Rising Star, the licensed “Idol” TV singing contest on Israel Channel 2, has made stars of young men and women, guest workers, settlers, Arab-Israelis, Jewish Israelis, and now two...
Turning Rambam & Solomon Schechter Into Fictional Characters
Obama’s latest directive on Iran; Paula Abdul’s bat mitzvah in Israel; a new film in Yiddish, “The Pin,” opens in NY and LA; the doors of the Cairo Geniza come to NY;...
Thanksgivukah or Thanksgivukkah? Overplayed?
Heeb is already post-Thanksgivukah and senses it is overplayed. Other media are using the coincidental dates to generate interest and revenue. And most readers are not paying attention. But for those...
Chaya Lester, Babel’s Daughter and the Shalev Center
This is another in a series that I am writing about Nachlaot. Chaya Lester runs the Shalev Center with her husband Hillel. She was born in Memphis Tennessee in 1974 and likes to tell stories about...
Pitying the Picture Editor
Pretend you are the picture editor. Which pic of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israel’s P.M. Binyamin Netanyahu do you select? The Wall Street Journal led its front page with the dour...
Huge Trove of Nazi Looted Art Revealed
Nearly two years ago, German Customs officers raided the Munich, Schwabing district apartment of 79 year old Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-confiscated Art collector and found over 1,401...
My Kosher Chicken is Cleaner, Right?
Many American thirteen year old Jewish boys and girls visit Israel with their families and return home with an energized sense of Jewish and Zionist identities. Jack Millman, a student at the...
Where do we go from here?
Do what makes you happy, they say. But what if you don’t know how to turn that into a career? What if you haven’t found your passion and are unsure how to begin? College and career...
In Pursuit of Light, Liberty & Latkes
You’ve heard of the 10 Days of Xmas? How about the 21 Days of Thanksgivukkah? In honor of the five-year anniversary of my first book, Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide For Every Member of the Tribe...
Achdut Yisrael Synagogue Nachlaot
This is another in a series that I am writing about Nachlaot. Achdut Yisarel synagogue is located in an old orphanage complex that runs between Aggripas and Yafo streets right near the Clal building...