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Sometimes it’s just nice to have a day off. Enough of the politics and looking behind the curtain and talking to people about what they really think about life here. Let’s just have a day off. So, we do. Lovely Ruth and her house guest (that’s me) headed off for…

Tel Aviv seems a familiar place, Buzzing, lively, cosmopolitan. Full of life. It’s like Paris with its cafes spilling out onto the pavement. Or New York with its loud, vibrant buzz. But it’s also got hot heat and, more importantly, it’s got the beach. The beach is extraordinary. Deep and…

It’s been a long weekend here, first Shabbat, then Rosh Hashanah. Lots of family time, lots of eating and talking and more eating – everyone’s favourite Jewish pastimes. But now it’s back to work and time to move on. The local train station is packed with kids, all going back…

Efrat’s about 20 minutes from Jerusalem, no further than Brighton is from Lewes. In the real world where politics collides with culture and history, it’s a lot further than that. But first… I’ve got a podcast to do. Antony works for The Israel Project, an organisation dedicated to putting out…

Staying at Ruth’s was always going to be interesting. When did I last see her? 197something, maybe 1975. That was O level year, and I really can’t remember her past that point. Then again, I can’t remember much past that point. 1975. 1976. Don’t suppose it matters that much. I…

“Standby for action. We are about to launch… Stingray. Anything can happen in the next half hour” How many times do you get an opportunity like this? The time – and thank you to my employers for that – the money, which came through two unexpected PPI repayments. Yeah, I…

Shortly before I left England, I’d been approached by another old face from the old country. “Hi there. I heard you were coming over. Do you fancy a trip up north? We can meet up and I’ll show what life’s really like up here”. It was a three hour drive…

It’s Friday and Friday here is the first day of the weekend. You spend the daytime preparing for Shabbat, getting the shopping in, doing the weekend chores that need to be done. “You know what I miss most about living in England?” Antony says to me. “Sundays. We don’t really…

Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon is half empty, and the half that’s not empty is busy packing up, closing shops, pulling down blinds and going home. Shabbat is coming and on Shabbat everything stops. The shuk – the market – where last night it was seriously rocking, was still busy,…

The last day. It’s been a bit of a ride, but there was only one place to go on the last day. Yad Vashem is an extraordinary place. It doesn’t matter how many people are there, it feels empty and silent. Actually, that’s not strictly true. I was in the…