יום ראשון, י״ב אב תשפ״וSunday, July 26, 2026
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Her manner of speaking was that of a person from the charedi world.
How did you view the Nazis during the Holocaust and how do you view them now?
I am representing not myself, but all youth of Sderot.
The thirty-eight year old mother of six, two of whom were adopted, no longer “enjoyed life,” as reported by her grief-stricken neighbors.
The detained letters have become a historical treasure and reveal remarkable insights into the lives of the Jews in the ghettoes of early seventeenth century Prague and Vienna.
In addition to her great fortune, Shari Arison has a great Jewish heart.
“Israel is yours even when you live in the Diaspora.”
When asked how she handles religious questions, she noted that there is a battalion rabbi and she could ask her father.
Two couples from different parts of the country decided to name their newborn daughters in honor of Hadar Cohen.
Her valuable contribution was recognized last July 2015 when she was named "Outstanding Member of Knesset" by the Israel Democracy Institute.
“I want to turn the faucet on and drip the truth to the people,” she says.
Escorting the refugees by ship from Naples, Italy, Ruth Gruber recorded their stories of survival.
She held me in her arms and said, “I’m so happy! You’re Jewish and you’re Israeli, and you are my friend!”
Esther called their marriage "an oasis of unconditional love in a sea of lies and corruption.
Ever since, the tragic tale is told and retold as “Chanah and Her Seven Sons.”
What gives her the strength to carry on, to endure the barely endurable with dignity?
I was stunned not only by her extraordinary sensitivity and caring but by her medical expertise. Who was she?
Three years after she first arrived in Israel, she met a Mossad recruiter who thought she might be right for the organization.
How many of us realize that, surprisingly, it was through this act that woman attains motherhood?
By Orli Katz
Women naturally understand and accept the will of Hashem much more easily than men.
At 104, Steinberg moved into the Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Long Beach, N.Y., where she was known for her warmth and consideration for others.
Their daughter Fiamma inherited the Zionist spirit and talent for writing from her parents.
Orna Porat was a former Christian and a member of the Hitler Youth.
All along, Ariella Barker dreamed of a legal system where justice was tempered with compassion.
In 1939, with life getting harder for Jews, she and several friends decided it was time to make aliyah, and applied at the Palestina Amt for permits.
Who is this wonder woman? Tally Makovsky Eitan is a scion of a family that has lived in Jerusalem for eleven generations!
A new wardrobe is often necessary when a woman goes through a major life transformation.
I work with the Bible in one hand and the tools of excavation in the other.
Her grandsons were eager to reveal their grandmother’s earlier frustration with the unfair, inaccurate narrative of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
The visionary champion of women’s rights in Judaism was first and foremost a devoted wife and mother.
She’s seen as a poster child for The Jewish Home’s efforts to reach beyond its Orthodox base.
This belief was coupled with the spirit of “Am Yisrael HaShalem” (One United People), in the Ben Yehuda household: to love and help all Jews without distinction.
It was Lia van Leer who changed the image of filmmaking in Israel so that it is now seen as an expression of culture and not mere entertainment.
In 1756, when the ominous threat of Islamic terror against Jews reached Tunis as well, Friha became one of its tragic victims.
Gleizer, “a geographer, tour guide and all around nature enthusiast,” was a perfect match for the passionate lover of Israel.
Brigitte was a nine-year-old girl when Islamic militants launched an assault on a Lebanese military base and destroyed her home.
This led to a shouting match between the judges and what could have been the end of the show.
In 1939, Chuchill challenged the common notion that Jewish immigration to Palestine uprooted Arabs
We love the food, the hotels, and even the wildlife. We love the Israelis.
Her cherished plan to take the Hebrew theater group Habimah to Eretz Yisrael was not greeted with enthusiasm by the actors.
She approached Holofernes and, with a sword concealed under her robe, severed his head.
“She devoted all her time and love to the children, but also knew how to be strong and set limits when necessary.”
By Rhona Lewis
"My husband, the visionary, wanted to target people who had never kept Shabbos; I, the realist, asked how they would do it."
"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall divide within you."
In 1939, after her father’s arrest, the family decided to flee to England.
The environment of the “Gymnasia” inspired Chavka to join the Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, (ZOB), the Jewish Fighting Organization, and volunteer for a most precarious, critical task.
Michal had never been away from home. And now, she was going so far away, for so long – an entire year!
She writes intuitively, freely, and only afterwards understands the meaning of what she has written.
“On Sunday I was at the Kotel with the battalion and we said a prayer of thanks. In Gaza there were so many moments of death that I had to thank God that I'm alive. Only then did I realize how frightening it had been there.”
What better proof do we need than the recent war with Hamas in Gaza, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge,” that transformed the pain and suffering of three families into a sense of unparalleled unity and outpouring of love of the entire nation of Israel?
By Debra Rosen
The Rebbetzin began campaigning to increase public awareness of the importance of saying Amen.
