Dispatch from Jerusalem

True Tzedakah

Any of you who’ve visited Israel (or lived here) know what it’s like to be approached by the insistent, persistent beggars of Jerusalem’s city streets. Day by day, I encounter those who have grown to be familiar faces: the woman who wanders Ben Yehuda crying about her babies who do not have food or diapers; the double amputee who sits in his wheelchair in front of my favorite bagel shop; the gentleman who sleeps by my bus stop, trash-bags full of his belongings heaped awkwardly around him.

Supporting Israel Is In Again

With the rise of Hamas to power in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the nuclear threat posed by Iran and its renegade president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, supporting Israel is suddenly back in style. Israel usually finds itself isolated among the world community, and Yeshua (Jesus) even said that it would become hated of all nations (Matt. 24:9). Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Dore Gold even commented recently that being the Israeli ambassador to the UN can at times feel like the loneliest job in the world. But now with terror groups and sovereign states threatening Israel with total destruction, Israel is enjoying support from countries like it hasn’t seen since before the 1967 Six Day War.

Syria And Iran Sign Pact

Syria has agreed to store Iran’s nuclear material, and Iran will grant asylum to Syrian officials implicated in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri, according to Jane’s Defense Weekly, a London-based defense magazine. The two countries signed a strategic accord to help each other resist international pressure regarding their weapons programs and misdeeds.

“I Want to Stop Being So Scared Every Moment”

When Tahel Maman, 4, comes home from kindergarten, she crawls under the kitchen table and stays there. When this behavior began last year, her mother, Ofra, thought it was a game. But after some cajoling, it turned out it was the girl’s way of dealing with the security hardships that have blighted her short life—the Kassam rockets on Sderot, the sound of Israel Defense Forces shells fired at the Gaza Strip, and the sonic booms from Israel Air Force planes.

Bush America Is Israel’s Shield

America must remain resolute in its battle against global Islamic terrorism or risk serious consequences––including the demise of the Jewish state––United States President George W. Bush said in a speech to American troops in late October. A perceived U.S. loss in the War on Terror would provide the terrorist the means of victory over Israel and eventually the entire Judeo-Christian West, Bush insisted.

Synagogue worship

One of my most enjoyable experiences in Israel was when I attended a Friday night Shabbat (the Sabbath) service in a Jewish friend’s synagogue. Because religious Jews don’t drive on Shabbat, a synagogue is located within walking distance. Before we left the house to walk to her modern-Orthodox synagogue, I was instructed not to carry a purse nor pen and paper, because writing and carrying are considered work. Questions would have to be asked later, not during the service. And, of course, women are not allowed to wear slacks.

Hula Valley – 500 million birds visit every year

“Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times; and the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow observe the time of their coming…” Jeremiah 8:7, NKJV. The Hula Valley is an agricultural region in northern Israel that also represents a rare meeting place for African and European flora and fauna. I went there recently with a group of journalists and photographers at the invitation of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which manages the forests, parks, and nature reserves of Israel.

Israelis Developing Alternatives to Arab Oil

An Israeli inventor and company are trying to use garbage and leftover olive pulp from olive-oil factories, respectively, to replace oil in providing fuel and electricity to the Jewish state. From one ton of garbage, half a ton of oil or 300 kg (662 lbs.) of gas or 150 kg (331 lbs.) of green coal can be extracted to produce electricity, according to inventor Dr. Sergei Rosenberg.

Rosenberg gained the experience necessary to come up with his invention from working in Russia before he immigrated to Israel. “In Russia, I helped with the building of an artificial reservoir, a number of power stations, and I designed the water system for the nuclear core in Chernobyl.”

Computer Virus-  Are Their Days Numbered?

A Tel Aviv team has cornered the deadly, dastardly computer virus menace. The thought of those vicious virus monsters cringing in fear of their demise is a delight.

Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Herbed Dipping Sauce

By Richard Bristol, PhD

You cannot visit Israel without witnessing the significant place olives play in the agriculture and diet of the people of the Land. Olive trees are found from the north to the south of the Land. When you sit down to a meal in Israel, you will usually find olives on the table, even for breakfast! Olives have been grown here from antiquity; so when we eat olives, we can’t help but envision the patriarchs of Israel enjoying olives with their meals.