“This one starts with a real longing, a from-the-guts call for peace. And by the end, the music earns it.” This uncharacteristically poetic description from our tour guide introduced the song that woke me from my mental fugue state after a few days of international travel. He held his smartphone to the microphone and said, “Bear with me. It starts...
Culture
“Sababa!”: The electrifying energy of Israeli social culture
In Israel, there’s no “Hi, how are you?” There’s just “Hi.” Israelis simply don’t care to ask a stranger or mere acquaintance how they’re doing only to hear “I’m fine” in response, according to a young Israeli citizen. That’s because Israelis have chutzpah. The dictionary definition of that characteristic is “shameless audacity; impudence,” and Israelis live that out in...
Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market: Microcosm of a thriving Israel
Brightly colored fruits and vegetables sit temptingly close to the edges of cart shelves; shawls and dresses flutter in the breeze; vendors yell out their wares and argue over prices; spices and roasting meat permeate the air with mouth-watering scents. This is the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, an overwhelming feast for the senses nestled among quiet residential streets. It’s...
The prize of penmanship
Chirography is an obsolete talent today, but most people don’t have a problem with this. Most people don’t even know what chirography means. Debates over the necessity of good chirography (or penmanship) in today’s digital society have intensified ever since the creators of the Common Core excluded handwriting from their state standards. According to the Common Core guidelines, public...
