Excerpt — Zaidy’s Band: The Untold Stories of a Jewish Band of Brothers in World War II
Published in The Jewish Book Council. When people think about the Jewish experience in World War II, there’s only one thing that immediately comes to mind: the Holocaust. But there is another side to the story, that of the 1.5 million Jewish soldiers who fought for the allies in World War II, of which more than 250,000 died in battle, and […]
‘Too Israel-focused, too Jewy’: How publishing closes its doors to Jewish writers
How politics, fear, and quiet boycotts are narrowing the space for Israel-related voices in the literary world. Published in The Jerusalem Report. In the decade I spent pitching my debut book proposal to prospective agents and publishers, I faced repeated rejections that were often coupled with a knowing yet sympathetic, backhanded compliment. “I love the […]
This Memorial Day, let’s remember Israel’s 1948 foreign volunteers
We must remember not only the recently fallen, but also on whose shoulders they stand. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Unlike Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is focused squarely on our painful past, the country’s annual Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror a week later tends to be a far more visceral […]
Letter from Israel at wartime: This Holocaust Day, let’s remember the Jewish World War II veterans
Published in The Canadian Jewish News. The official name of Israel’s annual Holocaust Remembrance Day is Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day. It’s a nod toward not only the victims of the genocide but also the resistance fighters who valiantly fought against the Nazis. The name matched the sentiment of Israel’s early days, when Holocaust survivors […]
Letter from Israel at wartime: Life between sirens
Published in The Canadian Jewish News Nearly a month into the war with Iran, it’s safe to say that much of what we have been experiencing in Israel has been unprecedented. It’s the first fully joint American Israeli military operation. It’s the most audacious effort yet to wipe out the Iranian leadership, foment regime change […]
In this 100th Black History Month, we celebrate the legendary technologists of Bell Labs
Five years before Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson famously broke baseball’s color barrier, becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, another future Hall of Famer scored a similar, though far less publicized, breakthrough. In 1942, chemical engineer Walter Lincoln Hawkins became the first Black scientist on staff at Bell Labs. During his 34-year […]
The Holocaust wasn’t the only Jewish World War II experience
For the 1.5 million Jewish soldiers who fought in World War II victimhood was not the only story. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel As the world commemorates the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Tuesday on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the focus will be squarely set upon the Holocaust. How could it […]
In Memoriam – Louis E. Brus, Nobel Prize winner and inventor of quantum dots
Before turning off your QLED TV tonight, or the bedside lamp powered by electricity generated from sunlight captured in solar cells, please take a moment to remember Louis E. Brus. These everyday amenities would not be possible without his groundbreaking discovery of quantum dots, which help illuminate computer monitors and television screens and which biochemists […]
A bit of tech: Episode 6 – Creating the Sixth Sense
Our sixth episode covers the groundbreaking sensing capabilities that are becoming central to our communication networks. Nokia Bell Labs’ Head of Optical Systems and Device Research Tod Sizer joins Aron Heller to review various elements of this digital “sixth sense” that can pick up signals from our environment and offer spectacular insights. Together they discuss […]
Zaidy’s Band book excerpt: Alfred Brenner, the Man in the Flying Suitcase
Published in The Hamilton Jewish News. It was a routine Associated Press reporting assignment. I was dispatched to a security conference in May 2015 to listen to panels of experts discussing Israel’s looming security threats. It was only when I was done and began walking back to my parked car outside the Armored Corps’ Memorial […]
From Memory to Manuscript: The Story Behind “Zaidy’s Band”
Published in The Jewish Book Council My grandfather, Mickey Heller, served four years in the Royal Canadian Air Force, including two years in Europe as a navigator in Bomber Command. But that’s all I, or anyone else in my family, knew. He came home in 1944 and — still in uniform — married his sweetheart, started a family and a business, and never looked back. In […]
The 12th Brooklyn Summit marks a tipping point toward the 6G era
The year 2025 marks the halfway point between the 5G and 6G eras of wireless communications. It’s a milestone symbolizing the bridge between the groundbreaking 5G technologies that were unleashed at the start of this decade and the promise of the next generation of immersive 6G networks that await us at the end of it. […]
2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit – Day 2 highlights
The 2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit has come to an end and our roving reporter, Aron Heller, shares the highlights in this video. Over the past two days, there’s been thought-provoking keynotes and panels exploring the future of wireless communications, diving into AI-native networks, digital twins, Non-Terrestrial Networks, energy efficiency and 6G security. We also got […]
2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit – Day 1 highlights
After an action-packed first day at the 2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit, our roving reporter, Aron Heller, shares the highlights. Nokia President and CEO Justin Hotard got things started in a firechat chat about 6G’s Role in the AI Supercycle. We also caught up with industry leaders like Verizon Wireless CTO Yago Tenorio and explored groundbreaking […]
Welcome to the 2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit
The 2025 Brooklyn 6G Summit is officially underway! This year’s theme is “Building what’s next” and it focuses primarily on two critical pillars of 6G development: artificial intelligence and value creation. In this video our roving reporter Aron Heller runs through what to expect at this year’s event. The B6GS is organized by Nokia, NYU […]