Culture and Society
Original reporting, features and analysis on culture and society.
Researchers and winemakers are cultivating grapes linked to varieties grown in the region during the Byzantine era, hoping to give Israeli wine a distinctly local flavor.
“I miss his curiosity,” Sheila Katz of the Federation told JNS. “His genuine, non-judgmental curiosity about what makes each of us human.”
The counterterrorism drama also reached Netflix’s Top 10 in six other Arab states after its Sept. 8 global release.
The Iranian regime can oppress, but it is increasingly unable to govern.
“We’ll make it a free concert, sponsored by the city, and help make it one of the best around,” Abdullah H. Hammoud said after the rapper was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour.
“Whether it’s hosting Miss Israel or meeting with elected officials from Israel, I’m always looking to strengthen” the “deep bond between New York City and Israel,” Eric Dinowitz, a member of the City Council told JNS.
Yuval Abraham pledged to work on screening the film there quickly.
The Israeli prime minister praised the New York radio host as a “voice of truth for Israel” in a video message ahead of the ceremony.
The world watches Israel absorb a decision like that and calls it resilience, saying the word admiringly as though it were a national personality trait.
The Charedi Public Party says it will protect full-time Torah study while supporting military or national service for ultra-Orthodox men who are not studying in yeshivahs, address math and English instruction in haredi schools.
One-third of IDF reservists are grappling with debt and financial crisis due to the war, according to Daf Hadash CEO Tomer Rabinowitz.
“Judaism and fashion are completely interwoven from the streets of Seventh Avenue in New York City to the streets of Tel Aviv,” Tobi Rubinstein, an event co-host, told JNS.
After 450 days of reserve duty and a shattered kneecap, Tuvia Eden is back farming—and plans to return to his IDF unit.
A film that makes dubious claims about the IDF slaughtering Palestinian civilians may help bolster an antisemitic trope blaming the Jews for a new global threat.
The counterterrorism drama also reached Netflix’s Top 10 in six other Arab states after its Sept. 8 global release.
Contrary to the claims of the film “NAZA,” the IDF puts its own soldiers in danger to protect civilians.
“We’ll make it a free concert, sponsored by the city, and help make it one of the best around,” Abdullah H. Hammoud said after the rapper was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour.
“Whether it’s hosting Miss Israel or meeting with elected officials from Israel, I’m always looking to strengthen” the “deep bond between New York City and Israel,” Eric Dinowitz, a member of the City Council told JNS.
Yuval Abraham pledged to work on screening the film there quickly.
The Israeli prime minister praised the New York radio host as a “voice of truth for Israel” in a video message ahead of the ceremony.
Friends of Zion founder Mike Evans said the international music project, featuring voices representing 17 countries and cultures, was inspired by “We Are the World.”
“The rapper may have a First Amendment right to traffic in Jew-hatred, but he does not have the right to peddle his poison on stage in front of tens of thousands of concertgoers,” the Israeli-American Council told JNS.
The SHOOQ network aims to link Jewish storytellers with investors keen to bring their creations to fruition.
While a libelous Israeli film was rewarded in Venice with a jury prize and a standing ovation, the popular TV series confronts viewers with the truth about Oct. 7.
This year’s event in Israel’s capital will host internationally acclaimed artists Yehudit Sasportas, Belu-Simion Fainaru and Hanita Ilan.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor has become an Israeli campaign talking point.
Why sanctions are about London ballots, not Middle East peace.
The U.S. Treasury Department “has mapped the networks, facilitators and financial channels that Iran uses to smuggle oil, evade sanctions and fund terror,” it said.
The world watches Israel absorb a decision like that and calls it resilience, saying the word admiringly as though it were a national personality trait.
No matter how much he sugarcoats his words with assurances of affection for Israel and reminders of his Jewish identity, Ed Miliband’s message to Jerusalem is an unremittingly hostile one.
Israeli exports of goods and services total about $159 billion, of which about $250 million comes from Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
Britain’s “as-a-Jew” foreign secretary is a disgrace to his people.
“I am so excited to share these treasures with the public, as they have not been seen in 100 years,” Sharon Liberman Mintz, international Sotheby’s senior Judaica specialist, told JNS.
Scores of Hollywood Jews are proud to support his accusations of antisemitic ties to the Israeli military and a business merger between entertainment giants.
Governments, including those that denounce the Jewish state, rely on its air-defense technology when their own skies are at stake.
Global energy markets pushed local gasoline to a record high, but the government’s response highlights the extent to which motorists pay some of the world’s heaviest fuel taxes.
Airfares are expected to drop after the busy fall holiday season.
