Ya’akov Almor – Ya'akov Almor

All that Jazz

by Ya'akov Almor "You live in Mitzpe Ramon? Really? That's a far-away place, isn't it?" It's a question - and assertion – that I hear often. Fortunately, most of those phrasing these questions know where to find my little town on Israel's map. "I had lunch at the new shopping center when I drove through on my way to Eilat a while back," an acquaintance enthused. Many locals, myself included, do not share the occasional visitors' enthusiasm. The building, stuck next to our town's central [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2022-10-03T21:46:54+02:00 October 3rd, 2022|Blog, Human Interest - English|Comments Off

A Palestinian Mandela?
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A Palestinian Mandela?

Blog, English - Politcal

A Palestinian Mandela?

Later this week, I’ll be flying back home after spending a month with my love here in Spain. When I flew to Madrid last month, I could not imagine that a few weeks later, I would be following the news coming from Israel for hours at length throughout the eleven days of the latest round of fighting with Hamas. A day after the ceasefire took hold, I listened to the press conference of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu en the Minister of Defense Benny Gantz. As [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2021-05-25T19:04:13+02:00 May 25th, 2021|Blog, English - Politcal|Comments Off

Merav Michaeli, A Fresh Breath of Air – and Hope
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Merav Michaeli, A Fresh Breath of Air – and Hope

Blog, Dutch - Political

Merav Michaeli, A Fresh Breath of Air – and Hope

Every Friday morning, around seven, Mitzpe Ramon’s only paper delivery man hurls two weekend papers over the fence: the Hebrew-language HaAretz and the International New York Times (INYT). Their arrival is often announced by a loud thud, as the roll, heavy with its multiple supplements, bounces off my front door. While enjoying my first coffee of the day, I always first open the HaAretz weekend magazine to read the column by the investigative journalist Nir Gontarz. Each week, Gontarz calls and ‘interrogates’ a personality who [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2021-02-11T18:11:49+01:00 February 9th, 2021|Blog, Dutch - Political|Comments Off

Rabin’s murder remembered
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Rabin’s murder remembered

English - Politcal, Human Interest - English

Rabin’s murder remembered

Today, it is 25 years ago that Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of the State of Israel, was murdered on the Kings of Israel Square in the center of Tel Aviv during a massive peace demonstration by some 400,000 people. My oldest daughter Taïr had just turned four. Now a beautiful woman of 29, she has never known the square other than Rabin Square, since shortly after the murder, the place was renamed. She lives right around the corner. She does remember well, however, how her [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-11-17T19:14:46+01:00 November 17th, 2020|English - Politcal, Human Interest - English|Comments Off

With such friends, you don’t need enemies
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With such friends, you don’t need enemies

Blog, English - Politcal, Human Interest - English, Uncategorized

With such friends, you don’t need enemies

Last month, Israel “pulled the plug on God TV." the evangelical channel “spreading the gospel of Jezus” to the Jews. God TV is an evangelical TV network that, according to its website, broadcasts worldwide to hundreds of millions of viewers. The programs are made by broadcasters who have an Anglican, Pentecostal, “Full Gospel,” or Messianic-Jewish background. Messianic Jews are Jews who accept the figure of Jezus as the Messiah, just like ‘normal’ Christians. From a traditional-Jewish viewpoint, Jews who take this step commit no [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-07-16T15:43:30+02:00 July 16th, 2020|Blog, English - Politcal, Human Interest - English, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Different industries, similar issues
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Different industries, similar issues

Blog, English - Industry related

Different industries, similar issues

Earlier this month, Business of Fashion held a professional summit, entitled How to build a responsible fashion business. The four hour-summit covered a wealth of topics that discussed the fashion business' values, labor rights, discrimination, and racial inequality, and sustainability. It was an inspiring afternoon! Of course, nothing that happens in the fashion industry stays in the fashion industry. These topics, with variations, also apply to the luxury industry, among them the diamond, gemstone, and jewelry trade, as often demonstrated by the content published on [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-06-28T22:32:08+02:00 June 28th, 2020|Blog, English - Industry related|Comments Off

Trepidation

I write this column with trepidation, as it discusses how the ultra-orthodox Jewish cities and neighborhoods in Israel have become the central hot spots of the coronavirus. With trepidation, because no matter how careful I will spin the tale and report on the below, it is bad news. The good news is that, in a recent report, Israel was identified as one of the safest countries at the time of this pandemic. That is encouraging news, but it can still change. A humorous look at [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-04-08T16:45:17+02:00 April 8th, 2020|Blog, Human Interest - English, Uncategorized|Comments Off

BC-AC

BC-AC? No, it’s is not the name of a band. That’s AC-DC. BC-AC is a term we’re going to hear a lot more in the coming weeks, months, and maybe years. I first came across it on March 20, in an article in the New York Times, written by the renowned journalist and columnist Thomas Friedman. “There is the world B.C. - Before Corona – and the world A.C. – After Corona. We have not even begun to fully grasp what the A.C. world will [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-03-31T23:43:36+02:00 March 31st, 2020|Blog, English - Industry related|Comments Off

Dancing at two weddings at the same time

On Thursday, I watched Martin Rapaport’s webinar. The webinar ran for almost two hours. As Rapaport carried on, I became progressively more uncomfortable. Did he ask valid questions? He sure did. Here are some of the questions he asked. Are diamonds more than a luxury product? Are they better than shoes and pocketbooks? Are diamonds valuable? Why?Who makes them valuable? Who stands behind those diamonds? Are diamonds a store of value in troubled times? Good questions, you’ll agree. He then continued making some more good [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2020-03-21T20:51:23+01:00 March 21st, 2020|Blog, English - Industry related|Comments Off

Tequila Sunrise

Earlier this week, Vlad Yavorskyy posted a story about Mandarin Garnet on Facebook. He wrote: “In recent years many new gemstones have been unearthed in distant and exotic places, occasioning great excitement in the gem world. One such a fantastic moment came at the beginning of the 1990’s with the discovery of a vivid orange garnet in the remote North-West of Namibia….” And “Mandarin garnet itself is a spessartite with some almandine, and owes its bright orange color to the presence of manganese...” Thank you, [...]

By Ya'akov Almor| 2019-10-30T13:20:43+01:00 October 30th, 2019|English - Industry related, Uncategorized|Comments Off

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About Ya'akov Almor