Articles Written By Annalise Koltun
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Begin the Descend
Hebrew has a verb to describe the act of a Jew immigrating to Israel: la’ahloht, “to ascend.” Upon deciding to leave Israel, our correspondent starts the slow process of descent well before boarding the plane.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Getting By on Allenby Street
For the middle-class residents of Tel Aviv, housing is either too expensive or difficult to find. On one city street, apartments are plentiful but—for more than one reason—not the kind you’d like to see.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Aliens in the Land of Egypt
For Americans, invitations to Israel—with lavish parties, higher education, and United Airlines tote bags—come easy. But if your homeland lies elsewhere, Israel’s welcome is far less loving.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Smells Like War
Israel and Iran are swaying on the brink, if you listen to the international media. A peek inside the Israeli capital finds people acting blasé, but not making summer vacation plans just yet.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore
A grocery visit or dinner out in Israel can sometimes leave your stomach churning, but not for the reasons you might think.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Marriage, Israeli Style
For Israelis of a certain age, marriage beckons. But in this cradle of so many religions, a tangle of ancient rules and modern laws makes things surprisingly complicated.
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Letters from Tel Aviv
Situation: Comedy
Language students rely on local television shows for vocabulary and instruction. But not all Three’s Company remakes should be trusted. Surveying Israeli TV from Orthodox Jewish sitcoms to comedy that equally offends Jews, Arabs, and sheep.
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Letters From Tel Aviv
Please Don’t Mflugah the Pn
When you are immigrating to a new country, it’s not always clear which vowels you’ll miss most. After six months of studying Hebrew in Tel Aviv, what it’s like to discover you’re illiterate.