This lady has stage 4 cancer: Shoshanna Rivka bas Zelda
From Allen West: Quote of the week comes from President Obama at the Business Roundtable, “raising the debt limit does not increase our debt.” Imagine what those business leaders were thinking: Not so fast, my friend. Look at it this way, what if Lee Corso on ESPN's College Gameday said, “scoring more touchdowns does not get you more points.” So America, when the credit card collectors call on you, just use President Obama’s logic. After all, going from $10.6T in debt in Jan 2009 to $16.9T now, well, it’s just a grand illusion as the rock band Styx would say...and our President is singing the same tune.
Sukkos and Tzaddukim vs. Parushim (Sadducees vs. Pharisees)
Rabbi Barak Kochavi opened up his Shabbos Chol HaMoed Drasha with this theme. There were many disputes between the two groups. The Tzaddukim were against the Oral Torah (what Parshiyos go into Tephillin, how to make Tzitzis, slaughter and koshering etc.) but what really got to them was the bringing of water on Sukkos to the Beis HaMikdash to pour at the foot of the Mizbayach for a water offering before the winter. For this reason the Parushim used to make that festival more joyous than any festival. “He who has not seen the water pouring in the Mikdash has not seen Simcha in his lifetime.”
Since this time we celebrate. It happened that during the Yom Kippur War that the religious soldiers by the Suez Canal asked the General for a Lulav and Esrog. They were sad at losing comrades during the day and would dance the Beis HaSoava (pouring ceremony) at night. This helped the moral to get them through the war and even the non-religious were impressed. A year after the war, one of the soldiers brought to the General’s House a Lulav and Esrog and the archeology book of former Chief of Staff Yigal Yadin. In the book he writes about the request of Bar Koch Bar to have Lulavim and Esrogim sent by donkeys to his forces.
The fact that the Tzaddukim were against a lot of Mitzvos let them either die out from within Yisrael or join the Nations of the World. Jews that risked their lives on water, Tephillin, Bris Mila, Shabbos, etc. are still around today.
Parsha
Noach
The
Time Period of the Torah should be discussed. For whether we view Beresheis as
covering 1656 years or 13,000,000,000 years our main narrative in this week’s
Parsha is covering at first 100 years of building the Teva and then 1 year
inside of the Teva. Finally we continue very fast for the next 349 years until
the passing of Noach. Later on we shall deal with smaller time periods like next
week with approximately 24 years in the life of Avram and Sarai. When we get
into Shemos we start dealing in months and the whole process of Moshe appearing
before Pharaoh until Zos HaBracha is a mere 40 years but the mainstay of the
Chumash.
I
usually explain the first part of the Parsha for that there is my blogspot from
past years. This time, I plan to explain the second half of the Parsha. I am
skipping the beginning of the thief, murder, idolatry and incest causing the
Gezaira on the World. Noach builds the Teva and is ridiculed for years. The
earth is filled with Hamas (violence). Even the animals have been corrupted with
bestiality and Noach takes pairs of non-kosher and 7 pairs of kosher animals
into the Teva. There had never been rain upon the earth only dew and now it was
literally raining buckets and the fountains of the deep were rising higher and
higher for 40 days until the mountains were covered.
Just
like with the Shoah there were questions on why by the people as the waters rose
around them and they did not repent but only questioned. For a generation who
stole and was violent in their doings whether on the stealing front or
relationships between man, woman other men or beasts there was no room for
Rachamim or Chessed from HASHEM – paraphrasing a theme of the Medrash. For we
have seen that before the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash as long as
there was peace and harmony between the idolaters in Yerushalayim, the city was
not destroyed but when they fought each other and were hating each other the
city was destroyed.
It is
now that I start the commentary.
7:18 And the waters
prevailed, and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face
of the waters. 19 And the waters
prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high mountains that were under
the whole heaven were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the
waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
The
Teva was able to top the highest mountain by 22.5 feet to 7.5 meters depending
on the measurement that you use.
21 And all flesh
perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every
swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and every man; 22 all in whose nostrils was the
breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died.
The
breath of the spirit of life: Heb. נִשְמַת, the breath (נְשָמָה) of the spirit
of life [and not “soul”]. that were on the dry land: But not the fish, which
were in the sea. — [Sanh. 108a]
23 And He blotted out
every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and
cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were blotted out
from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark.
And
it blotted out: Heb. וַיִּמַח is in the וַיִּפְעַל form, the active voice, and
not in the וַיִּפָּעֶל form, the passive voice. And this is of the form of
וַיִּפֶן, he turned, וַיִּבֶן, he built. Every word [i.e., verb] whose root ends
with a “hey,” e.g., בנה, to build, מחה, to erase, קנה, to acquire—when you
prefix it with a “vav” and a “yud,” it is vowelized with a “chirik” under the
“yud.” [Rashi teaches us that the meaning of the verse is not “and all beings
were blotted out,” but “and it”—meaning the Flood—“blotted out all beings.”] and
only Noah…survived: אַךְ means “only” Noah. This is its simple meaning, but the
Midrash Aggadah (Tan. Noach 9) [states]: He was groaning and spitting blood
because of the burden [of caring for] the cattle and the beasts, and some say
that he delayed feeding the lion, and it struck him, and concerning him it is
said (Prov. 11:31): “Behold a righteous man is requited [for his sins] in this
world.” - [Tan. Noach 9]
24 And the waters
prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
I
ignore the commentary that the waters were boiling except near the Teva and that
Og Melech Ha Bashan held on to the Teva for this time eating raw
fish.
