Culture and Society
Original reporting, features and analysis on culture and society.
“Either the Islamic Republic will dismantle its nuclear program voluntarily, or the free world will do it for them,” said Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel.
The couple plan to demolish the two old homes currently on the property and build a new, larger house instead.
The foreign minister asked Netanyahu to hold an urgent meeting on the matter in a bid to put more financial stress on Hamas.
The Swiss team turned their back on the Israeli flag after Israel’s under-23 fencing team won the gold medal at the European Fencing Championship in Estonia.
More than 500 residents of Syria were allowed by their country’s new rulers and Jerusalem to join a pilgrimage in the Galilee.
“As long as I am the mayor, you will not perform in any city event,” Yona Yahav said.
Experts warned of persistent threats alongside major regional and energy opportunities for the Jewish state.
Professional wrestler Sami Zayn’s social media post sparked months of complaints from Jewish organizations.
“We stand for love and prosperity for all nations, Jewish, Arab, Azeri,” Asaf (Sefael) Mishiyev’s Muslim bandmate Hasan Heydar tells JNS.
“Throughout human history, revolutionaries have targeted the young and impressionable,” political commentator Bethany Mandel tells JNS.
“I am in shock—I have no words. Honestly, we thought she’d make it to 110,” her granddaughter said.
More than 50 world leaders attended the ceremony, including the U.S. president, who met Ukraine’s Zelenskyy for a brief one-on-one talk.
Israeli singer says the national unity he felt during the contest in Vienna made his “soul come back home.”
Wolfram Weimer, who punished culture bosses for anti-Israel displays in the Federal Republic, denounces “antisemitic” boycott attempts in Italy.
The Palais des Beaux-Arts proceeded with inviting Lahav Shani for a Nov. 24 performance.
Jews shouldn’t need to treat intellectual honesty as heroism. Nor does it behoove us to grab any morsel of sympathy with the hunger of a hostage.
There is another definition of what it means to be a bad actor.
Season five of the award-winning series was rewritten to address the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
The Israeli performer overcame boos and boycotts to deliver a crowd-pleasing performance of “Michelle” in Vienna.
The president cites rising anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment amid protests targeting the country’s pavilion and Jewish symbols.
The Israeli singer’s Eurovision performance became an act of defiance against anti-Israel hatred, even eliciting support from Iranian dissidents abroad.
Talking to Michal Herzog at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem, the famous actress shares that being Israeli abroad has become “very complicated.”
“It’s both a Jewish story and an American story at the same time,” a curator at the Washington, D.C., museum told JNS of a series by Mitch Epstein.
Noam Bettan qualified for the grand final after earning enough points to advance.
Radical Ventures leads funding round, with Nvidia among investors; Amazon joins as strategic customer.
The United States and Israel are both coping with the emergence of a new type of gambling that could potentially put military operations at risk.
Last year, demand for dairy products rose 63% in the period leading up to Shavuot.
Earlier forecasts feared a 9.5% drop in GDP in the first quarter, but current data point to a much more positive outcome.
The Dallas-based carrier has not flown to the Jewish state for over two and a half years.
Club inked a multi-year deal for Israeli co-founded payroll and HR platform to appear on the players’ jerseys starting next season.
Ventures that strengthen relationships with one of the world’s most innovative economies will indirectly support economic activity and job creation.
The U.K.'s Maritime Trade Operations said armed men boarded a commercial ship near the UAE port of Fujairah and began sailing it toward the Islamic Republic.
The treasury is drafting a four-year plan that, if adopted, would cancel Eilat’s VAT exemption and slash tax benefits for new immigrants.
Its unprecedented accomplishments—economic prosperity, a robust democracy, a resilient social fabric and outsized international influence—stem from a culture of optimism, ingenuity and determination.
The state initially said that it is giving its 2025 Montana Exporter of the Year Award to a company that exports "$5.4 million worth of products to Canada, Egypt, European Union, Japan, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.”
Jerusalem is also advancing efforts to join the Mediterranean Fisheries Commission.
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.
Last year, demand for dairy products rose 63% in the period leading up to Shavuot.
“In many ways, speaking openly about faith can actually feel more natural outside of Washington,” Arielle Roth, administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told JNS.
If the Torah is meant to be lived, then it must shape how we treat other people.
Following the reception, participants gathered at Decatur House for a kosher Shabbat dinner.
Be’er Shalom Synagogue honors four members of the community’s security team killed on Oct. 7.
At Sinai, the Jewish people did not become connected only by belief. They became connected by shared purpose.
The resistance to President Donald Trump’s celebration of the Sabbath in the semiquincentennial is partisan folly and denial of the importance of religion in U.S. history.
The biblical heartland “is our land and it will always be our land,” the prime minister declared at Jerusalem Day event.
Lawmakers, ambassadors and faith leaders gather at the Knesset ahead of Jerusalem Day to promote international recognition of Israel’s capital.
Radical Ventures leads funding round, with Nvidia among investors; Amazon joins as strategic customer.
“My hat is off to Israel,” the Tesla owner said in a video address at the Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv University researchers developed a method that may remove excess glutamate from the bloodstream in the first hours after injury, aiming to reduce the chain reaction of damage.
Implementation is scheduled to begin in September and will be phased in gradually.
“This is a strategic move designed to ensure Israel’s technological superiority, accelerate development in the field of AI, and maintain Israel’s position in the first line of world powers,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
‘Twenty soccer fields’ of mesh nets due to be used to protect Israeli troops from lethal threat.
In certain contexts, the Notch receptor may participate in “reverse signaling,” influencing neighboring cells directly.
The software giant examined whether Israeli security agencies’ use of its systems violated company ethics and transparency rules, Globes reported.
