ToI’s weekly deep dive: Back to Egypt for Passover * Religious issues that end governments * Magritte at Israel Museum * Podcast: Holy Sepulchre archaeology for Easter

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, April 17, 2022 [Sinai gears up for Passover tourist rush, with Israel finally letting its people go]( By [Melanie Lidman]( [Frequent upheavals in the region have fostered resilient businesses now ready to welcome back neighbors who have waited through terror warnings and pandemic closures to return]( [Inaugural direct flight between Tel Aviv and Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh takes off]( By [TOI staff]( Op-ed [David Horovitz]( [A Passover prayer, to safeguard the modern miracle of Israel]( [May our leaders find the wisdom to thwart the threats and ensure Israel’s future as a thriving Jewish, democratic nation, utilizing the moral and practical compass Judaism provides]( Analysis [Once it was F-15s on Shabbat; now, hametz: The religious issues that end governments]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Bennett’s coalition clings to life, knowing conflicts over Jewish identity have caused governments to fall over the past 70 years]( diplomacy [Lazar Berman]( [Turkey targets Israel with charm offensive as it angles to regain regional status]( [Facing diplomatic isolation and economic pressure, Erdogan is eager to meet with Bennett; until the PM agrees, he’ll settle for winning over Israeli journalists]( [Turkish foreign minister says ties with Israel dependent on Palestinian rights]( By [Lazar Berman]( [ToI Podcast / Daily Briefing April 14: Where is Defense Minister Gantz in the coalition crisis?]( By [TOI staff]( [Analysis / Orban’s victory strengthens his ability to defy the EU, including on Israel]( By [Lazar Berman]( coexistence [In shadow of terrorism and political crisis, Herzog stresses tolerance at Iftar meal]( By [Carrie Keller-Lynn]( [President hosts a traditional Ramadan dinner, but violence and political tensions compete with his well-received goodwill message]( TOI investigates [‘Father unknown’: A dread biblical status leads to modern problems]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Amir has been fighting for years to be recognized as his daughter’s father, squaring off against an archaic law aimed at preventing children from being labeled ‘mamzers’]( Top Ops [Yael Leibowitz]( [A Passover prayer]( [May we gather, bicker, make crumbs, and laugh together with those we love. And may we ask all the hard questions that we cannot answer, for that too is our inheritance]( [Kenneth Brander]( [The blessing for eating chametz on Pesach]( [A prayer from Bergen-Belsen: ’…our hearts are pained at the captivity which prevents us, and we find ourselves in danger of our lives…’]( [Chen Malul]( [A world of wine-stained haggadot]( [These manuscripts, hailing from Amsterdam to Persia and now housed in the National Library of Israel, are old, rare and, yes, full of splotches]( [Noam Weissman]( [What freedom means in 2022]( [The Passover seder teaches the concept of peoplehood in the truest sense, guiding us to step out of ourselves and feel for others]( Interview [Jewish feminism ‘foremother’ Marcia Falk publishes lyrical haggadah]( By [Renee Ghert-Zand]( [Pathbreaking poet and liturgist offers innovative take on text by highlighting biblical Exodus over rabbinic commentary. Here, she discusses her feminist and spiritual awakenings]( [CRM]( Times Will Tell Podcast [What does archaeology say about the location of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( [We walk in the Jerusalem Old City church compound with top archaeologist Prof. Jodi Magness in this audio tour of the history and controversy of a unique holy spot]( [Archaeology / Researchers rediscover original medieval altar of Church of the Holy Sepulchre]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Joshua Berman]( [Leading the people back to Egypt]( Science [Scientists believe they may have found Earth’s oldest life — 4.2 billion years old]( By [TOI staff]( [If confirmed, microfossil study would show life on Earth might have emerged a mere 300 million years after planet’s formation]( [Israeli astronomer and partner identify first interstellar meteor to hit Earth]( By [Luke Tress]( [In ‘game changer,’ Israeli laser-based air defense shoots down drones]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing April 13: Israel’s man beyond the moon & space-age medicine]( By [TOI staff]( Health [Depression rates among pregnant women, new moms doubled during lockdown, study finds]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Even though lockdowns seem to be behind us, it will take time for levels to get back to normal]( [Israeli-made dietary supplement fights off viruses in lab tests, scientists say]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Israeli researchers propose vaccine trial overhaul: Smart sensors instead of surveys]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Israeli study: 4th COVID shot halves death risk among severe patients over 60]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [After 37 years, Magritte’s surrealist masterpiece still inspires at Israel Museum]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [‘The Castle of the Pyrenees’ is at the center of a new exhibit telling the backstory of the work by the famed Belgian artist — as well as his art-loving friend who commissioned it]( [Oscar-nominated ‘When We Were Bullies’ looks back in shame on 1965 schoolyard attack]( By [Renee Ghert-Zand]( Interview [Israeli writer brings his homeland to life in new English story collection]( By [Amy Spiro]( [27-year-old debut author Omer Friedlander, now living in New York, paints vivid pictures of characters, tales and times gone by in ‘The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land’]( From the Blogs [Memories lost]( By [Anne Gordon]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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