8:1 And God remembered
Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark;
and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
We just
said on Rosh Hashanah that there is no forgetfulness before YOU. So obviously,
HASHEM did not forget Noach but rather from the human standpoint a year’s time
is quite long and it relatively speaking was as if Noach was not remembered.
And
God remembered: Heb.
אֱלֹהִים. This name represents the Divine Standard of Justice, which was
converted to the Divine Standard of Mercy through the prayer of the righteous.
But the wickedness of the wicked converts the Divine Standard of Mercy to the
Divine Standard of Justice, as it is said: (above 6:5ff.): “And the Lord
(י-ה-ו-ה) saw that the evil of man was great, etc. And the Lord (י-ה-ו-ה) said,
‘I will blot out, etc.’” although that name is the name of the Divine Standard
of Mercy. — [Gen. Rabbah 33:3, Succah 14a. That Noah prayed in the ark appears
in Tan. Noach 11, Aggadath Bereishith 7:3, Sefer Hayashar].
And
God remembered Noah, etc.: What
did He remember regarding the animals? The merit that they did not corrupt their
way before this [the Flood], and that they did not copulate in the ark. — [Tan.
Buber Noach 11, Yer. Ta’an. 1:6] And
God remembered Noah, etc.: What
did He remember regarding the animals? The merit that they did not corrupt their
way before this [the Flood], and that they did not copulate in the ark. — [Tan.
Buber Noach 11, Yer. Ta’an. 1:6] and
God caused a spirit to pass: A
spirit of consolation and calm passed before Him. — [Targum Jonathan and
Yerushalmi] over
the earth: Concerning
[events on] the earth. and
the waters subsided: Heb.
וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ, like (Esther 2:1):
“when the king’s fury subsided (כְּשֹׁךְ),” an expression of the calming of
anger. — [from Tan. Buber Noach 12]
2 the fountains also
of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was
restrained.
And
the springs…were closed: When they were opened, it was written (7: 11): “all the
springs,” but here,“all” is not written, because some of them remained [open],
those that were necessary for the world, such as the hot springs of Tiberias and
the like. — [Gen. Rabbah 33:4] was withheld: Heb. וַיִכָּלֵא, and it was
withheld, like (Ps. 40:12):“You will not withhold (תִכְלָא) Your mercies” ;
(Gen. 23:6):“[None of us] will withhold (יִכְלֶה) from you.”
The
implication from Rashi and the Medrash is that volcanic hot springs shot up
causing the boiling water similar to the Yellowstone Park Springs and that of
Tiberias and Hamat Geder.
3 And the waters
returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and
fifty days the waters decreased.
It was
for 150 days that the water remained above the mountain tops similar to the
waters on prior to the 3rd day of creation. Rashi gives us a time
period for the occurrence of the flood. We need this accounting of the dates
from Rashi to fully understand the significance of everything.
At
the end of a hundred and fifty days: they commenced to diminish, and that was on
the first of Sivan. How so? On the twenty-seventh of Kislev, the rains stopped,
leaving three days in Kislev and twenty-nine in Teveth, making a total of
thirty-two days, and Shevat, Adar, Nissan, and Iyar total one hundred and
eighteen [days], making a grand total of one hundred fifty [days]. — [Seder Olam
ch. 4]
4 And the ark rested
in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of
Ararat.
The
Teva replaced 11 cubits aka Amos of water as Rashi explains for anybody knows
that for a ship or even a human to float one must replace such and such an
amount of water.
In
the seventh month: Sivan, which is the seventh counting from Kislev, in which
the rains stopped. — [from aforementioned source] on the seventeenth day: From
here you learn that the ark was submerged in the water eleven cubits, for it is
written: (verse 5) “ In the tenth [month], on the first of the month, the
mountain peaks appeared.” That is [the month of] Av, which is the tenth month
counting from Marcheshvan, when the rains fell, and they were fifteen cubits
higher than the mountains. They diminished from the first of Sivan until the
first of Av fifteen cubits in sixty days, at the rate of a cubit in four days.
The result is that on the sixteenth of Sivan they had diminished only four
cubits, and the ark came to rest on the next day. You learn [from here] that it
was submerged eleven cubits in the waters [which were] above the mountain peaks.
