Feature
Original feature reporting from JNS, including profiles, current stories and in-depth coverage of the people, communities and issues shaping Jewish life.
Dr. Nadia Khir is honored for changing the face of women’s healthcare in Druze society.
Israeli winemakers hope the designation will boost tourism and encourage the opening of new wineries.
The six-week Marva course combines simulated basic training, field exercises and education.
Noa Arazi’s personal journey inspires a new organization to guide converts worldwide.
From Basque-style creations to classic Israeli dairy cakes, a seven-stop tasting tour showcased the capital’s growing cheesecake culture ahead of the holiday.
Regavim-led visit points to sewage, dumping and construction encroaching on Area C, kilometers from Jewish state’s population centers.
Be’er Shalom Synagogue honors four members of the community’s security team killed on Oct. 7.
Staff Sgt. A., an immigrant from Los Angeles, shares his remarkable journey to the IDF’s Hashmonaim Brigade in Lebanon.
The World Jewish Congress-Israel head says the mission is more vital than ever as antisemitism surges worldwide.
“They choose to leave their comfort zone and do something for the good of Israeli society,” commander says.
The deputy foreign minister talks with JNS about Lebanon, Iran, surging antisemitism and the importance of Africa.
Talking to Michal Herzog at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem, the famous actress shares that being Israeli abroad has become “very complicated.”
The six-week Marva course combines simulated basic training, field exercises and education.
Regavim-led visit points to sewage, dumping and construction encroaching on Area C, kilometers from Jewish state’s population centers.
Be’er Shalom Synagogue honors four members of the community’s security team killed on Oct. 7.
Staff Sgt. A., an immigrant from Los Angeles, shares his remarkable journey to the IDF’s Hashmonaim Brigade in Lebanon.
“They choose to leave their comfort zone and do something for the good of Israeli society,” commander says.
The deputy foreign minister talks with JNS about Lebanon, Iran, surging antisemitism and the importance of Africa.
Transforming battlefield leadership into entrepreneurial innovation, the 18X Elite Impact program has helped soldiers who fought for Israel raise more than $15 million in funding.
‘If it’s yours, take ownership,’ author tells audience at book launch in Gush Etzion.
Golani Brigade social worker Shai Bachar lost 46 friends on Oct. 7, 2023.
KKL–JNF says that its decision to stop support for some of the agricultural holdings has nothing to do with where they’re located in relation to the ‘Green Line.’
“There isn’t a moment that I don’t think of what could have been,” her mother told JNS.
At the summit, Lt. Col. G., of the IDF’s Mountain Brigade, says: “Before Oct. 7, we didn’t operate here.” The next step, the Druze officer hopes, will be to annex his brethren across the Syrian border.
The six-week Marva course combines simulated basic training, field exercises and education.
The World Jewish Congress-Israel head says the mission is more vital than ever as antisemitism surges worldwide.
From Moroccan heritage preservation and Holocaust survivor testimony to contemporary concerns over antisemitism in North America, participants at the March of the Living reflect on legacy, loss and the fight against hatred.
Israeli activist Hen Mazzig explains why Diaspora Jews are undeterred by missiles, but not by antisemitism.
Even as sirens forced participants into shelters, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Brotherhood Mission pressed on with acts of solidarity and support.
“I’m emotional, which is not a bad thing. But there was a time I thought, ‘What would happen if I got married?’ Then I met Danielle and thought she was the one,” Shlomo Meyers told JNS.
On my first day as a volunteer, I dressed in stretchy black clothing, pulled a baseball cap over my head and stuffed a putty knife, a can of spray paint and a bottle of cleaning solution into my backpack.
In an interview with JNS, COO Naomi Kovitz outlines the Yael Foundation’s global vision for Jewish education.
“I want my work to be remembered with one word—schools,” says Yael Foundation co-founder Uri Poliavich.
The community’s after-school program has operated continuously since 1892, focusing on Hebrew, Jewish studies and Norwegian Jewish history.
As antisemitism rises in North America, Club Z founder Masha Merkulova tells JNS that Jewish teens must be equipped long before they reach college.
A fast-growing network rooted in hereditary priestly families is turning ancient roles into modern professional communities, with prayer and hands-on training.