Transforming battlefield leadership into entrepreneurial innovation, the 18X Elite Impact program has helped soldiers who fought for Israel raise more than $15 million in funding.
Jerusalem is also advancing efforts to join the Mediterranean Fisheries Commission.
The findings could also point to the presence of these metals in smaller fish species commonly consumed by humans.
The network relies on AI-generated avatars and fabricated IDs designed to mimic credible Jewish voices, Combat Antisemitism Movement found.
It’s vital to “honor the contributions—some of the many contributions—of Jewish Americans,” Katy Yaroslavsky said at a joint council meeting/honorary event.
Club inked a multi-year deal for Israeli co-founded payroll and HR platform to appear on the players’ jerseys starting next season.
In Atlanta, the two leaders shaped a coordinated approach to protecting Jewish life in America.
There have been frequent incidents in which Club Bruges supporters engage in violence and racist or antisemitic language.
“Lamine Yamal chose to incite against Israel and to encourage hatred while our soldiers are fighting the terrorist organization Hamas,” said Israel Katz.
A woman is accused of shouting anti-Jewish slurs at under-12 netball match in Sydney.
“He informed and entertained generations of fans with a theatrical and unapologetic style that was uniquely his own,” the New York Yankees stated.
“It’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned,” Jibril Rajoub said.
A California native, Jake Retzlaff played at Brigham Young University during the 2023 and 2024 seasons before transferring to Tulane University in 2025.
The godfather of Israeli ice hockey continues to play, mentor and inspire, even in wartime.
The team’s success builds on a strong track record in international competition.
Raz Hershko beat France’s Lea Fontaine, winning gold for the second time in her career.
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.
The assessment calls for the return of Palestinian Authority governance and efforts to “advance a durable political settlement based on the two-state solution.”
Michael Lotem has previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and the Seychelles.
It appears as “a living educational framework—a connection between Jewish communities in Israel and abroad, and a reflection of the strength of these communities across generations.”
The campaign, named for slain farmer Omer Weinstein, aims to place protective shelters on agricultural land as “Operation Roaring Lion” continues.
The route links Russian and Iranian ports and allows the countries to swap weapons, drones, ammunition, oil and foodstuffs.
Nuriel Dubin, 27, was a resident of Moshav Margaliot.
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.
Last year, demand for dairy products rose 63% in the period leading up to Shavuot.
Rich and creamy, dairy is the rule and not the exception for this two-day holiday.
City says food fair reflects the metropolis’s spirit, offering public space for culture, connection and celebration amid challenging times.
At a Park Slope Food Coop meeting about boycotting Israel, a member, who reportedly compared Jews to Nazis, was applauded for saying that “Jewish supremacism is a problem in this country.”
Israel’s foreign minister said that no evidence had been provided by Kyiv, which he criticized for raising the issue in the media rather than diplomatic channels.
From Miami suites to Mexico City kitchens, a new generation of Jewish food influencers is using cuisine as a powerful form of cultural diplomacy.
“It becomes comfort, continuity and a way to feel connected to tradition and to one another at home,” Talia Sabag, of the Manischewitz parent company Kayko, told JNS.
The brand told JNS that it will be “evaluating packaging differentiation and working with our retail partners to ensure clearer in-store separation and signage where needed.”
A scholarly showdown over Jewish holiday foods spreads to more campuses across the United States.
“It has been a very tough time for the Jewish community,” Julie Menin said at the event. “The support of all of the colleagues who are here today is so incredibly meaningful.”
It literally marks the first time since 2014 that no Israeli is being held captive by Hamas or any other terror group in the Gaza Strip.
“There are very few peoples whose capital today is the same as it was 3,000 years ago,” the Israeli prime minister noted.
The discovery near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel has left researchers puzzled about its purpose and age.
The coins were allegedly looted from archaeological sites in Israel and smuggled to the United States.
Dor Wolynitz found a 1,700-year-old statuette fragment while hiking with his family in the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem reported that Natufian hunter-gatherers produced 142 beads and pendants uncovered by archaeologists.
The rare find, bearing the menorah symbol on both sides, was uncovered during recent excavations in the Temple Mount area.
Because of its importance not just to Jews, but to the West, excavating the City of David has engendered much hostility, speakers said at a Dec. 9 event.
Hebrew University researchers uncovered 8,000-year-old pottery showing floral patterns built on precise geometric progressions.
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.
The section of the wall unearthed at the Tower of David Museum is among the longest and most intact segments ever uncovered.
“They could go to a museum even in the Gulf, where people could see another side of Israel, an artistic side, a beautiful side,” Bernard Shapero told JNS.
“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.
The responsibility now falls on us and future generations to carry out the research, craft the messages and build the alliances that will overcome this current, terrible moment.
His greatness was not that he chose between the fire and the light. It was that he spent his life carrying both.
While leading the ADL for three decades, he epitomized many of the best things about the community he defended. But Jewish liberalism’s failures cloud his legacy.
“Abe believed that hearts could change,” said Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue.
“He carried that experience not with bitterness but with purpose,” William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told JNS.
A passionate supporter of Israel, Joni Lamb received the Israel Allies Award in 2024.
“Doris Fisher leaves behind a legacy of deep commitment to her family and our city,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said.
“He informed and entertained generations of fans with a theatrical and unapologetic style that was uniquely his own,” the New York Yankees stated.
The author of “The Choice” urged others to choose hope and healing.
After Scott’s death, anti-Israel group Track AIPAC touted the possibility of replacing him with a primary opponent who accuses Israel of “genocide.”
Godoff’s four-decade career helped launch and shape the works of leading writers, including Ron Chernow, Salman Rushdie and Zadie Smith.
“Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.