A large stone structure has been detected at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, with researchers saying it could be a 4,000-year-old burial site. The construction was first discovered in 2003 during a sonar survey, but the monument has finally been inspected up close by a team of divers. The structure was the subject of a piece in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, with researchers saying the site reaches 32 feet high with a diameter of 230 feet—about twice the size of Stonehenge. "Close …More

In Yokneam in northern Galilee, a one-of-a-kind eco-farm allows people with disabilities to press grapes, bake pita and explore the outdoors. The project is at the heart of LOTEM, a unique organization dedicated to making natural and environmental learning accessible to people with disabilities who live in or visit Israel. Thirty years ago, when LOTEM founder Amos Zvi noticed a group of visually disabled hikers on a trail, no accessible trails for persons with disabilities existed. Today, thanks to the advocacy …More

Several Republican politicians took part in an alcohol-inspired dip in the Galilee, one without his clothes. The allegations were exposed by Politico, citing an unnamed source. The FBI reportedly investigated the occurrence, which took place in the late hours of August 18 after a dinner. As estimated 20 people took part. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS), 36, admitted to swimming in the iconic body of water sans clothing, though his colleagues remained dressed when they took to swimming. "After dinner I followed some …More

Musician Rick Recht grows with his Jewish roots. [Post Gazette] One op-ed writer thinks Shimon Peres' recent remarks give Benjamin Netanyahu an easy out on a solo attack on Iran. [Ynet] An ultra religious rabbi in Israel forbids Jews who use the legal court system from leading services. [Jerusalem Post] Hudson Valley hosts a Jewish Heritage Music Festival. [Newsday] David Cameron's Jewish tailor passed away last week. [Israel Hayom] Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren says an attack on Iran won't create a rift …More

Attorney Alan Baker defends the government-initiated report he co-authored that authorizes West Bank outposts. [The Jerusalem Post] Some say Obama’s vow to make a trip to Israel is simply to “one-up” Mitt Romney. [Commentary] Florida’s Jewish population is vital to Obama’s reelection. [NBC Politics] How did the Munich 11 campaign go viral? [Jewish Journal] Dan Margalit believes that the splitting Kadima party is embarrassing. [Israel Hayom] Daniel Greenfield takes a stance on the …More

Past Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, 96, died Saturday at a nursing home in Tel Aviv. [The New York Times] Yad Vashem tones down its account of Pope Pius XII’s conduct toward the massacre of Jews during World War II. [Boston.com] An archeological dig in the lower Galilee finds a 1,600-year-old mosaic floor describing the story of biblical Samson and a Hebrew inscription from a synagogue. [The Jerusalem Post] Mario Balotelli, Italian soccer star and foster son of a Jewish mother, leads Italy to the …More

A program that brought together Arab and Jewish children to learn about sustainability has ended. The Israel Nature and Parks program in Alonei Abba in Lower Galilee has lost funding for its environmental initiative that sought to bring together children from different backgrounds to learn about the land they share. Gizelle Hazzan, the director of the Ein Afek Nature Reserve, said that the cross-cultural program arose from a need to curtail the human damage being done to the reserve. “Back in the day the …More

The Israel Lands Administration has handed over nearly 300 acres of land to the Ariel Sharon Park Company for development of the park. [Jerusalem Post] Volunteer teens from the Galilee are working with special needs children in a table tennis program. [Ynet] A chef in Israel has opened two boutique hotels, claiming the best way to develop economy is to attract a wealthier brand of clientele. [Haaretz] And a safari business in Rama Gan plans to feed its animals kosher for Passover meals this holiday. [Israel …More

Gilad Shalit and his family are preparing for a special Passover celebration this year. [Ynet] Meanwhile, a look at the connection between Jesus, Jerusalem and Passover. [Jerusalem Post] An Iranian-born Israeli is quickly climbing the political ladder, and turning heads on the military field. [Israel Hayom] A unique Israeli job fair is targeting potential employees over the age of 45. [Ynet] Israeli kibbutz is determining whether to renovate or tear down a run down school. [Haaretz] A new book looks at how …More

Warren Goldstein, the current chief rabbi of South Africa and a candidate to be the new chief rabbi of Britain, sat down for an interview where he discussed his ongoing projects. [Jerusalem Post]  Israeli art gallery owner Menachem Safrai displays art from the Jewish state in exhibits across the United States each year, giving Americans a chance to see the works they would never otherwise get to view. [Jerusalem Post]   Eilat hosted Israel’s first professional coffee conference, which led the …More

Israel is celebrating the opening of its fifth medical school, which is the first new facility of its kind to be built in nearly four decades. Bar-Ilan University’s new facility in Safed, the Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, will educate 124 students, increasing the number of medical students in Israel by 18 percent. It is hoped that this new institution will help raise the quality of medical care in Northern Israel. In honor of the opening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his entire cabinet met …More

 An Israeli-Arab couple can live in a Jewish town in the Galilee after being rejected by its admissions committee, Israel's Supreme Court ruled. The young couple had been denied admission to Rakefet four years ago after the committee said they were socially incompatible with the community. The decision issued Tuesday comes after the Israel Land Authority earlier this month made a plot of land available in Rakefet for the couple, who are living in the Israeli-Arab town of Sakhnin, in the lower Galilee near …More