Michele Chabin
Michele Chabin is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Michele Chabin
Jerusalem Palestinians prepare for Ramadan amid holy month’s uneasy politics
By Michele Chabin — March 7, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Ramadan will be more modest this year for Muslims conscious of the deprivation in Gaza and the lack of money in their own wallets due to the war.
Biden sanctions aim to curb Jewish settler attacks. Some Israelis fear a wider impact.
By Michele Chabin — February 19, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Though some say the sanctions will do little to end attacks by Jewish extremists, others say they may be used against anyone who supports the settlements in the West Bank.
Evangelicals venture to Israel in show of solidarity
By Michele Chabin — February 7, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Visitors to Israel have been few since its war with Hamas began. But in December, groups of evangelical Christians began to arrive on solidarity missions, say groups that promote links between Israel and evangelicals abroad.
Coexistence initiatives in Israel tentatively resume as Arabs and Jews live side by side amid war
By Michele Chabin — January 24, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Groups like the Good Neighbors Project are navigating wartime tensions, making good on years of work trying to foster mutual respect.
Stung by anti-Israel protests and hate, many Jews are reasserting their identity
By Michele Chabin — November 22, 2023
(RNS) — While some American Jews leave Star of David necklaces at home or remove mezuzahs from their doorposts, others have deepened their spiritual practices or taken to the streets and social media to shout their pride in their Jewish identity and the state of Israel.
Amid war, Israel expands military bereavement policy to include same-sex partners
By Michele Chabin — November 13, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Lawmakers voted to expand the Families of Fallen Soldiers Law to include common-law partners of LGBTQ members of the Israel Defense Forces.
Evangelical Christians mobilize to help Israelis touched by war
By Michele Chabin — November 6, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Evangelical Christians' theological ties to Israel have been accompanied by fundraising and other material support for Israeli municipalities, NGOs and first responders, making it possible for evangelical groups to mobilize within hours of Hamas' attack.
Haredi Jews, exempt from Israel’s military service mandate, sign up to fight Hamas
By Michele Chabin — October 30, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — 'This isn’t a drill. This is an actual war,' one ultra-Orthodox Israeli said. 'During wartime, we must all do the maximum. Anyone who isn’t studying Torah full time should contribute.'
Why Hamas is selling its assault on Israel as a holy war
By Michele Chabin and Yonat Shimron — October 17, 2023
(RNS) — The reference to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, was a rallying cry to unite Muslims everywhere.
Israelis channel anxiety over war into volunteering to support army and each other
By Michele Chabin — October 13, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — From army-green 'tzitzit' to airline tickets.
In the desert above the Dead Sea, evidence of Jewish rebels’ capture of Roman weaponry
By Michele Chabin — September 8, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The 1,900-year-old swords are in perfect condition, thanks to the arid climate of the Judean Desert.
Church leaders plead with Israeli government as anti-Christian incidents increase in Holy Land
By Michele Chabin — August 21, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The incidents have been organized by extremist groups who consider Christians to be enemies of the Jewish people.
Israelis fear new limits on Supreme Court will bolster Orthodox establishment’s sway
By Michele Chabin — July 27, 2023
(RNS) — Rights advocates in the country say legislation giving the Knesset more power to overturn Supreme Court decisions will have ‘a devastating impact’ on everything from gender equality, religious freedom and pluralism to the rights of Israel’s Arab minority.
Appealing to Orthodox Jews, Israeli media remove women from view
By Michele Chabin — July 21, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Determined to return women’s images to the public sphere, a feminist Orthodox Israeli has created a unique photo bank of religious Jewish women and their families. It has become a resource for positive images of religious Jewish women.
New memoir by Anne Frank’s girlhood friend reveals ‘life outside the attic’
By Michele Chabin — June 14, 2023
JERUSALEM (RNS) — 'My Friend Anne Frank,' by Hannah Pick-Goslar, details the girls' friendship before the Holocaust and their brief reunion inside a Nazi concentration camp.
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