Daily Briefing Apr. 15: Day 557 – Tariffs, a tech brain drain and manna from Sicily

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Tech editor Sharon Wrobel and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

A 17% tariff on Israel by the US appears to be on hold for the moment, and Wrobel notes that before this pause Israel had initially hoped it could get the tariff reduced. But, she says, the main worry is the indirect impact — a recession in Israel’s tiny market and the instability and uncertainty that could result. She mentions ongoing efforts to protect Israeli companies amid concerns over exposure to machinations in the global markets — and what could happen to the value of Israeli savings.

Tel Aviv has been downgraded in the global ranking of top 50 wealthiest cities as millionaires and tech workers — over 8,000 of the latter group — have been relocating following, first, the judicial overhaul and then the ongoing war and hostage situation. Wrobel discusses the biggest concern lurking in that migration, given that the tech sector provides a big chunk of the tax base.

Tercatin discusses research at the Academy of the Hebrew Language, looking at how Hebrew accents developed across different communities over the millennia, and the role of cultural heritage in preserving those language differences.

She also talks about a Sicilian farmer who is part of a centuries-old ritual harvesting of a sweet, white sap from the bark of ash trees, a syrup known as manna. Tercatin interviewed the 75-year-old agriculturalist on the eve of Passover, when Jews across the world commemorate the Biblical Exodus from Egypt that was followed by the Israelites’ 40-year sojourn in the desert, where manna was said to be the primary form of sustenance.

This conversation can also be viewed here:

Please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog for more updates.

For further reading:

Demand for state-backed insurance soars as Israeli exporters fear Trump tariff chaos

War spurs brain drain, outflow of Israeli high-tech employees, report finds

Tel Aviv drops in global ranking of top 50 wealthiest cities as millionaires decamp

Research center works to save myriad Hebrew dialects shaped by millennia of wandering

In this Sicilian town, manna is a heavenly delicacy with deep roots

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode here: