Rejoicing with Jerusalem

2017 will be remembered as the year of unforgettable anniversaries. In 1917 the Balfour Declaration was penned and General Allenby liberated Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire. The first Zionist Congress met 120 years ago and issued a united declaration to establish a Jewish homeland. This was pivotal for the next milestone which came 70 years

Mobility Means Freedom

One of the keys to independence is mobility—being able to move from place to place at will. For those who have suffered spinal cord injuries or perhaps a crippling illness, a wheelchair is the ticket to that mobility and independence. Today there are between five and eight million disabled children in the world who need

Recycling Breakthrough!

We produce a lot of garbage in our instant, prepackaged society. Landfills around the world are overflowing with solid waste products. Yes, many people are recycling their plastics, paper and glass but can we do more? Infimer®, an Israeli company, has discovered a new process for treating unsorted garbage. The end result is an amazing

Removing Viruses from Drinking Water

Researchers from Ben Gurion University (BGU) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed novel ultrafiltration membranes that significantly improve the virus-removal process from treated municipal wastewater used for drinking in water-scarce cities. Current membrane filtration methods require intensive energy to adequately remove pathogenic viruses without using chemicals like chlorine. Researchers at UIUC

Ottoman Water System Revealed

Recently, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uncovered an Ottoman-period well and an elaborate water system located nearby as part of the work being carried out by the Netivei Israel Company to widen Highway 38 near Ramat Bet Shemesh. A large well, about 3.5 meters [11.5 ft] in diameter, was discovered at the site, dug into

The Battle for Jerusalem—2,000 Years Ago

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), in collaboration with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), continues to unveil evidence of Jerusalem’s unique history, further reinforcing the indelible connection of the Jewish people to the city. Current excavations in the City of David are revealing evidence from the battle of Jerusalem two thousand years ago—a battle

2017: Anniversaries Tell the Story

Despite the serious issues today’s world is constantly facing, 2017 is proving to be quite the amazing year. A close look at this year’s calendar reveals over two dozen anniversaries of historical events that have significantly impacted civilization in one way or another. And there really is something for everyone. For the lighthearted among us,

To Deal or Not to Deal, the Trump Question for Israel

A quiet chuckle and a smile from Donald Trump stood out during his first face-to-face press conference with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in February. Of course, laughter can be the joint expression of joy or a false effort to appear humored—and relationships between Israel and the United States have sometimes felt like just that dichotomy

The Western Wall: Behind the Bricks and Mortar

It is a sight singular to Jerusalem. Friday afternoons, when the sun starts its descent, the shops shut their doors tight, the hum of peak traffic quiets to a hush and the sidewalks in the City of Gold fill with people heading in one direction. Fathers with sidelocks walk in step with their young sons,

Light that Seeps Through Evil

Gracia (Hannah) Nasi and Hannah Senesh lived their lives during two of the darkest periods in history for European Jewry, the Inquisition and the Holocaust, when rampant persecution ran amok and threatened the very existence of the Jewish people. Though separated by centuries, our heroines’ lives were united by more than just their first names—both

Egged, Riding the Bus

Since I first came to Jerusalem as a volunteer ten years ago, I have been fascinated with Egged, Israel’s largest public transportation system. To explain, I grew up in Alaska, in an area where you were more likely to spot a moose grazing alongside the road than a public bus, so maybe the novelty hasn’t

Celebrating Jerusalem’s Liberation!

A new logo to mark the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s liberation has been designed. The logo incorporates many symbols in a stylized number 50: The lion, the harp of David, the Israeli flag, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The logo is gold, the traditional symbol of a golden anniversary—50 years since liberation and

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