A nomadic people, \”Bedouin\” is the general name for Arabic-speaking tribes in the Middle East and North Africa that originate from the Arabian Peninsula, the Jazirat al-Arab. Before 1948, Bedouin were for generations the only residents of the Negev, a land mass that makes up some 60 percent of present-day Israel but comprises less than 10 percent of the total population.
Sitting in a nondescript hotel conference room, Abu Siam and five others described challenges faced as Israeli women. Among them, no one seemed both more foreign and yet more immediate than Abu Siam, who appeared dressed in colorful Muslim garb sparkling with jewelry, covered from head to toe so that only her beautiful and expressive face was visible. She appeared alternately angry and sad, fierce and broken, and as we heard her story — translated from Hebrew by our group leader — the reasons for her emotions became both understandable and unfathomable.
Like Henry Ford, Arnold (Arnon) Jonas is a garage tinkerer, but the Israeli native is ready to confer an even greater boon on mankind than the gasoline-powered automobile — to wit, a comfortable and healthful airplane seat.
Bedouin women are increasingly attending college. Here at Ben-Gurion University, there are 250 female Bedouin students.
Torah study and prayer are decidedly low-tech ventures, but the rise in popularity of handheld multimedia devices like the iPod, PalmPilot and Treo Smartphone has brought a 21st century edge to ancient practices once confined to the printed page.
While the JCC and The Federation argue over what brought the two Jewish institutions to this impasse, larger issues are at stake. Are JCCs, in fact, viable and desirable in Los Angeles? Can they ultimately survive here?
Picks and clicks.
Diana Tehrani has been busy at UCLA, and the 22-year-old biology graduate now has the awards to prove it.
His reputation in shambles from a sex scandal that broke a year ago and swelled in subsequent months, Israel\’s outgoing president, Moshe Katsav, put an end to the sordid chapter by agreeing to a plea bargain after months of insisting he was innocent.
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