She was the only pediatrician in all of Be’er Sheva, devoting herself 24 hours a day to her young patients, both in the hospital and on house calls across the Negev Desert on her Vespa. This is the remarkable story of Dr. Wilhelmina Cohen and the pioneering generation of medical professionals who together founded Soroka Hospital.
Michel Kichka Illustrates Our World
Great talent, optimism, sensitivity, compassion, and a deep love for this country, which he had longed to reach since childhood, all come together in Michel Kichka, making him one of Israel’s greatest graphic artists. We spoke with him about what led to the creation of his most personal graphic memoir, why he insists on keeping the family name “Kichka,” and what it was like working with Meir Shalev.
Remembering Jawad Amer: The War’s First Fallen Druze Soldier
On the third day of the ongoing war, Jawad, 23, was killed in battle, the first of 14 Druze-Israeli soldiers to fall. His family and his hometown of Hurfeish remember him with pride.
Leo Frank, 1915: The Case America Still Reckons With
More than a century after the lynching of a Jewish-American man in Georgia, rising antisemitism makes the tragedy’s warning painfully clear.
From “The Magic Mountain” to the Fight Against the Nazis: The Story of Thomas Mann
Who was the celebrated German author who began his life as a nationalist and later joined the democratic opposition in exile against the Third Reich? What was his connection to Israel and to the National Library? And why do visitors place stones on his grave? On the 70th anniversary of the death of Thomas Mann, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, we trace the man who gave us “The Magic Mountain” and who became one of the clearest and most steadfast voices against what was happening in his homeland.
The Secret Chord: Leonard Cohen Composes “Hallelujah”
He only began writing songs seriously at the age of 30, and started singing a few years later. A proud Jew who spent time living in a Buddhist monastery in California, he used poetry and music to express both the holiest and the darkest parts of the human soul. His most famous song, whose story we tell here, is likely one you know, even if you’ve never heard Leonard Cohen sing it in his own voice.
Better Together: Colombia’s Macabi Games Tell the Story of a Community
The National Macabi Games, or Macabeada, are held annually in Colombia, with Jewish athletes attending from across the country and even elsewhere. This event is about much more than sport, however. The games are a celebration of Jewish life, community, friendship and love.
A Journey to Paradise Lost: Why We Can’t Live Without Flowers
Since the banishment from the Garden of Eden, humanity has longed to return, to a form of nature wild enough to move us as human beings, yet tame enough not to threaten us. To a place that soothes the soul and nourishes the body. The garden is a motif that runs like a thread through countless human cultures. Why are we all yearning for Paradise?
