By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I never know whether to laugh or cry when I read those perennial complaints that things are getting worse, the country (no matter which) is going to the dogs and ‘fings ain’t wot they used to be.’ The trouble is that change happens, it is inevitable, we are […]
Jewish critics of Israel need to accept the facts of life Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MITZPEH RAMON, Israel — I’ve never been to a passing-out parade at Sandhurst or West Point, and am not likely ever to go to one, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the ceremony at which my granddaughter was made an officer in Israel’s Air Force (no, she’s not a pilot) was
My granddaughter, the Air Force officer Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-VansonTEL AVIV (Press Release) ― Working out can help you shed pounds ― but that’s just the beginning. New research from Tel Aviv University has found that “endurance exercises,” like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles. Prof. Dafna Benayahu
Want to look prettier or more handsome? Exercise! Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and FoodBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel–The Punic Wars, the Roman Empire; the migrations and conquests of the Germanic tribes; the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, the Barbarians; the split between the Roman and the Byzantine churches; the Islamic conquest of Spain; Charlemagne; the Wars of the Three Brothers, which ended with the treaty of Verdun in 843; the
Europe’s history of warfare, treachery, and peace offers lessons to Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-VansonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM–As a child in London in the 1950s I enjoyed listening to the radio on the days that I managed to persuade my mother that I was too ill to go to school. Somewhere between ‘Whistle While you Work’ and ‘Mrs. Dale’s Diary’ was a programme where someone with a German accent
Bird Watching in Jerusalem Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I never intended to become a translator. It just happened. I first began translating after my daughter was born and I could no longer go out to work. My knowledge of Hebrew was minimal and I frequently had to use a dictionary, but with the passing years this
The varied life of a Hebrew-English translator Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — When I first moved to Israel, some forty years ago, there was one supermarket in Jerusalem, and perhaps a few more in Tel Aviv. My housekeeping requirements as a student were not very great, and I seem to remember my forays to the supermarket as rare occasions, requiring
Going to market in Jerusalem is a gender issue Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM — The audience in the auditorium listened intently as the head of the one of the departments of the Music Academy gave an erudite analysis, with illustrations at the piano, of various aspects of Mendelsohn’s ‘Songs Without Words,’ which we were to hear later in the programme. Professor Assaf Zohar, a
Mobile phone prompts merger of Mendelsohn's music with Rossini's Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –As a result of a chance encounter at Lod airport at the beginning of the year I met Robi Damelin, spokesperson for the Parents Circle – Bereaved Families Forum, the group uniting Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families in an effort to attain peace, reconciliation and tolerance. Robi was struggling
Bereavement unites Palestinian and Israeli parents Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel–“Refugees.” That word means many different things to many different people. The readership of the magazine of the Association of Jewish Refugees (the British publication for which I also write) is loosely defined as having once fallen into that category. By today, however, most of those who once sought refuge from a
For refugees, policies of host countries make all the difference Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East