Dispatch from Jerusalem

Is Israel Feeling End-Time Tremors?

{image_1}In 1948, a political earthquake fulfilled biblical prophecy with the creation of the State of Israel. Recent ground shakings have people wondering if the world is about to witness another earth-shattering prophecy come to pass. At 9:38 on December 2, 2007, Israel’s mid-morning coffee and tea was disturbed by an earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale. For Israelis, who live in an earthquake-prone region, feeling a quake is not that unusual. What made the morning’s tremor atypical was that it was the fourth in two weeks.

Israel Wins Big in Special Olympics

{image_1}Thirty-nine Israeli Special Olympic athletes brought home 36 medals (10 gold, 16 silver, and 10 bronze) from the International Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, in October, 2007. Israel was one of 165 participating countries, and out of 25 possible sports, the team took part in eight events: bowling, cycling, judo, soccer, swimming, tennis, table tennis, and track and field. Jewish pride and support for the team was exemplified by the Chinese Jews of Shanghai, who raised US $20,000 for them and supplied each athlete with a uniform and sneakers.

Enemy at the Gates

Palestinians Will Never Recognize Israel as a Jewish State

Just weeks before the Bush administration convened its Annapolis conference on the creation of Palestine, one of the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization]/PA’s [Palestinian Authority’s] most senior spokesman, Saeb Erekat, declared that the “Palestinians” will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The words shone light on a central component of the deceptive, and usually hidden, PLO strategy whose end goal has always been the eradication of a sovereign Jewish state from the Muslim Middle East.

The Fallout of a “Palestinian” Jerusalem

{image_1}Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has stated on numerous occasions that Israel is prepared to make “painful sacrifices” to achieve peace with the Palestinians. He has also said that Israel would be willing to cede control over certain Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem to the new Palestinian state, drawing fire from all sides of the political spectrum. Many in the Israeli security services are also afraid that the second Israel withdraws from any of these areas, Palestinian terrorists will take advantage of the new ground to launch rockets and small arms fire against Jerusalem.

Unique Mosaic Unearthed

{image_1}The remains of a synagogue believed to be from the Late Roman Period (AD 135–324) were recently discovered in excavations at Khirbet Wadi Hamam. Located about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) north of Tiberias in the Galilee, the site is being excavated under the direction of Dr. Uzi Leibner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Israel’s Secular Sector Shrinking

{image_1}A new study conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute shows that the secular sector in Israel is shrinking. Only 20% of Jewish Israeli citizens define themselves secular—the lowest number in 34 years. The traditional sector [those somewhat observant to religion] has maintained its dominancy over the last three decades and currently accounts for 47% of the population. The ultra-Orthodox and religious sectors comprise another 33%.

Annapolis: Peace by End of 2008

{image_1}In a joint statement read by US President George W. Bush at the start of the Annapolis peace summit, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas [Abu Mazen] pledged to start the first serious negotiations in seven years in December 2007.

3-minute Diagnosis for Viral Pandemics

{image_1}When the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic broke out in 2002, Israeli scientist Dorit Arad was alarmed. One of the problems with this disease was diagnosis, which was expensive, slow, and had a high rate of false positive results. What was needed was a new diagnostic tool that could let doctors diagnose potential pandemic illnesses on site, in minutes. Arad’s new breakthrough diagnostic tests for viral pandemics, and a range of other illnesses such as Cytomegalovirus (CMV), meningitis, influenza, and even the common cold, are now going through proof of concept and could be out on the market in 18 months.

Mayim Chaim – Living Waters

{image_1}Since the earliest of civilizations, rivers and springs have been so highly valued that they were often treated as deities. Water collected from these sources was used not only for ordinary hygiene, but also for ritualistic cleansing. Even modern-day religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, still use ritual hand and feet washings, as well as aspersions and full-body immersions. Since water often represents spiritual purification and new beginnings, these rituals are usually performed before prayers and during many life-cycle ceremonies related to birth, conversion, marriage, and death.

Putin and Bush: Muscle Flexing in the Middle East

{image_1}The first shipment of Russian fuel arrived for the Iranian nuclear reactor even as nations gathered in Paris to raise international support for the Palestinian Authority (PA).