Shachar

Dateline Jerusalem -- It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. In the 1950s, soon after becoming a state, Israel went through a period of austerity. It took several months to several years before getting a telephone in the home. Party lines not only meant sharing a phone line with a neighbor, but people standing in line to use phones at businesses and on street corners. Some towns had no phones. Most of the country had gas-flamed burners on their stove tops but no ovens. Trying to bake without an oven was difficult. Necessity led to the Israeli invention of the ...

Dateline Jerusalem – I always seem to be saying "It is that time of year again." The words "Next year in Jerusalem" will be said next week at seder tables throughout the world.

Dateline Jerusalem -- Statistics fascinate me. Facts about Israel and my town of Rehovot intrigue me, especially when they are described by superlatives like "best," "most," greatest," "highest," "largest," and words like "first" and "only." This essay is dedicated to the uniqueness of Israel.

Dateline Jerusalem -- Springtime in Israel officially begins next week, but we have been enjoying it all winter. Israel's spring season this year begins on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the beginning of the month of Nissan in the Hebrew calendar, or April 1, according to the Gregorian calendar. We make a blessing on seeing ...

Dateline Jerusalem -- The calm before the storm. Literally and figuratively. A few days ago, the temperatures were in the high 80s. Air conditioners blew cold air 24/7. Now heaters blast warm air as Israel's skies open up with non-stop rain, lightning and thunder. The sudden change from calm to storm in both weather and international relations makes the perfect backdrop for this week's essay.

Dateline Jerusalem -- I finally feel like an Israeli. This summer, G-d willing, will be my seventh anniversary living in Israel. I might never become fluent in Hebrew, but my understanding of the language is coming along. The problem is, I only understand Hebrew when an American speaks it. My reading recognition of words has vastly improved. I am comfortable ...

Dateline Jerusalem -- Once in a while I am reminded that the peace I enjoy living in Israel can be fleeting. This week I heard the loud ascending and descending scream of air raid sirens for 90 seconds as Israel experienced the start of its annual national war emergency preparedness drill. The sound is quite distinctive from the continuous single siren heard on Holocaust Remembrance Day and on Remembrance Day, Israel's Memorial Day.

Dateline Jerusalem – For me, no city is as beautiful as Jerusalem. All I could see was a panorama of white glistening Jerusalem stone buildings against a deeply blue sky as my bus climbed the hill approaching the entrance to the city. Blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag. Jerusalem stone is a limestone ranging from white to beige to pinkish in color that has been used in construction of Jerusalem buildings since ancient times. The city is unique in that ...

Dateline Jerusalem – I am fascinated by trivia of every kind. Of course the trivia about Israel is especially interesting to me. I often write about the inventions and discoveries of Israelis, but this week I will describe facts unique to the country.

Dateline Jerusalem – I love to celebrate holidays, birthdays, special days every day. One of the benefits of having dual citizenship is that I can observe these days on both Israel's Hebrew calendar and the Gregorian calendar used in the U.S. The Hebrew calendar is based on a lunar/solar cycle while the Gregorian calendar is on a solar cycle. Sometimes it seems every day is...