Dispatch from Jerusalem

Your Secret is Safe

{image_1}By Brian Blum, ISRAEL21c

When your bank outsources customer service to India, how can the financial institution ensure that your data won’t fall into the wrong hands? What if your HMO [Health Maintenance Organization] shares files with an outside pharmaceutical research firm and inadvertently reveals your chronic illness?

Moscow’s Motives—Why Russia Influences the Middle East

{image_1}It seems unusual that from the frozen lands of Siberia, and the snowcapped cathedrals in Moscow, Russia has reached its long arms into the desert sands of the Middle East. Yet, in the last seven decades, Russia has been selling weapons to Middle Eastern nations, playing politics with conflicts and peace talks, and even helping crazy dictators acquire weapons of mass destruction. But why? What is Moscow’s modus operandi for involvement in the Middle East? And what does that mean for Israel now…and in the future?

The Gabriel Revelation Stone

{image_1}The Israel museum will be displaying one of the most important artifacts to have been discovered since the Dead Sea Scrolls. The “Gabriel Revelation Stone,” discovered on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea, sheds light on the spiritual life of the Second Temple period. The Stone complements the Herodian period, tracing the development of the story of the angel Gabriel during the early years of rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Written with ink on stone, in Hebrew, in the first person, the writer identifies himself as the angel Gabriel.

Outstanding Mosaic Find

{image_1}A spectacular 1500-year-old mosaic was discovered in a field in southern Israel. The mosaic which dates to the Byzantine period (4th–6th centuries AD) was exposed by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) prior to major road construction.

Second Temple Period Quarry Uncovered

{image_1}An enormous quarry from the time of the Second Temple (first century AD) was exposed in recent weeks in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority [IAA] is carrying out. A 2,000 year old key, pick axes, severance wedges, etc. were also among the artifacts uncovered during the course of the excavation.

Keeping Pace with Terrorists

{image_1}They can tell from the angle of a footprint that an explosive is in the area. When a suspect is on the run, they can pinpoint his location in minutes. The soldiers of the Bedouin Scouting Unit stand on the front lines of Israel's battle against terror.

Sharp Rise in Global Anti-Semitism

{image_1}According to a new report on global anti-Semitism, 2012 registered a 30% increase in anti-Semitic acts compared to 2011. These acts include vandalism and direct threats on Jewish lives. Numbering 686 in 2012, they followed two years of general decline in such incidents. Among the countries listed, France has the dubious honor of first place with 200 anti-Semitic acts registered. The United States saw 99 acts, Britain 84, Canada 74, and Australia three.

Information War Could Dramatically Impact Next War

{image_1}“The threats that we face in the field of information security are growing significantly, but we have the ability to handle them,” Chief of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] Ground Forces Command Maj. Gen. Guy Zur said at an information security conference.

US Senators 99-0 Support for Israel

{image_1}US senators have unanimously united in support of Israel. The vote came as the United States Senate considered Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israeli Air Force General Warns of “A Surprise War”

{image_1}Israel could soon face a heavy burden of powerful and effective weapons, if the crisis in Syria crosses the border.