Sandra Bell alleged that Rabbi Netanel Louie tore up her signs during a 2022 protest against kapparot, a Jewish atonement ritual involving the slaughter of chickens before Yom Kippur, outside his Woodland Hills synagogue.
The incident was but another link in inter-party rivalry and mutual personal dislike.
“Let us understand that we are all one people,” the president said. “May you and the entire House of Israel be sealed for a good year.”
Praying with hundreds of fellow worshippers on Judaism’s holiest site was a “liberated prayer experience,” said Hebron spokesman Yishai Fleisher.
Archaeologists presented fresh findings on the Israeli capital’s ancient fortifications, water systems, roads and pilgrimage routes.
After months of holding services in borrowed spaces, congregants returned to their sanctuary nearly six months after a truck attack targeted Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Mich.
The soul is awakened on Yom Kippur, and we encounter who we really and truly are.
It plans to deliver 9.2 million pounds of food, including fresh produce and kosher meat, to 29 kosher-food programs citywide.
Abd al-Rahman intended to carry out the attack “in the immediate time frame.”
The Charedi Public Party says it will protect full-time Torah study while supporting military or national service for ultra-Orthodox men who are not studying in yeshivahs, address math and English instruction in haredi schools.
“Dear people of Israel, it turns out that our blessings work,” the prime minister said ahead of the Hebrew New Year.
A film that makes dubious claims about the IDF slaughtering Palestinian civilians may help bolster an antisemitic trope blaming the Jews for a new global threat.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Daniel Gold discusses the challenge of countries competing for resources and prioritizing national interests.
Countries with stronger institutional checks and balances generally saw less underreporting, while those with a communist legacy or holding elections saw more.
“We do not have evidence the actors succeeded in fielding an operational device, but they did test-fire a guided rocket,” the AI company said.
The inaugural event is framed around the theme of transforming Startup Nation into an “Edge-Up Nation.”
The researchers have identified a previously unknown mechanism, potentially shedding additional light on how tumors develop.
Is Jew-hatred the new normal in middle-class America?
“Not everyone can go to a rally,” Aaron Herman, who leads the nonprofit IMPACT, told JNS. “Not everyone can go out in the streets, but they can go from their couch.”
The policy bars generative AI tools for public-school students through eighth grade while limiting high school use to teacher-supervised programs.
Over three decades, he dismantled Oslo, transformed the economy, fostered free trade, boosted high-tech, fought terrorism and built geopolitical ties, all in an effort to elevate the Jewish state.
Several major desalination plants resumed operations after heavy rainfall caused shutdowns due to high levels of sediment in seawater.
Sports offers one of the largest existing networks on which to build.
The activist ran onto the diamond in the Bronx after the stadium marked a quarter-century since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Jewish “Super Girls” take to the water and the weather.
Competitors of the 2026 Golden Globe Race are allowed to navigate only single-handedly and without modern technology.
The Israeli soccer squad drops to the Europa League after a 5-2 loss and 6-4 on aggregate, while Hapoel Tel Aviv faces Atalanta for a Conference League berth.
The Israeli club came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK.
Galbut, 19, competes for Duquesne University while maintaining Orthodox Jewish observance, including no playing or traveling on Shabbat.
“For 20 years prior, secretly, I was learning Torah, I was learning the Bible, the biblical understanding of history, and I wanted to go to a place where I can live and also play,” the NBA legend said of his time playing in Israel.
Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Be’er Sheva reach final qualifying rounds for the UEFA Conference League and Champions League, respectively.
The Jewish investor and the former Disney CEO are set to take control of the NBA franchise, pending league approval, just one year after businessman Mark Walter acquired it for $10 billion.
The deal builds on the two countries’ existing free trade pact while expanding market access for U.S. exporters and deepening economic and security cooperation.
“The forest, fields, tractor, threshing floor and local swimming pool were all part of childhood,” said Efrat Sinai, director of archives at KKL-JNF. “These weren’t staged vacation moments; they were everyday life.”
The plan aims to address a shortage of farmers as the average age of Israeli farmers approaches 65.
Officials say nearly 45,000 foreign workers are in Israel illegally, while criminal brokers charge up to $27,000 per worker and enforcement agencies struggle to keep pace.
New statistics highlight both environmental progress and persistent challenges as Israel marks World Environment Day.
Ahead of the holiday, President Isaac Herzog celebrates the country’s farmers, who provide Israelis “with all the bounty of the land.”
Israeli winemakers hope the designation will boost tourism and encourage the opening of new wineries.
Last year, demand for dairy products rose 63% in the period leading up to Shavuot.
Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Tekuma Authority will invest $24 million.
