December 19, 2025 Lighthearted Hanukkah: Jokes and advice from Jews around the world By Barbara Sofer Last month, I wrote about the disappearance of my sense of humor. Two years of war, nonsensical accusations against the State of Israel, and rising antisemitism had dampened by spirits. I just couldn’t find anything funny. So, I asked you, dear […]
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December 5, 2025 Third age: To tell or not to tell, that is the question – opinion By Barbara Sofer My late and beloved mother refused to use an Israeli senior citizen bus card when she was way over the age to qualify. When I asked her why, she shrugged, “No one needs to know
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November 28, 2025 Zichron Yaakov’s new Gordonia hotel offers deluxe rooms, pools, and panoramic views – review By Barbara Sofer A brand new lavish hotel has, excitingly, sprung up in Zichron Yaakov, on the Carmel Coast, on the west side of the city, overlooking the verdant mountain coastline. It’s spacious, modern, with an exhilarating sea view from every bed in every
November 7, 2025 ‘Heroines! Songs & Soliloquies for the Soul’: A new musical on Israeli heroines – review By Barbara Sofer In the new musical Heroines! Songs & Soliloquies for the Soul, the 10-woman cast on the stage harmonizes in a song titled “How Does One Remember?” Two years after the Oct. 7 massacre, how are
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Sept 19, 2025 Builders of Jerusalem award highlights Hadassah’s impact – opinion By Barbara Sofer Call it a busman’s holiday. On a beach vacation, I find myself reading Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream, by Francine Klagsbrun (Yale University Press, 2024). As much as I’ve read about Szold (I even put on a one-woman play
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Sept 5, 2025 Should Israelis think twice before visiting Europe? – opinion By Barbara Sofer The first question our friends asked about our vacation in Italy wasn’t how the weather was. They wanted to know how we fared in Europe at this time of protests. Had anyone shouted at us or even attacked us? On
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Aug 22, 2025 Facing the grisly truth: How teeth help identify the victims of Oct. 7 – opinion By Barbara Sofer On the final day of the recent Hadassah Hope and Healing national conference in Aventura, Florida, three Israeli doctors were scheduled to speak a final time, also giving the audience of 500 mostly women a chance
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July 18, 2025 Eytan Gittler: The lone soldier saving Israeli civilians under Iran missile fire By Barbara Sofer “My American English came in handy,” says Eytan Gittler, 29, a young man who grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He’s at our shared workplace, Hadassah’s offices in the Jerusalem Ein Kerem hospital, where he is
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July 4, 2025 Generations of resilience: A family’s Shabbat after Operation Rising Lion – opinion By Barbara Sofer The Shabbat after Operation Rising – roaring – Lion, we are celebrating a family gathering at our home in Jerusalem. Our teenage grandchildren from around the country are at the Shabbat table. They’re delighted to see one another.
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June 22, 2025 An existential war: Operation Rising Lion and memories of the Gulf War – comment By Barbara Sofer Thursday, June 12, 2025, was a big night in the Jerusalem Pais Arena. Our city’s beloved Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem basketball team faced arch-rivals Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv at home. Some 11,000 keyed-up fans arrived
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