Divya Malhotra, at The Blogs

Divya Malhotra

Jan 13, 2026, 11:05 AM

Kugel and the Quiet Power of Jewish Storytelling

Source: Adobe Stock
https://stock.adobe.com/in/search?k=haredi&asset_id=1184365431

In 2015, during my first trip to Jerusalem as a young Indian PhD student studying Israel, I tasted kugel for the first time. My generous host insisted. It arrived warm, dense, unfamiliar; a dish shaped by traditions I barely understood...

Aug 1, 2024, 10:39 AM

Israel’s Semiconductor Revolution and China factor

Divya Malhotra and Balasubramanian C Israel has been at the heart of the semiconductor Research and Development ecosystem since the 1970s. In 1963, American engineer Charlie Sporck started outsourcing semiconductor chip production to Hong Kong. This had two consequences: most US...

Oct 8, 2023, 10:49 PM

‘State of War’ & Israel’s Economy

Source: Times of Israel (2023) and Ohad Zwigenberg (AP 2023)

Israel is officially "at war" and a sense of Déjà vu has engulfed the country. As Jewish people celebrated the festivities of Simchat Torah, an important Jewish Holiday, the Palestinian militant group - Hamas carried out an unprecedented surprise...

Mar 13, 2020, 5:56 AM

Covid-19 and the Delusion of Reprieve

When Viktor E Frankl came up with the term "delusion of reprieve" in his famous book Man's Search for Meaning, he was referring to the Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who remained hopeful that they will be lucky...

Jan 11, 2020, 7:54 PM

Iranian Jewry and the dilemma of belonging

The death of Gen Qasem Soleimani has marked a bitter and disturbing beginning of a new decade for the Middle East. The ensuing chain of events, including exchange of threats and missiles between Washington and Tehran, has created a...

Sep 27, 2019, 1:52 PM

Shalom Yoga: Israeli culture of Yoga and Indian Saga

After over 70 years of its existence, Israel comes across as a cultural symphony to a usual traveler. For a tourist, the country has a beautiful myriad of landscapes to offer. But Israel could never break free from the...

Sep 17, 2019, 10:35 PM

The Flavour of Israel: Oscillating Between East and West

In July this year, it was my third trip to Israel, albeit a different experience. During my previous visits in 2016 and 2018, I stayed close to the vicinity of the universities in Tel Aviv and Beer Sheba where...

Jul 5, 2018, 9:03 PM

A Muslim in Jewish Street: A Holy Encounter

It was a humid Friday afternoon as I was strolling down the Jew Street in Mattancherry, a popular locality in Western Cochin. The streets were quaint and intriguing. The Star of David, swastika signs and hoardings titled Shalom (Hebrew...

May 28, 2018, 2:58 PM

An Indian in the Promised Land

My second visit to Israel, in May this year, was special. I landed on 13 May, a day before the US embassy in Jerusalem was inaugurated. The euphoria was palpable, and as an Indian in Israel I was sure,...

About Me

Divya holds a PhD in Middle East politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and works as a researcher on the geoeconomics and geopolitics of the Middle East.

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