Rebecca Rosman

Rebecca Rosman is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Her stories have sent her to Cuba, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Israel and all over Europe. She is originally from Chicago.   


Fake news? Unpacking the ‘Blue Zone’ myth in Okinawa.

Japan in Focus

For decades, Okinawa has prided itself as a hot spot for longevity. In 1999, the Japanese islands were listed as one of five “Blue Zones,” where people statistically live the longest, often into their 100s. A strong diet and emphasis on human connection were thought to be some of the biggest contributing factors. But new research suggests the entire concept of Blue Zones is a myth.

In Okinawa, an independence movement finds an unlikely ally

Japan in Focus

Nobuko Oshiro: Okinawa’s only female karate grandmaster

Japan in Focus

Whaling continues in Japan despite worldwide protests 

Japan in Focus

The struggle to get aid into Gaza

Israel-Hamas war

Border communities remain nervous as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies

Israel-Hamas war

Eight months after the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war, tensions continue to rise as attacks are exchanged between the Israeli military and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Some farmers living in the border area think a full-on invasion of Lebanon is inevitable.

Palestinian arrests in the West Bank have skyrocketed

Israel-Hamas war

There’s been a 100% increase in the number of Palestinians detained since Oct. 7. And watchdog groups are sounding the alarm on what they claim are ‘brutal’ conditions inside Israeli prisons. The grounds for the arrests are often murky, and many are put into administrative detentions that can last for weeks or months. At least 27 Palestinians have died while in Israeli prisons in the last eight months. Rebecca Rosman reports from Israel.

Surf’s up on Munich’s Eisbach river — the world capital of river surfing

Lifestyle & Belief

It may be hundreds of miles away from any coastline but the Bavarian capital of Munich is home to one of the world’s most iconic — albeit dangerous — waves. The Eisbach wave, which sits on the edge of the Eisbach river, has been attracting wetsuit-wearing surfers since the 1970s.

Ein 'Arik is a small village just west of Ramallah in the West Bank.

‘No one is helping us’: Palestinians in West Bank barred from Israel face unemployment, financial insecurity

Israel-Hamas war

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank have been barred from working in Israel. Tens of thousands in the West Bank who were doing building or agricultural jobs are out of work, and it’s drastically impacting their daily lives and the lives of many shopkeepers as people tighten their belts.

A block of flats attacked by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. The majority of residents living in these flats were young people in their late teens and early 20s.

Residents return home to kibbutz attacked by Hamas in southern Israel

Israel-Hamas war

Only around 20 residents have returned to the Kfar Aza kibbutz that was attacked by Hamas in October. One couple that returned is trying to maintain what remains and guide those who come to visit.