Israel
Life in Israel, Israeli society, culture, and domestic affairs
#5315: What It's Like Living Next Door to a Prime Minister
Motorcades, megaphones at 5:30 a.m., and a three-meter wall — what neighbors of heads of state actually endure.
#5304: The Skill of Expecting Less (But Not the Worst)
Realists beat optimists and pessimists on long-term well-being. Here's what the research says about keeping expectations accurate.
#5243: The Antenna on the Consulate Roof
When a host country cuts the water and the fiber, one thing still reaches London: the HF antenna bolted to the consulate roof.
#5236: Who Gets to Hold the Gun? Three Models of State Force
Israel arms citizens for "distributed security," the U.S. treats guns as a right, Japan denies 90% of applicants. Three answers to one question.
#5228: Why Israeli Road Signs Still Spell It "Tiqwa
Israel's Academy of the Hebrew Language is finally standardizing how place names get written in English — but the Q on the signs has survived every...
#5227: Who Decides What Hebrew Words Mean?
Israel's Academy of the Hebrew Language can coin words the state must use — but it can't make anyone say them. Why 10 million speakers might be the...
#5223: Jerusalem's Ghost Towers and the Diaspora Buyer
10,340 unsold apartments, 15,000 ghost homes, and luxury towers pre-sold to buyers who visit twice a year. What is Jerusalem becoming?
#5222: How to Fill a Room With People Who Remember You
Is there a rent-a-crowd industry, and can you use it to make a 41st birthday feel like being remembered?
#5181: Shuafat: Jerusalem's Walled-Off Refugee Camp
Inside the Jerusalem camp that's within the city limits but beyond the barrier — taxed by the city, policed by no one.
#5170: How Many Languages Sit in the Middle?
Roughly 250 of the world's 7,000 languages have 100,000+ speakers. What's it like living in one of them?
#5156: Is Gaza One Place or Many?
Gaza is 41 km long, but inside it: refugee camps, native towns, Bedouin tribes, and a fault line that runs through every city.
#5152: Sinai's Level 4 Warning: What's Actually Left of ISIS
Egypt declared terrorism over in North Sinai in 2023. The NSC still rates the peninsula level four. What's actually left?
#5139: What Non-Internet Phones Reveal About Smartphone Addiction
Do internet-free phones prove the web is the addictive layer? The Haredi community offers a fascinating, if imperfect, natural experiment.
#5133: Phantom Forms: When Bureaucracy Regulates Nothing
Why do governments create rules even officials don't know about? We trace the lifecycle of phantom forms and what they cost.
#5098: Jerusalem's Digging Problem: Who Pays for Progress?
Jerusalem is tearing itself apart to rebuild. Residents pay top taxes but get no signage, no end dates, no recourse. Do other cities do better?
#5066: East Jerusalem Under Jordan: More Than Just a Border
What did 19 years of Jordanian rule actually mean for East Jerusalem? It's a story of legal integration and deliberate neglect.
#5048: ESTA and the Quiet Revolution in Border Tech
Why did Israel's Visa Waiver entry spark a deep dive into ESTA's real purpose? It's not the security check you think.
#5047: Balcony Solar in Jerusalem: What's Actually Possible?
Can a rented balcony in one of the sunniest cities on Earth power your gadgets? The physics says yes. The law says maybe.
#5015: Plugs vs. Water: What Actually Keeps You Safe
Why bathroom and outdoor outlets fail, and what actually works to keep both you and your gear safe.
#4968: North Korea Today: Life Beyond the Famine Era
What does ordinary life actually look like in North Korea right now? Smartphones, markets, and K-dramas in Pyongyang vs. survival in the provinces.