Israel Strikes Gold Again!

{image_1}Back in February 2009, we ran a Dispatch story titled “The Golden City Strikes Gold” when a beautiful gold earring and 264 gold coins were unearthed in Jerusalem. This year, Israel has struck gold again, but this time outside the Golden City.

“Sabotaging” Peace Efforts?

{image_1}After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved 851 new housing units for settlements in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman said that the decision was “sabotaging” the peace efforts.

Israel’s Mass Evacuation Plan

{image_1}The Ministerial Committee on Home Front Affairs is discussing a plan for a mass evacuation in the event of a missile attack. According to the plan, entire cities will be moved to southern Israel around Eilat and the Arava area. The plan also applies to cases of natural disasters at the national level and is a reworking of one of Israel's contingency plans.

65,000 Missiles Aimed at Israel

{image_1}Nearly 65,000 missiles and rockets are targeted at Israel, nearly all of them in the arsenal of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hizbullah, while the most deadly are based in Syria and Iran. Brig. Gen. Itay Baron, head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence research section, told the Knesset [Parliament] Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Syria and Iran have some 3,500 missiles aimed at Israel.

Soldiers to Have Portable “Iron Domes”

August 9, 2012

{image_1}The Israel Defense Forces’ plans for improving its firepower is a topic of much interest in Israeli military circles. At a conference on “Air and Land Operations in a Complex Environment,” GOC Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Shlomo Turgeman discussed a future project to supply soldiers in the field with equipment capable of intercepting rockets, similar to the successful anti-rocket defense system, the Iron Dome.

Blessing and Honor

{image_1}Once a year, the staff of Bridges for Peace in Israel goes on retreat—all 72 of us this year! Our theme was “The Power of Blessing.” Our speaker, Rev. Robert Strand, helped the team understand the power of intentional blessing within the family, the community, and the workplace. Incredibly the power of negative words and actions are so strong that overcoming them with blessings takes much effort. In fact, our speaker said that for every curse, you must bless 47 times in order to overcome the negative consequences of the curse. When I heard that concept, I was struck again by the vital importance of the work of Bridges for Peace.

Rina’s Famous Fish

{image_1}Of all the artistic gifts that God has bestowed on His people, that of cooking is probably the most widely appreciated. Combining spices, flavors, and aromas to create a “dish to die for” is indeed an art, and we all know people from whom we covet a dinner invitation because the very thought of the food that graces their tables causes our mouths to water.

Nir Barkat’s Icebox

{image_1}Jerusalem is not about to bow to geography or the elements. Mayor Nir Barkat contracted eight Chinese sculptors to create replicas of Jerusalem landmarks such as Jaffa Gate and the walls of the Old City. (Who needs facsimiles when the originals are literally set in stone a stone's-throw away?) The sculpture exhibit—that also boasts a Lion of Judah, and{image_2} Noah's Ark and classic Israeli children's fables among others—was all sculpted in ice.

A Lonely Solider Finds a Home

{image_1}What's the first thing a young American who decides to leave everything to join the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] do? He posts about it on Facebook. Sergeant Daniel Schachter, a soldier in the Paratrooper 101st battalion, found a family to adopt him through Facebook.

Israel Offers Humanitarian Aid to Syrians

{image_1}With humanitarian concerns making headlines in Syria as the Bashar al-Assad regime continued its brutal crackdown on his opposition, needy Syrians received an offer of aid from a unique source: Israel. The two states have been in a state of war for decades, but the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross about sending aid to Syria nonetheless.

Live Hatikva Goes to Africa

{image_1}The LiveHatikva initiative celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and was hosted by South Africa. LiveHatikva unites Jewish people around the world on Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day, this year on April 26) through the singing of Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva (“The Hope”). Established in 2008 on Israel's 60th Independence Day, thousands of Jewish communities participated across the globe, breaking the Guinness world record for the number of people singing a national anthem simultaneously.

Iran Is Operating in Gaza

{image_1}“Understand, the dominant factor that motivates these events [rocket attacks] in Gaza is not the Palestinian issue. The dominant factor that motivates these events in Gaza is Iran.

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