— [from aforementioned source]
5 And the waters
decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first
day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
In
the tenth [month], etc., the mountain peaks appeared: This refers to Av, which
is the tenth [month] from Marcheshvan, when the rain commenced. Now if you say
that it refers to Elul, which is the tenth [month] from Kislev, when the rain
stopped, just as you say: “in the seventh month,” refers to Sivan, which is the
seventh [month] after the cessation [of the rain]; [I will tell you that] it is
impossible to say this. You must admit [that] the seventh month can be counted
only from the time that the rain stopped, because there did not end the forty
days of the rains and the one hundred fifty days when the water gained strength,
until the first of Sivan. And if you say that it refers to the seventh [month]
from the [beginning of the] rain, it would not come out to be Sivan. The tenth
[month] can be counted only from the time the rain commenced to fall, for if you
say [that it is counted] from the time when the rain stopped, which is Elul, you
would not understand (verse 13): “In the first [month], on the first [day] of
the month, the waters dried up from upon the earth,” for at the end of the forty
days, when the mountain peaks appeared, he sent forth the raven, and he waited
twenty-one days with sending the dove, totaling sixty days from the time the
mountain peaks appeared until the surface of the earth dried. and if you say
that they appeared in Elul, it would mean that they dried up in Marcheshvan.
Scripture, however, calls it the first [month] and that can refer only to
Tishri, which is the first [month] from the creation of the world, and according
to Rabbi Joshua, it is Nissan.
What
I am assuming here is that Mt. Ararat is the tallest in the chain and now at
this juncture more mountains could be seen and the proof that the land began
drying at a faster rate.
6 And it came to pass
at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had
made.
At
the end of forty days: since the mountain peaks appeared. the window of the ark
that he had made: for light, and this is not the opening of the ark, which was
made for going in and out.
The
window here is called Holon and is a full opening that can be closed like our
own windows this is contrary to the Zohar which was under the roof of the Teva
where the water would run off but the opening was enough for air and light. I
assume the use of Oxygen by thousands of breathing animals and the people would
also cause a heat machine and the Zohar was what provided the mechanism to
remove stale air and excess heat.
7 And he sent forth a
raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the
earth.
And
it went out, back and forth: Going
and encircling around the ark, but it did not go to fulfill its errand because
it [the raven] suspected him [Noah] concerning its mate, as we find in the
Aggadah of [chapter] “Chelek.” - [from Sanh. 108b] until
the waters dried up: The
simple explanation is its apparent meaning, but the Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah
33:5) [explains that] the raven was destined for another errand during the lack
of rain in the time of Elijah, as it is said (I
Kings 17:6):
“and the ravens brought him bread and meat.”
It was
logical for Noach to send out a raven which feeds on carrion as that would
indicate that bodies of the wicked stopped floating and were coming to rest or a
carcass of trapped fish if the fish ate the wicked. However, the raven returned
empty handed. Eliyahu would receive the meat and delicacies from the table of
Melech Yehoshophat.
8 And he sent forth a
dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground.
And
he sent forth the dove: seven days later, for it is written: “And he waited
again another seven days.” From this general statement you learn that the first
time too he waited seven days. — [Gen. Rabbah 33:6] And he sent forth: Heb.
וַיְשַׁלַּח. This is not an expression of sending on a mission, but an
expression of sending away. He sent it forth to go on its way, and thereby he
would see whether the waters had abated, for if it would find a resting place,
it would not return to him.
9 But the dove found
no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark, for the
waters were on the face of the whole earth; and he put forth his hand, and took
her, and brought her in unto him into the ark.
And
he waited: Heb.
וַיָּחֶל, an expression of waiting, and so (Job 29:21):
“They listened to me and waited (וְיִחֵלּוּ),” and there are many such instances
in Scripture.
This is
not the usual word for wait.
10 And he stayed yet
other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came in to him at
eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that
the waters were abated from off the earth.
it
had plucked…in its mouth: Heb. טָרָף, lit. he had plucked. [Rashi interprets
טָרָף as a verb in the masculine form. According to his reading, there would be
an inconsistency in the verse: “He had plucked an olive leaf in her mouth,”
because the subject (which is masculine) would not agree with the final
prepositional phrase (which is feminine).] I say that it was a male. Therefore,
Scripture sometimes refers to it in the masculine gender and sometimes in the
feminine, because every יוֹנָה in Scripture is in the feminine gender, like
(Song 5:12): “like doves beside rivulets of water, bathing (רֹחֲצוֹת)” ; (Ezek.
7:16): “like doves of the valleys, they all moan (הֹמוֹת)” ; and like (Hos.
7:11): “like a silly (פוֹתָה) dove.” it had plucked: Heb. טָרָף,“he plucked.”
The Midrash Aggadah explains it טָרָף as an expression of food, and interprets
בְּפִיהָ as an expression of speech. It [the dove] said: Let my food be as
bitter as an olive in the hands of the Holy One, blessed be He, and not as sweet
as honey in the hands of flesh and blood. — [Sanh. 108b]
The
doves like to nest in trees and one of their favorite is the Olive Tree also at
this time of year it is olive season.
