By RUTHIE BLUM (JNS) – Dozens of the 1,100 Israeli backpackers airlifted from Peru a few days ago threw a hissy fit upon landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Though greeted graciously by ground crew, the exhausted 20-somethings, who had begged the government to rescue them from their treks in South America when they were unable to find flights back home before […]

By MARCY OSTER JERUSALEM (JTA) – Figuring “the end of the world is near” because of the coronavirus, an Israeli man is trying to make amends by returning an archaeological artifact he took 15 years ago. It was a 2,000-year-old ballista stone, ancient ammunition, that he removed from the Jerusalem Walls National Park in the City of David 15 years […]

By GABE FRIEDMAN NEW YORK CITY(JTA) – Imagine being trapped inside a luxurious house, blissfully unaware of any news happening in the world outside, during this moment of international crisis. Well, that’s part of the premise of the long-running reality show “Big Brother,” in which a group of contestants are surveilled with an array of cameras and are only allowed […]

By MAYTAL YASUR BEIT-OR and JNS staff (Israel Hayom via JNS) – Israel’s Health Ministry said on Sunday, March 22, that Israelis diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus has risen to 945, 20 of whom are in serious condition. According to the ministry, the majority of cases (863) are mild, 24 are moderate, and 37 people have recovered. Over the weekend, […]

By RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) – Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have much in common when it comes to policy and style. They stand together in recommending tough action to contain Iran, and are comfortable dealing with autocracies (Saudi Arabia) and increasingly nationalist democracies (Hungary, India). Netanyahu has fervently embraced idioms identified with Trump, like “fake news” and “deep state.” […]

(JNS) – Israeli doctors are giving webinars to quarantined COVID-19 patients in China and elsewhere in a project organized by Innonation, an Israeli innovation platform for international collaboration. Innonation is working with 100 volunteering Israeli doctors to provide a series of interactive video broadcasts on various medical areas related to the coronavirus, including children; how to maintain proper hygiene and […]

Tel Aviv – As the coronavirus outbreak restricts daily life in Israel, the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation announced that it is offering online lectures and Facebook Live sessions for the whole family, featuring some of the very best minds in Israeli innovation. The lecture series, which will be in Hebrew, begins with Kfir Damari, the Co-Founder of SpaceIL, […]

(JNS) – American singer Lionel Richie performed his first concert in Israel recently at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena. The “All Night Long” singer, who began his 90-minute show an hour-and-a-half earlier than originally announced to avoid a conflict with Israel’s third election day in a year, told the audience that he was happy to finally be in Israel. “My […]

DC Report By Douglas Bloomfield A cornerstone of Israel’s support in America stands on the values it shares with this country, starting with its vibrant democracy. Nowhere in the entire Middle East has there been anything like it. The Jewish state was the only place where Arabs could vote in free and fair elections, enjoy freedom of speech and equal […]

“This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public health—and public health precedes everything,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (JNS) – Israel made the unprecedented move to require all incoming arrivals, including Israeli citizens, to enter a mandatory 14-day quarantine as a result of the coronavirus. Netanyahu To The Fore “After a day of complex discussions, […]