By Jordan Chandler Hirsch

By Anna Melman
Cerulean seas, an iridescent sunset over yellow and pink sand, epicurean delights, attractive natives—who wouldn’t want to vacation in such a destination? There are “passionate people” and “magical markets,” a country replete with a “sense of history,” and the “mystery of nature.” There is beauty, sophistication, and friendliness. You might not have known it, but this is Israel.

By Adam Soclof

In contemplating an issue celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel, we found ourselves in a unique editorial position. Most of us would define ourselves as Zionists, but how did we define our Zionism? There’s practical Zionism, religious Zionism, secular Zionism, sexual Zionism, and creative Zionism, among other terms both classical and innovative. If we had to come up with 26 terms, each beginning with a different letter, that together created a picture of what Zionism is, what would it be? How would our lists differ? Would a cohesive Zionist mission statement emerge?

By Rachel Lieff Axelbank

By Micha Odenheimer

By Meira Levinson

Israel's first president, David Ben Gurion, retired to Sde Boker in 1963, determined to help fulfill his Zionist dream of “making the Negev bloom.” Over four decades later, Jews from Israel and abroad are achieving this dream by building solar homes for families in the Negev. Toby Lewis, a Master's student in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, is one of them.