Life in Israel

Filter Device Prevents Stroke

{image_1}A revolutionary, minimally invasive heart repair procedure, now being investigated in America and already being performed by European doctors, could save the lives of older people who might not be able to withstand open-heart surgery to repair their heart valves. However, up to 15% of all patients undergoing this procedure—called TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation)—suffer a stroke on the operating table.

Running Cancer Interference

{image_1}To fight cancer, it sometimes helps to think outside the box, utilizing methods and strategies from other disciplines, like football. One football-coaching tactic to prevent the rival team from getting to the goal line is to send out players to run interference, keeping opposing players out of the way so that teammates can deliver the ball into the end zone.

The Shuk—A Feast for the Senses

{image_1}No other place on Earth has quite the color and flair that Jerusalem does, and arguably, no other place in Jerusalem has quite the color and flair of Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem’s largest open-air market, locally referred to as the shuk. A gem in the golden setting of central Jerusalem, the shuk dazzles with its feast of sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. The famous outdoor market bristles with activity daily—except for Shabbat, the Sabbath—as vendors display their wares to shoppers from dawn to dusk, and spice-laden fragrances permeate the alleyways.

“All Aboard!” – on Jerusalem’s New Light Rail

{image_1}On August 19, an estimated 40,000 passengers rode the new light rail for the first time.

A Jewish Look at Intercession

{image_1} Today, Israel is in critical need of faithful intercessors. According to David Nekrutman, executive director of the Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation, it is a subject on the minds and hearts of both Christians and Jews.

A Garden of the Prophets and Sages

{image_1} Have you ever tried to imagine what the Land of Israel looked like when David sat on a hillside with his sheep or what it was like to be a shepherd boy? Have you ever been around sheep, walked in an olive grove, or seen a sycamore tree? I remember the thrill of first seeing a real shepherd with his sheep and walking down a dirt path that wound through a quiet olive grove. It was so easy to imagine Jesus and His disciples walking just up ahead.

A Garden of the Prophets and Sages

{image_1} Have you ever tried to imagine what the Land of Israel looked like when David sat on a hillside with his sheep or what it was like to be a shepherd boy? Have you ever been around sheep, walked in an olive grove, or seen a sycamore tree? I remember the thrill of first seeing a real shepherd with his sheep and walking down a dirt path that wound through a quiet olive grove. It was so easy to imagine Jesus and His disciples walking just up ahead.

Yemin Orde: A Home for Life

{image_1} The first week of December 2010, a raging fire, lasting 82 hours, swept across the Carmel mountain range overlooking Haifa. Yemin Orde, a youth village which is home to 500 Israeli students, was directly in its path and was quickly evacuated. Staff returned but when they saw a fire ball approaching, they too left with the feeling that everything would be burned down. In the end, 40% of the buildings were destroyed, including two dozen houses (for 58 staff members), classrooms, the library, and dormitories. For a month, students were housed elsewhere.

Israel’s Biblical Zoo

{image_1}Anyone traveling to the Holy Land and visiting Jerusalem will find an amazing commemoration of two biblical events at Israel’s 62-acre (25-hectare) zoo: creation and Noah’s ark. Both of these events have something in common—animals. Situated amidst the bustling, modern neighborhood of Manahat, the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, or better known as the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, is an ideal picture of God’s love for creation. Here, the theme of creation and the miraculous account of the ark are beautifully woven together.

The Battle for Israel’s History

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As long as there have been historians, there have been those who would rewrite their stories, and for a myriad of reasons. On the positive side, re-examining history has long been accepted as a means of keeping our understanding of the past current. Developments in science, technology, archaeology, etc, have shed new light on old stories, sometimes adding a new dimension to a particular historical period or event and sometimes even modifying the mainstream view. Allowing for the reinterpretation of longstanding views based on new evidence is, in fact, good scholarship, providing that adherence to accuracy is central to the review.