Dispatch from Jerusalem

Nobel Prize Winner – Israel’s Survival Questioned

Professor Robert Aumann, the Israeli-American who won the Nobel Prize for economics last year, warned that Israel may not be capable of continuing its existence long term. Aumman moved from the United States to Israel in the 1950s.

Israel – A Technology Powerhouse

The World Economic Forum published its yearly 2006–2007 report, in which it ranks Israel as one of the world’s most competitive economies ahead of Canada, France, and South Korea.

Egg-Lemon Soup

A simple but delicious Middle Eastern soup for a cold winter night’s meal by Hanukkah candlelight!

Ahmadinejad – “God Told Me We Would Win”

While the West is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran, due to the country’s failure to suspend its nuclear activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still optimistic. “We shall win,” he was quoted in the Iranian media as saying and added, “One day I will be asked whether I have been in touch with someone who told me we would win, and I will respond, ‘Yes, I have been in touch with god [Allah].’”

By Dudi Cohen, Ynetnews.com

A Hanukkah Miracle

“Whosoever preserves a single soul, Scripture ascribes merit to him as though he had preserved a complete world.”
—Mishna, Tractate Sanhedrin

The Bible – Road Map to Israel’s Oil

Oil spurted from a drilling site north of the Dead Sea recently. Drilling partners, Ginko Oil Exploration and Lapidot (20%) estimate they have about 6.5 million barrels of crude oil, worth about US $300 million. The oil was struck at a 1,800 meter-depth (5,906 feet). It is a small quantity by world standards, providing 100 to 150 barrels per day. Number one producer Saudi Arabia produces nine million barrels a day, but Eli Tannenbaum, geologist for Ginko, said there are signs that larger amounts of crude are nearby.

Israeli Invention Fights Bio-terrorism

Anthrax unleashed into the ventilation system of a shopping mall or convention center is a terrorist ploy, which can produce mayhem, chaos, and death. An Israeli inventor has produced a detector, which he believes will save lives.

2000-Year-Old Olive Press Discovered During the War

Haifa was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons during the war with Hizbullah. The region was peppered with Katyusha rockets and towns like Kiryat Shmona became household names because of television coverage of the bombing and destruction. One miracle to emerge from the war was the preservation of archaeological sites and the discovery of a new one.

Choose Islam or Death

Muslim religious leaders in Gaza warned Pope Benedict XVI that he must “accept” Islam if he wants to live in peace. A previously unknown group, calling itself the Huda (“guidance”) Army Organization, threatened to kill all Christians in the Gaza Strip. “We will target all crusaders in the Gaza Strip,” the group announced by leaflet. The group also threatened to attack churches and Christian-owned institutions and homes and to strike with an iron fist all those who defend the crusaders.

Recycled Glass Roads

A Technion-Israel Institute of Technology team has discovered a new use for recycled glass. In September, after 18 months of research, 20 tons of ground-up waste glass was mixed with 400 tons of asphalt to compose the upper layer of a road in Haifa. Glass smaller than 15mm (0.6 inches) and 6mm (0.24 inches) was tested, with no significant difference. Up to 10% of the mixtures can be glass.