Dispatch from Jerusalem

Arab Response to the US Economic Crisis…

{image_1} “The enemies of Islam are facing a crushing defeat, which is beginning to manifest itself in the expanding crisis their economy is experiencing…[They are] turning their backs on Allah’s revealed laws, which forbid interest-bearing transactions, exploitation, greed and injustice in all its forms.”

Kristallnacht Synagogue Restored

{image_1} Germany’s fast-growing Jewish community has inaugurated a new synagogue in the western city of Krefeld, seven decades after the original was destroyed by the Nazis. “We are here, in the middle of this society, and we will never let anyone challenge that place again,” the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Charlotte Knobloch, told guests at the inauguration ceremony.

2nd Temple Period Jerusalem Wall Unearthed

By Will King, Correspondent, BFP Israel Mosaic Radio

{image_1} Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Ir David Foundation discovered part of a 2,100-year-old wall from the late Second Temple Period (second century BC to AD 70). According to the IAA, the wall was constructed by the Hasmoneans in the second century BC and later destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. The wall is located at the southern part of Mount Zion, adjoining a Catholic cemetery, near where the “righteous gentile” Oskar Schindler is buried. This wall delineated Jerusalem from the south in periods when the ancient city had reached its largest size.

Snacking in Israel:  Mandel Bread

By Charleeda Sprinkle, Assistant Editor

So what might you enjoy snacking on while walking, biking, hiking, or touring around Israel? Besides Israel’s alluring ice cream, sugar-dusted Turkish delights, sticky baklava (sweet Greek pastry), and large array of tempting baked goods, I can name a few that are very Israeli, each one with a fascinating history.

From Islamic Hamas…

{image_1} “Jerusalem will be retrieved to the Palestinians not through negotiations or by hugging and kissing the enemy, but by way of jihad, blood, shahids [martyrs], and resistance. With Allah’s help, Jerusalem will be returned…The Israeli–Arabs are safeguarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque; it is as if they are inside the belly of a whale. They represent the Islamic nation.”

The Dead Sea Scrolls…Online?

{image_1} Specialists working for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have begun a limited pilot program that they hope will eventually lead to all of the more than 1,200 plates of Dead Sea scrolls and fragments being photographed and made available online. The scrolls and fragments will be imaged using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, and the IAA team even includes a retired NASA scientist, Dr. Greg Bearman.

Israel’s Economy Under Caution

{image_1} Israel responded to the international economic crisis by cutting interest rates 50 basis points. Bank of Israel Governor Professor Stanley Fischer initiated the move. “The chances of a slowdown in Israel’s rate of economic growth in the near future have risen,” the bank warned.

Bees Get a Flu Shot!

{image_1} It is a real-life nightmare scenario—honeybees are in trouble and, by extension, so is the human race! Last winter, over 36% of the US bee colonies collapsed, affecting honey production, affecting the one-third of all food production that requires pollination—from fruits and nuts, to the dairy and beef cows that feed on alfalfa. Now, Israeli–US company Beeologics is taking rapid measures to bring to market a proprietary anti-viral agent that promises to alleviate the effects of the virus strongly associated with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

The Russian Bear Returns

{image_1} When the September visit to Moscow by Israel Prime Minister Olmert was cancelled, the press speculated it was because he was embroiled in police enquiries in Israel. Olmert was expected to meet with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to discuss Israeli concerns regarding developments between  Russia and Syria.

First Aid Olympics

{image_1} When Magen David Adom (MDA) hosted an Olympics in August 2008, the events were much different than the norm. MDA, the Israeli ambulance service, started the Olympic competition to challenge other international services to test their skills. The two-day competition was called “Saving Lives at the Dead Sea.”