Haim Watzman
I am standing on the edge of the pool, in my Speedo swimsuit, feeling like a Second Aliya pioneer determined to speak only the language of their forefathers. It’s Sunday night, Masters Swim Group, Jerusalem Pool. I’m about to swim three kilometers. My swimming is as bad as the typical pioneer’s Hebrew was, but [...]
Pioneer in the Swim — “Necessary Stories” column from The Jerusalem Report
December 10th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Culture and Ideas
Tags: aliya·humor·Israel·Jerusalem·pioneers·swimming·tension·Yosef Haim Brenner
The Secret of Low Expectations–”Necessary Stories” Column, The Jerusalem Report
October 15th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Culture and Ideas
Haim Watzman
I remember a high wind and driving rain. Night is darker here, I thought, as the bus’s engine expired in a series of knocks that sounded like the final beats of a broken heart. We pulled our duffel bags and backpacks from the luggage compartment and dragged them in the direction of the faintly [...]
Tags: aliya·Galilee·Israel·Judaism·Sukkot
Blogging Ethics and Nefesh B’Nefesh–Does Business Class Corrupt?
August 25th, 2008 · 28 Comments · Politics and Policy
Haim Watzman
Shouldn’t journalistic ethics apply to bloggers? Specifically, shouldn’t bloggers refuse to accept perks from companies, organizations, and power brokers they write about? I’m a newbie in the blogging world, but I believe that any blogger who seeks credibility and independence must accept this standard.
The issue came up specifically when I attended the First International [...]
Tags: aliya·Blogging·campaign contributions·ethics·journalism·Nefesh B'Nefesh