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Oct 30, 2022, 3:48 PM

What Do Religious Zionists Believe?

It isn’t only Religious Zionist voters who have to make ideological decisions this election season. But we do seem to find ourselves at a fateful crossroads. Consider the following three choices: Choice 1 A - Is democracy an obstacle in the...

Jul 15, 2021, 1:13 PM

Tales of Our Homeland #17: Two Narratives

Two Narratives: Notes By narratives here we mean the interpretation of historical data into a particular story. Individuals can choose which narrative better suits their worldview. In doing so, they will inevitably emphasize some facts and minimize others. Often, conversation across a narrative...

Mar 3, 2021, 6:38 PM

Tales of our homeland #16: Elections!

Notes and further reading: This is intended as a very basic primer for those who want to understand the process from Israeli elections to the forming of a government. You can find more details and information on the Foreign Ministry’s website. Current...

Jan 31, 2021, 9:13 AM

Tales of our Homeland #15: Golda Meir: Secret Diplomat

Notes and further reading: This is a well known incident. Details vary in different recountings, (like the exact wording used) but the basic elements are agreed upon. Perspectives differ on the context of the story. The two meetings between Golda and Abdullah are...

Jan 18, 2021, 12:21 PM

Tales of our Homeland #14: To My Land

Colors by Ari Levine Notes and further reading: Rachel the Poet holds a place of honor in Israeli history and culture. She was a pioneering kibbutznik, and is remembered as the first female poet of modern Hebrew. We are presenting our translation...

Jan 10, 2021, 12:03 PM

Tales of our Homeland #12 & 13: Young Jabotinsky at the 6th Zionist Congress

Parts 1 & 2!!!! Notes and further reading: This event is described in Jabotinsky’s autobiography, published in 1936. There are historians who claim that this event must have been made up by Jabotinsky. This is partially based on the fact that Herzl’s...

Dec 13, 2020, 1:52 PM

Tales of our Homeland #11: Dentures Without Borders

Notes and further reading: This is a tale favored by tour guides when explaining the difficulty of life in divided Jerusalem, where even a silly mishap could create an international incident. Both Zvi and Mike have often heard the story...

Nov 10, 2020, 11:38 AM

Tales of our Homeland #10: A.D. Gordon: The Secular Mystic

Notes and further reading from the writer: A.D. Gordon completely transformed himself in middle age. He came out of nowhere to inspire his fellow chalutzim and infuse labor Zionism with a mystical fervor. His essays are somewhat hard to find,...

Oct 28, 2020, 1:52 PM

Tales of our Homeland #9: The New Ghetto

Notes for further study from Michael Unterberg: Herzl was a prolific author, best known for his pamphlet “Der Judenstaat” and novel “Altneuland”. This lesser work, “Das Neue Ghetto” is worthy of attention as his last Jewish but pre-Zionistic creation. In fact, he wrote it...

Oct 15, 2020, 1:49 PM

Tales of our Homeland #8: The Case of the Explosive Jam

Notes and Suggestions for further reading: The prison break from Acre (Akko) prison is a well documented event in Israel’s history. A fictionalized version appears in Leon Uris’ novel Exodus, and the movie as well. This particular anecdote demonstrates the quick thinking, courage...

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About Me

Rabbi Michael Unterberg is an Israel Educator. He is a very proud father and grandfather, and lives in Efrat.

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