Andrew Tobin

Lian Najami speaking at an Israeli Independence Day student gala at Boston University, in Boston, Mass., April 6, 2017. (Nir Landau for Combined Jewish Philanthropies via JTA)

December 16, 2017, 12:34 pm

Israel’s first Arab Rhodes scholar loves her country and is trying to change it

‘I have Israeli chutzpah’ says Lian Najami. ‘I always have in mind: What can I do from here?’

By Andrew Tobin

The sfinj hails from North Africa. (Wikimedia Commons via JTA)

December 12, 2017, 12:53 pm

Moroccan delicacy is Israel’s hottest Hanukkah treat

The deep-fried ‘sfinj’ evokes the winter festival’s miracle of oil and may be the origin of the better-known ‘sufganiyah’ jelly doughnut

By Andrew Tobin

Uzi Sharabi selling baked goods at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, Dec. 6, 2017. (Andrew Tobin)

December 7, 2017, 3:33 am

At a Jerusalem market, Trump’s capital announcement met by grins, frowns, shrugs

While many welcome US recognition of Israel’s capital, few think it will have much immediate effect on their lives

By Andrew Tobin

New immigrants at a conference in Jerusalem on affordable communities in Israel, November 2017. (Yonit Schiller via JTA)

December 6, 2017, 12:03 pm

Beyond Tel Aviv and Jerusalem: Other towns vie for immigrants

At Nefesh B’Nefesh conference, representatives from 40 locations outside Israel’s center offer cheaper housing, sense of community

By Andrew Tobin

Anthony Scaramucci, center, speaking alongside officials of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce at a news conference at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Nov. 21, 2017. (Courtesy of Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce via JTA)

November 22, 2017, 8:36 am

Stumping for Trump in Israel, ‘The Mooch’ gets surprisingly Jewish

Praising Israel and ’unbelievable’ Jewish culture, Anthony Scaramucci insists, ’if you’re an Israeli, you’re happy that Donald Trump is in the White House’

By Andrew Tobin

The Jewish National Fund collects money through donations in boxes that look like this. (Flickr Commons via JTA)

November 10, 2017, 5:03 am

Israel wants a big cut from the Jewish National Fund

Government advancing legislation to force organization to fund state-run national infrastructure projects

By Andrew Tobin

Female soldiers participate in an official ceremony marking Israel's Memorial Day, one day ahead of Israel's 69'th Indepedence Day in Kiryat Shaul military cemetery, Tel Aviv, on May 1, 2017. (Gili Yaari/Flash90)

November 9, 2017, 8:43 pm

Why some religious Israelis are saying women are weakening the army

Zionist rabbis demand IDF chief of staff make changes, or thousands of highly motivated observant men will avoid military duty

By Andrew Tobin

Evangelical Christians from Asia carry a replica of the Ark of the Covennant during the annual Jerusalem Parade on October 20, 2016 in the streets of Jerusalem, to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and to express solidarity with Israel. (AFP PHOTO / AHMAD GHARABLI)

November 3, 2017, 3:36 am

In big anniversary year for Israel, Christian Zionists see signs of the Messiah

Diehard Jewish state supporters believe prophecies are being fulfilled, 100 years after Balfour Declaration and 50 years after Six Day War

By Andrew Tobin

Some 100,000 attend a rally marking the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in the same Tel Aviv square in which he was killed during a 1995 peace rally, in 2015. (Flash90/Tomer Neuberg)

November 1, 2017, 6:58 pm

Leftists say Rabin commemoration ‘whitewashes’ assassination

Organizers switch emphasis of rallies from denunciations of racism to national unity, sparking criticism

By Andrew Tobin

Tal Flicker of Israel during the fight in the 66kg category at the Judo World Championship Budapest 2017, on August 28, 2017, in Budapest, Hungary. (Rok Rakun/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images/JTA)

October 30, 2017, 11:34 pm

Israel’s judo warriors take the ‘gentle way’ in pursuit of athletic glory

Despite winning five medals in the UAE, Israelis debate the merits of participation in an event where the country’s flag and anthem are banned

By Andrew Tobin

Jose Rodrigues training in his studio in Tel Aviv, October 15, 2017. (Andrew Tobin)

October 26, 2017, 6:50 am

Israel’s latest sports craze is poles apart from its erotic dancing roots

Bringing it out of the strip clubs and into dance studios, enthusiasts hope to one day represent Israel as Olympic pole dancers

By Andrew Tobin

Illustrative image of Israeli infantry soldiers resting on their equipment early on 13 January 2009 (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

October 24, 2017, 12:02 pm

Poor IDF recruits earn cash taking on fellow soldiers’ guard duty

Officers turn a blind eye to illegal practice, which undermines army’s aim to be equalizing force in society

By Andrew Tobin

Labor leader Avi Gabbay, left, attending a news conference in Tel Aviv, July 11, 2017; Yair Lapid attending a conference in Herzliya, June 22, 2017. (Miriam Alster/Flash90; Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images via JTA)

October 20, 2017, 9:47 am

Israel’s centrist leaders vie to replace Netanyahu – by taking his side

Swinging to the right, Labor leader says no need to uproot settlements in peace deal, as Yesh Atid head refrains from attacking PM over investigations

By Andrew Tobin

Israelis take part at the SlutWalk march in central Tel Aviv, on July 8, 2016. (Ben Kelmer/Flash90)

October 20, 2017, 6:37 am

Israeli women having been saying #MeToo for years

A Facebook page started in 2013 has collected thousands of testimonies of sexual abuse, and numbers have ramped up since Weinstein allegations became public

By Andrew Tobin

October 19, 2017, 2:03 am

A female Israeli combat soldier proudly models for weapons companies

At home, some see Orin Julie as a symbol of female empowerment; US fans think she and the guns are ‘sexy’; on Instagram, she’s been called a ‘baby killer’

By Andrew Tobin