Culture and Society
Original reporting, features and analysis on culture and society.
Fire damaged more than 30 structures, destroyed 15 homes and 10 businesses, and forced the evacuation of some 100 families.
“Think Twice” with Jonathan Tobin and guest Gadi Taub, Ep. 230
Israel must generate the wisdom that America needs right now.
The government’s inaction is driving software development to India and Eastern Europe.
The justices intervened a day after the Knesset passed the legislation by a vote of 58-54.
As part of the decision, the government will finance rapid initial construction consisting of prefabricated buildings.
Collaborative works by residents of Kfar Shimon offer a window into the inner worlds of young Israeli adults on the spectrum.
Eyal Ostrinsky told JNS that the 125-year-old Zionist institution is broadening its support for Jewish communities worldwide, while reaffirming its mission of settlement, forestry and national development.
The plan aims to address a shortage of farmers as the average age of Israeli farmers approaches 65.
Israel may awkwardly and strangely get its preferred scenario on Iran.
Ancient background matters because it reminds the world of something too often forgotten: Jews lived, traded, prayed and built families across the Arab and Muslim world for centuries.
An exhibition by graduating girls at an Ohr Torah Stone high school reflects on identity, grief, resilience and hope after years marked by COVID-19 and war.
Collaborative works by residents of Kfar Shimon offer a window into the inner worlds of young Israeli adults on the spectrum.
“Citizen Vigilante” serves as a warning to governments that if they don’t secure their borders, enforce laws and protect their most vulnerable, then ordinary people will resort to self-help.
Organizers affirmed the event will remain free from hate after complaints over Saint Levant singing “I Hate Israel.”
The American actor, writer and director said he pursued citizenship to reconnect with his family’s heritage and to spend more of his career working in Central Europe.
“Compared to what we see going on in Europe, Poland is much more tolerant of Jews,” Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yaakov Finkelstein told JNS.
The former Hamas hostage joins singer-songwriter John Ondrasik as part of the 250th Independence Day celebrations.
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.
“There is nothing he hasn’t won, nothing he hasn’t achieved, nothing he hasn’t proven and yet at 100, he continues to surprise and thrill us,” said actor Josh Gad, who produced the long-awaited “Spaceballs” sequel with Brooks.
Hundreds of mahjong players gathered at the Museum of Jewish Heritage this weekend to celebrate a game that has connected generations of American Jews for nearly a century.
The “Kfar Bikartem” initiative offers guided hikes, culinary experiences, host-family visits and heritage tours aimed at boosting tourism and supporting local communities.
Los Angeles-born Rachel Lester tells JNS that winning global public opinion requires more effective storytelling, diverse voices and discipline on social media.
The Travel Innovation IL platform aims to connect tourism companies, technology firms, startups, investors, government bodies and academia to promote technological solutions for the industry.
The CEO of the broker-dealer told JNS that he wants to see people “double down on our investment in Israel” and “show them that the Jewish community here in New York City increases their support for Israel in light of the anti-Zionist, anti-Israel positions.”
General prices across the market have increased by 1.2% from January to June.
As part of the decision, the government will finance rapid initial construction consisting of prefabricated buildings.
If ceasefires with Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas remain in place, the ratings agency expects the economy to expand by 3.7% this year and by 5% in 2027, following growth of 2.9% in 2025.
The Guards said they attacked American military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Iranian leadership has “nothing,” the president told Fox News.
“There have been a lot of asks and requests from the member states,” the bloc’s top diplomat said.
Reducing engagement with Brussels does not diminish the union’s influence. It merely limits Israel’s opportunities to influence decisions before they are taken.
“The room booed him down and cheered as he was walked out,” said Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify. “I’m grateful for that. Hate got escorted out. We got right back to building.”
Muscat is no longer choosing neutrality; it is succumbing to the cold reality that Tehran, not Washington, now holds the keys to its survival.
Arkia will operate twice-weekly flights to Marrakech starting on Aug. 24 after a three-year suspension of service on the route.
Some significant progress was made in a room where communities in conflict grappled with peaceful agreement and disagreement.
In life, it is good practice for the eyes to see before the mouth describes what has been seen.
The fast day, considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, is an opportunity for “all people of moral conscience to work together to bring goodness and dispel hate,” Yeshiva University president Ari Berman told JNS.
Inside the CUFI summit in Washington and the Christian movement Israel’s critics don’t understand.
A billboard in New York City depicts the beauty of the Jewish religion as a way to inspire.
“It’s a very important role for the federal government to play to protect workers and religions of all faith, and that’s what you have my commitment to do,” Keith Sonderling said.
The Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers carried traditions older than most modern armies, and their courage shaped the destiny of a land far from their own.
The mayor can’t dress up his Israel obsession as universalism while excusing actual theocracies.
“The extension of daylight saving time will create an extreme hardship on observant Jews,” Rabbi A.D. Motzen, of Agudah, told JNS. “It would be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to arrive on time for a job and will affect the start time of our schools.”
Demographics, not missiles or terrorists, may pose the greatest threat to the Jewish state’s future.
The scrolls, discovered starting in 1947, include the oldest known copies of large portions of the Hebrew Bible.
The Travel Innovation IL platform aims to connect tourism companies, technology firms, startups, investors, government bodies and academia to promote technological solutions for the industry.
“The rules that they’ve been using to build these data centers were not intended for these kinds of data centers,” David Greenfield, of Met Council, told JNS. “Now they’re happening very frequently, and they’re having unintended consequences.”
Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country with Buddhist and Christian minorities, does not have diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.
The technology focuses ultrasound delivered through a device placed on the skin rather than through the urethra or rectum.
According to CyberWell, social media posts tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup falsely claim the Argentine soccer star is Jewish or controlled by Jews while recycling conspiracy theories about Jewish control of FIFA.
The scrolls, discovered starting in 1947, include the oldest known copies of large portions of the Hebrew Bible.
Instead of replacing existing drugs, future therapies could focus on blocking the mechanisms that allow tumors to resist them, researchers said.
Reducing engagement with Brussels does not diminish the union’s influence. It merely limits Israel’s opportunities to influence decisions before they are taken.
Program lets three Israeli firms test autonomous medical AI systems in hospitals.
The Sylvan Adams Sport Science Institute aims to provide Israeli athletes with a competitive advantage through science, technology and personalized support.
The report concluded that leading chatbots frequently failed to recognize antisemitic tropes in Persian and called on developers to improve the accuracy and quality of multilingual responses.
The facility already accommodates more than 150 employees and features hundreds more workstations.
“We support you. We support Argentina,” the Israeli premier told President Javier Milei.
Yosef Dagan championed the penalty shootout following Israel’s elimination from the 1968 Olympics by the drawing of lots.
According to CyberWell, social media posts tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup falsely claim the Argentine soccer star is Jewish or controlled by Jews while recycling conspiracy theories about Jewish control of FIFA.
More than 3,000 athletes from over 40 countries took part in the “Jewish Olympics,” held a year after the Games were postponed due to the war with Iran.
After becoming the first Israeli women’s national basketball team to win a European medal, the team reflected on the bond that fueled its remarkable run.
David Bolchover talks to JNS about his new book, which tells the stories of 11 Jewish football stars murdered in the Holocaust.
Rabbi Yosef Langer of Chabad of San Francisco told JNS that blowing the shofar has been “bringing people together since the beginning of time, and baseball is a sport that brings all peoples together.”
The Israeli national team lost to France 66:79 in the finals held in Lithuania, securing a silver medal.
“I’m glad I have a wonderful partner, and I think we complement each other as a pair,” the 46-year-old said of his Dutch teammate, Niels Vink.
Videos appear to show crowds in The Hague chanting slogans, including “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas,” after France advanced with a 2-0 victory.
They construct their history in much the same way as the Palestinians: noble victims cheated and persecuted by those in power.
Former Israeli national team player Zev Moore becomes the second practicing Orthodox Jew to play professional baseball.
“The forest, the fields, the tractor, the threshing floor and the 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.
Michael Lotem finished a three-year tour as envoy to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and the Seychelles in August 2025.
Two women soldiers from the Nahal Oz base open a Jerusalem café in memory of friends slain on Oct. 7, 2023.
The move, hailed by Tzohar as a breakthrough for transparency and competition, was put on hold after the Chief Rabbinate Council said it had not approved the decision.
Sruly Meyer said he didn’t know what to expect, but figured that he could take the heat.
“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.”
Nearly every second cucumber from P.A. farms is contaminated with “extremely high” levels of toxicants.
“We took another step to eventually obtain a cut that will look like a steak, feel like a steak, taste like a steak, and contain exactly the same components found in a steak,” researcher says.
“The Michelin star proves that talent and dedication will be recognized for what they truly are,” Michael Werzberger, an investor in Mutra, told JNS.
The world’s largest Federation plans to distribute the Israeli snack favorite at the Israel Day on Fifth parade in Manhattan on May 31.
The luxury hotel’s popular venue combines panoramic views, Mediterranean cuisine and innovative cocktails with a Mexican twist.
“I’m not scared. I’m never scared,” the shop owner, Hila Ashkenazi, told JNS. “I was in the Israeli army, teaching self-defense. They should be scared of me.”
After months of war and uncertainty, a popular spring festival brought Israelis back to the north.
Emphasis was placed on sweets “to provide troops with a real holiday atmosphere.”
The scrolls, discovered starting in 1947, include the oldest known copies of large portions of the Hebrew Bible.
Project Qumran seeks scientific testing of surviving samples from a 1992 Dead Sea excavation that researchers believe may be remnants of biblical “Ketoret.”
The ancient Huqoq community was centered on a synagogue showcasing the most impressive mosaics ever uncovered in Israel.
“We can begin to reconstruct not only how tools were made, but also how technological knowledge moved between regions and how it changed along the way,” said Dr. Gadi Herzlinger of the University of Haifa.
“The government is showing that Jewish heritage will not be allowed to fall into the hands of people who want to erase our history and identity,” Jewish Community of Hebron representative told JNS.
A €2.5 million European Research Council grant will fund an international effort led by the University of Groningen and the Israel Antiquities Authority to trace where the ancient manuscripts came from.
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.
“In the last 30 years, nothing on this scale, at this level of preservation, has been found. The excitement is tremendous,” said excavation director Avishag Reiss.
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.
Archaeologists excavating at Ancient Shiloh uncovered three well-preserved Middle Bronze Age storage jars, days before the site’s annual wine festival.
“Here, we have the possibility of excavating the remains of this culture in a single layer.”
According to the NGO, Palestinian Authority works have harmed four adjacent plots at Khirbet Farsin.
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.
Along with a group of intellectual activists, she founded Americans For a Safe Israel.
Agam was awarded the Israel Prize for Visual Arts in April.
The prolific writer of 450 books passed away at her Massachusetts home surrounded by family.
The eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn died at age 47 after a prolonged illness.
The longtime American TV host inspired millions around the world through decades of accessible home workouts and remained deeply devoted to his Jewish roots and Israel.
The Israeli singer “crossed generations, communities and sectors, becoming an inseparable part of the soundtrack of our lives,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
Yitzhak Ben-Hebron escaped Arab riots as a child and later returned to rebuild the Jewish community in the holy city.
The late Jewish representative from Massachusetts “approached Israel as a liberal Zionist: engaged, critical and deeply committed,” William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents, told JNS.