12 And he stayed yet
other seven days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him
anymore.
And
he…waited: Heb. וַיִּיָּחֶל. This has the same meaning as וַיָּחֶל, except that
the latter is the וַיַּפְעֶל form (the קַל conjugation), and the former is in
the וַיִּתְפָּעֵל form (the reflexive conjugation). וַיָּחֶל is equivalent to
וַיַּמְתֵּן (and he waited); וַיִּיָּחֶל is equivalent to וַיִּתְמַתֵּן (and he
was patient).
The
pigeon was feasting outside of the Teva and settled down in a tree. Now it was
time to release the mate and see what happens.
13 And it came to pass
in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the
month, the waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the
covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dried.
in
the first [month]: According to Rabbi Eliezer, it is Tishri, and according to
Rabbi Joshua, it is Nissan. — [from Rashi R.H. 12b] See above 7:11, 8:5. dried
up: It [the earth] became a sort of clay, for its upper surface had formed a
crust. — [Seder Olam ch. 4, Gen. Rabbah 33:7, according to Yalkut
Shim’oni]
Soil
sometimes dries out and then forms like squares from the cracks after being over
wet and then drying rapidly.
14 And in the second
month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. 15 And God spoke unto Noah, saying:
16 'Go forth from the ark, thou,
and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.
You
and your wife, etc.: A man and his wife. Here He permitted them to engage in
marital relations. See above 6:18, 7:7
Noach
was in the Teva for a year and yet it says that the flood started on Mar
Cheshvan 17 but we see him going out on the 27th so how can this be?
The answer is simple in the Biblical Account the dates given are Hebrew Dates
based on the Lunar Calendar. However, the Lunar Year loses 11 days each year
unless we make it a leap year. The complete year is based on the Solar Year. So
on the Lunar Calendar the year would have ended on the 16th as being
complete but add on 11 days and one gets the 27th.
17 Bring forth with
thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle,
and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth; that they may swarm in the
earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.'
Bring
out: It is written הוֹצֵא, but it is read הַיְצֵא הַיְצֵא means: tell them that
they should come out. הוֹצֵא means: if they do not wish to come out, you take
them out. — [from Gen. Rabbah 34:8] and they shall swarm upon the earth: But not
in the ark. This tells us that even the animals and the fowl were prohibited
from mating. — [from Gen. Rabbah ad loc.]
Despite
the previous corruption, G-D has decided to let the earth repopulate.
18 And Noah went forth,
and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him; 19 every beast, every creeping thing,
and every fowl, whatsoever moves upon the earth, after their families; went
forth out of the ark.
According
to their families: They accepted upon themselves the condition that they cleave
to their own species.
20 And Noah built an
altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and
offered burnt-offerings on the altar.
of
all the clean animals: He said,“The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded me to
take in seven pairs of these only in order to offer up a sacrifice from them.” -
[from Tan. Vayakhel 6, Gen. Rabbah 34:9]
21 And the LORD smelled
the sweet savor; and the LORD said in His heart: 'I will not again curse the
ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from
his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have
done.
Noachide
Laws: Ultimately, all is understood: fear G-d and observe His commandments, for
this is the completion of man.
Koheles (Ecclesiastes) 12:13
With
respect G-d's commandments, all of humanity is divided into two general
classifications: the Children of Israel and the Children of Noah.
The Children of Israel are the Jews, the descendants of the Patriarch Jacob. They are commanded to fulfill the 613 commandments of the Torah.
The Children of Noah are the Gentiles, comprising the seventy nations of the world. They are commanded concerning the Seven Universal Laws, also known as the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah or the Seven Noachide Laws.
These Seven Universal Laws pertain to:
- Avodah Zarah: Prohibition on idolatry.
- Birchat HaShem: Prohibition on blasphemy and cursing the Name of G-d.
- Shefichat Damim: Prohibition on murder.
- Gezel: Prohibition on robbery and theft.
- Gilui Arayot: Prohibition on immorality and forbidden sexual relations.
- Ever Min HaChay: Prohibition on removing and eating a limb from a live animal.
- Dinim: Requirement to establish a justice system and courts of law to enforce the other 6 laws.
When a Gentile resolves to fulfill the Seven Universal Laws, his or her soul is elevated. This person becomes one of the "Chasidei Umot Haolam" (Pious Ones of the Nations) and receives a share of the World to Come. The Torah calls one who accepts the yoke of fulfilling the Seven Universal Laws a "Ger Toshav" (a Proselyte of the Gate).
This person is permitted to live in the land of Israel and to enter to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and to offer sacrifices to the G-d of Israel.
If a Gentile wishes to accept the full responsibility of the Torah and the 613 commandments, he or she can convert and become a Jew in every respect. http://www.ahavat-israel.com/am/goyim.php
Some non-Jews have classified these further into 66 based on various sexual and idol worship prohibitions but the categories are 7. http://www.noachide.org.uk/html/66_commandments.html
22 While the earth
remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day
and night shall not cease.'
