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Jul 3, 2026, 7:11 PM

Dear Olim, explore more of Israel

We all love the beaches of Tel Aviv. We enjoy walking through Shuk Ha Carmel and the Levinsky Market, and few things are better than sitting at one of the city's many cafés with a good cup of coffee,...

Jun 27, 2026, 12:28 PM

Life In The South: Last Week In Merhavim

The view from the English room in Merhavim Elementary school, my photo

Last Tuesday was my last day teaching in Merhavim, but unfortunately, as has happened so many times over the last month, my lessons were cancelled. As I was leaving, I saw a group of sixth graders on the stage...

Jun 21, 2026, 6:15 PM

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love K-Dramas

My daughter kept plugging a Korean historical drama on Netflix about a cooking competition, and I couldn’t understand the appeal. I’m a reader, and not much of a cook. Why would I waste time on a fantasy cooking show in...

Sam Lehman-Wilzig

Jun 19, 2026, 9:55 AM

Independence or Out-Dependents? The Fall of Israeli Sovereignty

The State of Israel came into being for one central reason: ensuring that Jews, through their own elected government, are in control of their lives and destiny. Sadly, such “sovereignty” has lately suffered from significant erosion – and not...

Jun 18, 2026, 10:14 PM

From Miriam’s Well to Resilient Zionism: Financing Israel’s Next Stage

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock review development plans during a recent strategic tour of the Negev region.

This week in Israel, we read Parshat Chukat, which records Miriam’s death in a single, almost understated verse: “Miriam died there and was buried there.” Immediately afterward, the Torah tells us that the people had no water. The Midrash...

Jun 2, 2026, 3:16 PM

From Tourists to Inhabitants: The Negev’s New-Old Wine Story

Last month something quietly remarkable happened: the Negev was officially recognized as a protected Geographical Indication — effectively an appellation — for wine. It is the kind of development that passes unnoticed amid war, politics, grief and the endless stream...

May 20, 2026, 3:46 PM

Standing at Sinai, Building in the Negev

Following my previous piece, “From Exodus to Leviticus: Community Building in the Negev”, I find myself continuing to reflect on a question that sits at the heart of the Yachad journey: before building a physical settlement, how do we...

May 5, 2026, 6:56 PM

From Community to Capital: Building Resilient Zionism Over Time

In my previous reflections, I began to describe something I didn’t set out to define—a way of thinking about what I was seeing in and around the Yachad community. Yachad is an initiative focused on establishing a diverse, values-driven...

Mar 19, 2026, 9:48 PM

From Exodus to Leviticus: Community Building in the Negev

This week, we enter the Sefer Yayikra (Book of Leviticus) — and with it, one of the Torah’s most striking transitions. The dramatic narrative energy of Sefer Shemot (Book of Exodus) gives way to something quieter and more demanding. The...

Michelle Stravitz

Mar 12, 2026, 4:33 AM

Hiking Israel: The Journey of the Queens of the Trail

I just returned from Eretz Yisrael and Year 9 of an annual women’s hike on Shvil Yisrael. (And yes, that also means I was in Israel during the Iran missile attacks, but thankfully I was able to make it...

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