Jerusalem Marathon

As Jerusalem geared up to host its first marathon, I decided to pursue a long-time goal: run a marathon myself. Running the hills of Jerusalem gave me some much-needed perspective during an intense springtime, though reporting in Cairo certainly put a kink in my training schedule (and losing eight pounds from not eating didn't help either). The run was incredibly emotional, coming two days after a terrorist attack. Here are some of my articles about the marathon and the bus bombing.

Jerusalem's unique spirit helped us over the finish line, March 27, 2011

Runner's notebook: With a terror attack fresh in our memories, the Jerusalem Marathon was a testament to resilient, vibrant lives in the capital

Undeterred by terror, J'lem marathoners load on carbs, March 25, 2011

Third time, Ice Cream, March 30, 2011

The kiosk affected in the bus bombing reopens to an outpouring of support

A day after, bus no. 74 riders committed to a 'normal life' March 25, 2011

'The smell is still in my noes from other terrorist attacks' March 24, 2011

Woman killed, dozens hurt in J'lem bus bombing March 23, 2011

A run for your money, March 24, 2011

InJerusalem cover story about fundraising for the marathon

Ready, Set, Go! (Just not on the light rail track), March 11, 2011

Pre-marathon run with the mayor

City councilors to Adidas: Boycott Jerusalem Marathon, Dec 7, 2010

Our Woman in Cairo

I spent a little over a week in Cairo reporting on the January 25 Revolution, filing multiple stories each day despite the lack of internet and basic services.

Read a sampling of my reporting from Cairo:

Reporter's Notebook: Our Woman in Cairo, February 6, 2011 (with video)

The Day the Music Died in Cairo, February 6, 2011

Muslim Brotherhood: With Israel, no agreement is eternal, February 4, 2011

Tahrir Square transforms into makeshift field hospital, February 4, 2011

How a peaceful protest degenerated into relentless violence, February 3, 2011

Coffee and Politics in Cairo, February 3, 2011

Protesters to stay in square 'as long as necessary,' February 2, 2011

Cairo marks full week of protests with rising passion, February 1, 2011

Egyptians band together as protests near a week, January 31, 2011

Cairo: Anger starting to focus on Israel, US, January 30, 2011 (picked up by Drudge Report, had almost a million hits)

5th day of upheaval tinged with hopes of change, January 30, 2011

Upmarket dining

Cover Story, IN JERUSALEM, INTERNATIONAL JERUSALEM POST; featured in METRO ISRAEL and the NEW YORK POST'S JPOST SUPPLEMENT, FEB 19, 2010

In the past five years, almost a dozen restaurants and even more cafes have opened in different locations around the shuk, making Mahaneh Yehuda the city’s newest culinary core.  It’s not surprising to find restaurants taking advantage of the freshest produce and bustling pedestrian market. What is surprising is that it has taken this long.

Continue reading on jpost.com

Points of view

Cover story, IN JERUSALEM and INTERNATIONAL JERUSALEM POST, JAN 14, 2010

Just down the hill from the Haas Promenade, the new Nof Zion apartment complex has housed 70 families for almost half a year. The residents are in the midst of creating a Jewish community in an area surrounded by Arabs from the neighborhood of Jebl Mukaber.

"It's not true that we're surrounded on all sides!" Joe Polansky says emphatically. "Two and a half sides."

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Artistic upheaval

IN JERUSALEM, DEC 31, 2009

In the stone compound of Hutzot Hayotzer, an artists colony near Jaffa Gate founded in 1969 by Teddy Kollek, tourists can watch the birth of masterpieces by some of Israel's most prominent artists. Though some pieces created here end up behind glass cases in world-renowned institutions, the compound is the opposite of a museum: cluttered workspaces, paintings piled on top of one another, priceless works of art jostling for cramped display space in the 27 studios.

But the internationally acclaimed artists working in the shadow of the Old City walls are in danger of losing this unique space. The East Jerusalem Development Company sent an eviction notice to all the artists on December 13. They were asked to vacate the premises by December 31 or accept a three-month extension and leave by March 31.

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JERUSALEM POST Spotlight Article, Dec 16, 2009

Roei "Jinji" Sadan, 27, with his bright red beard and easy, raspy laugh, may not seem like Israel's most likely ambassador to small Andean villages in Peru or tribal chiefs in Africa. The Oronit native, whose last name means "anvil" in Hebrew, is now at the halfway point in his five-year, 80,000-kilometer odyssey to bicycle around the world. What started out as a two-year personal journey after the army has morphed into a five-year informal ambassadorship introducing people around the world to another side of Israel. 

Continue reading on jpost.com

The Guide: Summer Music Festivals

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE, JUNE 2009

Forty years ago on a farm in New York, Hendrix and Janis and the Who feted music, peace, and youth in front of some 400,000 souls. And it all went down outside. Thankfully, today’s best music fests still mean a pilgrimage to a certain place at a certain time in history, where no walls contain you and anything can happen. But mainly it’s about the tunes. And whatever your favorite noise, it’s coming to a chunk of grass near you.

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Breaking the Yards

OUTSIDE ONLINE, APRIL 2009

More than 20,000 workers a year head to ship yards on the shores of Bangladesh to take apart old tankers by hand. In the process, they expose themselves and their environment to noxious chemicals like asbestos, PCBs, and lead. An estimated one ship worker a week dies in the yard. Environmental lawyer Rizwana Hasan wants to safeguard the industry. She recently won a battle for regulation in Bangladesh's Supreme Court, and was recognized for her efforts with a Goldman Environmental Prize. Outside's MELANIE LIDMAN caught up with the crusader ask how you can help.

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The Musher

OUTSIDE ONLINE, MAR 2009

Native German Sebastian Schnuelle wowed the mushing world by smashing time records for the annual Yukon Quest, a 1,000+ mile journey from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska. Despite stopping to help fellow competitors up the steep hills near the end of the race, the Schnuelle finished first in an astounding nine days, 23 hours, and 20 minutes, becoming the first person to cross the finish line in less than ten days. All this from a man that orders bloodwork for his dogs to make sure they're healthy, but eats vacuum-packed McNuggets himself. Outside's Melanie Lidman caught up with Schnuelle before this weekend's Iditarod.

Continue reading on outsideonline.com