Thousands attend funeral for leader of haredi Lithuanian sect

Thousands attended the funeral for Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, leader of the haredi Lithuanian community, who died at the age of 100. Edelstein was spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah political faction and head of the Ponovezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak. Prof. Benjamin Brown, of the Dept. of Jewish Though…

Ancient and modern meet at renewed Tower of David Jerusalem museum

After a decade of planning  and three years of construction, the newly renovated Tower of David Jerusalem Museum has opened. The 50 million dollar renewal and conservation project in the ancient citadel brings together ancient and modern, with technology and original artifacts integrated to tell th…

Vandalism and crime strike Israeli farmers hard

Farmers across Israel are suffering from increased violence, theft and vandalism. Most recently, vandals torched the hay barn of a dairy farmer in moshav Nahalal in the Jezereel valley, burning over a million shekels worth of straw and other feed. The organization HaShomer HaHadash aids farmers pro…

Interest rate hikes further strain mortgage holders

The Bank of Israel's recent interest rate hike -- it's 10th, in the central bank's bid to curb inflation -- has put more strain on mortgage holders as their monthly payments continue to climb. Independent mortgage broker Ross Levin told KAN's Naomi Segal that borrowers can consider refinancing thei…

Jerusalem's first whisky festival May 17/18

The first Jerusalem whiskey festival is taking place in the capital this week. Set for May 17 and 18, Wednesday and Thursday evening, at the Ticho house in downtown Jerusalem, the whiskey festival will have both distilleries from abroad as well as a handful of Israeli distilleries. We spoke with th…

Unity of resistance not seen in latest conflict with Islamic Jihad

Looking at the current round of fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad highlights the effect of attempts being led by Iran to unify fronts against Israel. The Shiite Iran has been backing Islamic Jihad, unlike Hamas, as part of its unity of resistance to surround Israel by a ring of fire and…

Hotline for anxiety in English and other languages at *3201

Living in Israel can be trying and anxious at times, particularly during security tensions and terrorist attacks. The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption together with the NGO Eran has opened a hotline for immigrants. The slogan is: If you are feeling overwhelmed, lonely or lost, you are not alo…

Israel to consider memorializing Diaspora Jews killed in antisemitic attacks abroad

The Israeli government has voted to form a committee to consider formally honoring the memories of Diaspora Jews who have been murdered in antisemitic attacks abroad, as it currently does for people killed in terror attacks or war in Israel. The initiative is being led by the Ruderman Family Founda…

Expert: covid pandemic may be over, but virus will always be around

The World Health Organization has declared that the Covid-19 virus is no longer a pandemic and ended more than three years of international emergency. Prof. Cyril Cohen, head of the laboratory of immunotherapy at Bar Ilan University and a member of the advisory committee for clinical trials on the …

Mt. Meron celebrations are more paganistic than Jewish

Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of mostly ultra-orthodox Jews will ascend to Mt. Meron in the Galilee to mark the traditional Lag B’Omer celebrations. Gathering on a mountaintop, lighting fires, worshipping over the graves of dead holymen, appears almost paganistic in nature. Amot…