Countless urban plans have been drawn up for Jerusalem over the years, but the Holy City, and history itself, always seemed to have plans of their own…
The Guardian Angel of Jerusalem’s Children: Dr. Helena Kagan
How many people can credit themselves with establishing and developing an entire medical field? In the early 20th century, pediatric medicine practically didn’t exist in the Land of Israel. Enter Helena Kagan. With her rare combination of professionalism, hard work, and dedication, she built up the field of children’s medicine in the Holy Land from scratch. This is the story Israel’s first pediatrician.
A Sukkah Made of Fruit? On Samaritan Sukkahs
Why do Samaritans build a sukkah out of fruit, where can they be found, and what happens to all the fruit when the holiday is over? A look at the Sukkot customs of Israel’s Samaritan community.
The Kaminitz 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.
The Jerusalem Talmud: The Beta Version of the Gemara
The Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud had roughly the same starting point, so why did only one of them become a canonical book?
On Plants and Prejudice: Rachel Yanait and Aaron Aaronsohn
Ideological differences and raised eyebrows couldn’t get in the way of the personal and professional relationship between Aaron Aaronsohn and Rachel Yanait. While he was busy spying for the Nili underground network right in front of her, she focused on researching nature and became close with Aaron’s sister and fellow spy Sarah. Her life was saved thanks to Avshalom Feinberg’s coldness towards her, and she later became the wife of Israel’s second President.
Why Does Gaza Appear in This Antique Hebrew Scroll?
Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, the tombs of the righteous in the Galilee, and… Gaza? Jewish scrolls from the 16th and 17th centuries offer an interesting selection of holy places in the Land of Israel. How did the city of Gaza end up on this list?
The Final Days of the Jewish Community in Gaza
Documents recently discovered in the Archives Department of the National Library of Israel shed new light on the forgotten Hebrew community of Gaza, as well as the Jews who lived in and visited the city even after the community no longer officially existed
Memories From 1947: A Trip to the Galilee
The National Library of Israel recently launched a project collecting diaries belonging to members of Israel’s founding generation. One of those diaries, written by 21-year-old Avraham Dubno, inspired the story found below. Avraham was killed in battle shortly after recording the diary. It was found decades later by his niece, Rina Neiman
A Journey to Israeli Socialism
The story of German Mexican anarchist Augustín Souchy’s experiences in Israel in the early 1950s: an outsider’s journey through kibbutzim, moshavim and the working-class city of Holon
