Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Solving the Global Water Crisis

Experts, it seems, are unanimous that the world is facing one of its worst water crises in decades. With California, Brazil, North Korea, Puerto Rico, South Africa and India suffering in the grips of the most devastating drought in recent history, water shortages could soon result in teetering governmental systems, displaced populations and ultimately, political

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Apples Fresh from the Oven

During the cold, rainy months of winter in Israel, a warm and sweet dessert is quite appealing. The recipe this month features a baked apple dish that is sure to please. Apples were carried over trade routes in the Middle East centuries ago, and are now a common fruit in many countries today. Israeli apple orchards

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The War between Good and Evil

Frederic Legrand-Comeo/shutterstock.com “We are facing a third world war against humanity and this is what brings us all together. This is a war, as I’ve said repeatedly, within Islam.” [Groups such as IS] expose themselves daily as savage outlaws of religion, devoid of humanity, respecting no laws and no boundaries…It’s clearly a fight between good

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Hiking the “Salad Trail”

Recently, our Bridges for Peace family of volunteers spent two fun-filled days exploring a bit of southern Israel. “The Salad Trail,” one of the sites on our itinerary immediately grabbed my attention. I love to hike but adding the word “salad” to the mix left me pondering just what type of trail this might be?

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Intercepting the Missiles of Toxic Tongue Syndrome

January 7, 2016

In July and August of 2014, almost four thousand missiles were fired by the terrorist group Hamas at Israeli civilian communities. It was a relentless barrage. One of the enemy’s objectives was to paralyze the country. But during those months, Israel not only defended itself in a war called Operation Protective Edge, it continued to

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“To Life!” Guide to a Jewish Wedding

To life, l’chaim, l’chaim, L’chaim, l’chaim, to life, It takes a wedding to make us say, “Let’s live another day,” Drink l’chaim, to life! “To Life!” is a song from the quintessential Jewish musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” where the people of Anatevka rejoice over the upcoming wedding of Tevye’s daughter. From time immemorial, weddings

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Smart Home Revolution

Two Israeli Arabs and two graduates of the Israeli security services have teamed up in a start-up company that can turn your home into a safe “smart home”—control and monitor your entire home, all from your smart phone. The “smart home” is the latest in technology. A smart home allows you to run electrical appliances

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Wild Emmer Wheat Genome

A joint team from NRGene and Tel Aviv University has completed the mapping of the wild Emmer wheat genome in just one month, giving a significant boost to global research into crop improvement, improving global wheat yields and helping combat the world food crisis. Wild Emmer, the progenitor of today’s durum and bread wheat varieties,

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Immune Cells that Fight Obesity

We tend to think of the immune system as guarding us against bacteria, viruses and other foreign invaders, but this system has other surprising roles. Weizmann Institute researchers have now identified a small subtype of immune cells that appears to prevent metabolic syndrome: obesity, high blood pressure and high levels of blood sugar and cholesterol.

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Enemies of Enemies Are Not Always Friends: Iran Still Major Threat Despite Fighting ISIS

Last fall, in a span of just three weeks, ISIS (ISIL) claimed major attacks on three different enemies: Russia, Hezbollah, and the West. From bombing a Russian airliner, to a suicide bombing of a Hezbollah area in Lebanon, to the Paris attacks, ISIS managed to become the global Public Enemy Number One. Opinion pieces and

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