Conversation Guide: Meet Israel’s Most Beloved Speaker of Heblish
In a year with so little to smile about for many Israelis, few interviews on national TV have brought as much to so many as the one conducted by Rafi…
Three new translations of HaDag Nachash songs!
Over Yom Ha'atzmaut, I decided to dive in to the best of Israeli popular culture. For each new song of HaDag Nachash I managed to translate, I rewarded myself with…
An Immigrant’s Tail, or How Much Does the Cat Cost?
I'd been bracing myself for this moment - the moment the veterinarian would announce the total we owed. Our beloved calico cat, Lucy, had been run over and after five…
Culture Vulture – Haim Hefer z”l
Haim Hefer one of Israel's unquestionable cultural icons, and Israel Prize laureate, died yesterday in Tel Aviv at the age of 86. His coffin will be in public view in…
Etgar Keret – in easy Hebrew!
Makom is delighted to announce the publication of "Sippur Aharon ve'Zehu" - "Definitely the Last Story" - by Etgar Keret, in a specially edited version. Rafi Bannai, Makom's Hebrew language…
Overcoming the Language Barrier
Unless you are booking a philharmonic or a non-vocal jazz band, the show will involve words. Lyrics are a crucial part of the show – listening to an Israeli artist without understanding the words would be like appreciating Van Gogh in black and white.
The Jewish Calendar – 24
How we measure time reflects how we see the world and our place it. Each individual has markers in time that are important to him – birthdays, anniversaries, yahrzeits, etc. So too different nations and cultures mark time uniquely. Their respective systems reflect their perception of time and space. The Christians count from the death of Christ, the Moslems from the flight of Mohammed. The Gregorian calendar follows the solar year. The Islamic calendar follows the lunar year. In this lesson we will study how Jews mark time and try to understand the significance and results of the system, and its role in linking the land and people of Israel. It turns out that in addition to sanctifying time, the Jewish calendar is deeply connected to the sanctification of place: in living according to it, Jews all over the world affirm, consciously or not, their rootedness in the landscape of Eretz Yisrael.
