Len Zwelling

The Gap Between What You Are Told And What Really Happens By Leonard Zwelling          Yes, there have been terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv (not in it). Yes, some Israelis have lost their lives and others have been injured. Yes, several Palestinians have also been shot. Yes, there is a wariness to […]

One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State By Leonard Zwelling          The emails are flying in asking whether the BW and I are surviving in the violence-laden Middle East. No violence where we are on the beach in Tel Aviv, but following the news on the various web sites, it does not surprise us

Two Unique Experiments in Democracy: Tea Parties and Walls from Valley Forge to the Valley of Elah By Leonard Zwelling          We are both young countries, the United States and Israel. One is a giant world power, the economic dominator seemingly riding herd over the globe to maintain peace. But it doesn’t even come close

The Hope of Israel and Its Despair All In One Day By Leonard Zwelling          The Max Rayne School-A Hand to Hand School for Bilingual Education in Jerusalem is the real hope of Israel. Started in 1998 the school is K through 12 for children of both Arab and Jewish backgrounds and draws students from

Bumble Bees and Burning Tires: Another Day In and Around the West Bank By Leonard Zwelling          Sde Eliyahu is a kibbutz that dates its origins to 1939, prior to the birth of the state of Israel. It is near the West Bank. It was settled first by German Jews who had the vision to

The Most Valuable Liquid in Israel Is Not Oil By Leonard Zwelling          I had always been told that in Israel it is all about the water. Nothing is more important in this bone dry land than access to water and that access is severely limited from natural sources. The mighty Jordan is a good-sized

The Road to Normalcy May Be Less Government By Leonard Zwelling          Our guide Gil says fewer and fewer Israelis participate in national elections. Especially the young. Sounds like some place else I know. There is a general sense here, I guess, that the government is unresponsive and doesn’t speak to the issues that concern

18 Holes in the Holy Land By Leonard Zwelling          A Shandah!  A blasphemy! A shameful act! So my activities in Israel on Saturday October 3 were characterized by a friend. I think not. I had driven farther to play golf in my life. Pebble Beach requires a flight to San Francisco and a long,

Tel Aviv: More Main Street Than a City at War By Leonard Zwelling          Though jet lagged from the 10+ hour flight from Newark that landed in the late afternoon in Israel, we hit the streets of Tel Aviv as soon as we checked into the lovely boutique Norman Hotel.          You are struck by

Blogging From Zion-Part 2 By Leonard Zwelling          Last year, the War in Gaza had just ended when we departed Houston for the Holy Land.          This year, it is a bit quieter. But just a bit, as ISIS is still in the neighborhood and the Russians are now bombing that neighborhood while supporting the