Zum Thema: Monthly Report

Supporting the Bedouin Community to Enter Israel’s Hi-tech Scene

It is not uncommon to see Bedouins working as doctors or as factory workers in Israel, but this is less so in the hi-tech industry.  Bedouin communities have some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in Israel, but with the right support, this is changing. Fahima Atawana, a Bedouin woman who has made it… […]

Three Swiss in Israel – Three Stories

Story By Katharina Hoeftmann Ciobotaru About 22,000 Swiss citizens live in Israel. We met three of them to talk about their lives, feeling homesick and new paths in another country… Tabea and Matthias Oppliger “You live here as if there is no tomorrow” Actually, Tabea and Matthias Oppliger only wanted to go on a vacation to… […]

‘Tis the Season – A Jerusalem Olah’s Take on the Holiday Senses

By Rebecca Steiner When walking around the streets of New York in December there are told tell signs that the holiday season has begun. There’s the smell of chestnuts roasting, the display of Christmas trees, and the sound of any and all versions of “jingle bells” playing on the radio. When it comes to the… […]

“I Have the Perfect Guy For You” An Inside View Into the Jewish Dating System

Dating is complicated. With the global marriage rate declining, the Jewish community, through its thousand-year-old “shidduch” system is trying to stay far away from that decline. A “shidduch” is usually used to describe a match, someone you have been set up with, or going out with. In the Jewish Community, the shidduch system is one… […]

“Switzerland Has Known About Money for 200 Years”

In our new series “More Swissness in Israel” we write monthly about current topics that show the presence and activities of Switzerland in Israel in all of its diversity. A bit of Swiss attitude towards life in Israel. “Swiss banks in Israel?” Philippe Weil frowns and considers, “I can think of ten Swiss banks here… […]

An Odyssey from Odessa to Israel

When Golda (name has been changed) visited her hometown of Odessa last summer, she considered moving back to Ukraine. While the strictest Corona regulations still prevailed in her new home country of Israel, Odessa was bursting with life. Holiday-goers strolled everywhere, cafés and restaurants were open as normal again, and people seemed happy and relaxed.… […]

What Are the Chances? A Holocaust Survival Story

I wear the name of my great-great-grandmother around my neck every day. It is my name too, my Hebrew name, Lana. I haven’t taken it off for the last 10 years. I bought it on my first visit to Israel. I don’t really ever forget that I am the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors. When… […]

How an Open Art Call Raised Funds for Ukraine and Created a Community

Dasha Ilyashenko, an independent curator, had a vision of using art and community to raise funds for Ukraine, while encouraging artists to share their raw response to war and peace through their work. The results? A powerful exhibit whose effects will last long after its end. There were two goals; raise awareness and raise funds.… […]

Domestic Violence: “Of course there is a huge problem.”

In families where domestic violence is part of everyday life, they suffer from the pandemic and the many lockdowns. Casualty numbers have skyrocketed, and for many women, there are only a few facilities that offered help, as most had closed their doors due to Corona. Our team visited an emergency shelter and spoke to the… […]

Interview with Prof. Gabriel Izbicki, Pulmonary Institute Director 

As Israel enters its tenth month of experiencing COVID-19, officials are hopeful that an upcoming vaccine will be the cure. We spoke with Professor Gabriel Izbicki, Director of the Pulmonary Institute at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, who has been operating on the front lines since the first drop of coronavirus in March. Izbicki… […]

Taking Solar Energy to the Next Level

What if energy production was not only climate-friendly but also supported flourishing agriculture in the desert? Ralph Steigrad is trying to get Swiss and Israelis around a table for a pilot project to make it happen. As so often in life, the idea was inspired by a discussion. Ralph Steigrad was still living in Australia at… […]

The Snake Scene in Israel

Fear of snakes is widespread amidst the human population, and snakes often get characterized as scary and evil. After a snake expedition into the Israeli desert with two herpetologists, or people who study reptiles, it could be time to retell the snake story. According to André Stehlin, a herpetologist from Switzerland visiting Israel, snakes are… […]

Civil marriage matters

Thousands of lovers in Israel cannot achieve what most would call a “happily ever after,” or in simple terms, are unable to get married in Israel. Current marriage laws in Israel are strictly enforced and controlled by the Ultra-Orthodox religious parties, meaning that thousands of people either do not meet the necessary religious requirements, or… […]

The SocialTech Revolution is Here

Imagine being able to save six billion male baby chicks from dying every year? Because they don’t lay eggs and cannot be used for poultry, billions of baby chicks are murdered and discarded annually. An Israeli startup, eggXYt, aims o save the chicks and found a solution which saves money and lives, decreases waste, and creates exponential… […]

Honours for Carl Lutz – a hero at the right time

Carl Lutz can be easily described as “forgotten hero” in his home country Switzerland. In Israel however the situation is different, as he was the first Swiss to be recognized by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations”. A new scenic lookout high above the Sea of Galilee was inaugurated in his honour this week.… […]

Are Children Born Racist?

In a series of studies, Professor Gil Diesendruck from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, focused on children and racism. We met him for a talk about education, evolution and limits. This article is translated into English from the original version written by Joelle Weil. Between the Lines: Why did you choose to study children and racism? Diesendruck:… […]

Early diagnosis of autism has 88% chance of Saving Lives

“There has to be another way,” thought Dr. Hanna Alonim, as she saw 6-year old children tied to their beds, over-stimulated and over-medicated. When Hanna started her professional career in the 80’s and later received her PhD in Mental Health, she spent time working with a group of deaf children. What she discovered was frightening.… […]

Men’s Health in the Spotlight In Israel

Men across the globe have begun growing moustaches and beards in an unstoppable epidemic that is catching on worldwide. It began with No-Shave November, where a group of young men in Australia chose to grow out their facial hair to raise awareness for the alarming rates in which men were getting prostate cancer. Their aim… […]

A personal resume

When I came to Israel for a two month stint, I didn’t expect to fall in love with this crazy little country. People sometimes ask me if I literally ‘just’ moved to Israel ‘like that’. Well, yes. It was an overnight decision, anything but rational and probably one of the best decisions of my life.… […]

The Things That Matter

The contemporary German photographer Herlinde Koelbl is internationally acclaimed for her outstanding photographs. The award-winning photographer now presented her latest project ‘Faces of Jerusalem’ in Jerusalem on behalf of the 50th anniversary of the Jerusalem Foundation. The Jerusalem Foundation commissioned a well-versed artist for the exhibition that seeks to highlight co-existence projects, mixed couples, and… […]