In past
years I discussed the theory that prior to the flood there were no seasons and
only afterwards did the seasons come and play a role. The question remains if
the temperature range was similar to that of Hawaii which is in a certain range
not getting too hot and at night not dropping too
cold.
So
long as the earth exists… shall not cease: Each of these six seasons has two
months, as we learned: Half of Tishri, Marcheshvan, and half of Kislev are
“seedtime.” Half of Kislev, Teveth, and half of Shevat are the “cold” season,
etc. in B.M. (106b). (Other editions add: So long as the earth exists — Heb. עֹד
means “always,” like (Num. 19:13): “his uncleanness is permanently (עוֹד) upon
him.”) cold: is more severe than winter winter: Heb. חֹרֶף, the time for sowing
barley and beans, which are early (חֲרִיפִין) to ripen quickly. The cold period
is half of Shevat, Adar, and half of Nissan harvest: Half of Nissan, Iyar, and
half of Sivan. summer: קַיִץ. This is half of Sivan, Tamuz, and half of Av,
which is the time of the gathering of the figs and the time when they dry them
in the fields, and it (the dried fig) is קַיִץ, as (II Sam. 16:2): “the bread
and the dried fruits (וְהַקַּיִץ) for the young men to eat.” heat: That is the
end of the sunny season, half of Av, Elul, and half of Tishri, when the world is
hottest, as we find in Tractate Yoma (29a): The end of the summer is more severe
than the summer. and day and night shall not cease: From here we deduce that
they ceased for the duration of the Flood: the planets did not function, and day
was indistinguishable from night. — [from Gen. Rabbah 25:2, 34:11] shall not
cease: All these shall not cease to perform according to their natural
course.
18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan. …
11:1 And the whole earth was of one language and of one speech…
Perhaps next year I will go into more depth of these 10 generations from Noach with only Shem and Ever holding on to the tradition and the others wanting to make war with HASHEM by not believing the promise that there would never ever be another flood. It was Avram the man who came to the conclusion of One CREATOR that set the stage for the next generations. Why did the folks revert to idolatry after the flood is not easy to answer but I will have a year to think about this question and answer!
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.
Many
Moons Ago
It was
one of my few Sukkos in the town of Rehovot. It had rained the night of Sukkos
and we were lucky to have our meal on the roof of our apartment complex with
other families before the rains came. Some of the Sukkos had taken a ride in the
wind like sailboats and had blown around the roof. With this the day after
Sukkos we tied our Sukkos together around the elevator (lift) shaft and secured
them against all winds that might come.
On the
morrow in the afternoon, I went with my two boys to see Rabbi Simcha HaCohain
Kuk Shlita in his Sukkah. He had been prepared and had a nylon roll for an
awning to spread out over his Sukkah in case of rain and when the rain stopped,
he had a dry place to sleep. (As one knows if the temperature is too hot, there
is a sandstorm, snowstorm or rainstorm one is permissible to leave the Sukkah.)
The Rabbi was discussing with me all sorts of things about Sukkos and how to
deal with sailboat Sukkos etc. At this point there came into the Rabbi’s Sukkah
the famous musician Shlomo Bar (Shlomo Bar& Habrera Hativeet). We
sang together and I even led a few songs. Here was a professional singer giving
his best with a few members of his band for free to the Rabbi on Yom Tov. I was
very-very impressed by his Jewish Heart and Soul.
Taken
from Nachman Klieman’s Facebook Page: Our e commerce start up U-Boutique.com,
was recently featured in the J Post's Grapevine, written by Greer Fay
Cashman.
Grapevine: A time to remember By GREER FAY CASHMAN09/10/2013 21:21
IT ISN’T true that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.
When their 23-year-old daughter, Esther, was killed by Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade terrorists in March 2002, Nachman and Ruchama Klieman and other members of their family were devastated. Originally from Chicago, the Kliemans moved to Israel 36 years ago. For many years, the affable Nachman was a spokesman for El Al. Esther was a teacher of children with Down syndrome, and was on her way to work when the terror attack took place. Even before her death, Nachman had decided to quit his job at El Al, and afterwards, he thought the most positive next step he could take was to become a spokesman for Israel, warning the world of the dangers of terrorism. Despite the daily sorrow over the loss of Esther, the Klieman family continued to live as normal a life as possible.
But then tragedy struck again: In July 2009, their youngest son, Gavriel, died suddenly of a heart attack. He was only 26 years old.
At the time of his death, Gavriel had been working to turn a passionate dream into a reality. A firm believer in Israel’s creative talents, he wanted to give Israeli arts and crafts people an international showcase for their wares.
He knew that not all artists have the temperament for marketing and sales, and decided to do it for them through a website showcase that would feature “Designed and Made in Israel” to the world. Unfortunately, although he started working on the website, he never got to realize his dream.
