Jerusalem Report

'Jews never lose': comedian Yohay Sponder finds laughter amid war and hate

Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder is using humor to unite Jewish audiences worldwide, finding laughter amid war, loss, and rising antisemitism

|ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Israeli comedian Yohay Sponder has taken his English-language stand-up show to audiences around the world, using humor to tackle war, antisemitism, and Jewish identity. Premium
French actress Melanie Laurent (right) joined the ‘Fauda’ cast for season five, starring and co-created by Lior Raz.PremiumPremium

'What you're contracting is creativity': the hidden strain on Israeli television

Israeli television is still producing global hits, but behind the success, budgets, politics and fewer commissions threaten the industry’s future

|ByHANNAH BROWN
DJ Raphi on stage at his USA Hype Tour in March this year. His shows include interactive, family-friendly live dance and. music performances.PremiumPremium

'Be you, be awesome': the Israeli DJ dancing to a billion views

From a shy child to a billion YouTube views, DJ Raphi is getting children around the world on their feet

|ByCHANI KAPLAN
Yiddish music from Yad Vashem’s archives. Yiddish was the voice of Jewish life across Central and Eastern Europe for nearly a millennium until approximately five million Yiddish speakers were murdered during World War II. PremiumPremium

'The greatest light is concealed in the darkest places': reviving Yiddish songs

The Holocaust silenced millions of Yiddish voices; musicians are now bringing the songs of a lost civilization back to life

|BySHIFRA JACOBS

The literary world's 'Jewish question': How publishing is failing Jewish authors

As antisemitism rises in the publishing realm, Jewish writers face a choice: stay and fight or rebuild elsewhere

MAY 12, 2026ByLIOR ZOE PERETS
Jewish writers are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate a publishing world shadowed by antisemitism.

When food becomes memory: Alon Shaya's culinary tribute to Holocaust survivors

How one Israeli-American chef is transforming Holocaust stories into dishes that preserve identity, resilience, and remembrance

MAY 12, 2026ByRACHEL FINK
Chef Alon Shaya uses food and memory to preserve Holocaust stories for a new generation.

'Upside-Down Love': An Israeli-Palestinian memoir of marriage across borders

Israeli-American lawyer Sari Bashi recounts in her memoir a relationship shaped by restriction and distance, where love unfolds within the limits of the law

MAY 12, 2026ByPATRICIA GOLAN
Sari Bashi is an Israeli-American human rights lawyer, author, and activist specializing in international humanitarian law and Israeli policy.

'Digital Warrior': How a lone soldier shaped Israel's global narrative after October 7

A personal account of Israel’s information war and how truth is shaped and shared in real time

MAY 12, 2026ByCHANI KAPLAN
After October 7, the battlefield expanded online, where narratives spread as fast as the war itself.

Writing to heal: How putting trauma on paper can restore clarity

From trauma to self-understanding, intuitive writing offers a structured way to process emotion, reduce distress, and restore clarity

MAY 12, 2026By GWEN ACKERMAN
The Ararat program at the National Library of Israel.

'Too Israel-focused, too Jewy': How publishing closes its doors to Jewish writers - opinion

How politics, fear, and quiet boycotts are narrowing the space for Israel-related voices in the literary world

MAY 12, 2026ByARON HELLER
Aron Heller at his book launch for Zaidy’s Band: The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II in Toronto, November 2025.

'It started on October 7': How war reshaped Israel's defense-tech boom

From battlefield needs to global strategy, defense tech is accelerating, with Israel emerging at the center of a rapidly evolving sector

MAY 12, 2026ByANNA AHRONHEIM
Against the backdrop of geopolitical instability and a booming defense ecosystem, Alon Lifshitz co-founded Aurelius Capital, one of the new players rising in a transformed landscape.

'Am I a murderer?' Yad Vashem restores a Jewish ghetto policeman's Holocaust confession

A Holocaust-era diary that was buried, distorted, is now finally being shared

MAY 12, 2026ByEMIL BOTHE
A page in Calel Perechodnik’s original diary, which is now stored in Yad Vashem’s archives in Jerusalem.

Inside Yad Vashem's 'Living Memory': A window to victims' souls

At Yad Vashem, ‘Living Memory’ reveals how objects, letters, and art carry the weight of lives lost – and ensure they are not forgotten

MAY 12, 2026ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
Yad Vashem’s ‘Living Memory’ exhibition creates a time-travel experience through art.

'Your story is too Jewish': Inside publishing's dirty open secret - from the editor

Jewish and Israeli writers are confronting growing exclusion in publishing, even as new voices continue to emerge and push forward

MAY 12, 2026ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
As antisemitism rises in publishing, Jewish and Israeli writers are confronting rejection, backlash, and growing pressure to silence their voices.