Israeli-Palestinian “Peace in our Lifetime”?

I just concluded watching an in-depth interview conducted by Ilana Dayan, one of Israel’s top TV journalists. Mrs. Dayan is our local version of Barbara Walters, and her show - “Evidence” (עובדה) focuses on strategic issues and the people behind them. The main interviewee this time was John Kerry – United States Secretary of State. The subject was the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. It was a riveting show, and the subject certainly significant to anyone living in this region.

Will Israel Real-Estate Bubble Burst?

Post moved to: http://back-to-israel.com/2014/01/10/will-israel-real-estate-bubble-burst/

Celebrating 2014 with Celebrities

I have celebrated more than a few New Year Eves. Some involved a noisy dance party. Others were simply a get-together with friends and a glass of champagne.  At times we chose to stay home, cuddled in front of the TV, and waited for the “ball drop” in Times Square. And oh, there were times we couldn't quite stay awake, and fell asleep before midnight.  Anyway, the 2014 New Year Eve was quite different…

Golan Heights – Between Heaven and Hell

Last week I visited the Golan Heights twice. On Wednesday, I drove up to Mt. Hermon with a friend to do some skiing.  On Friday and Saturday I went up with a group of friends and we hiked two segments of the ‘Golan Trail’ (שביל הגולן). The winter storm that blew a week earlier covered the Golan Heights with fresh snow - the whole area turned into a “fantasy land”. The Israeli side of the border was filled with visitors who came up to play in the snow. But on the Syrian side, you could hear explosions and heavy machine guns, as the battles raged between pro and anti-government forces. It was a surreal experience.

Abolishing the [financial] Pyramids

For thousands of years Jews have been celebrating Passover. Celebrating the liberation of our forefathers from slavery in Egypt, where many broke their backs building the Pyramids.  While ancient pyramids serve as archeological artifacts now days, new types of pyramids are still being built. Over the past decade, several “financial pyramids” have been erected in Israel, exploiting the fruits of labor of common people.  But this past week, the process of abolishing these pyramids achieved a few important milestones.

Rediscovering Talmud

I consider myself reasonably well educated, with elementary school, high school, under-graduate school, and grad school under my belt.  I do read quite a bit – books, newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs.  But I have never opened a Talmud book.  That is until yesterday…

The Future of Israeli Debate

When I watched political debates in the US, I couldn't help being impressed. The participants (mostly) played by the rules: when one party spoke, the other listened; arguments made by one side, were carefully countered by the other. Not so in a typical “Israeli debate”: participants tend to speak over each other, there is very little listening, and the whole thing often turns into a “shouting match”. But before you shake your head in frustration, know that I have seen the future - and there is hope!