneurship, technology and resilience.
Thousands of Jewish athletes from a record 43 countries gathered at Teddy Stadium to launch the “Jewish Olympics,” with moving tributes to hostages, wounded soldiers and Israel’s fallen.
English-speaking educators, therapists and rabbis gathered in Jerusalem to explore how trauma, reserve duty and prolonged war are transforming marriage and relationships.
Two women soldiers from the Nahal Oz base open a Jerusalem café in memory of friends slain on Oct. 7, 2023.
Netanyahu says the new museum will showcase Israel’s daring 1976 Entebbe rescue alongside the history of the former Atarot moshav and Jerusalem airport.
On the 50th anniversary of “Operation Entebbe,” former Sayeret Matkal commando Gadi Ilan reflects on the daring rescue mission—and the faces of the hostages he has never forgotten.
Participants in the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s MASHAV programs say missile attacks failed to overshadow lessons in entrepreneurship, technology and resilience.
The former school principal and welfare minister emphasized the importance of every child studying math, English, Hebrew and science.
At a Tel Aviv conference, TEMA presented a year-long study mapping how different Israeli identity groups see the country’s future.
Los Angeles-born Rachel Lester tells JNS that winning global public opinion requires more effective storytelling, diverse voices and discipline on social media.
“It’s difficult to stand among ancient stones and not recognize the power of a people maintaining a connection to places that have shaped their story for thousands of years,” said one participant.
“I felt that I had to contribute more,” police Sgt. 1st Class Alkarnawi, 23, told JNS.
“Hatzalah has become an integral part of our national resilience,” the former ambassador and Netanyahu adviser said at the organization’s annual fundraiser.
Officials, watchdogs and victims’ advocates say the Palestinian Authority continues paying stipends to convicted terrorists and their families, and criticize loopholes in international donor funding and oversight mechanisms.
A years-long effort identified and digitized the names of 9,100 Jews buried in Krakow’s historic Podgorze cemetery before it was destroyed by the Nazis.
Adam Ferziger’s research opened new avenues for understanding “long-standing undercurrents in Israeli society, culture and Jewish identity,” the judges said.
Thousands of Jewish athletes from a record 43 countries gathered at Teddy Stadium to launch the “Jewish Olympics,” with moving tributes to hostages, wounded soldiers and Israel’s fallen.
From plants to jewelry, immigrant entrepreneurs showcase their dreams as they build new lives in Israel.
“Israel is here together with the Jewish community to support it, think together and voice concerns vis-à-vis the government whenever it is appropriate,” said Israeli Ambassador Iddo Moed.
Students in a new Technion program say they feel safer in the Jewish state than in France.
Herzog warns that rising antisemitism worldwide echoes the hatred that fueled the 1941 massacre of Iraqi Jews.
“If I didn’t tell their stories, they’d be lost,” says M.R. Manheim, whose debut book chronicles the lives of his father and two uncles—three Jewish brothers from Philadelphia who served in active combat.
Anti-Zionism has become a “cultural norm,” Yonathan Arfi tells JNS.
The six-week Marva course combines simulated basic training, field exercises and education.
The World Jewish Congress-Israel head says the mission is more vital than ever as antisemitism surges worldwide.
From Moroccan heritage preservation and Holocaust survivor testimony to contemporary concerns over antisemitism in North America, participants at the March of the Living reflect on legacy, loss and the fight against hatred.
Adam Ferziger’s research opened new avenues for understanding “long-standing undercurrents in Israeli society, culture and Jewish identity,” the judges said.
“The challenges facing American Jewry are also very profound,” Rabbi Menachem Genack told JNS. “The risk of rapid assimilation. The level of antisemitism that we’re seeing. The security challenges facing the State of Israel.”
“When you have something saying you can’t go to someone who uses divination, or a witch, or consults spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer, that means this is something people were doing,” Eddy Portnoy, the curator, told JNS.
A Bar-Ilan University researcher argues that a cultic stone found at Tel Eton could provide archaeological proof of religious change in Judah during the First Temple period.
“Go and hug your daughters,” the mother of the 13-year-old terror victim urged during a memorial gathering marking the anniversary of her murder.
