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Holidays and festivals


“Ashes and dust” - How Israelis commemorate the Holocaust
Yaron's remember garden - the fallen soldiers of Israel
Another unhappy Jewish holiday
Tisha be'Av - A historical mourning day
Sukkot - the holiday of little huts
What is the connection between pomegranates and the Jewish New Year?
Counting the Omer
Simchat Torah - Dancing with Bibles
Christmas in Israel
Remembering the Holocaust during a pandemic
Praying for rain
With help from the heavens

Historical stuff

Sarah Aaronsohn - the 100 year-old heroine of Zichron Yaakov
A diary of an administrator
The curious case of the Shapira fakes
Stepping back in time in Ajami, Tel Aviv (a photo-essay)
Walking on aquaducts
The tumuli field of Ramat haNadiv
The Rockefeller Archaeological museum
The badass women of the Bible

Regular life in Israel

The quiet summer
Disembarking at the HaHagana train station
Hiking from Nachsolim beach to HaBonim beach
30 clues that show you are an Israeli
Sitting around at the Tel Aviv art museum
The yearly pilgrimage to Cyclamen mountain
Queen for a day - Thoughts in the middle of the 2015 Gay Pride parade
To Cry and Pray together
Ode to the Israeli bus drivers and other lessons from the universe
Are Israelis rude?
Sending a child to the army
The amazing metal work found in Israel
Netta Barzilay - The Israeli singer who had us all clucking
On the lookout for suspicious objects
Ten things that I hate about life in Israel
Special things Israelis say in specific situations
The subtle art of standing in a queue in Israel - a survivor guide
Timeline of a 'situation' in Israel
The time of the jellyfish
Coronavirus 2.0 - The shadow deepens

Nature in Israel

The yearly pilgrimage to Cyclamen mountain
The Judas tree of Israel
The wild mustard flowers of Israel
Tips for photographing wild flowers in Israel
When the almond trees flower
The 'Blood of the Maccabees' flower
Sea squill - the Israeli wildflower that blooms at summer's end

Foods of Israel

Sahlab - An ethnic Middle-Eastern winter pudding
10 reasons why it is easy to be a vegan in Israel
Watermelon - an Israeli summer love affair

Places to visit in Israel

The Austrian Hospice in Jerusalem
10 things to see and do in Acco, the ancient harbour city in Israel
The new Moshava park in Zichron Yaakov
The Rockefeller Archaeological museum
The amazing clock collection in Jerusalem
The tumuli field of Ramat haNadiv

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The wild mustard flowers of Israel

The wild mustard is growing yellow and everywhere in Israel at the moment. But not the kind of mustard that you eat with ketchup on your hotdog! Wild mustard as in wild mustard plants! :) I am talking about  Sinapsis Arvensis , a tiny yellow flower that grows in masses in fields, along road sides and abandoned building sites. Up close the wild mustard flower does not look like much - a bit on the puny side actually. But just come across a field filled with mustard flowers and you will be enchanted - just as I am every spring.

The Judas Tree of Israel

A Purple Judas tree A month or so after the almond blossoms are gone, the beautiful flowers of the Judas tree show up in loud purple glory in Israel.

Khubeza - Israel's wild ‘spinach'

  During the winter months in Israel, as soon we had a bit of rain, the fields are covered in  green khubeza plants. The word fields are actually not 100% correct. Khubeza will grow anywhere. Empty lots, forgotten plant containers, refuse heaps or in any patch of upturned earth. They grow close to the earth and turn the dry Israeli landscape into an unexpected emerald green. Their willingness to grow to easily and luxuriously make them seem nearly weed-like. Khubeza is however the opposite of a weed. It is one of the most well-known edible plants here in Israel. Every self-respecting forager definitely has khubeza on their top-ten list. Sounds like bread (in Arabic) Is it mostly known by its Arabic name here in Israel. Khubeza comes from the word "hubz"  which means bread in Arabic. Apparently the plant has edible fruit that looks like a small loaf of bread.  Just like young children are taught that you can suck the sap from honeysuckle flowers and look for pine nuts under p