Everything Eggplant

A trip to the shuk (open market) in Israel provides an abundance of fresh produce to make recipes full of flavor and nutrition. Eggplant catches the eye with its beautiful aubergine or purple color. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Delicious produce is a reminder to: “…taste and see that the Lord

Hebrew-speaking Canine Helpers

July 3, 2014

Living in the world is challenging at times for those with eyesight, but for the visually impaired and blind those challenges can seem almost insurmountable. Some choose to navigate with a white cane, a universally known symbol for blindness; others opt for a seeing-eye, or service dog. Communication between dog and human is critical and

Abundance of the Sea

Israel Powers Up On New Ocean-Based Energy Sources “For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand” (Deut. 33:19b). From the time God parted the waters of the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground, Israel has had a long and rewarding

Cyber Warfare: Changing the Battlefield

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the head of Israel’s most powerful intelligence agency, recently described a changing battlefield which, he says, will represent the greatest shift in combat doctrine in over 1,000 years. Even in the face of the 170,000 rockets that Kochavi says are pointed at Israel by enemy states, and the dangers posed by

Light in Jerusalem

July 2, 2014

Photo Credit: Mario Gonzales/BFP Light artists from Israel and other nations transformed the Old City of Jerusalem with their creations for 10 nights in June. In the words of the show’s sponsor, the Jerusalem Development Authority, “We invite you to stroll along illuminated paths and take part in this very special festival that combines the

Forgiveness—Slichot (סליחות)

When walking about the bustling streets of Jerusalem, it is common to hear someone say “slichah” as they bump into you or ask you to move out of the way. In modern English, the Hebrew word “slichah” (slee-CHA, סליחה) is translated “excuse me” or “pardon me.” When the word slichah is used in the Tanakh

A Turtle Named Freedom Swims Again

Photo credit: Israel21c A 20-year-old handicapped sea turtle called Hofesh—the Hebrew word for freedom—has been given a new lease on life in the Promised Land. The rare green turtle, about the size of a laundry basket, washed ashore four years ago along the Israeli Mediterranean seashore. With two severely damaged flippers on his left side,

First FDA-cleared Home Monitor for Macular Degeneration

A revolutionary home monitoring system from the Israeli company Notal Vision keeps a daily eye on the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the Western world’s leading cause of vision loss. Monitoring is critical, as AMD can suddenly advance from the common “dry” form—where the light-sensitive cells of the eye’s macula slowly break down—to the

Meet I-Robot: The First Soldier to Enter Terror Tunnels

I-robot is the first Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldier to enter discovered terrorist tunnels. This robot, developed by the Ammunition Corps, has the ability to go through almost every terrain and is equipped with video cameras, encrypted wireless communication as well as lighting apparels, so it can travel underground. “We can adapt the I-robot to

United They Shoot

Israel Threatened by Palestinian Unity It was one of the most dangerous handshakes in modern history. Normally, handshakes are identified with peace. World leaders at peace conferences symbolically bridge their differences by pressing flesh. But the agreement that reunited the Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah was anything but peaceful. It is an unholy union

Unusual Seal Uncovered

An 800-year-old lead seal stamped by the monastery of St. Sabas was found in archaeological excavations carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in Jerusalem. The artifacts discovered during the excavations reflected daily life in the farmstead. Surprisingly, while processing the excavation finds, a rare lead seal dating to the Crusader period came to

Egyptian Greetings in the Jezreel Valley

An ancient coffin containing a skeleton was revealed in the Jezreel Valley near Tel Shadud. Following the discovery, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) conducted a salvage excavation. It was determined by archaeologists from the IAA that the coffin, which contained personal belongings of an obviously wealthy Canaanite who was possibly an official of the Egyptian

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