By: Ze'ev Kainan
47
–

Song of the Lonely Poet // Yemima Hovav

Cowed by his reputation as Jewish national poet, Hayim Nahman Bialik’s personal life was much less tempestuous than some might have preferred. Was it lack of passion that dried up the wellspring of his muse, or did he just have more important things to do?

 –

Esther – the Persian Version // Thamar Eilam Gindin

Is the story of Esther a myth, or were its dramatic heroes and villains real people on the stage of Persian history? Iranian sources paint a complex but fascinating picture, which could – like the book of Esther – go either way

–

Divinely Plagued // Yaakov Ben-Ze’ev

Was the Black Plague a natural phenomenon or an act of God? Hints left by a medieval Jewish scribe in the margin of his haggada lead to a treatise on miracles and an epiphany at his plague-ridden daughter’s deathbed

–

Unsung Heroes // Avi Picard

When North African Jewish immigrants flooded the young State of Israel, some saw them as a burden, others as a gift to the country’s under populated regions. The newcomers themselves wondered how they’d ended up in the back of the beyond

–

Tale of a Trail

Kfar Hasidim // Tamar Hayardeni

Who exactly were the Hasidic devotees who gave Kfar Hasidim its name? What led them to leave Poland and settle beside the secular Zionist farmers of Nahalal? A Hasidic tale from the Zebulun Valley

–

From the Archives

Coming Home // Hila Cohen

Saved from the Holocaust by non-Jewish families, many children were returned to a Jewish environment thanks to the enormous efforts of Jewish organizations. Two photo albums tell the story

–

Portrait of a People

‘Self Portrait with Jewish Identity Card’ by Felix Nussbaum // Naomi Samuel