25%  Increase in British Immigrants

While 2006 may not have been a particularly impressive year for aliyah [immigration to Israel] due to the war in Lebanon—to which many attribute the 9% drop in immigration figures (19,200 compared to 21,042 in 2005)—the and Nefesh B’Nefesh are still very pleased with this year’s statistics, citing a massive increase in immigration from North America and Britain.

Unique Structure Discovered

A unique building, not found anywhere else in Israel, was uncovered in an Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavation in Mishmar David between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The round structure, built of ashlar stones, is about 33 feet (10 meters) in diameter. The structure’s floor is paved with a multicolored mosaic decorated with geometric patterns and a palm tree motif.

Israel 5th Fastest Growing Economy

Israel has risen 12 places in an international listing to become the world’s 36th largest economy. So reports Globes, based on a survey by The Economist. Israel was also cited as the fifth fastest growing economy. The survey graded nations’ economies in the years 2001–2005 as compared with 20 years earlier.

From Rocks to Fuel

An Israeli company has patented a way to turn oil shale rock into high quality oil and natural gas—a project that may bring jobs to the Negev and low-cost energy to the Jewish state. The Hom Tov (Hebrew for “good heat”) process, the brainchild of A.F.S.K. Hom Tov CEO Yisrael Feldman, involves mixing the bitumen residue left over after refineries produce crude oil together with oil shale rock.

Searching for Meaning in the Holocaust

We are dedicating this center spread to Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls this year on April 15. At a time when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is asserting that the Holocaust is a Jewish myth, we believe it is vitally important to publish the truth. Thousands will be participating in a March of the Living in Poland, walking 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Auschwitz to Birkenau, two of Hitler’s concentration camps, in remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust. In Israel, at the sound of a siren, everyone will stop to observe two minutes of silence, and memorial ceremonies will take place throughout the Land.

Western Wall Plaza Treasures Uncovered

In the year-long excavation conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) at the western end of the Western Wall Plaza, a treasure trove has been uncovered. The prize includes a section of the lower aqueduct that conveyed water from Solomon’s Pools, three miles (five kilometers) southwest of Bethlehem, to the Temple Mount; a rock-hewn, plastered mikveh (place of ritual immersion); the remains of a magnificent, colonnaded street; and a covered row of shops.

Connecting the Black Sea to the Red Sea

An Azerbaijani news Web site reported that Turkey and Israel have agreed in principle to build a water and gas pipeline system connecting the Black Sea to the port of Eilat on the Red Sea. The ambitious project involves the building of oil, gas, and water pipelines, as well as electricity and fiber optic cables, as part of a seabed pipeline system in the eastern Mediterranean. Passing through Turkey and bypassing Syria and Lebanon—countries which are hostile to Israel—the pipeline will reach the Israeli port of Ashdod, where an existing pipeline terminates at Eilat.

Nanotechnology Replaces Dog’s Nose

When the police use dogs to sniff for explosives or drugs, they are taking advantage of the complex structure of a dog’s nose. Dogs have hundreds of millions of tiny fibers in their noses, and these fibers contain receptors that identify substances. The large number of fibers and the way they are arranged in the nasal cavity forms a large internal field that enables very high sensitivity, even to low concentrations of substances.

Wars and Rumors of War

Fatah: “Our strategy is not to leave the Islamic alliance [Iran] alone against the enemy. All Palestinian organizations will work together in shooting rockets, suicide bomb attacks, and other steps and actions decided closely.”
––Abu Ahmed, the northern West Bank chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, military wing of Fatah, February 26, 2007

Mimouna – A Unique End to Passover: Mufleta Recipe

Passover and Holocaust Memorial Day usually fall close to each other on the calendar. Is there any connection? I think so, though I’m sure it wasn’t purposely planned.

Northerners in Trauma

Thirty-three percent of northern residents are suffering from medium or high and, in some cases, severe post-traumatic symptoms, a new study has shown. The study probes 300 people from Jewish and Arab cities that were targeted by last summer. The study found that 33% of Jews and 85% of Arabs remained in their bombarded cities with their families. On the other hand, 45% of Jews against 13% of Arabs said that only some of their family members were evacuated during the war. Twenty-two percent of Jews and 2% of Arabs said everyone in the family sought refuge in a safe place. The average number of days spent away from home stood at 19 among Jews and 10 among the Arabs.

Remembering Yuri Shtern — Founder of the Christian Allies Caucus

“Israel lost a hero when our dearly beloved Yuri Shtern passed away after a long fight with cancer. As I marched in the funeral procession with thousands of Israelis and other Christian leaders, I thought to myself, not only Israel lost a hero, not only Israel lost a great man, but the Christian world lost one of their best Israeli friends. I for one am going to mourn over the loss of this great man.”

—Rebecca J. Brimmer, January 17, 2007