The intel on Hamas: Recapping the war, an Israeli intelligence official explains why Hamas rocket launchers were hard to spot, how Hamas surprised Israel and what Hamas wants to do next.(Washington Post)

All I heard was Palestine: Amy Klein writes about the political and professional fallout after she accidentally misquoted pop star Rihanna on the Middle East conflict. (Salon)

Losing my religion: Joanna Chen shares how she, like Steven Sotloff, navigated her Jewish identity and Israeli citizenship while reporting in the Arab world. (Haaretz)

Teen travel at 92: Nonagenarian Robert Lappin subsidizes free Israel trips for Boston-area youth and, buoyed by a new study measuring his program’s impact, is pushing Birthright to serve the under-18 set. (Boston Globe)

Booming on Broad Street: While other shuls fled to the suburbs, the country’s oldest Ashkenazi synagogue decided to stay put in downtown Philadelphia — and now it’s expanding to keep up with growth. (PlanPhilly)

JTA Staff This article was posted by JTA staff.