Author: David Leibermann

KIBBUTZ HAZOREA, Israel — Throughout high school, Ben rarely did his homework, struggled to complete school assignments and used marijuana on a daily basis. Frustrated with his situation, Ben, 18, decided in early September to leave his U.S. home and enroll in Free Spirit Experience — an in-residence therapy program in Israel’s Carmel Mountains. Three […]

(JTA) – Late into the fourth night of Hanukkah in Israel on Wednesday, incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had successfully formed a new government coalition after more than five weeks of negotiations. There are some asterisks: Netanyahu hasn’t officially signed any coalition deals yet with other parties (he has until 48 hours […]

JERUSALEM (JTA) — With only a short time before he is expected to leave office when a new Israeli government forms, the man responsible for building ties between the world’s Jews and the state of Israel did not hold back Monday night about how hard that task could soon become. Nachman Shai, Israel’s outgoing minister of […]

KIBBUTZ GEZER, Israel (JTA) — Bill James, the influential baseball writer, historian and statistician, once described the great Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly in only four words: “100% ballplayer, 0% bulls—.” The same can be said of Alon Leichman, the first athlete born in Israel to make it to the major leagues, having just been named […]

(JTA) — New York Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader, whose father is Jewish, shared this week that he will no longer play for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, citing a desire to remain healthy after an injury-plagued 2022 season. The 2023 Major League Baseball season begins only days after the WBC concludes in […]

(JTA) – For months, prominent pro-Israel and right-wing groups have pushed the narrative that the University of California-Berkeley’s law school is permitting antisemitism among its students. Now the federal government is weighing in, as the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights says it will investigate claims that the school hasn’t done enough to protect […]

(JTA) – An extended legal battle over ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s operations in Israel appeared to come to a close as its parent company announced it had reached an agreement with the brand’s independent board of directors. Unilever, the British conglomerate that owns Ben & Jerry’s, said Thursday in a statement, “The litigation with […]

(JTA) – On the cusp of forming a new government, incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his inclusion of far-right groups in his coalition amid domestic and global criticism of his alliances with extremist figures. “They’re joining me, I’m not joining them,” Netanyahu said in an NPR interview Thursday during the final stretch of […]

(JTA) — Turkey arrested 44 people on Wednesday for what officials claimed was their involvement with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, Turkish media reported.  Those arrested appear to be largely Turkish citizens, and the group includes several private detectives, as well as the director of a private detective firm named Ismail Yetimoglu. No Israelis were […]

TIBERIAS, Israel — In a year when Israel has seen more immigrants move to the country from former Soviet republics than any other year over the last decade, there was plenty to discuss, worry about and celebrate at a major gathering of such Jews at Israel’s only lakeside city, Tiberias. On the first weekend in […]