On kibbutz, secular seders stray from tradition

Published on March 14, 2013

The families surround long tables covered by white tablecloths. Festive decorations line the walls, and the kitchen is free of chametz, the leavened foods forbidden on Passover. Seder plates sit in front of hungry participants.

Romney: U.S. ‘not a kibbutz’

Published on August 8, 2012

America is not a kibbutz, Mitt Romney said in a bid to underscore his commitment to individual liberties.

Preserving volunteerism in Israel

Published on August 7, 2012

“Ask Israelis who have never seen a kibbutz before in their lives and who know nothing about the movement,” remarks Aya Sagi, director of the Volunteer Department at the Kibbutz Movement Program Center. “They at least know about the volunteers and are nostalgic.”

Documentary traces changes in kibbutz life

By Tom Tugend
Published on May 23, 2012

Back in the 1930s and ’40s, when Diaspora Jews desperately needed a symbol of Jewish strength and pride, the brawny, sunburned kibbutznik became the poster image for the new Jew emerging in Palestine.

Everything Is Personal Here in the Middle East

By Rabbi John Rosove
Published on February 13, 2012

A Kibbutz State of Mind

By Masa Israel Journey
Published on January 26, 2012

Israel at its best

By Rabbi John Rosove
Published on December 5, 2011

Forgive Me For Not Joining Mubarak’s Going-Away Party

By Sarah Tuttle-Singer
Published on February 12, 2011

Newsflash:  My Boobies are not Magical

By Sarah Tuttle-Singer
Published on January 19, 2011

A long time ago, in a kibbutz far away . . .

Published on November 19, 2008

Yoav was my kibbutz brother, secular and an ardent Zionist. He had an encyclopedic mind that could recite in detail kibbutz history, lore and socialist ideology. Today, Yoav is an equally intense, knowledgeable and ideological Charedi guy living in the Midwest. He recently offered to pay me money for introducing him to the woman he married more than 25 years ago.

What’s so good about Israel? Let me tell you!

Published on July 16, 2008

Whether it is the imprint of the Israel Defense Forces' unit cohesion, the Jewish sense of a shared destiny or the remnants of a socialist system, Israelis strongly -- and genuinely -- care about each other. It's simply lovely to know there is always someone who'll be there to help you out and that you're never truly alone

Leading . . .  by pulling back

By Amy Klein
Published on April 17, 2008

When Lori Schneide was 16 years old, she lived in India for the summer.

"I had this deep impression of calling," she said. "There's something we all can humbly contribute."

Labor Zionist ideals live on at Gilboa

By Julie G Fax
Published on December 13, 2007

In real life, Leo Goldberg doesn't dance and sing.

But at Camp Gilboa, where he's spent summers for the past 9 years, Leo Goldberg dances. And he sings. A lot -- and loudly.

TV: Suze Orman isn’t all about the money—she has a spiritual side, too

By Elissa Strauss
Published on November 1, 2007

Despite the fact that Orman has not been associated with Judaism in any traditional sense for decades, this search for purpose continues to inform her work. She says she is still a spiritually inquisitive person and that she has never stopped contemplating the concept of God.

‘Secular Yeshiva’ answers young Israelis’ questions

By Dina Kraft
Published on October 26, 2006

The goal is to give young, secular Israelis an education that will show them that they too have a rich culture to tap into and explore.

Chipping Away at Israel Support Endangers U.S.

By Joe R. Hicks
Published on August 17, 2006

Is this simply Israel's war to win or lose?

Muddy the Body, Cleanse the Soul

By Soriya Daniels
Published on March 16, 2006

Visitors to Israel are often looking for a spiritual uplift, and one of the country's best-kept secrets for achieving that transcendent state is not found in Jerusalem's Old City. Perhaps it is the oxygen-rich air coupled with the high-concentration of relaxing bromide. Or maybe it's the lure of natural therapeutic essences in the surroundings of scenic beauty. Simply put, there is no better place to unwind and rejuvenate than in Ein Gedi country.

Menorah on the Mountain

By Bill Slott
Published on December 29, 2005

Kibbutz Ketura, in the south of Israel, is a small, quiet agricultural settlement, with a rich tradition of community celebration.

Fox Takes ‘Walk’ Down Provocative Path

By Tom Tugend
Published on February 24, 2005

Israeli director Eytan Fox makes films that open on a rousing patriotic note of rugged Israelis battling the enemy, before gradually exposing the chinks in his country's macho culture.

Naomi Shemer, Israeli Folk Musician, Dies at 74

By Dan Baron
Published on July 1, 2004

It was a sign of folk singer Naomi Shemer's importance to Israel's national psyche that her death relegated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the inside pages of the nation's newspapers.

Aliyah Perspectives

By Amy Klein
Published on May 8, 2003

From Los Angeles, Israel is 20 hours away by plane and 10 hours ahead on the clock; it's also a world apart.

California Kibbutz

By Michael Aushenker
Published on June 20, 2002

This is not Kibbutz Ein-Hashofet or Kibbutz Nahsholim in Israel. It's Malibu, Calif., at Camp JCA Shalom, and these "kibbutzniks" are not even Jewish.

And They’re Off

Published on June 18, 1998

First they made the desert bloom. Now they want tomake it pay eight-to-one in the fifth.