The 21st Maccabiah Games, the third-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, brought in over 10,000 athletes from 65 countries to compete in 3,000 events in 42 sports. The games have been held every four years in Israel since 1932, with the participation of many Jewish athletes from all over… […]
If you have to renew your passport in Israel, there’s only one thing someone may tell you, “good luck.” During the pandemic many Israelis were reluctant to travel. Now that things are getting closer to normal, people are making travel plans once again and realizing that their passports are expired. There’s currently a backlog of… […]
The tourism industry as a whole was arguably the most affected by the closing of the borders and the limitations placed on tourists entering the country in the past two years since the onset of Corona. Lockdowns within the country made it that there was no additional stream to cover this difficult period. Thousands of… […]
While I didn’t fully grasp it at first, my curiosity outweighed my cynicism. I was one of 60 others at the first WHT IF gathering, an aspiring culture movement, waiting to reach a surprise destination about 90 minutes past the Israeli border. Five minibuses filled with people, from Holland to Iraq and everywhere in between,… […]
âI canât really save the Dead Sea. Yeah, Iâm not a doctor, itâs dying. I canât save it, but I can help preserve it through art. Because something dying doesnât mean itâs dead yet. Thereâs new life being formed here. Itâs still a very, very significant place.â This starts the quest of Ari Leon Fruchter,… […]
Before March 2020, Israeli tourism was on the rise. As the economy reopens thanks to a mass vaccination campaign and the Green Passport concept, Israel may return to being a top-listed destination for global citizens who are craving a post-COVID getaway. Travel companies are already seeing bookings for the winter of 2021. While flights are… […]
One year later, with COVID-19 still filtering into our 2021, Israel has experienced a full spectrum of effects. While over half of the country has received their first vaccination given major campaign efforts, the Ben Gurion Airport remains shuttered, with some exceptions to the rule. The airport was closed on January 25 as the country… […]
The Ministry of Health has launched the Green Pass, which is essentially an approval card for people who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19. The pass, while some question its legality, is, for now, allowing some limited cultural events to take place. After about a year of the economic shutdown, there is a… […]
After only a couple of months of a wet winter, Israelâs typically neutral-colored landscapes burst into color during February, known as the month when the wildflowers bloom across forests and fields. The third national lockdown ended in perfect timing to witness natureâs cycle, as Israelis flowed to their favorite spots to seek and find the… […]
Should public waters on private land be open to the Israeli public? This is a major question that has risen since early summer 2020, when a group of protestors reigned upon Kibbutz Nir David to demand public access to the freshwater Asi River running through it in an ongoing campaign called Free the Asi. Nir… […]
The warning bells have sounded. With a steep increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks and over 500 in the past 24 hours, the âCorona Cabinetâ is in discussions to set down, or retract, some freshly laid guidelines. Police forces have been asked to strictly enforce social distancing in crowds, as well… […]
The Sea of Galilee, or the Kinneret, has reached its full capacity thanks to the abundant rainfall and the lack of human intervention in the last few months. The Northern lake is overflowing its banks at 15.5 centimeters above the red line, a level which hasnât been seen since the early 1990s. With a full… […]
As a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, Israelâs largest airline carrier has suspended flights to a number of destinations. In addition to China, Hong Kong, and Thailand, the airline has also stopped flights to Japan and Italy, which have all been impacted with the COVID-19 virus. With the rising numbers of infections, and the… […]
In its inaugural journey, an Israeli airplane flew over Sudan for the first time en route to Kinshasa in the Congo. In the past, Israeli aircrafts have been forbidden to fly over African countries, forced to land in Jordan or another country so that they are not logged as Israeli flights. However, after a recent… […]
The hottest months of the year donât stop about 1,500,000 Israelis and 400,000 tourists from stepping into nature. Just about 2 million people visited the national parks and nature reserves throughout the country during the months of July and August. The most popular site was Gan Hashlosha National Park, also known as Sakhne, which is… […]
The Israeli kibbutz has found its entry point into the startup nationâs ecosystem, and it promises WIFI. A staple of Israel culture, the first kibbutz in Degania was founded in 1910. It was built on principles of agriculture, teamwork and safety, and hundreds of shared communities spread across Israel following its pioneering footsteps. Today, mainstream… […]