Thinking of the best way to perpetuate his memory, his family, primarily Nachman and his older son, Dov, decided to live Gavriel’s dream. In association with the Israel Forever Foundation and others, they recently created U-Boutique.com, which are featured on English and Hebrew websites and promote the works of more than 200 designers, artists and artisans living and working in Israel.
The Kliemans want to ensure that whatever is featured is a top quality Israeli product, and together with their staff have made it their business to get to know the artists and artisans personally.
Their virtual marketplace includes Judaica for the home, jewelry, art and gift items.
The Kliemans are pleased to have embarked on a venture that not only memorializes Gavriel, but also creates awareness that Israel’s forte is more than just hitech – with the country excelling in aesthetic creativity.
Grapevine: A time to remember By GREER FAY CASHMAN09/10/2013 21:21
IT ISN’T true that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place.
When their 23-year-old daughter, Esther, was killed by Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade terrorists in March 2002, Nachman and Ruchama Klieman and other members of their family were devastated. Originally from Chicago, the Kliemans moved to Israel 36 years ago. For many years, the affable Nachman was a spokesman for El Al. Esther was a teacher of children with Down syndrome, and was on her way to work when the terror attack took place. Even before her death, Nachman had decided to quit his job at El Al, and afterwards, he thought the most positive next step he could take was to become a spokesman for Israel, warning the world of the dangers of terrorism. Despite the daily sorrow over the loss of Esther, the Klieman family continued to live as normal a life as possible.
But then tragedy struck again: In July 2009, their youngest son, Gavriel, died suddenly of a heart attack. He was only 26 years old.
At the time of his death, Gavriel had been working to turn a passionate dream into a reality. A firm believer in Israel’s creative talents, he wanted to give Israeli arts and crafts people an international showcase for their wares.
He knew that not all artists have the temperament for marketing and sales, and decided to do it for them through a website showcase that would feature “Designed and Made in Israel” to the world. Unfortunately, although he started working on the website, he never got to realize his dream.
Thinking of the best way to perpetuate his memory, his family, primarily Nachman and his older son, Dov, decided to live Gavriel’s dream. In association with the Israel Forever Foundation and others, they recently created U-Boutique.com, which are featured on English and Hebrew websites and promote the works of more than 200 designers, artists and artisans living and working in Israel.
The Kliemans want to ensure that whatever is featured is a top quality Israeli product, and together with their staff have made it their business to get to know the artists and artisans personally.
Their virtual marketplace includes Judaica for the home, jewelry, art and gift items.
The Kliemans are pleased to have embarked on a venture that not only memorializes Gavriel, but also creates awareness that Israel’s forte is more than just hitech – with the country excelling in aesthetic creativity.
65 Ways Israel is Saving Our Planet is Saving Our Planet The start-up nation is sharing its knowledge to become a light unto the nations. by Nicky Blackburn
When
22-year-old Emmanuel Buso was pulled barely-alive from the rubble of a
three-story building, 10 days after an earthquake devastated the island of
Haiti, the first faces he saw were those of the Israeli rescue workers who had
flown across the world to save lives.
For Haji Edum, from Zanzibar, his life-saving moment came twice, when he was flown at age 15, and then again at 23, to Israel for open-heart surgery. He is just one of thousands of youngsters to receive emergency heart care from volunteer doctors in Israel.
War veterans suffering post-traumatic stress in the US; farmers in Senegal, India and China; young women in South Sudan; the wheelchair-bound in Africa; cardiac patients in Gaza and Iraq – all have received life-changing help and expertise from Israeli specialists.
Today we all know the story of Israel the “start-up nation.” News of its technological prowess and incredible innovation has spread far and wide. But what many people don’t know is that Israel is exporting far more than just technology. It is also sharing its experience and skills in a whole range of humanitarian and environmental fields to help people everywhere live better, fuller and healthier lives.
Since Israel was founded in 1948, the country has set itself the historical Jewish goal of becoming a light unto the nations. In the early years of the state, despite austerity rationing, the Israeli government founded MASHAV, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Center for International Cooperation, as a vehicle to share Israel’s creative solutions with the rest of the developing world.
Israel remains true to that vision and every year, with little fanfare, and sometimes very little press attention, Israelis work long hours to find solutions and offer relief to some of the most pressing problems of our times.
From environmental breakthroughs that will help reduce greenhouse emissions, to technologies that can increase food production and save vital crops, to humanitarian aid missions in the wake of catastrophic natural disasters, Israelis are providing significant assistance.
To celebrate Israel’s 65th birthday, we take a look at some of the many creative and varied ways Israel is helping to enrich and improve our planet.
The list comes in no particular order, and is by no means exhaustive. There are hundreds more, if not thousands, worthy projects going on every day. If you’ve got a project worth hearing about, we’d be delighted if you include it in our comments section at the end.
1. An Israeli company is developing a toilet that needs no water, and generates its own power to turn solid waste (including toilet roll) into sterile and odorless fertilizer in 30 seconds. Liquid waste is sterilized and then used to flush the toilet. Developer Paulee CleanTec has been awarded a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which reports that about 80 percent of human waste goes into rivers and streams untreated, and 1.1 billion people don’t use a toilet.
