Latest posts by Maya Norton
Israel: Storing Water for Emergencies
When you live in the Middle East, water is essential to your daily survival. Israeli Kitchen recommends ways to store water in preparation for an emergency and what water sources you can use if your standard stores dry up.
Israel: A Woman's Power to Name Herself
“I’ve noticed that whenever a woman defends having taken her husband’s name… it’s invariably stated, ‘After all, feminism is about choice.’ Well I’m not pleased with having women who choose tradition, or patriarchy, telling me what feminism ‘is about,'”
Israel: iPhone Weather App Divides Jerusalem
If you want to know the weather for Jerusalem on your iPhone, you're going to have to get specific, reports Jewlicious‘ CK. You will now have to choose between East and West Jerusalem. “On the Yahoo weather page East Jerusalem’s weather is in Palestinian Occupied Territories >West Bank >Jerusalem and...
Israel: Politics and Protest with Humor
I see your protest and I raise you one. Jameel of the Muqata gives us politics with a much needed sense of humor. Last Saturday, a left-wing demonstration protesting 43 years of Israeli occupation in the West Bank was infiltrated by counter protesters holding signs such as, “We believe in...
Israel: Violence, Non-Violence, and Palestinian Solidarity
In “7 Reasons I'm Conflicted about the Fredom Flotilla” Daniel Sieradski writes: “By engaging in violence…[the activists] have demonstrated succinctly to Israel's supporters and allies that they, and by extension all Palestinian solidarity activists, are neither non-violent nor pro-peace. This hampers their cause and the greater cause of Palestinian liberation.”
Israel: Barred from Spain's Gay Pride Parade
In an entry entitled “You Know You're an Outcast When…” Israeli blogger David Bogner remarks on Spain's barring of Israel from its gay pride parade. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv celebrated its largest parade ever with 100,000 participants, Isrealli reports.
Israel: IDF Poetry Slam Between Druze, Bedouin Soldiers
Picture this: Druze and Bedouin Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers sitting in a room singing call and response poetry to each other in the ancient Arabic style of Zajal. The video and background information can be found at Nizo's Blog, subtitled “A Gay Palestinian Muses on the Missile East.”
Israel: Demonstrations Outside Prison Where Flotilla Passengers Held
Joseph Dana posts a video of demonstrators waving Turkish and Palestinian flags in front of the prison in Beer-Sheva, Israel, where the passengers of the flotilla were being housed until deportation. Video is in Arabic and Hebrew with no subtitles, but you can still get a sense of the action.
Israel: Protests and Counter-Protests in Flotilla's Wake
Alison Avigayil Ramer provides a detailed report on her blog, Your Virtual Community Organizer, of “Demonstrations for and against Israel, the IDF and Turkey in Tel Aviv [Israel] following Flotilla Incident.”
Israel/Turkey: Battle of the Bucks
Michael Horesh of Afternoon Tea in Jerusalem reflects on the economic war looming between Turkey and Israel: “Who will suffer in the end? Just the average citizen, on either side, as politicos continue to trade insults, replacing cooperation with distrust.”
Israel: Flotilla Videos Gone Viral
An Israeli video called "Flotilla Choir: We Con the World" has gone viral on Facebook in the last 24 hours. While it shows no compunction about the violence involved in the flotilla incident, it aggressively illustrates the widely held Israeli belief that Hamas is responsible for the poor state of well-being of the people of Gaza.
Israel/Palestine: Drawing the Line in Gaza
“So Gaza is under a seige,” writes Lirun of East Med Sea Peace, “And Gazans are suffering badly whether we like to believe it or not.. and yet Israel has a grave security risk. I don't care how much people belittle those rockets, the situation sucks.. but where do we...
Israel: Between the Bean and the Ban
The current political climate between Israel and Turkey may be tense, but something that every Israeli can enjoy is the beloved national drink, café turkí (Turkish coffee). Israeli Kitchen observes: “I see the sales girls taking a break in the shop doorways – each one holding a cigarette between her...
Israel: Stymied by Einstein
Did you know that Hebrew University owns the copyright on images of Albert Einstein? Israelity reports that the university is currently suing over General Motors’ portrayal of Einstein's brains and brawn in a recent campaign for the automobile company.
Israel: A Day of Bedouin Hospitality
Jerusalem Gypsy recounts her day trip to visit the Rashaida Bedouins of southern Israel where she milked a camel, was counseled on Arabic music, and learned the value of sheep's versus goat's wool blankets.
Israel: Micro-Giving Campaign Seeks to Raise $250K
The One Million Drops Jewish Charity Initiative hopes to drive funds to 275 different Israeli nonprofits and spur micro-giving in Israel, Jewlicious reports.
Israel: National Policy Needed for Foreign Workers
Amir Mizroch advocates for a national policy to protect foreign workers in Israel. “You could see the migrant worker story as an inevitable cultural and economic phenomenon with huge potential benefits to Israel. Fields get tilled and houses get built. We enjoy their culture and they enjoy ours. Call it...
Israel: Dreaming of a Utopic Middle East
An Italian born gentile living in Jerusalem, Shiksa's Laura Chiesa dreams of a utopic Middle East. “Call me naive, but I caught myself more than once daydreaming about the time were people (including me) will travel freely in the Middle East – how about an afternoon hibiscus tea in Damascus,...
Israel: Separate But Equal?
Promised Land's Noam Sheizaf provides a comprehensive breakdown of the history and potential future of a new amendment to Israel's Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom, that, he says, “might officially turn Israel into a democracy for Jews only.”
Israel: Reflections on Patience
Savta Dotty reflects on savlanut, the Hebrew word for “patience” and how her view of it changed over her lifetime.
Israel: Unwelcome Visitors in Jaffa's Ajami Mosque
Yudit of the Occupied blog questions why armed Israeli settlers would enter an Islamic mosque in Jaffa. “Was it to repectfully view the grave of Ibrahim Ajami? The ajami mosque, unlike some other beautiful Jaffa mosques, is not of great beauty. Not a place a tourist wold go out of...
