
Israel on Board is our new series consisting of bite-size video answers to frequently asked questions about Israel.
Have a question you’d like to see featured? Email Michael Jacobs at [email protected].
Zionist Congress Election
March 11, 2020This whiteboard video explains the history of the World Zionist Congress, its impact and function, how it is selected, and which groups are running as part of the 2020 Congress election.
Education System
September 10, 2019This whiteboard video explains the structure of Israel's education system, including the country's commitment to early childhood learning programs, challenges of educational equality and funding for different segments of the population, and a comparison of Israel's academic success with other nations.
2019’s Do-Over Election
August 12, 2019With the inability of Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a governing coalition in the spring, Israeli voters will head back to the polls just five months after April's Knesset elections. This whiteboard video explains what's different this time around emphasizing which political parties have joined together, which ones have new leaders, and which ones have decided not to run.
Eurovision Contest
May 17, 2019This whiteboard video focuses on this week's (May 14-18, 2019) Eurovision music competition taking place in Tel-Aviv. The video explores the history of the event and Israel's participation competing and hosting; examines why Tel-Aviv was chosen over Jerusalem to host the festival; and covers attempts by the BDS movement to generate controversy and protests.
Declaration of Independence
May 9, 2019Israel's Declaration of Independence which was issued by David Ben-Gurion in Tel-Aviv on May 14, 1948 was drafted by a small committee. This video highlights the similarities and differences between the Israeli and American declarations of independence and outlines the Israeli Declaration's contents including the state's intentions towards its citizens, the historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and the right of the Jewish people to determination.
Natural Gas
April 24, 2019The discovery of rich fields of natural gas beneath the eastern Mediterranean Sea has given traditionally resource-poor Israel the chance to supply its own energy needs, help wean the European Union off its dependence on Russian energy, and build closer economic and diplomatic ties with Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece and even the Palestinian Authority. But Israel only has a quarter-century or so to make the most of its newfound energy wealth.
Forming a Government
April 8, 2019The Israeli election on April 9 is just the first part of the process to decide who will lead the country. Our newest Israel on Board video explains what happens next and how the country's government is formed.
Egypt-Israel Peace
April 3, 2019In this two-part Whiteboard video series, we explore the transition from the 1978 Camp David Accords to the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty signed at the White House on March 26, 1979.
How Israel Votes
February 28, 2019Our latest Israel on Board video explains how the electoral system in Israel works. The video highlights the voting process, explains proportional representation and the electoral threshold, and describes why there are so many different parties.
Hebrew Revival
February 12, 2019An overview of the important role that Hebrew played in the Zionist movement and how the movement itself helped spur the revival of the language.
Haredim and the IDF
January 25, 2019Our latest Whiteboard video explores the history and context of ultra-Orthodox deferments from the Israel Defense Forces. Beginning with the 1947 status-quo agreement between David Ben-Gurion and Agudat Israel, we explain the origins of the policy and why it has become so divisive in contemporary Israeli society.
Technology
January 15, 2019A look into Israel's growth and success as a technological titan and its evolution into the Start Up Nation.