2. Fifty years ago, Lake Victoria carp was a significant part of the diet of Ugandan villagers. But when Nile perch was introduced to the lake, it decimated the carp population. Villagers had neither the equipment nor the expertise to catch the huge perch, and symptoms of protein deficiency started becoming apparent in their children. Prof. Berta Sivan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem came to the rescue with a multiyear project to help these African families. Using expertise developed in Israel, her project not only successfully spawned carp on Ugandan fish farms, but also provided training on how to dig and fill ponds and raise the small fish. Now local children have an abundant supply of protein.
3. About 50 percent of every grain and pulse harvest in the developing world is lost to pests and mold, but an Israeli scientist has developed a surprisingly simple and cheap way for African and Asian farmers to keep their grain market-fresh. International food technology consultant Prof. Shlomo Navarro invented huge bags, now marketed by US company GrainPro, which keep both water and air out. The bags are in use all over the developing world, including Africa and the Far East, and even in countries that don’t have diplomatic ties with Israel.
4. In January 2010, Israel won international praise for the speed and expertise with which it responded to a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti that killed 300,000 people, injured hundreds of thousands and laid waste to the poverty-stricken country. A team of 240 Israeli doctors, nurses, rescue and relief workers arrived in Haiti just days after the quake, bringing medicines, communications and medical equipment. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) volunteers set up the country’s most advanced and well-equipped field hospital in the capital of Port-Au-Prince. Israeli search-and-rescue missions pulled survivors from the rubble, saving many Haitians, including a man trapped for 10 days.
The delegation included volunteers from IsraAID, the IDF, ZAKA, Magen David Adom (MADA), Tevel B’Tzedek, the Negev Institute, and Alyn Hospital. It was the largest Israeli civilian relief mission ever assembled, and was one of the biggest and most skilled on the island. In the wake of the disaster, Israel continues to send aid and assistance, including educational projects, trauma programs, micro-financing, development and relief work, rebuilding of communities and schools, aid packages, empowerment for women, and medical assistance.
5. The invention of drip irrigation by Israeli Simcha Blass and its development by Netafim, and later Plastro and NaanDan Jain, has completely revolutionized agriculture across the world, enabling farmers to increase their yields with less water. Constantly upgraded Israeli drip-irrigation techniques are regularly shared with other countries through MASHAV, Israel’s Center for International Cooperation.
6. Tal-Ya Water Technologies has developed reusable plastic trays to collect dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops or trees by up to 50 percent. The square serrated trays, made from non-PET recycled and recyclable plastic with UV filters and a limestone additive, surround each plant or tree. With overnight temperature change, dew forms on both surfaces of the Tal-Ya tray, which funnels the dew and condensation straight to the roots. If it rains, the trays heighten the effect of each millimeter of water 27 times over.
7. About 1.6 million children under the age of five die from untreated drinking water in developing nations every year. An Israeli company has developed a water purification system that delivers safe drinking water from almost any source, including contaminated water, seawater and even urine.
WaterSheer’s Sulis personal water purifier is a small 10-gram mouthpiece that attaches to the top of a water bottle. The company has also developed systems to treat large quantities of water. Sulis has been used in Taiwan, Myanmar and Haiti, and will be part of contingency plans in case of disaster at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
8. Israel is building a model agricultural village in South Sudan to teach local farmers about Israeli agricultural methods and technologies to help the fledgling African nation thrive.
9. In plants in China, Italy and the United States, Israeli company Seambiotic is using algae to turn carbon dioxide emitted by power plants into fuel and nutraceuticals. The company’s algae ponds, which are nourished by power plant effluent and sunlight, generate 30 times more feedstock for biofuel than do crop alternatives. The algae are a good source of valuable nutraceuticals, especially popular in China and the East.
Seambiotic is also working with the US National Aviation and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a commercially feasible biofuel variety from algae that has a higher freezing point than biofuels from corn or sugarcane.
10. The lives of thousands of endangered animals in West and Central Africa are being saved thanks to the tireless efforts of Israeli law enforcement activist Ofir Drori, who founded the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) in Cameroon, the first wildlife law-enforcement NGO in Africa. The organization helped propagate a zero-tolerance approach to illegal wildlife trafficking in Cameroon, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests and prosecutions. The model has been replicated throughout West and Central Africa in activities that go beyond nature conservation to the defense of human rights.
11. Israel is the only country that permanently opens its arms to children sick from radiation caused by the Ukrainian nuclear disaster in Chernobyl over 27 years ago. More than 2,755 affected children, ages eight to 15, have been brought to Israel for treatment and resettlement.
