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Welcome to this new blog! Each month, you’ll find short posts about the latest discoveries and fascinating events in Israel: archaeology, history, technology, environment, Israeli society… and much more. My goal is to share stories and insights that enrich your understanding and experience of this unique country.
January 2026: The Christian Orthodox Epiphany
Every year, the Orthodox Epiphany takes place on January 18–19. Orthodox Christians include all Eastern and Slavic denominations, and for them, the Epiphany commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
In Israel, all Orthodox communities gather on the banks of the Jordan at Qasr Yahud (“The Jewish Fortress” in Arabic), in the Judean Desert north of the Dead Sea.
Notably, the Syriac community participates, the only one still practicing the Aramaic language, which was the main language in Israel 2,000 years ago. They take part in the ceremony after the Ethiopian community, while pilgrims are baptized in the Jordan.
December 2025: On the Eve of Hanukkah
On the eve of Hanukkah, archaeologists uncovered an oil lamp dating back to the Hasmonean period, in the 2nd century BCE, at Nabi Samuel, believed to be the burial place of the Prophet Samuel.
The Hasmonean dynasty continued the heroic legacy of the Maccabees, who had revolted against the Hellenistic Greek Empire, leading to an independent Judean kingdom for a century.
This lamp, found alongside contemporary writing tools, is a key witness to Jewish identity and offers valuable insight into daily life during the fascinating Hasmonean era.
Byzantine Menorah Pendant at the Temple Mount
During excavations in the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, archaeologists discovered a 1,300-year-old engraved Menorah pendant made of lead.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, this is a very rare artifact, dating from the Byzantine period, when Jews were forbidden by imperial decree from entering Jerusalem.
Yet the pendant shows that, despite this prohibition, Jews never abandoned Jerusalem. It testifies to the determination of an anonymous Jew who reached the Temple Mount, the most sacred site for the Jewish people.
November 2025: A World-First Water Project
Israel has begun pumping desalinated water from the Mediterranean into the Sea of Galilee. Introducing desalinated seawater into a freshwater lake is a world-first achievement.
The project has two main goals: to restore the declining water level of the lake and to ensure it can provide water in case of future shortages. In addition, most of Israel’s drinking water now comes from several desalination plants along the coast.
On its way, the water flows through the Tzalmon River, rejuvenating it after years of drought.
October 2025: Habayita – Home at Last
In Hebrew, Habayita means “home,” in the sense of “back home.” It is what millions of Israelis prayed for every day since October 7.
Finally, on October 13, two years after their kidnapping, on the very same holy day of Simchat Torah, the 22 remaining hostages returned home.
I spent 24 hours moving from one location to another to cover this historic moment. Rarely, if ever, does a nation’s entire population resonate as one heart. Yet it happened that day, on Simchat Torah, literally “The Joy of the Torah.”
Anyone who was there—at the Place of the Hostages, along the roads, outside hospitals, in front of the TV, in their cars listening to the radio, and even worldwide—felt that communion of souls, a moment of true national kinship.