Cycle for Hope

I’m a young adult volunteer for Bridges for Peace. When asked if I would like to represent Bridges for Peace in a cycling event in Israel, I jumped at the opportunity. I love to cycle and because it would be a three-day event, it poised a challenge that I could not pass up.

Israel’s Kibbutz Movement Celebrates 100 Years

{image_1}One year after Tel Aviv celebrated its 100-year anniversary, Israel’s communal kibbutz movement—in many ways the opposite of Tel Aviv’s modern mega-city—is celebrating their 100^th birthday. In March, Israel’s first kibbutz, Degania Alef, hosted the kick-off ceremony for the year’s celebrations, as they gear up for the big, national celebration of the kibbutz on October 4. While the kibbutz community’s founding principles of egalitarianism, communal living, and an agriculture-based society are by no means unique to Israel, the kibbutz movement’s role and significance in the creation of Israel’s modern state help set it apart from similar movements around the world.

The Hurva Rededicated

{image_1}After four years of construction, the Hurva Synagogue, in the center of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, was rededicated on March 15 and 16. Since 1977, the ruins of its destruction by the Arabs in 1948 have been marked by a single memorial arch. Now it stands again, reconstructed in its original design, both outside and inside. As previously, its 82 foot (25 meter) high dome is once again a distinctive part of the Old City’s skyline. The date of the dedication was carefully chosen—the first day of the biblical month of Nisan, the day the tabernacle was erected in the wilderness (Exod. 40).

Solar Energy from…Plants?

{image_1}Tel Aviv University scientist Professor Nathan Nelson has studied the complex structure of the pea leaf and how it manufactures its sugar energy and suggests that it may contain an unexpected source for solar energy. When crystallized and studied at high resolution, he was able to see its intricate structure in detail.

A “Pen” that Foils a Bomb

{image_1}A white crystalline powder, TATP is a peroxide bomb detonator and an explosive of choice for airport bombers. If it had been detected in the Amsterdam airport last year, the “underwear” bomber would have been foiled much sooner. But underwear and shoe bombers beware: a technology developed by Israelis and Americans is now your nightmare.

Ear Drops Out—Ear Foam In

{image_1}Anyone who has ever had to squeeze drops into the ear of a squirming child will certainly nod in agreement with Dr. Gad Riesenfeld when he says, “Parents tell me that eardrops are a nightmare for their children, and it's almost impossible to administer them.” Riesenfeld is chairman of Otic Pharma, an Israeli company that has come up with a simple solution called FoamOtic that contains antibiotics for treating disorders in the ear canal.

Anticancer Drugs Released Directly to Cells

Normal
0
0
1
54
313
2
1
384
11.773

0

0
0

#cp_sitename{
border-right:1px solid #3D525F;
color:#dadada;
font-size:14px;
float:left;
padding:2px 10px 2px 0;
margin:2px 10px 0 0;
}
#server-time{padding-bottom:9px}
/* Float the EE link left */
div.helpLinksLeft p{color:#fff;}
div.helpLinksLeft a { padding-top: 7px; display: block; float: left; }#cp_sitename{
border-right:1px solid #3D525F;
color:#dadada;
font-size:14px;
float:left;
padding:2px 10px 2px 0;
margin:2px 10px 0 0;
}
#server-time{padding-bottom:9px}
/* Float the EE link left */
div.helpLinksLeft p{color:#fff;}
div.helpLinksLeft a { padding-top: 7px; display: block; float: left; }

{image_1}Technion researchers have developed a nano-delivery system made up of a chemical connection between a polysugar produced from the cypress tree with folic acid and an anticancer drug. The delivery system leads the drug directly to the cancerous cell and releases it inside the cell. Thus, the cancerous cell is destroyed without causing any damage to the healthy cells around it.

Are the Palestinians Ready for Statehood?

{image_1}In August of 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced a bold and ambitious plan to build the institutions for statehood in just two years. In March of 2010, the US, the EU, the United Nations, and Russia followed suit, calling for a Palestinian state to be formed within two years of the restart of peace talks with Israel. Beyond the political questions of whether or not negotiations can be complete by then, or whether the world is prepared to accept unilateral Palestinian statehood, lies a much more essential question: Can the Palestinians be ready for statehood in two years or less?

Teaching Conservation

{image_1}

Last year, the first international conservation training program in Israel was opened in Acre (or Akko). In an effort to solve the existing shortage of archaeological conservators, “Saving the Stones” provides practical training with Acre—a World Heritage site and one of the oldest ports in the world—as its classroom. Students gain experience in ancient masonry work, fresco treatment, and building conservation using materials and techniques utilized in antiquity.

A “New” Jaffa Gate

{image_1}

The Israel Antiquities Authority [IAA] Conservation Department has completed the rehabilitation work of Jaffa Gate, the main entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. It was unveiled on Independence Day [April 20].  Being some of Jerusalem’s most important cultural heritage assets, the Old City walls of Jerusalem were built by Sultan Suleiman (1520–1566), the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

King Solomon’s Wall Uncovered

{image_1}

A section of an ancient city wall in the Old City of Jerusalem from the 10th century BC, possibly built by King Solomon, has been revealed in archaeological excavations directed by Dr. Eilat Mazar. The preserved portion is 70 meters long [230 feet] and six [20 feet] meters high, located in the area known as the Ophel, between the City of David and the southern wall of the Temple Mount.

Investment in Israeli Venture Capital Drops

{image_1}

Israeli venture capital firms are finding it difficult to find investors for the country’s high-tech sector, a recent report found. Venture capital funds function as a bridge between investors and start-up companies requiring initial investments to develop new products and services. According to a report by the Israeli Venture Capital Research Center (IVCRC), 2009 was the third worst year in the last decade for the country’s venture capital funds, as only US $228 million was raised compared to US $803 in 2008, a drop of 72%.