Freelance

Over the years, I’ve taken on a number of freelance projects that have been published in outlets such as The New York Times, NBC News, The New York Daily News, The Forward, Tablet, Haaretz, The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, Guilt and Pleasure, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine and The Seventh Eye. Since leaving AP in October 2020, I’ve also started writing analysis and commentary columns for various publications.

April 11, 2021

Appreciate Yom HaShoah – it soon won’t be the same

Time is running out: Few survivors with strong memories remain – most of the firsthand stories we hear nowadays are from the perspective of children, maybe teens. Column published in The Times of Israel. Holocaust Remembrance Day is perhaps the…

March 09, 2021

There are too many elections in Israel. That’s not good for democracy

Israel desperately needs electoral reform so that election day can once again become a celebration of democracy. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Israel’s election on March 23 will be the fourth since my youngest daughter was born. She’s…

February 16, 2021

Israel’s last chance to fix its ultra-Orthodox problem

Israel’s great Faustian bargain with the ultra-Orthodox has been a colossal failure. The upcoming election may be the last chance to fix it. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. It was a historic night. Benjamin Netanyahu had been defeated…

February 01, 2021

Joe Biden is the ‘Jewish’ president Israel needs

Israelis can count on the US president to have their country’s most significant interests at heart, even if it comes with a dose of tough love. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. When Bill Clinton was elected president in…

January 13, 2021

The Haredi elephant in the room of Israel’s coronavirus crisis

The virus and its consequences have focused a spotlight on fault lines that have been ignored for years. But instead of providing a wakeup call, few in power seem willing to seriously confront it. Op-ed published in The Times of…

December 29, 2020

A focused Netanyahu is down, but not out

The prime minister’s unmatched zest for ruling has beaten down and worn out anyone with even a hint of potential to succeed him. Op-ed published in The Times of Israel. Seated in a plush conference room of a Lisbon hotel…

December 08, 2020

Why Biden Could Never Beat Bibi

Israeli politics are moving in the opposite direction to America: the demographics play to the right. A Biden-style victory could simply never happen here. Op-ed published in Haaretz. With Israel seemingly headed toward another election, many long-languishing opposition forces are…

January 07, 2020

For Israeli comics, English is the next frontier

Published in The Forward. Can be found here. TEL AVIV, Israel _ With his motormouth monologues and poignant punchlines about the absurdities of Israeli life, Shahar Hason has established himself as one of the country’s most popular stand-up comics. But…

May 28, 2019

The Lost Dakota Fighters of Israel’s War of Independence

Published in Tablet Magazine. Can be found here. Late on the night of Oct. 24, 1948, on the last night of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and amid Israel’s War of Independence, a Douglas C-47 Dakota transport plane took off…

May 08, 2019

The unknown stories of Canada’s Jewish World War II Veterans

Published in the “At War” channel of the New York Times Magazine. Can be found here. In April 1943, the Halifax bomber that Wilfred Canter co-piloted was shot down on the way back from a mission over Stuttgart. Canter parachuted…

June 29, 2017

OP-ED: A plea to fellow journalists – help the people understand

Published in The Seventh Eye, Israel’s only independent magazine devoted to Journalism, the Media, Freedom of Speech and Transparency. Can be found here. A Hebrew version of this story is available here Quick: What’s the crisis at Hadassah hospital’s pediatric…

June 01, 2017

ONE MEAL – All Food is Israeli Food

Published in Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine [url href=”https://aronheller.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OneMeal-Israel.pdf” content=”See magazine layout” target=external] HOLON, Israel _ Roni Ben-David sometimes is brought to tears by his wife’s cooking. Particularly on Fridays, when Yafa cooks the Sabbath dinner for the family, three…

June 07, 2016

Is Dragan Bender the NBA’s Next Unicorn?

Published in Tablet Magazine. Can be found here. A top-five prospect for June 23rd’s NBA draft the 7-foot-1, 18-year-old Croat has been honing his craft at Maccabi Tel Aviv. But is ‘The Next Porzingis’ ready for the big time? With…

August 05, 2008

Israel worries about dangerous brain drain

Published in the Jerusalem Post. When it comes to hi-tech startups, Nobel laureates and computer innovation, Israel has few equals. It attracts more venture capital that any country outside the United States. The world’s top technology giants, including Microsoft, Intel…

September 15, 2007

My Aunt Jeanette – The world’s oldest Rockette

Published in Fall 2007 edition of Guilt & Pleasure magazine. Aunt Jeanette passed away on Oct. 16, 2008 Read her obituary in the ‘Globe and Mail’ I remember visiting my Aunt Jeanette’s cluttered, mothball-smelling apartment in Toronto as a teenager….

Show More