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Pools and Palaces // Eyal Regev

Did the later Hasmoneans really become Hellenized, as many have theorized? Or were they like their palaces – Hellenist on the outside but Jewish within? The Hasmoneans were among the first to struggle to forge a distinctively Jewish ethnic identity

Full Circle // Amit Assis

Though nostalgically associated with Israel’s early days, the hora was originally neither socialist nor Jewish. So how did this folk dance become synonymous with young Zionists circling under a starry sky?

The Case of the Missing Money Changers // Yemima Hovav

A Jewish money changer disappears one fine day in Hamburg, never to be heard of again. Three years later, another one vanishes. Only one woman connected the two events and dared to seek justice

Gefilte Jazz // Ari Ktorza

The cultural meld of Jews and blacks working together in show business gave rise to a new style of American music. Captivated by black sounds and rhythms, composer George Gershwin interwove classical motifs and popular melodies into a black and white razzmatazz of jazz

Hot off the Press – Quick looks at books // Elka Weber

Tale of a Trail

Kibbutz Tirat Zvi // Tamar Hayardeni

From the Archives

Not Crying for Argentina // Denise Rein

Which Syrian Jews begging to resettle in Argentina intended to stay there, and which just wanted out of Syria? The answers lie in the welfare organizations’ archives

History Live

Yitzhak Ganuz // Tehila Bigman

Ruins Revisited

Samaria (Sebastia) // Assaf Avraham

Portrait of a People

Self-Portrait by Salomon Adler // Naomi Samuel