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Issue 55 | December 2020

Articles

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 Can m

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 been arou

Babylonian Deluge – Flood Myths

Uri Gabbay

The myth of a flood destroying mankind recurs time and again in ancient Near Eastern cultures – but without the biblical emphasis on divine justice and retribution Uri Gabbay George Smith, a low-level assistant in the Western As

Columns

Book Review | Next Year in Marienbad

Yemima Hovav

Resorts are a world unto themselves, with their own mores and culture. In the 19th century, the spa towns of western Bohemia were patronized largely by Jews from all over Europe, creating a transient, highly diverse community Yemima Hovav

Quick Looks at Books

Sara Jo Ben-Zvi

Ani Maamin | Walter Kaufmann | Hannah’s War  Sara Jo Ben-Zvi Ani Maamin: Biblical Criticism, Historical Truth, and the Thirteen Principles of Faith Joshu

Hebrew Hum | One Cup of Water

Anat Hoffman

Sieges make us think of medieval walled cities, but elderly Jerusalemites still remember the siege they lived through during the War of Independence – and may still retain some of the habits it engrained. A cheerful song about tough times 

From the Archives | Too Much of a Good Thing

Yochai Ben-Ghedalia

Jews have always prayed for rain, but those in northern Italy suffered from too much rather than too little, inspiring prayers for protection from flooding Yochai Ben-Ghedalia The Mishnaic tractate Ta’anit (Fasting) devotes exte

Portrait of a People | Westward Ho!

Naomi Samuel

Naomi Samuel Courtesy of the Library of Congress Rio Grande (Colorado River)Oil on canvas51 x 76 cmColo