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The Hasidic Track – Hasidic Train Line

Ze’ev Kitsis

Change followed swiftly in the wake of the railway, making the steam engine’s power and speed synonymous with modernity. Yet the ostensibly conservative Hasidic movement eagerly embraced the noisy, crowded carriages of train travel. New...

ArticlesIssue 56 | March 2021

Wagner’s Heir? – Wagner and Hitler

Yehuda Moraly

Can a clear path be sketched from Wagner’s music to Auschwitz? Can one artist’s work shape history? Wagner’s oeuvre was beloved by Hitler and played in the concentration camps, accompanying unspeakable acts of cruelty. But...

ArticlesIssue 48 | July 2019

Old Sparks, New Vessels – Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

Roee Horen

Hasidism’s emergence at the dawn of modernity – and the movement’s subsequent, unprecedented success – can be attributed to Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov’s skillful use of surprising sources to weave innovation into the fabric...

ArticlesIssue 56 | March 2021

The Dark Hours – Medieval Nights

Anat Kutner

Sleep is hardly the stuff of history, yet medievals spent their nights in surprising ways, as rabbinic literature attests. Europe’s long, cold hours of darkness could make even sleeping a challenge. How did Jews cope?...

ArticlesIssue 48 | July 2019

Counting the Hours – Measuring Time

Eshbal Ratzon

Way back when man began marking time, the natural unit of choice was the day. When did people begin breaking days into hours, and why were some hours longer than others? And if an Egyptian,...

ArticlesIssue 52 | April 2020

Zionist History by Numbers – Israeli Immigration

Hizky Shoham

The waves of Jewish immigration to land of Israel in the 19th and early 20th centuries are known as the First Aliya, the Second, and so on. But did these numbers always mean what they...

ArticlesIssue 52 | April 2020

Going with the Flow – Levi Eshkol

Arnon Lammfromm

Arguably Israel’s least charismatic leader, Levi Eshkol nonetheless translated his management and coordination skills into real achievements in agriculture, settlement, and – above all – harnessing the country’s scant water resources Arnon Lammfromm The land...

ArticlesIssue 55 | December 2020

Pure Life – Ancient Ritual Baths

Eyal Regev

Recently discovered ancient mikveh installations suggest that they were used much more than required by Jewish law. What can archaeology teach us about the role of ritual purity in our ancestors’ everyday lives? Eyal Regev...

ArticlesIssue 55 | December 2020

Reaching for the Sky – Water Towers

Tehila Bigman

Water towers have long been one of the most obvious landmarks of Zionist settlements, often becoming a focus of civic pride as well. What made these clumsy-looking utilities local icons? Tehila Bigman Water towers have...

ArticlesIssue 55 | December 2020

Why Is This Passover Different? – Ethiopian Pesach

Sharon Shalom

How does Ethiopian Jewry’s observance of Pesach differ from that of most Jews, and why? Are these differences a function of this community’s historic isolation or a matter of principle? And what can they teach...

20th centuryArticlesEthiopiaEthiopian JewsIssue 76 | March 2026PesachZionism

Building Zion the Bauhaus Way – Zionist Architecture

Tamar HaYardeni

How did the International Style, associated primarily with the Bauhaus school, become the signature look of Zionist construction? Tamar HaYardeni Creating a state isn’t easy. For one thing, it requires a clear understanding of the...

architectureArticlesIssue 60 | February 2022Pre-state of IsraelTel AvivZionism

Articles

The Hasidic Track – Hasidic Train Line

Wagner’s Heir? – Wagner and Hitler

Old Sparks, New Vessels – Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

The Dark Hours – Medieval Nights

Counting the Hours – Measuring Time

Zionist History by Numbers – Israeli Immigration

Going with the Flow – Levi Eshkol

Pure Life – Ancient Ritual Baths

Reaching for the Sky – Water Towers

Why Is This Passover Different? – Ethiopian Pesach

Building Zion the Bauhaus Way – Zionist Architecture

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Articles

The Hasidic Track – Hasidic Train Line

Wagner’s Heir? – Wagner and Hitler

Old Sparks, New Vessels – Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov

The Dark Hours – Medieval Nights

Counting the Hours – Measuring Time

Zionist History by Numbers – Israeli Immigration

Going with the Flow – Levi Eshkol

Pure Life – Ancient Ritual Baths

Reaching for the Sky – Water Towers

Why Is This Passover Different? – Ethiopian Pesach

Building Zion the Bauhaus Way – Zionist Architecture

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