Dispatch from Jerusalem

Temple “Trash”–A Treasure Trove

{image_1}On a sunny afternoon in April, a group of Bridges for Peace staff went on an archaeological adventure—into the past. On the undulating, pleasant lower slopes of Mount Scopus, an excavation appears to be underway, but this is no ordinary excavation. Archaeologists and volunteers busily screen, sift, and wash through tons of earth, searching out the smallest potsherds that litter Israel like shells on a seashore and normally get trodden underfoot. What is so special about this earth, and why are professional archaeolo-gists taking the unprecedented, mammoth step of sifting through it when they are all cognizant that its geological context has been completely erased?

Iran: Nuclear Club Member

{image_1}“There is no place in the world that suffers from divisions and wars unless Americans’ or Zionists’ fingerprints are seen there. Our strength and the cornerstone of the victory is in our [Muslim] unity…We have to pay attention to the devils who want to cause divisions.”

“With an Outstretched Arm…”

{image_1}“For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come…” (Song of Songs 2:11–12a). What are the signs that Israel’s long awaited spring has arrived? Are they the final passing of winter’s cold, wet weather, the budding of almond trees, the joyful songs of birds, or perhaps the red poppies and cyclamen carpeting the hillsides? According to the Hebrew Scriptures (Gen.–Mal., Tanach), the coming of spring is marked by the arrival of Pesach (Passover). “Observe the month of Abib [spring], and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night” (Deut. 16:1).

97-Year-Old Makes Aliyah

{image_1}Herta Lowenthal, a British Jew, has become one of the oldest people to ever make aliyah (immigration to Israel) at 97 years old. She joined her 12 great-grandchildren in Israel in March 2007, emigrating from Britain, where she lived most of her life. Lowenthal told the British Totally Jewish (TJ) Web site that moving to Israel was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Hizbullah: America Is Interfering

{image_1}“Dick Cheney [US vice president] has given orders for a covert war against Hizbullah…There is now an American program that is using Lebanon to further its goals in the region…If it wasn’t for America’s interference, we would have resolved the issue of participating in the [Lebanese] government a long time ago. America is forcing the government forces to prolong this crisis, because they want a price for it…They want to tie Lebanon into negotiations that benefit Israel and their plan for a new Middle East.”

Safe Exit from High-Rises

{image_1}Israeli company SAFEXIT is offering an innovative escape route down the outside of the building when all other avenues are cut off. What’s more, it can be retrofitted into new or existing buildings. Yoav Barzilai, SAFEXIT’s vice president of R&D and 27-year veteran of the Israeli police’s elite anti-terror unit, knew he had to find a solution as he watched people jump from the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Preparing for War?

The atmosphere in Israel is drawn as tightly as a violin bow.

{image_1}Everyone from the man on the street to military analysts will tell you that a major conflict is imminent. Since last summer’s war, now called the Second Lebanon War, there has been a tense waiting for the next war to begin. There is a weariness of soul as so many are mourning over lost sons and daughters. The past year has been an intensely difficult year for Israel with 233 soldiers losing their lives in the ongoing battle; 119 of them in the 34-day-long Second Lebanon War. At the same time, there is recognition that Israel must be ready for any and all threats. Those threats are multi-pronged, ranging from Hizbullah in Lebanon, to Ahmadinejad in Iran, to Hamas, Fatah, and Islamic Jihad in Gaza and other Palestinian areas, and Syria to the north. War is in the wind. The question is which direction it will come from first. Lately, Syrian preparations have been escalating.

Jerusalem Day–40th Anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem

{image_1}The liberation of Jerusalem on June 7, 1967 (Iyar 28 on the Hebrew calendar) marked the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, came under Jewish sovereignty.

Yad Lakashish “Tzedakah In Action”

{image_1}The Hebrew word tzedakah is often translated as “charity.” However, when understood from a Jewish viewpoint, it is much different. The root word for tzedakah is tzedak, which means righteousness, justice, or fairness. “In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due” (www.jewfaq.org). Maimonides, a 12th-century Jewish sage, organized tzedakah into eight levels, from giving begrudgingly (level one) to giving when neither party knows the other’s identity (level seven). However, “the highest degree of tzedakah,” said Maimonides, “is helping others help themselves.”

From Russia to Iran…From Iran to the PA

From Russia to Iran

Russia has announced deliveries of the TOR-M1 surface-to-air missile system to Iran. The Russian defense ministry said Iran was considering another order of the mobile, short-range anti-aircraft system. The TOR-M1 was said to be capable of destroying manned and unmanned aircraft as well as cruise missiles. The system, introduced in 2005, could destroy two targets simultaneously at an altitude of 3.7 miles [6 kilometers] and identify up to 48 targets simultaneously.