Noa Arazi’s personal journey inspires a new organization to guide converts worldwide.
Be’er Shalom Synagogue honors four members of the community’s security team killed on Oct. 7.
Author Ian Pear explores faith, suffering and morality in a long-developed work he says has a “greater-than-zero chance” of someday becoming a movie.
Recent shows revive a debate that has echoed across Jewish and Christian tradition for millennia.
“He was experimenting with notions of identity well before ‘ethnicity’ came into play,” Jenna Weissman Joselit told JNS. “He was very ahead of his time.”
“Various communities of Jews and Christians imagined their Haman differently from one another, usually unaware that there were other options to consider,” the professor Adam Silverstein told JNS.
Noam Party wants state recognition of Jewish identity, and eligibility under the Law of Return, to be determined by “halachah.”
“It’s not just a display of the scrolls, which of course in and of themselves would be powerful,” but other “wow objects” leave viewers in awe, the museum’s director of exhibits told JNS.
The senator told JNS that the rabbi was “very substantive, but the depth of his personal friendship and his commitment to people was remarkable.”
NY exhibit underscores how medieval Christians both sang songs from Hebrew Bible and persecuted Jews
“Here you sing these Psalms every day, yet on Good Friday you go out and you beat up your Jewish neighbors,” Roger Wieck, of the Morgan Library and Museum, told JNS. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
“I chose to write about Ezra and Nehemiah because of all the biblical works of Tanach. It resonates most with the times we are living through,” Yael Leibowitz said.
It’s not always possible to go home with observance this year falling on weekdays. But at many schools, Jewish organizations cover all the bases.
Noa Arazi’s personal journey inspires a new organization to guide converts worldwide.
From Basque-style creations to classic Israeli dairy cakes, a seven-stop tasting tour showcased the capital’s growing cheesecake culture ahead of the holiday.
The cultural gem in Jerusalem seeks to keep S.Y. Agnon’s literary world relevant for new generations.
Middle school pupils from 33 schools tested their knowledge of the Israeli capital’s history, culture and landmarks at Tower of David.
Rich and creamy, dairy is the rule and not the exception for this two-day holiday.
Counter-demonstrators called for the destruction of the State of Israel.
Mike Evans honors pro-Israel advocates, highlights US president’s support at Jerusalem Independence Day event.
Widow of Yamam fighter Yorai Cohen, who fell defending Israel on Oct. 7, talks about life before and after his death.
Women in the military prepare for an Independence Day ceremony that blends tradition and pride.
Emotional gathering highlights the personal stories of fallen soldiers.
Joshua Berman’s new Haggadah tells the Passover story through the lens of ancient Egypt.
“I stood on a chair at the kitchen table, watching mom and Bubbe grate the apples for the charoset, and I would sneak little bits of fruit,” says a daughter who has since become a mother.
Calling it “a dream come true,” the museum’s director Eilat Lieber says the Kishle site will become the Schulich Wing for Archaeology, Art and Innovation.
“It’s not just a display of the scrolls, which of course in and of themselves would be powerful,” but other “wow objects” leave viewers in awe, the museum’s director of exhibits told JNS.
NY exhibit underscores how medieval Christians both sang songs from Hebrew Bible and persecuted Jews
“Here you sing these Psalms every day, yet on Good Friday you go out and you beat up your Jewish neighbors,” Roger Wieck, of the Morgan Library and Museum, told JNS. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
The museum’s president and CEO told JNS that he hopes visitors will learn about the Holocaust and its root causes and apply that to understanding the world today.
“Gaon is the soundtrack of Israeli life,” says Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion.
“The ancient sources implying Queen Zenobia converted to Judaism are possibly accurate,” Haggai Olshanetsky, of University of Warsaw, told JNS.
The exhibits reflect the museum’s vision: “Connecting our ancient history and traditions with local contemporary art,” says director Suzanne Landau.
“It’s too soon to know whether he just had a brief moment or the beginning of a longer moment,” the curator and scholar Ori Soltes told JNS.
Tel Shiqmona, on the Haifa coast, was one of the important centers for the manufacture of the rare and prestigious purple pigment.
The Israel Antiquities Authority is pushing back against the country’s chief rabbis’ objections to the display at the airport of a 2000-year old, 5-ton stone from Judaism’s holiest site.
