Dispatch from Jerusalem

Medicine’s Magic Wand

A new radiation-free, portable device invented in Israel claims to supply instant, non-invasive diagnoses of a wide variety of illnesses. It was invented by Dr. Alex Kanevsky, a former Russian immigrant Israeli physician.

Changes Ahead for Temple Mount?

In October, Jordan’s King Abdullah announced that a fifth minaret would be constructed on the eastern wall of the Temple Mount near the Golden Gate. Shortly thereafter, MK Uri Ariel, a member of the Knesset (Parliament), unveiled his plan to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount. Both plans were published in Israel’s newspapers the same week.

Axis of Evil

In January 2002, when President Bush first identified the Axis of Evil nations and the threat they pose to the world order, most of the world’s Western and democratic nations were united in their desire to stop them. Now, only a few years later, most of those same nations seem united in a spirit of complacency and inactivity against the Axis of Evil. This trend has and continues to allow these nations to build up and arm themselves with some of the most deadly weapons known to man. Growing Islamic fanaticism only fans the fire for these nations to use them against Allah’s enemies. A current investigation of some of these Axis of Evil nations shows that Israel and the world could be in for prophetic times ahead.

Tom and Jerry Were Zionists!

Iranian TV has discovered a catastrophe greater than nuclear weapons. It’s Disney! The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has given those of us outside Iran the shattering news that Tom and Jerry were Zionists.

If Coins Could Only Speak

Most of us go through a stage when we collect coins. Quite a few make a great career of it. Israel has some interesting coins to make any collection sparkle.

Touching Hearts and Lives

The war is over, but its legacy goes on. As we drove through northern Israel, a visible trail of destruction reminded me that despite the sun and breathtaking mountain views, all was not well in the Land. There were forests of burnt trees standing like dead men in a world of ashes. But deeper than this, there were many whose livelihoods had been, and are still, plunged into turmoil, as families struggle to make a living on an uncertain economic rollercoaster. And, of course, there are those who have lost loved ones, and their lives will never be the same.

I want a better life: “This is the thought that never left my mind”

“This is the thought that never left my mind,” writes Natalya as she tells us her story of how she made aliyah (immigration to Israel). Life in Ukraine was hard for her and her husband. Sometimes they “had only bread and water to live on and went on foot to work, as there was not money for public transport fees.” They had no money to pay for utilities, and their debt grew. There was no money for home repair, so after ten years, “our apartment looked like a shed.” Proper food and new clothes were like a “far off dream” for them. “I went mad,” she said whenever she thought of ways to improve their life, because there were no options.

The Making of Tefillin

As I was walking through the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, I spotted a sign hanging outside a Judaica shop that said “Torah Scribe” and sofer stam in Hebrew. Sofer means “scribe”; stam is an acronym for Sefer Torah (“book” of Torah, Gen.–Deut.), tefillin (phylacteries), and mezuzot (Scripture boxes affixed to doorways). In Orthodox circles, only a certified scribe can copy the Torah for a scroll, as well as the Scriptures inside the tefillin and mezuzot.

Special Delight

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The Land of Milk and Honey

For thousands of years, the Land of Israel has flowed with milk and honey, but now it is official: Israeli cows are the biggest producers in the world. How now, proud cow? But sheep and goats can take a bow as well.

A report released this week by the Central Bureau of Statistics [CBS] says that Israeli cows are the number one milk producers in the world. According to the CBS report, last year Israeli dairies produced some 1,221 million liters [323 million gallons] of the white liquid for public consumption, providing 185 liters [49 gallons] per person per year.

Cow’s milk comprised the bulk of production at 94% of the total volume. Sheep produced 3.6%, with goat’s milk at the lowest percentage of volume, 2.3%.