Even antiquity had its celebrity culture, with intellectuals chronicling the lives of the famous. The conversion of an entire royal family to Judaism thus fascinated both the sages and Josephus, who recorded the wondrous deeds of Helene, Monbaz, and Izates of Adiabene
Tal Ilan
Joining Forces – Ultra-Orthadox Soliders
Though Israel’s ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students have long been exempt from military service, they weren’t always. In the struggle to secure what became the Jewish state, this camp’s rabbis and public figures were clear that their followers had to fight for Israel’s independence alongside everyone else
Moshe Ehrnvald
Feeding the Heavens – Jewish Birdfeeding Customs
Both Polish and Ethiopian Jews traditionally fed birds at specific times of year, ascribing deep meaning to this practice. Did the custom spread from south to north with the migratory flocks, or was it simply the Jewish imagination that took wing?
Yossi Ziv
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Tale of a Trail | Gihon Spring
Jerusalem’s water supply has been vulnerable to attack since antiquity, prompting ingenious solutions that have long intrigued archaeologists. What made the city’s water source so unusual – and how was it protected from enemies? Tamar...
Tale of a Trail | Nicanor’s Cave
Nestled in the botanical gardens on the Hebrew University’s Mount Scopus campus is a small burial cave dating from the Second Temple period. A century ago, this ancient site briefly came to life Tamar HaYardeni...
Portrait of a People | Tower of Power
Naomi Samuel The Tower of BabelOil on wood panel114 x 155 cmBrussels, 1563Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Pieter Bruegel the Elder1525-1569 Northern RenaissanceA 16th-century movement in which artists north of the Alps adopted and adapted the techniques...
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