Dispatch from Jerusalem

“I Threw It”—Zarakti

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Did you ever see one of those news clips where the police were using a water canon to disperse or subdue a violent crowd? If so, keep that picture in mind for a few moments while we explore the Hebrew word zarakti (זרקתי). The simple definition of the word is “I threw it.” Let’s take a look at how it is used in Ezekiel 36:25: “Then I will sprinkle [zarakti] clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.”

Acknowledging the Jewish State

{image_1}The designation of Israel as the “Jewish state” has gotten a lot of attention over the past couple years, especially after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called upon the Palestinians to acknowledge the fact as part of a prospective peace accord with Israel.

BFP in Action: Give an Israeli Child a Future

Many of Israel’s population have never climbed out of the pit of poverty. They came as new immigrants with nothing. Many who arrived in the early days of the State lived in maabarot (tent cities), sometimes for years, before moving into sub-standard walk-up apartments. We meet families who are now in the third and fourth generations of poverty. These families have little or no hope for a better future for their children. The costs of providing an education for their children is simply out of reach for those who don’t know how they are going to fill their stomachs. How can a parent think about buying school books or paying for tutors when they can’t even provide the basics of life? This is the condition of the families we assist through the Feed a Child Program.

The Sabbath—A Family Event:  Cholent

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I don’t believe there’s anywhere in the world that honors the Sabbath like Israel does. Since most businesses are closed for the day, it’s almost impossible not to participate in this day of rest. The quiet is so wonderful! As busy a city as Jerusalem is, with all its horn-honking traffic jamming its narrow streets, one marvels that it’s possible for such a city to almost come to a halt. Does New York City or Tokyo or London ever rest?

Israel—A Happy Country

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Israel’s Disaster Experts Help South America

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In February, disaster struck Chile, when an 8.8 Richter Scale earthquake hit the country. In June, an Israeli team of six professionals traveled to Santiago to analyze the aftermath of the disaster and hold a five-day workshop to train more than 300 emergency response personnel from Chile and Paraguay in how to deal with mass casualty events.

Camp for Sderot “Heroes”

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At a time when the south of Israel has again come under renewed rocket attacks, some 200 Sderot teenagers enjoyed a summer camp experience in August thanks to the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Committee for a Secure Sderot. The two organizations created “Lend a Hand to Heal,” a program in which the teenagers enjoy a stimulating, week-long program on the Hebrew University campus. They were introduced to educational and scientific programs as well as sports activities and tours of Jerusalem and its surroundings.

A New Wind Blowing for Peace

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A path toward peace may be blowing in the wind, if a new wind energy project between a Palestinian and an Israeli company succeeds. The two companies, Israel Wind Power based in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, and Brothers Engineering Group from Bethlehem in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], have just announced their intention to cooperate in the building and selling of wind turbines in the West Bank region and beyond. Most significant, they are undeterred by the latest tensions between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and world powers in the wake of the recent Turkish-led flotilla incident that occurred near Gaza.

Oil Spill Cleanup Solution

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A natural “bioremediation” technique developed by Israeli biologists may hold the key to the final, difficult steps of the billion dollar oil spill cleanup in the wake of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Professors Eugene Rosenberg and Eliora Ron from Tel Aviv University (TAU) use naturally occurring oil-munching bacteria, grown at the TAU lab, to clean hard-to-reach oil pockets that are produced when oil mixes with sand and organic matter on beaches and forms a thin layer on precious waterways.

Difficult Days

IDF Helicopter Accident in Romania:

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“This is a difficult day for all of Israel. We are choked up… hearing about how the heroes [six Israelis and one Romanian]fell from on high, and how the vessels of war fell to the earth.”

— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

“This year, Israeli and Romanian pilots [are] training together and make the supreme sacrifice together. This has resulted in a closer relationship between us, proving that we support each other in joy but especially in sorrow.”

— Romanian Air Force Deputy Commander Alexander Glushka