Tag: Culture
Long-awaited National Library of Israel opening to public
After years of meticulous planning and construction, the much-anticipated National Library of Israel is finally set to open its doors. The transformation of a triangular plot of land in Jerusalem, situated between the Knesset...
More than 100 Italian sites take part in European Day of Jewish Culture
Italy participated in the 24th annual European Day of Jewish Culture at 101 sites across 16 regions, with Florence serving as the lead city. This year’s event, held on Sept. 9-10, was dedicated to...
Is Barbie liberal or ‘Kenservative’?
In the 1950s, a Jewish woman born in Denver, Colo., to parents who fled persecution in Eastern Europe, decided that the toy market needed adult-themed dolls for children.
Ruth Handler (1916-2002) came up with the idea...
David Beckham a ‘proud member’ of Jewish community
Former professional soccer player David Beckham, one of the game’s best-known and most accomplished athletes, shared leadership insights and reflected on his Jewish connections in a July 2 address at St. John’s Wood Synagogue...
Holocaust museums and memorials have work cut out for them attracting non-Jews
In a study published in the Journal of Travel Research last year, scholars from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that a visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which they dubbed “dark tourism,” made...
‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,’ new to Netflix, offers no glimpse of character’s ‘Jewish soul’
Crocodiles are not kosher. But the much-beloved protagonist—initially misunderstood as a villain—of Bernard Waber’s children’s books “The House on East 88th Street” and “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is arguably Jewish.
Waber, who wrote and illustrated the...
A taste of Druze culture and cuisine in Daliat el-Carmel
The aroma of cardamom coffee wafts out of a spice shop. Teenage girls are walking home from school, some in jeans and Blundstone boots, others wearing traditional veils and skirts. A cell phone store...
Moroccan King Mohammed VI creates new agencies for Jewish community
Morocco’s government announced last week that “acting under royal instruction,” it will create several new initiatives aimed at strengthening the Jewish community there, preserving the Jewish cultural and historical connection, and improving ties with...
New survey reveals Israel’s Mizrachim Jewish majority overlooked by school textbooks
The majority of Jews in contemporary Israel are descendants of Jews who were expelled or fled from countries under Muslim rule between 1948 and 1967. Generally referred to as Mizrachim (from the East), they include...
East meets West: Jerusalem exhibit displays coffee culture through the ages
Coffee culture in Israel is as varied as the population. Bedouin hospitality dictates finely ground dark coffee served in tiny cups; Arabs will serve strong Turkish coffee often spiked with a dash of cardamom...