Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Israel’s “Trail Angels” Offer Free Lodging to Backpackers

Tzippi Moss smiled as she watched the four young people sitting around her small kitchen table tucking into a meal of cooked vegetables with salmon. It could be any dinner table in any house in Israel, but the unique thing was that Moss had met her dinner guests for the first time just ten minutes

Continue Reading »

IDF Doctor Saves Life of Palestinian Baby

  Photo credit: www.idfblog.com A Judea and Samaria Division Medical Officer saved the life of a one-month-old Palestinian baby who suffered from respiratory arrest recently. The infant was brought by her parents from the village of Beitin near Ramallah to the checkpoint near the division's headquarters, close to the settlement of Beit El. An officer

Continue Reading »

Young Canadian Wins International Bible Quiz

 Eitan Amos from Toronto, Canada was this year’s International Bible Quiz winner. The 18-year-old, who lived in the settlement of Karnei Shomron until he was 11, competed against 15 other finalists during this year’s International Bible Quiz traditionally held on Israel’s Independence Day. Seventy-five contestants from 33 countries showed their impressive knowledge of the Tanach

Continue Reading »

Crisis Brings Israelis Together in Prayer

When three teenagers, Eyal Yifrach (19), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Gilad Sha’ar (16), were kidnapped by terrorists, the country sprang into action. The largest ground search in Israel’s history was conducted by the army, police and security forces. The hearts of the entire country were moved for the boys and their families. A cry went

Continue Reading »

Hamas and Fatah Unification—the End of Oslo?

Hamas Photo credit: www.idfblog.com “Ismail Haniyeh [Hamas Prime Minister], told a large crowd of [Hamas] supporters in Rafah on June 1 that the reconciliation is meant to unify the Palestinian people against the main enemy, ‘the Zionist enemy,’ and to continue with the option of resistance and resolve.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida] “We think that the path

Continue Reading »

Introducing Israel’s 10th President—Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin

(l) Israel’s presidency passed from Shimon Peres to Reuven Rivlin in July. For the next seven years President Rivlin will greet (and host) foreign dignitaries, sign every new law, appoint ambassadors, and more. Although the role of President is more ceremonial while the Prime Minister holds the executive reins, it nevertheless is the face of

Continue Reading »

Everything Eggplant

A trip to the shuk (open market) in Israel provides an abundance of fresh produce to make recipes full of flavor and nutrition. Eggplant catches the eye with its beautiful aubergine or purple color. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Delicious produce is a reminder to: “…taste and see that the Lord

Continue Reading »

Hebrew-speaking Canine Helpers

July 3, 2014

Living in the world is challenging at times for those with eyesight, but for the visually impaired and blind those challenges can seem almost insurmountable. Some choose to navigate with a white cane, a universally known symbol for blindness; others opt for a seeing-eye, or service dog. Communication between dog and human is critical and

Continue Reading »

Abundance of the Sea

Israel Powers Up On New Ocean-Based Energy Sources  “For they shall partake of the abundance of the seas and of treasures hidden in the sand” (Deut. 33:19b). From the time God parted the waters of the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to pass through on dry ground, Israel has had a long and rewarding

Continue Reading »

Cyber Warfare: Changing the Battlefield

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the head of Israel’s most powerful intelligence agency, recently described a changing battlefield which, he says, will represent the greatest shift in combat doctrine in over 1,000 years. Even in the face of the 170,000 rockets that Kochavi says are pointed at Israel by enemy states, and the dangers posed by

Continue Reading »