The Importance of Free Press and Free Speech

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog on free press in Israel. As I stated in the blog, Israel is ranked at a 29 on a scale of 0 to 100, 0 being complete free press and 100 being no free press. At 29, Israel is considered to have full free press, even though […]

Peace through Play

In the United States, many children start to play sports at a very young age. As early as 5 or 6, American children are thrust into sports like soccer, football, tennis, basketball, softball, baseball, and more. Team sports are especially emphasized for young people, because they teach you important skills and valuable lessons about the […]

Jerusalem’s Significance

The city of Jerusalem is significant in a number of ways to many Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is holy for the three monotheistic religions because of the religious significant events that took place there. Although Jerusalem is unique, it’s important to why it’s significant to different types of religion. Significance of Jerusalem to Jews […]

The Other Son

The Other Son Last summer my Nana and I saw a movie called The Other Son. I was a bit skeptical at first because all I knew was the movie was in subtitles but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Before watching this movie I was very uneducated on much of the conflict in […]

Environmental Spotlight: Friends of the Earth Middle East

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about some of the major environmental concerns within the Middle East and how these issues are often overlooked because of the political unrest of the region. I’ve since been interested as to what actions are being taken by people in the Middle East to preserve their land. While […]

I Shall Not Hate

“I shall not hate” is a book by Izzeldin Abuelaish that talks about his experience with the Israeli-Palestine conflict. He is an infertility doctor that travels back and forth from Israel, where he works, to Gaza, where he lives. He talks about the immense difficulties of crossing the border and how many times he was […]

Israel’s Stance Against the Ultra-Thin Ideals of the Fashion/ Advertisement Industry!

This summer I interned for a high fashion photographer Alexei Hay who had recently converted to be a Modern Orthodox Jew. In the span of a couple months I didn’t only learn about photography, but also about how to live a holy life following Judaism. Many in the industry found themselves puzzled when finding out […]

Seeds of Peace

Every summer, children from conflict regions all over the world come together on a lake in Otisfield, Maine, USA. They come to join a camp called Seeds of Peace. The main goal of Seeds of Peace is to “give rise to new generations of leaders uniquely inspired and equipped to build lasting peace.” This summer […]

Halloween in the Middle East

As HallOUween (Ohio University’s Halloween Block Party) is quickly approaching, I’ve been wondering what Halloween is like in the Middle East and if it is even allowed. Halloween started out as a pagan holiday in Ireland, known as the Celtic Festival of Samhain, which was observed on October 31st. It was said that, “the souls […]

Can White House Protests Bring Peace?

Recently I traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in a National Conference. While I was there, we made it a point to visit the monuments. One of our first stops was the White House. While we were there, peaceful Palestinian protesters gathered outside of the White House with candles and signs. I could not read […]

Extra, Extra, Read All About It

This past week, I was in Washington D.C., for a national conference. Not only was I meeting people from all around the U.S. at this conference, but I was also exploring D.C. and submersing myself into new cultures, food and experiences. My favorite experience was by far my trip to the Newseum. As a journalism […]

“We just want freedom to fish.”

“We just want freedom to fish.”- Said a fisherman from the Gaza strip who has lost almost everything due to the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian war. Gaza is home to nearly 1.8 million people with over 30,000 of those people being directly dependent on the fishing industry to survive. Since 2007 Israel has began to place harsher […]

The Dead Sea Brings Life

What is the first place that comes to mind when thinking of destinations to travel to? I’m sure for many people the Middle East does not jump out at them as a beautiful, relaxing place to vacation. The Middle East is often directly associated with turmoil and war, but in reality there are several breath-taking […]

Hezbollah: A Terrorist Organization to Watch

When most Americans think of Middle Eastern terrorist groups the names Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas are generally the only ones that people can come up with. However, there is a very important terrorist group in Lebanon that the United States should have its eyes on: Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization based in Lebanon’s Shiite-dominated […]

A Will to Peaceful Coexistence: Sweden to Recognize Palestinian State

Ever since the killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank in June and the subsequent airstrikes and violence in the region, the eyes of the world have been focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for months, world leaders have been contributing to the ongoing global discussion about the crisis. One such leader is newly-elected […]

Irish Dancing Through the Middle East

Every year the CLRG World Irish Dance Championships takes place during Holy Week (the week before Easter in Christianity). I competed at this competition in 2012 during my senior year of high school after qualifying at the Southern Region Oireachtas (regional championship). I met many girls from around the world when I was there, including […]

Arab Idol: More than Music

The world is fascinated with music. It’s one thing that gives everyone the capacity to express their stories and emotions. It is through this shared connection to music that singing competition shows have risen to such great popularity. We watch contestants on these shows that inspire and entertain us, and by voting, we are able […]

Israel: The exclusive club

I told you, I’d be back. The new influx of Muslims does not help Israel’s image. It has been successfully argued that Israel has no choice but to defend itself from Palestinians and their supporters, but what happens when outsiders come? What does Israel do when refugees need help? Does this look familiar?

Women in Green

Women in Green is one of the many grassroot movements that has evolved in Israel. Originally called Women for Israel’s tomorrow, the nonprofit organization was named because of the green hats are often seen wearing. It was started in 1993 by a couple, Ruth and Michael Matar, who were dedicated to maintaining the historic, religious […]

Egypt Leaving a Mark

Egypt may be the unlikely winner of another round of conflict between Israel and Gaza that killed more than 100 people and caused major destruction. A speculative ceasefire was announced in Cairo where the Egyptian government played a major role. President Mohammad Mursi was a key player in brokering the ceasefire last week, even after […]