“I realized early on how really vulnerable Jews felt around the world,” you said.
You are my brothers and sisters. Your pain is my pain.
As queen of the Maghreb, Aures Damia reigned in peace and prosperity until 702.
It was Mohammed's Jewish friends, who became the first victims of his Jihad.
Israeli feminists have lobbied for permanent places to be reserved for women on the Supreme Court and other positions of power, believing that without such affirmative action parity between the sexes will continue to sadly lag behind, and that women's special quality of compassion would make a vital contribution in settling social issues
Having a young child did not prevent the devoted Zionist couple from involvement in underground activities.
I could not believe my ears. What? The horrible historical event’s survivors are still alive? And here in Netanya?
Each one of us can and should contribute to the community.
Was it the impact of her family history that made this young woman dedicate her life to defending Judaism and extolling the values of its teachings?
Now all the pain, fear and struggle were over and they were home. Yuli was safe and free, a hero returned to his land and people.
Over the years there has been no shortage of reporting about Devorah Halberstam, Ari’s mother. Even in Israel, thousands of miles from the Halberstam home, there have been frequent references in the media to Ari’s mother. Do you know why?
When Hitler entered Prague in March 1939, many Czech Jews managed to escape to Palestine, including Alice’s twin Mariane and her families.
Hannah believed that one must learn about the evils of the past so that they aren’t repeated.
Who is Rachel Azaria? Would you have guessed that this dynamo is a religious, 35-year-old woman, mother of four children, ranging in ages from ten years to eight months?
She wrote about everything in a woman's world, from kids to husbands, and feelings including pain and grief. Writing her book, at least in my opinion, was an incredibly brave statement, one that exposed a truth that must be told.
The relatively young Eitam battalion has become instrumental in IDF Southern Command’s Division 80’s efforts to keep up with the ever-changing security situation in Sinai after the fall of the Mubarak regime – and the entry of terrorist elements to the region.
By Ron Ansel
One way to view a student, or any human being, is as an amalgamation of four components: physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual.
Eishet Chayil is a hymn customarily recited on Friday evenings before sitting down to the Shabbat evening meal. It is a twenty-two verse poem at the conclusion of the book of Mishlei, describing the woman of valor as the ideal wife and mother.
The Nazi officers and their wives were flattered to have the beautiful, poised Arab aristocrat at their parties.
Widow of world-famous nuclear scientist and human rights activist, Dr. Andre Sakharov, and an outstanding activist in her own right, Yelena Bonner was invited to speak of the suffering she endured in Stalinist Russia. Instead, the 86-year-old leader of the Russian human rights movement chose to speak about Israel and the Jews. Why?
Prof. Malka Schaps was born Mary Kramer, a Protestant, in Cleveland, Ohio. When she was sixteen, she started questioning the rationale of moral conduct: Why be good?
The State of Israel has truly reached the age of maturity. For the first time in 65 years a woman was appointed governor of the Bank of Israel.
Shira was a latecomer to Orthodoxy, having grown up in Lawrence, Long Island, where her family and most of the other members of the Orthodox Beth Sholem Congregation were not shomer Shabbos.
“I learned something important early on in my army career: the army will accommodate your religious needs—if you stand up for your rights. To be a frum soldier in the IDF, you need a little chutzpah,” says Fayga Marks, an ultra-Orthodox girl and a veteran Israeli soldier.
“This is a great honor for me to be nominated to the list of ‘young innovators’ of MIT. I hope that it will encourage more Israeli researchers and scholars to study this field, to facilitate the building of an empirical superpower in Israel,” Dr. Kira Radinsky said in response to news of her selection for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2013 list of 35 young innovators, her lovely face radiating delight.
Besides commemorating Israel’s sojourn in the desert, the mitzvah of sukkah has spiritual and educational significance. We are commanded to leave the comforts of our permanent home and move into a hut without routine luxuries, prompting us to reflect upon the spiritual aspects of existence.
By Sandy Eller
There is nothing like three sets of three-day yomim tovim to strike terror in the hearts of meal planners everywhere as they struggle to plan a staggering quantity of delicious, varied and attractive meals for potentially large numbers of people.
Tikkun Olam, “Perfecting the World,” is a central objective in Judaism. A recent best-seller entitled, Activate Your Goodness, focuses on the concept of Tikkun Olam by calling on the readers to be in touch with their innate gifts of kindness and reach out to help others.
Awake, awake! Dress up in your vigor, Zion! Dress up in your garments of glory, Jerusalem, City of holiness... (Isaiah 52:1)
By Sandy Eller
While there is no doubt that a bat mitzvah is an opportunity to celebrate a milestone date in a pre-teen girl's life, much of the emphasis is on the bat, the guest of honor herself. While many soon to be twelve year old girls focus on their clothing, hair, invitations, menu and color scheme, it is refreshing to see how many spend an equal amount of time addressing the mitzvah aspect of this event, by integrating a special project, designed to benefit others, into the festivities.
