Israelis know that each and every tree is precious. When the pioneers of the Jewish state first cast their eyes on the Promised Land, it was barren. There were no natural forests to be had. And now, just consider: Israel is the only country in the world that ended the 20th century with more trees than it started with. In just six decades, Israelis have literally sunk down roots. more

To say that this Kosher Bookworm loves books would be an understatement, and to read and evaluate a book on the history of Jewish book publishing is indeed a labor of love. So it is with this week’s selection, “People of the Book: Five Hundred Years of the Hebrew Book from The Beginning Of Printing Until The 20th Century” [Feldheim, 2014]. more

From the inception of the Jewish state to the present, Israel’s military has been anything but a male-dominated institution. On May 26, 1948, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion established the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Less than three months later, the Knesset instituted mandatory conscription for all women without children. Today 57 percent of all officers in the Israeli army are women, according to the IDF. more

Gavi Nelson took his Five Towns Torah education and background to heart and took a step no one else in his high school class did: He made Aliyah and joined the Israeli army. more

I’ve always wanted to compare apples to apples, and figured, since the recipe I’m sharing with you this week is an apple cake, what better time than now? China is the largest producer of apples, producing almost half of the world’s apples. more

Opening a neighborhood glatt kosher butcher is no longer an everyday occurrence, but it’s something David Blum (pictured) and his partner Scott Wohlstetten dreamed of — and last week that dream was realized. more

Shiva has just ended for the Stark family and the media frenzy has moved on to new targets. We have not. The horrific abduction and murder of Menachem Stark continues to shock our entire community to its core, and rightfully so. more

A civil society in which life is sacrosanct frowns upon the act of murder. It is a heinous crime to rob another person of life itself. In America, states have different punishments in place for murderers, ranging from prison sentences to a ticket to death row. And yet, not all acts that bring about death are considered “murder.” more

It was silence of such magnitude and such power, I was sure that even the angels in heaven were standing still. I remember it like it was yesterday. more

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon passed away Saturday at the age of 85. He never recovered from the devastating stroke he suffered eight years ago, on Jan. 4, 2006. Some of the obituaries will vilify him, others praise him, and on both counts they are wrong. Ariel Sharon was an enigma wrapped in a paradox. more