Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Is the Battle for Jerusalem the New Intifada?

It has been the center of war and conflict for centuries. Some of the world’s greatest armies have fought over Jerusalem, and the battle for the capital of Israel continues today even as the participants have changed. In recent months, Palestinian terrorists have killed young and old, rabbis, women, even a baby, by ramming cars

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Jerusalem’s History Mystery

Godot13/Andrew Shiva/wikipedia.org Originally settled as long as six thousand years ago, Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Does its history matter? It matters to Israel. Because of that history, Prime Minister Netanyahu calls Jerusalem, “our eternal capital.” Is he right? Jerusalem’s history matters to Israel’s enemies. According to Mahmoud Abbas, President

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Jerusalem—the Heart of a Nation

“You (Jerusalem) shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Isa. 62:3 NASB). Jerusalem—it’s a name that has aroused wonder in the hearts of countless people for millennia. In AD 70, the heart and soul of the nation of Israel was

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Jerusalem—Israel’s Eternal, Undivided Capital

Many cities around the world are dearly loved by those who live in them. Poetry has been written, songs composed, and movies produced about cities, large and small, by those whose identity is intertwined with the places they call home. But few, if any, engender the kind of passion as does Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Covenant,

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Surprising Survivors in Troubled Oceans

 Marine biologist Prof. Yehuda Benayahu talks about his research subjects as if they were beloved pets. “My soft corals,” he calls them. Benayahu is one of the world’s few experts in these colorful underwater cousins of stony corals. He has spent countless hours diving into seas and oceans to collect the exquisite specimens. Now Benayahu

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Helping Farmers Predict the Future

When major international companies came to talk at Israel’s Agrivest conference in Tel Aviv, better predictive software to minimize farmers’ risks was the most requested “dream technology” from Israel, according to panel speakers. While no company can ever predict everything that Mother Nature has in store, one Israeli startup company, ScanTask, may have the answer

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Rabies “Hijacks” Neurons to Attack the Brain

 Rabies causes acute inflammation of the brain, producing psychosis and violent aggression. The virus, which paralyzes the body’s internal organs, is always deadly for those unable to obtain vaccines in time. Some 55,000 people die from rabies every year. For the first time, Tel Aviv University [TAU] scientists have discovered the exact mechanism this killer

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Apartheid

Every so often, a word makes its way into the public consciousness, stepping from the shadows into the forefront of discussion, debate and media attention. “Apartheid” is just such a word, coming originally from Afrikaans where its literal meaning is “the state of being apart.” It is used to describe the system of racial segregation

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The Zealous Israel Project

Servanthood–based Discipleship, Where Discipleship Began Over 2,000 years ago a carpenter from Nazareth left His home and called unto Himself 12 men to walk in His footsteps, to cling to His every word. In the tradition of all Jewish disciples of that day, these men would begin to walk out the teachings of their rabbi.

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Attention: Aspiring Archaeologists

A new App, designed in collaboration with Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archaeologists, Dig Quest Israel, will transform a child’s (ages 7–11) iPhone or iPad into an archaeological tool and let them play games to hone their skills, discover secret meanings, solve puzzles and piece the past together like true archaeologists.   As they play, kids

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