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Michele Chabin

Michele Chabin is a freelance journalist covering Israelis and Palestinians.

News

Coexistence initiatives in Israel tentatively resume as Arabs and Jews live side by side amid war

On the morning of October 7, when air raid sirens in Jerusalem warned of incoming rockets, the Jewish and Arab residents of Abu Tor, a neighborhood that skirts both East and West Jerusalem, were th...
News

Why Hamas is selling its assault on Israel as a holy war

When Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian terrorist group, stormed into southern Israel on October 7, took over military bases, massacred more than 1,300 Israelis—most of them civilians—and kidnapped 150...
News

Archaeologists find structure corroborating Hanukkah stories

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,100-year-old stronghold they believe constitutes physical evidence of the years-long armed conflict whose crucial battle is celebrated by Jews during Hanu...
News

Israeli plan to vaccinate all Holocaust survivors draws praise, skepticism

An Israeli government initiative to help vaccinate Holocaust survivors worldwide against COVID-19 is drawing praise for its intentions but also skepticism....
News

Ancient Siloam Pool road excavation sparking latest political clash between Israel and Palestine

The road, which was at ground level 2,000 years ago, is now under the Arab neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.
Rena Quint
News

Holocaust educators seek ways to preserve power of survivors’ testimony

“To hear that 6 million Jews were murdered is overwhelming,” Rena Quint said. “To hear one story from someone who lived through the Holocaust makes a strong impression.”
News

Jerusalem homeowners distressed by Greek Orthodox Church’s land sales

The financially strapped church sold property to private investors in a way that critics see as secretive.
News

Airbnb announcement that it would drop West Bank properties sparks charge of anti-Semitism

The company gives Crimea as another disputed territory where it has removed listings. Critics pointed to other areas under occupation—such as northern Cyprus—where it has not.
Israeli Knesset debate
News

Israel’s parliament passes law declaring nation to be Jewish

The law, also making Hebrew the only official language, has garnered criticism in Israel and abroad.
Yoram Meira Raanan
People

After a fire destroyed his life’s work, an artist renews quest to paint Torah

Yoram Raanan lost hundreds of paintings. But from high-quality prints that remained, Meira Raanan created a book, Art of Revelation: A Visual Encounter with the Jewish Bible. 

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Palestinian general strike
News

U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem fulfills prophecy for some, causes mourning for others

The day after the embassy move was the anniversary of Israel's founding—a day Palestinians call the catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.
Nir Barkat
News

Jerusalem tax dispute centers on church-owned properties

Mayor Nir Barkat has called into question whether buildings that are not houses of worship should be tax-exempt.
Eritrean migrants Israel
News

In Israel, a rabbinical plan to help Africans facing deportation

Susan Silverman has proposed the Anne Frank Home Sanctuary movement, calling on members of Rabbis for Human Rights to house asylum-seekers the prime minister plans to deport.
Israel Trump speech
News

Reactions mixed to Trump declaring Jerusalem to be Israel's capital

Many Jews in Israel were pleased, while other groups—including among U.S. Jews—were concerned. 
Yousef Sadaka HaCohen
People

Yousef Sadaka HaCohen, a Samaritan priest, looks to the past and future

HaCohen is one of only 802 Samaritans in the world.
Yousef Sadaka HaCohen
News

Middle East's Samaritans look to the past and future

There are only 802 Samaritans in the world. But they are hopeful for the future. 

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