Dana Kessler

Dana Kessler has written for Maariv, Haaretz, Yediot Aharonot, and other Israeli publications. She is based in Tel Aviv.

War Songs
How Israeli pop music has captured the national zeitgeist since Oct. 7
byDana Kessler
The Evolution of the Israeli Kitchen
How—and why—a generation of women got everyone to eat their fruits and vegetables
byDana Kessler
King Khat
A new film tells the story of the geeky scientist who developed the synthetic drug that took Israel by storm during the Second Intifada
byDana Kessler
Life During Wartime
The view from the boulevards, buses, and Zumba classes of Tel Aviv
byDana Kessler
The Israeli Nightmare Finds Its Illustrator
A prominent Israeli artist draws the traumas of Oct. 7 in a jarring, surreal, and childlike visual language, capturing the nation’s pain
byDana Kessler
Going Home Again
Our family left Israel for Greece after the Hamas attack, not quite refugees and not quite tourists. After four weeks away, we were ready to head back to Tel Aviv.
byDana Kessler
From Hostage to Pop Icon
On Oct. 7, Rachel Edri was held hostage by Hamas terrorists. One month later, the Israeli grandmother’s image appears on everything from T-shirts to tattoos, cartoons to TikTok videos.
byDana Kessler
The Fruit of the Land
Israeli chefs are focusing on locally sourced produce to redefine the country’s culinary offerings
byDana Kessler
The Austerity Diet
Looking back on how Israelis dealt with food rationing in the first years after independence—and who bore the burden of feeding their families
byDana Kessler
This Charming Man
Morrissey loves Israel—and Israel loves him back
byDana Kessler
The Magic of Arak
This anise-flavored liquor is perfect for cocktails. It’s also medicinal. And according to some, it can even do miracles.
byDana Kessler
The Kitchen of Yesterday—Today!
Vintage Israeli appliances, food packaging, and tableware, evoking a very specific period in the country’s history, are now fodder for museum exhibits
byDana Kessler
Noa Kirel’s European Offensive
With her appearance in Eurovision, the Israeli pop diva is trying to take the West through sheer force of will
byDana Kessler
Indie Rock, Israeli Style
A new documentary traces the life and death of the Patiphone, Tel Aviv’s most beloved indie club of the 2000s
byDana Kessler
A Guilty Pleasure for Israeli Independence Day
Deep-fried Tunisian tuna sandwiches known as fricassé are popular across Israel—especially, for some, on Yom Ha’atzmaut
byDana Kessler
The Flavors of Netivot
Once an absorption center for North African immigrants, this city in southern Israel has developed a culinary scene that draws on its past, but with the occasional new twist
byDana Kessler
Ofra Haza, Tragic Israeli Pop Diva
The incandescent Yemeni Israeli singer sampled on Eric B. and Rakim’s ‘Paid in Full (Seven Minutes of Madness)’ died 23 years ago today
byDana Kessler
The King and Queen of Israeli Pastries
Longtime staples of Jewish-Yemenite cooking, jachnun and malawach have become popular comfort foods across Israel, where their recipes have adapted to local tastes
byDana Kessler