ToI’s weekly deep dive: Iraqi Purim treats * Horovitz op-ed: What Israel do Israelis want? * Modern ’Queen Esther’ Lizzy Savetsky * Podcast: PM as obstacle to victory

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, March 24, 2024 [Heavenly Purim treats at this Iraqi Jewish confectionery are a window into a bygone era]( By Eliyahu Freedman Customers line up in Petah Tikva for an ancient nougat named for manna and a trip back in time, as they fear 70-year-old Konditorei David may too soon be a thing of the past Interview [How the Bible – and the Purim story – helped form a nation from an exiled people]( By Rich Tenorio Op-ed: Day 166 of the war David Horovitz [Never mind Chuck Schumer’s hopes and fears, what Israel do Israelis want?]( Senate majority leader fears pariah status looms for Israel and urges elections, but would voters choose a less divisive leadership? * Retaining US support to tackle Hamas in Rafah [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Mar. 21: Day 167 – The Israeli PM is (again) a partisan issue in the US]( By ToI Staff ToI podcast [What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: Is Netanyahu an obstacle to victory?]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Haviv Rettig Gur ToI’s senior analyst on how the world worries Netanyahu won’t bring peace; Israelis worry he won’t win the war Analysis Lazar Berman [Biden’s wished-for targeted operation in Rafah might not be out of the question]( The IDF can’t lean on special forces to take out Hamas’s remaining battalions, but the Rafah fight won’t look anything like the conquest of Gaza City [ToI in Gaza / On both sides of Gaza’s border, the IDF is remaking security from the (under)ground up]( By Amir Bar Shalom [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Mar. 23: Day 169 – UN’s Gaza aid head: Situation slightly less desperate]( By ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing March 18: Day 164 – Why Schumer’s speech fell on deaf Israeli ears]( By ToI Staff Interview [National Unity’s Kahana: We’re not using Haredi draft to try and bring down coalition]( By Sam Sokol But lawmaker insists the ultra-Orthodox must do national service, and doubles down on criticism of ‘worst government’ in Israeli history [Interview / Likud’s Danon dismisses Sa’ar as serious rival to Netanyahu, calls to push into Rafah]( By Sam Sokol [Condemning ‘messianic’ politics, Yair Golan pledges to ‘unify all leftist parties’]( By Sam Sokol Top Ops Adam S. Ferziger [The dilemma of Israeli PurimÂ]( How can a nation rooted in ideas of self-rule and self-defense celebrate at a time of fragile uncertainty? Focus on hope, not victory Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll [5 steps to save Jewish marriage]( When the community takes matters into its own hands to free chained women awaiting divorce, the rabbis follow suit Chavi Feldman [Canada’s refusal to sell arms to Israel harms its legacy as a protector of Jews]( My grandparents wouldn’t recognize the country that offered them a safe haven after the Holocaust Peta Jones Pellach [Together, ununified, we can succeed]( Except for being united in shock and grief, we were never really united – and that might not be such a bad thing [Top US rabbi says Gaza’s plight, distrust of PM make Israel-support harder for US Jews]( By Canaan Lidor Heartfelt comments by Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl of Central Synagogue NYC at a Jewish peoplehood conference trigger criticism amid concerns for inter-communal and bilateral ties [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Mar 22: Day 168 – Kotel prayer for hostages; US rabbi reports support is hard]( By ToI Staff Interview [Prof. Eitan Hersh answers the $64,000 question: Are Jewish kids safe at US colleges?]( By Jordana Horn The political scientist at Tufts began a far-reaching student survey in 2022 amid rising antisemitism. After October 7, his data-driven mission has become pivotal for American Jews [Interview / Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey: Now more than ever US Jews must stand their ground]( By Cathryn J. Prince [CRM]( Inside story [New Arab-Jewish movement stages countrywide events demanding ceasefire]( By Gianluca Pacchiani After months of silence, some Arab Israelis join with left-wing Jewish activists to call for an end to the war. Others say the ‘day after’ is already here – and they don’t like it [Praying for peace, optimistic Israeli activists deliver Ramadan food aid to West Bank]( By Eliyahu Freedman [Poll: Gazans increasingly happy with Oct. 7; 52% want Hamas to rule Strip after war]( By ToI Staff Interview [Modern-day ‘Queen Esther’ Lizzy Savetsky gets real about her Israel activism]( By Jordana Horn The social media star, former beauty queen, New York socialite and proud Zionist talks about her nonstop work and how she’s learned to drop the haters and empower fellow Jews [Iconic Jewish women gather to celebrate release of new, empowering bat mitzva book]( By Maya Zanger-Nadis [In Boston, dancers perform moving homage to families of hostages in Gaza]( By Rich Tenorio Food [At culinary festival, chefs focus on home cooking under shadow of war]( By Jessica Steinberg Israeli Cuisine Festival, rescheduled to end of March from November, brings diners to favorite restaurants, markets and kitchens for home-cooked meals [The taste of hope / For Purim, hostage families share loved ones’ favorite cookie recipes]( By Jessica Steinberg [‘Kibbutz Tel Aviv’ evacuees cook up some solace in culinary workshops]( By Jessica Steinberg [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Stories of civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel]( [Read Here]( Interview [Comedian-turned-unlikely advocate for Israel is heading back to the Jewish state]( By Amy Spiro Redemption song [Israel Philharmonic premiering new ‘Hatikvah’ with global choir]( By Jessica Steinberg American friends of IPO launches ‘Global Hatikvah,’ website for recording anyone singing Israeli anthem Interview [Israeli survivor of captivity and torture in Syria exorcises his demons by sculpting clay]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Former Yom Kippur War prisoner of war Amnon Sharon shares his experiences living ‘alongside PTSD,’ criticizes public activism for release of hostages in Gaza [Delayed by war, a rescheduled Jerusalem Biennale beats sheep into swords of iron]( By Jessica Steinberg [Interview / Relatives of 21-year-old family breadwinner Bar Kupershtein call for his release]( By Diana Bletter [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( Health [Israeli scientists harness molecule to treat rare disease common in Ashkenazim]( By Diana Bletter Research team isolates GHF-201 to fight APBD, a nervous system disorder mostly found in Jews of Eastern European descent, as patients eagerly await the green light for treatment [No more peeing on a stick: New saliva-based pregnancy test now available in Israel]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Archaeology [Ancient Jewish revolt-era ‘safe rooms’ revealed in the Galilee]( By Gavriel Fiske Community excavation of Huqoq village carried out with the aid of volunteers and schools; 2,000-year-old finds at site to open to the public March 29 and April 5 From The Blogs [Purim offers 4 ways to heal the wounds of war – when the time is right]( By Erica Brown The best antidote to hate is gifts of affection, even when the tangerines are old and the licorice stale [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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