Sheba Medical Center’s “2nd Shift” has saved the medical careers of so many Israeli students who were left in the lurch due to coronavirus, and has put them on track to qualify as doctors By ILANIT CHERNICK It’s no secret that many Israeli medical students study in Europe due to the shortage of medical schools in Israel. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, amid travel limitations and lockdowns, these Israeli medical students studying abroad were left in the lurch. The big question on their lips: How were they going to continue their studies and make a difference in the country’s medic ..read more

2021 has witnessed a notable rise in online anti-Jewish hate, with only 25% of reported antisemitic posts being removed by Social Media platforms. By Samuel J Hyde In recent years, Jews have faced increased threats of violence and harassment both online and offline. According to multiple annual audits of antisemitic incidents, 2019 and 2020 were, respectively, the highest and third-highest years on record for cases of harassment, vandalism, and assault against Jews throughout the U.S and Europe, since tracking began in 1979.  The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, added another lay ..read more

Record numbers arrive to witness an optical effect that is believed to be the heart of an archeological phenomenon that could explain the biblical story we know as ‘the Burning Bush’. BY SAMUEL J HYDE For the first time in a decade, Road 10, which runs adjacent to the Egyptian border was opened to the general public that saw record numbers arrive to witness an optical effect that is believed to be the heart of an archeological phenomenon that could explain the biblical story we know as ‘the Burning Bush’.  This phenomenon occurs on Mount Crocus which according Dr. Haim Berger, a zoologist ..read more

Found off the coast of Caesarea, some of the riches found include hundreds of silver coins, figurines and a gold ring engraved with the figure of the Good Shepherd, a well-known symbol of Jesus in early Christian art By ILANIT CHERNICK In what could be a real-life story from Treasure Island, an archeologist from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a treasure trove of items from two ancient shipwrecks off the coast of northern Israel. Found off the coast of Caesarea, some of the riches found include hundreds of silver coins, figurines and a gold ring engraved with the figure of th ..read more

 Academic exchange and cooperation has become a constitutive pillar of German-Israeli relations in the past years  By SAMUEL J HYDE  Academic exchange and cooperation has become a constitutive pillar of German-Israeli relations in the past years. There has been a diverse contribution to strengthening research and progress as a global endeavor, in science as well as in the humanities. The partnership of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and the Tel Aviv University (TAU) has been at the forefront of these academic exchanges. In a new collaboration, the institutions have esta ..read more

Blood test developed at Hebrew University of Jerusalem detects Immune and inflammatory activity in tissues, which could remove need for painful biopsies and expensive imaging By SAMUEL J HYDE As it stands, the way to test a healthy immune system is a blood test count which depicts the number of white blood cells in the body. The higher the count the more likely the immune system is fighting an infection in the body.  However, this method of testing often fails to catch immune system activity in the body’s remote tissues, such as those found in bone marrow, lymph nodes and other organs.&nb ..read more

If you’ve read enough about anti-Jewish hate, you’ve probably noticed that no one can agree on how to spell the word: Is it anti-Semitism or antisemitism? But does the spelling really matter? By SAM HYDE If you’ve read enough about anti-Jewish hate, you’ve probably noticed that no one can agree on how to spell the word: Is it anti-Semitism or antisemitism? Just this past week, The New York Times acknowledged that it had quietly revised its style guide, deciding to drop the hyphen and officially spelling it as antisemitism. But does the spelling really matter? Having covered anti-Jewish prejudi ..read more

‘The discovery of a second synagogue in this Galilean community casts light on the social and religious lives of the Jews in the area in this period,’ says IAA’s Dina Avshalom-Gorni By ILANIT CHERNICK In a first, two synagogues from the Second Temple-era have been discovered in the biblical Jewish village of Migdal in northern Israel’s Galilee. The second synagogue is the most recent discovery, according to archeologists at the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Speaking about the find, the IAA’s Dina Avshalom-Gorni, one of the di ..read more

Spot the robo-dog came bounding down the aisle to give the happy couple their wedding rings during the ceremony By ILANIT CHERNICK You’ll never guess who surprised a Jewish couple at their wedding in Israel: Spot, the robo-dog. Developed by Boston Dynamics and trained by Israeli start-up Percepto AIM, Spot, the beloved robot pup came bounding down the aisle to give Michelle Rabkin and her husband their wedding rings during the ceremony. He entered the hall to the song ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ as he headed towards the couple under the chuppah and later joined in the dancing and celebrations durin ..read more

It’s Chanukah time and IsraelNewsStand is here to tell you about just some of the delicious donuts Jerusalem has to offer By JOSH HENDERSON and ILANIT CHERNICK With winter approaching, the festive season has hit Israel. The Chanukah spirit is already in the air with the festive lights and chanukiahs lining the streets of Israel and marketplaces filling the air with the smell of fried food, as a way to remember the Chanukah miracle of the oil of the candles in the newly rededicated temple lasting eight days instead of one.  After spending a full day trying out some of the delicious Chanuka ..read more