Life in Israel

Special Olympics Israel makes a Splash

Special Olympics Israel made a big splash when nine of its athletes traveled to California to participate in the Robert C. Placak Tiburon Mile. Athletes swim one nautical mile from San Francisco Bay's Angel Island to the shores of downtown Tiburon. This is not a Special Olympics event, but the world's biggest and most competitive open-water swim, in which Olympic and World Champion swimmers from the nations participate.

Searching for Meaning in the Holocaust

We are dedicating this center spread to Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls this year on April 15. At a time when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is asserting that the Holocaust is a Jewish myth, we believe it is vitally important to publish the truth. Thousands will be participating in a March of the Living in Poland, walking 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Auschwitz to Birkenau, two of Hitler’s concentration camps, in remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died during the Holocaust. In Israel, at the sound of a siren, everyone will stop to observe two minutes of silence, and memorial ceremonies will take place throughout the Land.

Remembering Yuri Shtern — Founder of the Christian Allies Caucus

“Israel lost a hero when our dearly beloved Yuri Shtern passed away after a long fight with cancer. As I marched in the funeral procession with thousands of Israelis and other Christian leaders, I thought to myself, not only Israel lost a hero, not only Israel lost a great man, but the Christian world lost one of their best Israeli friends. I for one am going to mourn over the loss of this great man.”

—Rebecca J. Brimmer, January 17, 2007

A Reader’s Point of View

We received the following letter from a Jewish reader in Jerusalem in response to our October 2006 Israel Teaching Letter. We thought you would enjoy it as much as we did.

The Jordan River—A Political Bargaining Chip

Naaman the leper was told by Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan River and be healed. Today Gidon Bromberg, the Israel director of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), says the Jordan River is a health hazard because of sewage dumped into the Jordan. “Almost no fresh water is flowing down the Jordan River anymore. It’s true there are springs along the way which replenish [it] a little bit, but unfortunately it has become the dumping yard of countries,” said Mira Edelstein, an expert on the Jordan Valley and a spokeswoman for FoEME.

Mount Hermon—Israel’s One and Only Ski Resort

I enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces when I tell them that the first time I ever went snow skiing was in Israel, and only one day after Hizbullah fired a couple of rockets at the mountain.

Temple Rededication

The word hanukkah means “dedication.” After the Jewish revolt in 165 BC against Syrian-Greek forces, the Temple in Jerusalem was left desolate, having been desecrated when juice from cooked pigs was poured over its altar. The book of 1 Maccabees describes the extent of the damage: “They saw the Temple laid desolate and the altar profaned and the gates burned and the courtyards overgrown with plants as ‘in a thicket’ or like ‘one of the mountains’ and the chambers laid in ruins.”

Hezekiah’s tunnel

When I heard there was a Bridges for Peace trip planned for Hezekiah’s Tunnel, I packed my backpack full with the necessary gear: a flashlight, camera, an extra pair of shoes and shorts, and a water bottle. When the day arrived, I was the first to arrive at our designated meeting point just inside the Dung Gate of the Old City, the exit from the Western Wall plaza. The majority of the participants were in what I call the “Silver Years Club,” all with a spirit of adventure.

Nobel Prize Winner – Israel’s Survival Questioned

Professor Robert Aumann, the Israeli-American who won the Nobel Prize for economics last year, warned that Israel may not be capable of continuing its existence long term. Aumman moved from the United States to Israel in the 1950s.

A Hanukkah Miracle

“Whosoever preserves a single soul, Scripture ascribes merit to him as though he had preserved a complete world.”
—Mishna, Tractate Sanhedrin