TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — In a musty basement hall of an unassuming building nestled among modern high-rises in the heart of Tel Aviv, a few hundred spectators are kindly requested to turn off their cellphones. What makes the typical scene surreal is that they are asked to do so in Yiddish — the playful, lyrical language of Diaspora European … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, accepted Israel’s prestigious Genesis Prize at a lavish ceremony on Thursday, where he pledged $20 million to establish a foundation dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel. In his keynote address, Kraft told the audience of Israeli and international dignitaries that he was “humbled … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — This year’s official international ambassador to Tel Aviv’s Gay Pride Parade says he has no interest in being a gay icon. TV star Neil Patrick Harris arrived in Israel Wednesday along with his husband, the chef and actor David Burtka, to headline Tel Aviv’s annual celebration of its famous gay-friendly scene. But Harris, who has … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The trigger for Israel’s unprecedented repeat election touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society — the role of the growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospective government collapsed last week over the issue of military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men, a source of longtime resentment among the secular … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — After narrowly failing to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April elections, the long-time Israeli leader’s opponents now have a rare chance for a “do-over” in a snap vote in September. The 69-year-old Netanyahu’s apparent victory against long odds seemed to seal his aura of invincibility in the eyes of many Israelis, with some resigning themselves to … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is in uncharted political territory after the newly elected parliament dissolved itself early on Thursday and set another election date, within six months of the previous one. Just 50 days after he seemed to have scored an impressive victory, cruising to re-election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded that he had failed to build a coalition government … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel was in an unprecedented political impasse Tuesday as parliament pressed forward with legislation to dissolve itself in a high-stakes showdown that could lead to another snap election. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had appeared to have secured a fresh mandate to rule after last month’s election, with a clear path to build a coalition government with his … Read More
Published in Tablet Magazine. Can be found here. Late on the night of Oct. 24, 1948, on the last night of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and amid Israel’s War of Independence, a Douglas C-47 Dakota transport plane took off from Tel Aviv’s Sde Dov military airport. It was a routine supply mission to the besieged Negev community of Sdom, … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv Saturday, with Duncan Laurence’s doleful piano ballad “Arcade” crowned champion of Europe’s annual music extravaganza. The 25-year-old was tapped as an early front-runner before the Grand Final but was only ranked third after the vote of professional juries from the 41 participating countries, trailing … Read More
Published in the “At War” channel of the New York Times Magazine. Can be found here. In April 1943, the Halifax bomber that Wilfred Canter co-piloted was shot down on the way back from a mission over Stuttgart. Canter parachuted out into occupied France, breaking a leg when he landed. The only member of the six-man crew to evade capture, … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military lifted protective restrictions on residents in the south on Monday, while Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group reported a cease-fire deal had been reached to end the deadliest fighting between the two sides since a 2014 war. The escalation had killed 25 on the Gaza side, both militants and civilians, while on the Israeli side … Read More
RAMAT GAN, Israel (AP) — Under a fluorescent light, an archivist from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial snaps photos and scans into her mobile database the last remnant that a pair of elderly siblings have of their long-lost father — a 1943 postcard Samuel Akerman tossed in desperation out of the deportation train hurtling him toward his demise in the … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s winner of last year’s Eurovision song contest said Monday there was no place for boycott calls of this year’s competition in Tel Aviv, saying that to snub such a popular world event celebrating diversity would be akin to “spreading darkness.” Noting Israel’s upcoming annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, pop icon Netta Barzilai reminded a group of foreign … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — A long-hidden trove of unpublished works by Franz Kafka could soon be revealed following a decade-long battle over his literary estate that has drawn comparisons to some of his surreal tales. A district court in Zurich upheld Israeli verdicts in the case last week, ruling that several safe deposit boxes in the Swiss city could be opened … Read More
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival has conceded defeat clearing the way for Netanyahu to enter a historic 5th term at leader of Israel. AP Correspondent Aron Heller explains from central Israel. [url href=”https://www.aronheller.com/articles/netanyahu-appears-headed-toward-re-election-in-israeli-vote/”] [url href=”https://youtu.be/w75Cv45KxmE/” content=”Watch the Video” target=external]