The Kemach Foundation provides training, counseling and professional support to help ultra-Orthodox Israelis advance in the workforce.
The Jerusalem museum is searching for historic photographs hidden in attics, albums and storage boxes ahead of a landmark exhibition.
Noa Arazi’s personal journey inspires a new organization to guide converts worldwide.
Be’er Shalom Synagogue honors four members of the community’s security team killed on Oct. 7.
Author Ian Pear explores faith, suffering and morality in a long-developed work he says has a “greater-than-zero chance” of someday becoming a movie.
Recent shows revive a debate that has echoed across Jewish and Christian tradition for millennia.
“He was experimenting with notions of identity well before ‘ethnicity’ came into play,” Jenna Weissman Joselit told JNS. “He was very ahead of his time.”
A Shavuot benefit at Jerusalem’s Tower of David raised funds for HaGal Sheli’s surfing-based rehabilitation programs.
Noa Arazi’s personal journey inspires a new organization to guide converts worldwide.
From Basque-style creations to classic Israeli dairy cakes, a seven-stop tasting tour showcased the capital’s growing cheesecake culture ahead of the holiday.
The cultural gem in Jerusalem seeks to keep S.Y. Agnon’s literary world relevant for new generations.
Middle school pupils from 33 schools tested their knowledge of the Israeli capital’s history, culture and landmarks at Tower of David.
Rich and creamy, dairy is the rule and not the exception for this two-day holiday.
Counter-demonstrators called for the destruction of the State of Israel.
Mike Evans honors pro-Israel advocates, highlights US president’s support at Jerusalem Independence Day event.
Widow of Yamam fighter Yorai Cohen, who fell defending Israel on Oct. 7, talks about life before and after his death.
Women in the military prepare for an Independence Day ceremony that blends tradition and pride.
Emotional gathering highlights the personal stories of fallen soldiers.
Joshua Berman’s new Haggadah tells the Passover story through the lens of ancient Egypt.
A Bar-Ilan University researcher argues that a cultic stone found at Tel Eton could provide archaeological proof of religious change in Judah during the First Temple period.
Researchers say traces of repeated fire use deep inside South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave suggest early human ancestors were harnessing naturally occurring fires far earlier than previously confirmed.
Calling it “a dream come true,” the museum’s director Eilat Lieber says the Kishle site will become the Schulich Wing for Archaeology, Art and Innovation.
“It’s not just a display of the scrolls, which of course in and of themselves would be powerful,” but other “wow objects” leave viewers in awe, the museum’s director of exhibits told JNS.
NY exhibit underscores how medieval Christians both sang songs from Hebrew Bible and persecuted Jews
“Here you sing these Psalms every day, yet on Good Friday you go out and you beat up your Jewish neighbors,” Roger Wieck, of the Morgan Library and Museum, told JNS. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
The museum’s president and CEO told JNS that he hopes visitors will learn about the Holocaust and its root causes and apply that to understanding the world today.
“Gaon is the soundtrack of Israeli life,” says Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
“The ancient sources implying Queen Zenobia converted to Judaism are possibly accurate,” Haggai Olshanetsky, of University of Warsaw, told JNS.
The exhibits reflect the museum’s vision: “Connecting our ancient history and traditions with local contemporary art,” says director Suzanne Landau.
“It’s too soon to know whether he just had a brief moment or the beginning of a longer moment,” the curator and scholar Ori Soltes told JNS.
Tel Shiqmona, on the Haifa coast, was one of the important centers for the manufacture of the rare and prestigious purple pigment.
The Israel Antiquities Authority is pushing back against the country’s chief rabbis’ objections to the display at the airport of a 2000-year old, 5-ton stone from Judaism’s holiest site.
The Apple TV drama combines espionage, family conflict and psychological suspense in a gripping story about how far a mother will go to save her daughter.
Los Angeles-born Rachel Lester tells JNS that winning global public opinion requires more effective storytelling, diverse voices and discipline on social media.
“When you have something saying you can’t go to someone who uses divination, or a witch, or consults spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer, that means this is something people were doing,” Eddy Portnoy, the curator, told JNS.
Irvin Ungar recounts his mission to restore the American Jewish artist to his rightful place in history.
