Related Blog Posts on Israeli Arts and Culture

an image of a group of Arab and Jewish women in the film Cinema Sabaya
Film

Cinema Sabaya: Women Finding Themselves Behind the Camera

Wes Hopper
 January 30, 2023
Both Arab and Jewish, young and old, the women of "Cinema Sabaya" learn about much more than filmmaking during the class; they discover that their differences are far outweighed by their bonds as women making their way in a patriarchal world.
table full of Mediterranean food
Experiencing Israel

Film Review: Breaking Bread

Wes Hopper
 January 25, 2022
It's rare to find a documentary set in the Middle East that isn't mired in politics and discord. Rarer still is one bathed in the kind of optimism and goodwill found in Beth Elise Hawk's new film, Breaking Bread. An inside look at a three-day food festival in Haifa, Israel, pairing Israeli and Muslim Arab chefs, Breaking Bread pursues peace through the power of creating top-notch cuisine.
Promotional poster for the Netflix show Shtisel
Arts and Culture

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family

Rabbi Sharon G. Forman
 April 13, 2021
Sometimes the acting ends in joy and other times the results are devastating. Ultimately, the writers and actors draw us into their stories so that we cannot deny that art can elicit understanding, peace, and even deep love.
Professional close up portrait of the author and his wife in the 1970s
Israel Travel

A Jerusalem Love Story

Aron Hirt-Manheimer
 February 9, 2021
It has been almost 50 years since I met my wife Judy in Jerusalem. She came into my life like the Sabbath queen about to enter the synagogue, with everyone rising and turning toward the door to welcome her in.
Black and white image of a group of smiling children beneath a small tent in a desert setting
Israel

Here's What It Was Like to Grow Up on a Kibbutz

Aron Hirt-Manheimer
 July 7, 2020

What was it like to grow up in a communal children’s house on an Israeli kibbutz? Rachel Biale was born in 1952 and raised on Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, overlooking the Jordan River. She is the author of the new memoir Growing Up Below Sea Level: A Kibbutz Childhood.