KKL–JNF says that its decision to stop support for some of the agricultural holdings has nothing to do with where they’re located in relation to the ‘Green Line.’
“When we talk about irrigation or plants, we see that this common language can overcome many political difficulties,” Tomer Malchi told JNS.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar congratulated his newly appointed counterpart, as the two diplomats discussed the situation of both countries.
Researchers and winemakers are cultivating grapes linked to varieties grown in the region during the Byzantine era, hoping to give Israeli wine a distinctly local flavor.
Jarred tzimmes, revamped matzah ball soup and a Jewish dating show are part of the 135-year-old family-owned brand’s effort to stay relevant.
Not being able to destroy Israel on the battlefield, Palestine’s supporters think that Israel, which they disparage as “the current landmass,” will self-destruct if they pretend it doesn’t exist.
Savoring the sweet and the sour, as America marks a quarter of a century since Sept. 11, 2001, and the downing of four airplanes as part of terror attacks that left a hole in our hearts.
“Especially Jewish young people after Oct. 7, there’s this feeling of togetherness and wanting to be with people in person,” a Manhattan-based political publicist told JNS.
One man’s quest for the perfect bagel (or any at all) in his new home, miles from the Midwest.
“It’s a small technical change, but it’s obviously going to make a very significant difference by opening this up to the lowest-income New Yorkers, who struggle to make ends meet,” David Greenfield, of Met Council, told JNS.
New York City’s request for proposal states that operators at the five city groceries must offer “kosher, halal, gluten free, dairy-free, vegan, diabetic options.”
The dedication at Ramat Negev Winery honored the woman Pollard credits with securing his freedom and bringing him home to Israel.
There’s no mistaking the building on Pacific Avenue in Wildwood, N.J., as a synagogue. But it’s also a place that emits the history of a farming community—and continues to draw people in.
“We’re in the process of getting things going,” a spokeswoman for the Iowa-based kosher meat processing facility told JNS. “We’re doing the best we can.”
The Agalala coffee cart, a nonprofit social enterprise, offers a model for inclusive employment in the heart of Israel’s capital.
Archaeologists presented fresh findings on the Israeli capital’s ancient fortifications, water systems, roads and pilgrimage routes.
University of Haifa study of ancient sickle blades suggests Natufian hunter-gatherers systematically harvested wild grains thousands of years before established agriculture.
The site was discovered during an operation related to a violent dispute between local families, according to police.
The artwork depicts scenes from the Book of Judges.
The complex was built during the 7th or 8th century C.E., during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and remained in use for about 150 years, according to researchers.
The excavation revealed the synagogue’s central “bimah,” worshippers’ seating plaques and other remnants of one of Europe’s most important Jewish religious centers.
The suspect was found carrying metal detectors, excavation tools and archaeological finds.
The find will be housed in an archaeology, art and innovation wing of the Tower of David Museum slated to open in late 2028.
The 2,500-year-old find may offer “significant information about trade ties and movement between Cyprus and the Land of Israel.”
Art historian Jacob Wisse told JNS that he is concerned “when museums, which I value for the rigor, depth and richness of their curatorial voice, fall back, lazily, on untruths.”
The wooden beams, preserved for some 2,600 years beneath melted plaster, offer a rare glimpse into the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
The scrolls, discovered starting in 1947, include the oldest known copies of large portions of the Hebrew Bible.
Widawski, a younger brother and an uncle were the only members of the family to survive the Nazi extermination of Jews.
“Gloria was iconic,” Ruth Messinger, a former Manhattan borough president, told JNS. “This is a sad day for women.”
The Nobel laureate transformed understanding of the ribosome, advanced the fight against antibiotic resistance and demonstrated the power of persistence.
US President Donald Trump announced that he would lower the American flag nationwide for one week in honor of the star of sound and stage.
One person described her as a “gentle giant.” I couldn’t agree more.
Although he won praise for historic moments, like heralding Likud’s victory in 1977, he drew rebuke for a documentary portraying Israel as a brutal occupying power in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.
Barry Levitt, 80, died when a residential balcony collapsed onto an Angel Bakery store in the city’s Rehavia neighborhood.
I write with a heavy heart the loss of a public persona, Israel advocate, write, devoted mother, and, above all, a loyal and lasting friend.
She helped turn JINSA into the “very significant face of the American Jewish community to the US military,” the JNS publisher said.
“Friends like Lindsey Graham come along once in a generation,” stated William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Besides Israel, she wrote on topics that ranged from the mentally ill to global warming, to the persecution of small American farmers by the Legal Services Corporation.
The former state attorney spent more than four decades in Israel’s legal system, saying on her retirement that protecting human dignity was her guiding principle.