When I started to speak and my words drowned in tears, it was she who comforted me.
It all started when she graduated from high school. Laura Faiwiszevski, born in West Orange, New Jersey like a number of her schoolmates, planned to spend a year of studying in Israel before entering university. Laura chose “Emuna V’Omanut” (Faith and Art), a program for American students set up by the Emunah Women Organization that focuses on a combination of Torah study and art training — a choice of music or visual arts.
Every vicious anti-Semite has a personal agenda. The anti-Israel assertions of Alice Walker, nationally celebrated feminist author and political activist, in her latest book are much too shrill to pass for your household pro-Arab hate speech.
You planted melodies in me, my mother and my father, Melodies, forgotten hymns. Here I listen to my distant lullaby, Chanted from mother to daughter. Here will sparkle in tears and laughter “Lamentations” and Sabbath tunes. It’s within me that your faraway voices teem. My eyes I’ll close and I am with you Above the darkness of the abyss.
By Pnina Baim
This past Lag B'Omer, we were blessed to make our first upsherin, where we celebrate our son’s first hair cut. It’s a wonderful milestone that mimics the three years that we refrain from plucking a tree’s first fruits and symbolizes the entry of the child into the world of Torah learning. It’s a clear sign to everyone; this boy is no longer a baby.
She was a voice on the telephone, a pleasant, friendly voice: “How can I help you?” I had heard this question in the past five weeks more time than I care to remember. As soon as I explained what my quest was the questioner would switch me to another voice on the telephone, then onto another, and another, without any results. This went on daily ever since we moved to a new apartment and wished to have our landline telephone number reinstated, instead of the temporary one arbitrarily assigned by the company.
An enormous crowd of admirers turned up at her recent funeral. From members of government to those in the arts and sciences, all came to pay their last respects to the beloved author. Minister of Culture Limor Livnat expressed her deep sorrow, and called her "the greatest writer for children and youth in the history of Hebrew literature,” elaborating: “Devora Omer gave unusual expression to values of Zionism and made them an important part of our lives."
It's all over. The orchestra is still, the lights are dimmed. Your simcha outfits hang in your closet, silent witnesses to a time you will treasure in your mind and heart forever.
Moshe Sharett, the head of the Jewish Agency’s Political Department, visited Egypt in 1945. In Cairo he met a most remarkable young woman, a beautiful journalist who was the darling of Egyptian high society - from high-ranking military brass, to culture icons and Muslim sheikhs, to the court of King Faruk.
By Pnina Baim
As I mentioned in my earlier articles about our family trip to Israel, our night flight went pretty smooth, thanks to my children’s willingness to sleep throughout the flight. I, on the other hand, didn’t sleep a wink and I wasn’t feeling too great by the time we landed. But we were finally in Israel, and just being in the beautifully renovated Ben Gurion airport and hearing all the Hebrew around us was exciting enough.
While all the flowers that grace your Shavuos table will surely be a delight to your eye, these will be a delight for your palette as well. Create them at any level, simple or sophisticated; any way you make them they’re sure to be a sensation.
By Sandy Eller
If you have high school aged kids, chances are that very soon you are going to start seeing the warning signs. The pale, nervous faces. The eyes, ringed by dark circles due to lack of sleep. The irritability, tinged with impending hysteria. That's right, finals are coming and your normally moody, unpredictable and volatile teenager is about to become moodier, more unpredictable and volatile beyond belief.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the famous “Iron Lady,” often said that her greatest accomplishment was not her work in helping to topple the Soviet Union or being the first British woman to hold the post of prime minister, but rather her efforts “to save a Jewish teenager in Austria from the grasp of Hitler’s terror.”
By Rhona Lewis
The day after graduating Brandeis University, Sara Yocheved Rigler joined a Vedanta ashram in the woods of eastern Massachusetts. She would never have guessed that the fifteen years she spent there were going to be stepping stones on her path to becoming a world-renowned writer and lecturer on Jewish topics and the initiator behind three programs designed to impact the lives of Jewish women all over the world.
It happens to all of us. I call them “kitchen mishaps” and they can range from the small to large. Sometimes they come in extra small and other times they might be XXL just like our clothes sizes. But as I said, they happen to us all.
“I’m no heroine. I only did what any moral person would do,” Irena Sendler protested with understated modesty. “I simply tried to help the people in need.”
By Pnina Baim
Last month, I discussed our tumuloutous family trip to Israel and the many mistakes and some smart moves we made along the way. Hopefully you can learn from our mistakes and incorporate the lessons we learned in your own family trips.
By Sandy Eller
I know this is supposed to be a consumer column, but let's face it. We have all just spent the last few weeks preparing, cleaning and shopping until our credit cards begged for mercy and our family members have started wondering if Windex is our new signature scent. The last thing anyone wants to be thinking about right now is buying more stuff, making home improvements or otherwise planning ahead.
July 24, 2026 