The fast-growing city in central Israel has just opened its first hotel in a bid to attract business and leisure tourism.
Clay Barr began her collection of Torah “hands,” which spans two and a half centuries, to memorialize her husband 30 years ago.
Talking to Michal Herzog at the President’s Conference in Jerusalem, the famous actress shares that being Israeli abroad has become “very complicated.”
The cultural gem in Jerusalem seeks to keep S.Y. Agnon’s literary world relevant for new generations.
A new documentary by Abner Benaim is a personal project that takes viewers to the terrorist attack against Alas Chiricanas Flight #901 and explores the aftermath on the families of the victims, including Benaim himself.
An exhibition in Tel Aviv supports thousands of IDF troops from abroad serving in Israel.
Currently on display in Jerusalem, it celebrates the life and mourns the death of Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Yakir Hexter.
Recent shows revive a debate that has echoed across Jewish and Christian tradition for millennia.
The film documents the circumstances of the small rural town of Gniewoszów, focusing on one of its last living survivors, along with a resident who says he saw Jews murdered there six months after the Nazis’ reign of terror ended.
Rare four-month exhibition offers the first full public viewing since 1968.
The film, which premiered at the Berlinale, presents a hopeful way for Israelis and Palestinians to navigate the Berlin streets together.
London-born Robert Elisha, the owner of Huvy’s, talks to JNS about preserving the legacy of the acclaimed Jerusalem artist, Huvy.
From podium speeches to film narratives, the Middle East conflict overshadows the 76th Berlin International Film Festival’s effort to stay above politics.
The 84-year-old told JNS, on a tour of his American Jewish Historical Society retrospective, that wanted to document “Jews who didn’t look like Jews.”
After two years of playing in other countries due to war, the International Tennis Federation has allowed Israel to host again.
“The hardest part about being an Orthodox athlete is finding protein,” A.J. Edelman told JNS, but he feels that his Jewish identity gives him a purpose.
Abraham Klein, an Israeli Holocaust survivor, officiated some of the most iconic matches of the 20th century.
Can the talented American-Israeli basketballer who had a successful 2024-25 season in Israel find her way back to the WNBA?
After playing professionally in Israel, the Philadelphia native founded a youth program that blends sports, education and coexistence.
“We have a lot of people who move to New York looking for Jewish community. They find us,” says Ezra Feig, founder of Nice Jewish Runners.
The extraordinary story of how an ordinary team that now consists of Oct. 7 survivors is set to play in the Masters Maccabiah Games.
“The terrorists didn’t accidentally kill Kfir and Ariel—they kidnapped two babies,” says marathoner Eli Wininger.
“Just to think, not too long ago I was in the middle of nowhere with a tactical vest and a weapon,” said 22-year-old Omer Halabi.
This new sport is gaining popularity across Israel ahead of its debut in the Maccabiah 2026 Games.
Ari Varon plans to develop young players from across the country for the Los Angeles Games.
With its popularity on the rise, a tackle league gears up for another season.
Many residents have returned home to rebuild their lives since the rockets attacks began in 2023.
From Miami suites to Mexico City kitchens, a new generation of Jewish food influencers is using cuisine as a powerful form of cultural diplomacy.
Rare documents, letters and photos on display at the President’s Residence trace a century of engagement between the Chief Rabbinate and American presidents.
A new project creates personal matches between bereaved families and therapeutic dogs that touch wounded hearts through play, touch and their very presence.
Communities near Gaza push forward with resilience centers, therapy programs and infrastructure despite trauma.
Clalit study finds hospital-level care at home can improve outcomes as wartime pressures reshape patient treatment.
The collection highlights a British officer’s lasting influence on Israel’s combat doctrine.
The victory of the 45-year-old lawyer is expected to end Hungary’s automatic veto of anti-Israel initiatives in the European Union.
Funded by Jewish National Fund-USA, three organizations leverage their strengths to support Israeli communities.
The daughter of a Dutch rescuer and the infant he saved meet at the March of the Living in Poland.
“The military at large is not systemically antisemitic,” but there is “definitely a lack of concern for religious needs,” said Rabbi Elie Estrin of the Aleph Institute.
He discusses what it means for Hungarian Jewry and relations with Israel.