Yishay Ishi Ron’s book, “The Girl Who Rode the White Lion,” is based on a true story of a family that hid Jews in a circus during the Holocaust.
In a new monograph, the Israeli architect showcases projects inspired by the landscapes, history and layered identities that shape the Jewish state.
The Jerusalem museum is searching for historic photographs hidden in attics, albums and storage boxes ahead of a landmark exhibition.
“If I didn’t tell their stories, they’d be lost,” says M.R. Manheim, whose debut book chronicles the lives of his father and two uncles—three Jewish brothers from Philadelphia who served in active combat.
“I never imagined making a Jewish film about Woody Guthrie,” Steven Pressman told JNS. “We started finding out all these threads. It just opened my eyes completely.”
Hazut highlights the work of painters and photographers living in Israel’s biblical heartland.
Talking to Michal Herzog at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem, the famous actress shares that being Israeli abroad has become “very complicated.”
The cultural gem in Jerusalem seeks to keep S.Y. Agnon’s literary world relevant for new generations.
Maccabiah Israel Chairman Asaf Goren tells JNS that memorial swims, commemorative pins and even favorite foods are helping athletes remember 18 fallen members of the Maccabi family.
Thousands of Jewish athletes from a record 43 countries gathered at Teddy Stadium to launch the “Jewish Olympics,” with moving tributes to hostages, wounded soldiers and Israel’s fallen.
Never Say Never (NSN) team rider Nadav Raisberg speaks with JNS after securing the points classification at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and winning the Israeli road race championship.
After two years of playing in other countries due to war, the International Tennis Federation has allowed Israel to host again.
“The hardest part about being an Orthodox athlete is finding protein,” A.J. Edelman told JNS, but he feels that his Jewish identity gives him a purpose.
Abraham Klein, an Israeli Holocaust survivor, officiated some of the most iconic matches of the 20th century.
Can the talented American-Israeli basketballer who had a successful 2024-25 season in Israel find her way back to the WNBA?
After playing professionally in Israel, the Philadelphia native founded a youth program that blends sports, education and coexistence.
“We have a lot of people who move to New York looking for Jewish community. They find us,” says Ezra Feig, founder of Nice Jewish Runners.
The extraordinary story of how an ordinary team that now consists of Oct. 7 survivors is set to play in the Masters Maccabiah Games.
“The terrorists didn’t accidentally kill Kfir and Ariel—they kidnapped two babies,” says marathoner Eli Wininger.
“Just to think, not too long ago I was in the middle of nowhere with a tactical vest and a weapon,” said 22-year-old Omer Halabi.
Artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine and bioprinting dominated discussions at Jerusalem’s MIXiii Health-Tech.IL conference.
“The teachers we have, we don’t respect and support in the way that they deserve,” Paul Bernstein told JNS. “If we’re successful and we grow enrollment, that problem only gets bigger.”
A change in Austrian law could allow survivors who remained in the country after World War II while searching for relatives or awaiting visas to receive long-denied benefits.
“When a disaster of this magnitude strikes, there is no time to hesitate,” Alice Miller, CEO of NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, told JNS.
Southern Israel’s largest hospital is transforming a devastating attack into an ambitious expansion aimed at serving more than a million Negev residents.
Ahead of the JNS Summit, the Bosnian Serb leader explains her strong support for the Jewish state and warns of Iranian influence in the Balkans.
After 35 years working across the continent, entrepreneur Haim Taib tells JNS he sees it as the next frontier for Abraham Accords cooperation.
A pioneering project sends desalinated water into a once-dry Galilee wadi, offering a glimpse of how Israel turned chronic scarcity into abundance.
FOZ founder Mike Evans plans to urge Trump to recognize Somaliland, citing its growing ties with Israel.
Backed by a 200-million shekel gift from the Jusidman Family Charitable Foundation, the project includes 540 beds and advanced rehabilitation facilities.
Ambassador Reuven Azar outlined six values that underpin the bilateral relationship, including civilizational resilience and a shared determination to combat terrorism and radicalism.
The Startup Nation faces a historic public health shift as electronic cigarettes outpace traditional tobacco among schoolchildren, threatening to trap a new generation in lifelong dependency.