jns writer

Jeffrey Barken

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Israeli culinary journalist Gil Hovav’s memoir is a heartwarming and earnest slice of life

Jeffrey BarkenJanuary 17, 2018

Honest cooking and sincere storytelling rely on similar ingredients: tradition, love, humor and spice, among others. These components are found throughout “Candies from Heaven,” the newly translated memoir of leading Israeli culinary journalist Gil Hovav.

Gil Hovav. Credit: Courtesy Gil Hovav.

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From start-up nation to ramp-up nation: Israel’s new approach to innovation

Jeffrey BarkenOctober 13, 2017

In February 2016, Daniel B. Shapiro (left), then the U.S. ambassador to Israel, witnesses the Israeli company Mobileye’s advanced driver-assistance systems technology. Credit: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv.

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Newly translated, Israeli novel ‘Three Floors Up’ will give English readers a page-turner

Jeffrey BarkenSeptember 4, 2017

The cover of “Three Floors Up,” by Eshkol Nevo. Credit: Other Press.

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Israeli entrepreneurs see a bright future for solar technology

Jeffrey BarkenApril 17, 2017

Inside the studio of the Israeli start-up SolarPaint. Credit: Courtesy of SolarPaint.

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Spirituality and basketball: the ‘Jewish Jordan’ Israel summer camp playbook

Jeffrey BarkenMarch 14, 2017

Tamir Goodman. Credit: Zone190.

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Jeffrey BarkenDecember 22, 2016

‘Hate Spaces’ provides a wake-up call on campus anti-Zionism—and a tool to fight it

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In ‘My Fat Dad’ memoir, wisdom balances recipes and relationships

Jeffrey BarkenMarch 30, 2016

Click photo to download. Caption: Grandma Beauty with Dawn Lerman, then 2 years old. Credit: Courtesy Dawn Lerman.

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The Iran deal does New York

Jeffrey BarkenJuly 9, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: Recently, the subject of much debate in New York has been the decision facing the state's Jewish U.S. senator, Chuck Schumer (pictured in center), on the Iran nuclear deal. Will Schumer defy President Barack Obama (pictured at right) and be one of the 13 Democratic votes in the Senate needed to override the president's veto of potential Congressional rejection of the Iran deal? Credit: Pete Souza/White House.

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Tower of Babel in reverse: Hebrew language unites Israelis and Jews

Jeffrey BarkenApril 13, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: The Israeli-American Council's "Shishi Israeli" event to usher in Shabbat, held March 27 in New York City as part of the new Hagigah Ivrit culture series. A collaboration of the Israeli-American Council, the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, and the Council for Hebrew Language and Culture, the Hagigah Ivrit provides a platform for individuals and families seeking to both learn the Hebrew language and deepen their connection with Israel. Credit: Larson Harley.

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Portraits of Irish Holocaust survivors present nation with a teachable moment

Jeffrey BarkenApril 6, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: Diana Muller's portrait of Irish Holocaust survivor Suzie Diamond. Credit: Diana Muller.

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At Passover, Ukraine’s Jews bank on JDC relief efforts amid prolonged chaos

Jeffrey BarkenMarch 30, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: Masha Shumatskaya, a Jewish activist who fled the Ukrainian city of Donetsk last summer, is pictured in New York City, where she recently participated in a briefing hosted by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Credit: JDC.

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Jeffrey BarkenMarch 25, 2015

In ‘America in Retreat,’ a real-life Risk board

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Jeffrey BarkenFebruary 6, 2015

A frank conversation on marriage in Israel with Tzohar’s Rabbi David Stav

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Food project seeks to create ‘Jewish UNESCO and Jewish TripAdvisor’

Jeffrey BarkenJanuary 21, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: Israeli food critic Gil Hovav (left) and World Jewish Heritage Organization (WJH) founder Jack Gottlieb during the Jan. 14 launch of WJH's eBook, “Israel’s Top 100 Ethnic Restaurants,” at New York City's Balaboosta restaurant. Credit: Shahar Azran.

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Food project seeks to create ‘Jewish UNESCO and Jewish TripAdvisor’

Jeffrey BarkenJanuary 21, 2015

Click photo to download. Caption: Israeli food critic Gil Hovav (left) and World Jewish Heritage Organization (WJH) founder Jack Gottlieb during the Jan. 14 launch of WJH's eBook, “Israel’s Top 100 Ethnic Restaurants,” at New York City's Balaboosta restaurant. Credit: Shahar Azran.

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