Photo: Debby Hudson on Unsplash When my brother-in-law, who lived in New York City, died three years ago at the age of 92, he had left no instructions, no Power of Attorney, nothing oral or written for his only daughter. He had discussed nothing with her and her name was not included as beneficiary on any documents. Everything was only in his name and that of his wife who was liv...

Anointed and united, wreathed and robed, He sits with Her atop a mountain abloom in purple majesty. Amidst fields of green below stands a home and a smaller one beside with family, bearing gifts, walking to and fro. The emerald green field is bounded by brook and trees giving life and standing guard. Beyond the soldiers of cedar and cypress lies bl...

On the TV, some time back, there was an excellent program on the problem of poverty in Israel, covering also the aspect of hunger. This in today's world of plenty. Why does a child have to go hungry even with a minimum amount of money available for food? Is it really because food is so expensive here in Israel or is it because we do not know any lo...

Daniella and Grant Crankshaw Center Stage in Raanana There is a cozy little theater around the corner on HaMasger Street in the Raanana industrial area. It was born out of a dream that we harbored for 20 years: to open the first professional English language theater in Israel. In February 2019, that dream began to come true. For nine months we poured everything we had into transforming an empty space...

As part of the collaboration with ISEF (Israel Scholarship Education Foundation), MA students from ISEF receive a scholarship in exchange for volunteering hours to mentor our students in the Students Build a Community Project in Akko in entrepreneurship, hi-tech development and leadership. We are planning to have eight meetings during the year, one...

The Carmel Disaster Memorial with victims names engraved on the wall and above the wreaths, photograph of the burned out bus. Four large flags, standing side by side atop huge metal posts, flap noisily in a very strong late autumn breeze. Text and photos: Lydia Aisenberg Four large flags, standing side by side atop huge metal posts, flap noisily in a very strong late autumn breeze. The wind is more than welcoming on a rather hot November day as this writer stands on a Carmel mountain range hill, under the shadow of Kibbutz Beit Oren sitting on a close but higher promontory, and...

By Rabbi Gail Shuster-Bouskila 2021/5781 In 2020/5780, I spent Pesach "home alone" for the first time in my life because of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 situation in Israel. Before the holiday I was very dismayed at having to spend the holiday that requires sharing the experience to make it complete: And you shall explain to your child on that ...

Moysian fits (named for Alphonse "Sonny" Moyse) are simply 4-3 trump fits. These hands can be very tricky to play, but there's no reason to panic. As long as you keep your head, you should be able to handle these fits. How do we wind up in Moysian fits? Of course, it could be the result of a bidding misunderstanding but I prefer to think it's by de...

ISRESILIENCE What Israelis Can Teach The WorldMichael Dickson and Dr. Naomi L. Baum Gefen Publishing House, 2020 This book takes the lives of 14 Israelis and tries to show how their comeback/strength/resistance etc., has conquered worlds. There are many Israelis who have come back from prison or captivity or have the strength to overcome their new physical limitations or have resisted communism in USSR and made aliyah. There are many and these 14 Israeli...

Once again the ESRA quiz took place with teams from up and down the country. We had 17 teams and nearly 200 computers in operation at the same time. It was a nerve-wracking experience. I had the best team ever with Neil Spungin who wrote the questions. Laurence Jacobs was the tech guy behind the scenes making sure everything ran smoothly. Lawrence ...