A pressing debate: Seasoned journalists Ethan Bronner and Matti Friedman debate whether there is disproportionate focus on Israel in the media. (NPR)

Can tobacco cure Ebola?: As scientists scramble to find a treatment for Ebola, they may look toward the Israeli company CollPlant for its pioneering medical research on an unlikely plant: tobacco.  (Times of Israel)

Epistolary angst: Israeli writers Etgar Keret (Jewish) and Sayed Kashua (Arab) exchange letters discussing life in the Diaspora and their common despair over Israel’s current condition.  (New Yorker)

Cooks kosher, loves pork: Half-Mexican half-Japanese ‘Top Chef’ contestant Katsuji Tanabe is the improbable owner of Mexikosher, a kosher Mexican eatery in L.A.’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood. (Tablet)

JTA Staff This article was posted by JTA staff.