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The Holocaust

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The Strange, Dark Journey of a Book of the Zohar

An old, crumbling binding of a 16th-century book of the Zohar was nearly lost to oblivion in the National Library’s archives. A few faint pencil markings on the cover caught the eye of a librarian, revealing surprising secrets about the book it once encased. Join us on a fascinating, almost detective-like journey through the pages and bindings of this remarkable book, uncovering its perilous, winding path before it reached the National Library.
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Dan Hadani Still Remembers

Dunek Zloczewski lost everything he had in the Holocaust: his daily routine, his entire family, and his faith in humanity. Along the way, he survived Auschwitz, Mengele’s selections, harsh labor, and a death march. He built a new life for himself in Israel as Dan Hadani – a photographer and journalist with an important role in documenting the country’s history. For decades, he repressed his memories of the Holocaust and only began telling the story of that part of his life at the age of 92.

The Boy Whose Life Was Saved by Hannah Senesh

One of the heart-wrenching facts about Hannah Senesh, the paratrooper-poetess who died so tragically at the age of 23, is that she wasn’t able carry out her mission. She received military training and was sent to Yugoslavia in an effort to save Jews from the Nazis – but she was ultimately caught at the border, imprisoned, and executed. Was her death in vain? The story of one little boy and his mother reveals something of Hannah’s unique personality, as well as those she did manage to save, despite everything.

Franz Kafka

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פרץ קפקא מאת

Who Was Franz Kafka of Prague?

What would have happened if Kafka had lived for many more years and died of old age? How did a seemingly nondescript clerk become one of the greatest writers of the 20th century? Was his death the best thing that ever happened to him? Kafka’s fascinating character is explored in a new exhibition at the National Library, showcasing the man whose life, work, and death became an inseparable part of the modern human experience.
קפקא ופליצה באואר ארוסתו.

Another Trial: A Kafkaesque Love Triangle

Despite his romantic and tortured image, Franz Kafka’s attitude towards women had its darker aspects. Who would have guessed that the tangled romantic triangle between Kafka, his fiancée Felice Bauer and her good friend Grete Bloch would produce one of the greatest literary classics of all time?

Lives Lost: The Works of the October 7 Fallen

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Remembering Yonatan Richter

Yonatan (Shafik) Richter was an exceptional person. He lived a life full of practical achievements as well as great spiritual awareness, the kind of life that can serve as an inspiration to us all. He was a family man with a thriving career who also sought greater meaning and hoped to share his insights with others. On October 7 2023, he volunteered as a mental health supporter at the Nova festival, where his life was cut short.
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Hannah Kritzman: The Storyteller of Kibbutz Be’eri

At age 15, Hannah Kritzman ran away from home to Kibbutz Be’eri, where she became a beloved preschool teacher and founded the local children’s library. 73 years later, on October 7, after spending hours hiding with her caregiver in her safe room, Hannah was shot by a Hamas terrorist, just as the two were being rescued. The memoir she completed shortly before her death offers us a glimpse of what a wonderful woman she was.
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Larger Than Life: Remembering Eden Ben Rubi

Ben Rubi had a natural artistic spark that enabled the Rishon Lezion resident to express her unique personality in her works. She dreamed of leaving her mark on the world. On October 7, 2023, she was among those murdered at the Nova music festival.

Life on the Border: A Tribute to the Communities of the Gaza Border Region

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The Lovers’ Garden of Kibbutz Nir Oz

A 50-year-old news article illuminates the deep bond between Oded and Yocheved Lifshitz from Nir Oz, who nurtured not only their love but also a unique and remarkable garden in their kibbutz. Both were abducted from their home on October 7, and now Yocheved waits for her beloved Oded’s return.
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When the Farhud Came to Be’eri: October 7 and the Legacy of an Iraqi Pogrom

“We made Aliyah from Iraq to Israel so that Arabs wouldn’t be able to enter Jewish homes and murder us,” said Kibbutz Be’eri members who survived the pogrom known as the Farhud. In Be’eri, founded in part by Iraqi immigrants, there is a monument to the victims of the Farhud, suffered by the Jews of Iraq over 80 years ago. They couldn’t know that years later, their children and grandchildren would face a similar horror – but this time, in the Jewish state.

Nir Oz Will Blossom Again: The Story of a Legendary Kibbutz Gardener

In the early days, members of Kibbutz Nir Oz suffered from terrible sandstorms that made it difficult to move, see and even eat. Ran Pauker, the kibbutz’s legendary landscaper, was called to solve the problem, and along the way, Nir Oz became a green, ecological gem. When asked about the future of the kibbutz that suffered a fatal blow on October 7 – he says the vegetation will be restored within a year, as for the community: “We’ll have to wait and see”

We Shall Return: The Spirit of Kibbutz Nirim Will Prevail

“We shall return” – these were the words printed in Hebrew on t-shirts made by the survivors of Kibbutz Nirim. These words embody a history of heroism, pioneering, culture and Zionism which should serve as a model for all of us. Kibbutz Nirim, founded in 1946, faced a desperate battle for its very existence just two years afterwards. It survived then and survives now thanks to the unique spirit of its members.

The Man Who’s Been Documenting the People of Ofakim Since October 7

Nadav Mishali founded the cinematheque in the southern Israeli city of Ofakim. His personal story is bound up with that of the city itself and its brave and exceptional residents. Mishali has now taken on an even bigger mission – to document the stories of hardship and heroism that took place in Ofakim on Saturday, October 7, 2023

Jerusalem

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“Schwester Selma”: Jerusalem’s Legendary Nurse

She’s considered Jerusalem’s first Jewish head nurse, a trailblazer who introduced professional nursing practices many of which are still in use today. But what prompted a young woman from Germany to leave everything behind for the dusty, underdeveloped hills of the Land of Israel? This is the story of a woman for whom nursing was a calling—a way of life. Her legacy still shapes nursing in Israel to this day.

The Battle Over Jerusalem’s Main Synagogue

In the late 1920s, a fierce debate erupted between the Ashkenazim and Sephardim in Jerusalem over which synagogue should be considered the main Jewish house of worship in the city. This controversy escalated to an international legal battle that lasted many years.

The Hotel Where Theodor Herzl Couldn’t Get a Room

If you were visiting Jerusalem in the late 19th century, and were a person of means and stature, you might have enjoyed the accommodations of the city’s first modern Jewish hotel. Unless of course, your name was Theodor Herzl… We dug through the hotel’s guest book and went on a journey back in time.

Jewish Communities

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The Lost Seder Plates: A Glimpse of a Vanished Jewish World

The centuries-old Seder plates photographed by Theodor Harburger in the 1920s may be the only remnants we have of many Jewish families from Bavaria, Germany. Harburger survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Israel, bringing with him his rare collection, which serves as a testament to the lives of German Jewish communities that were plundered and murdered in the Holocaust. These antique Seder plates preserve not only the story of the holiday throughout the generations but also the stories of the families at whose tables they once stood.
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Gimme a Pastrami on Rye!

Delicatessens once served up Jewish comfort food, but have been disappearing in recent decades. In North America and even in Israel, some outposts remain, though the concept of the “Jewish Deli” never really caught on in the Jewish state.