12. Israeli researchers and farmers have combined the best of Israel’s agri-tech and clean-tech innovation to create a new artificial desert oasis that could help feed millions of desert-dwellers. The oasis was developed by researchers from Ben-Gurion University and the Central and Northern Arava Research and Development center, and uses Israel’s expertise in growing salt-resistant crops in the Negev desert with little rain under a harsh sun. The oasis uses low-cost desalination technology that runs on solar power to turn brackish water into sweet water.
13. An Israeli company is developing a new contraceptive with the potential to provide a safer, long-acting, non-invasive solution for women in developing nations. Hervana recently won a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its accessible, cheap and socially acceptable LJ-102 suppository, which has to be applied only once or twice a month via a non-hormonal vaginal preparation.
According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 220 million women who don’t have access to effective contraception, and some 50 million abortions per year in the developing world.
14. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called on Israeli company Waze to use its real-time traffic navigation updates in an effort to bring fuel to New Jersey residents suffering from shortages at the gas pump.
15. An Israeli company has developed an alternative seed treatment that could revolutionize farming, protecting vegetable seeds from infestation, fungus, bacteria and even drought, without the side effects of genetic engineering (GMO). Morflora’s product, TraitUP, “inoculates” any seed from foreseeable challenges without altering its genetic makeup in new generations – just like a mumps or measles shot in humans. The product has won international awards and goes on the market this year.
16. Doctors from Israel are restoring the gift of sight to hundreds of people in developing countries thanks to Israeli non-profit Eye from Zion. The organization sends eye doctors from Israel to do free cataract removal operations in places such as Vietnam, China, Myanmar, the Maldives and even Muslim countries including Azerbaijan. The doctors are all volunteers, and most of the people arriving at their mobile clinics are blind in either one or both eyes. The organization also brings doctors from developing countries to Israel for training.
17. Overfishing and pollution are seriously depleting the number of fish in the sea and threatening some fish species with extinction, but now an Israeli company, Grow Fish Anywhere (GFA) has found a way to raise saltwater fish anywhere, even in the desert, without any of the usual problems of pollution. The company has facilities in Israel and New York.
18. An international charity is building a $6 million factory in Africa to build cardboard wheelchairs designed and developed in Israel. The wheelchairs are the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneur Nimrod Elmish of I.G. Cardboard Technologies, and are made entirely of cheap, recycled materials. The charity, which is dedicated to providing free wheelchairs for the disabled in developing nations, spends more than $6 million annually on buying metal wheelchairs from China and sending them to Africa.
19. With its plentiful year-round sunshine, it’s no surprise that Israeli companies are leading the way in creating viable and successful new solar energies that are already helping reduce the world’s dependence on pollution-causing oil. Israel has become a startup nation for the sun with dozens, if not hundreds, of companies operating in this field. Aside from BrightSource, mentioned in an item below, solar companies to watch include Aora, HelioFocus and Arava Power.
20. Israeli educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef founded University of the People, the world’s first tuition-free, online academic institution offering a recognized bachelor’s degree. More than 3,000 professors from major universities volunteer as lecturers and tutors for students from many countries, including China, Pakistan, Haiti, Rwanda, Mali, Peru, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and South Sudan. “I believe that if you educate one person, you can change a life; if you educate many, you can change the world,” Reshef says.
21. The Health Ministry in Kenya has adopted the model of Terem – a chain of independent emergency medical centers in Jerusalem that provides critical care within the community, dramatically reducing hospital visits. Kenya is setting up a chain of 50 such clinics in a move that will revolutionize the African country’s healthcare system. Some 35 million people live in Kenya, but hospitals are few and far between.
22. Norway is sending teachers to Israel to learn how to revitalize the Lapp language of Sámi. Of about 10 Sámi dialects once spoken in the country, only four are still known among the estimated 100,000 Sámi-speakers of Lapland and current teaching methods are not successful. Israel is considered an expert in reviving old languages because of its experience recreating Hebrew. Israeli language experts have worked with experts in Scotland and Wales, where long-suppressed minority languages are now making a comeback.
23. A professional dancer who lost his right leg in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is dancing once more thanks to the help of Israeli father and son, Yisrael and Yehuda Pilosof, who specialize in manufacturing precision artificial limbs. After the quake, Yehuda Pilosof flew to Haiti to help at an Israeli rehab center. He made limbs for 15 people, including the dancer who was flown to Israel for treatment. Since then the Pilosofs have led a seminar on prosthetics in Peru, and have made artificial limbs for soldiers in Sri Lanka on an Israeli humanitarian mission.
24. IsraAID is an Israeli humanitarian organization that gathers Israeli professionals from 17 different relief and activist organizations to respond to emergencies. Founded in 2001, it offers targeted help including disaster relief, search and rescue, rebuilding communities and schools, aid packages, medical assistance, micro-financing and post-psychotrauma care.
In 2004, IsraAID sent search-and-rescue teams and doctors to tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. In 2007, it sent medical staff to Peru after a major earthquake, and provided assistance at a refugee camp in Somalia. In 2008, members flew to Myanmar after a major cyclone, and the following year IsraAID sent medical assistance to the Philippines after two devastating typhoons. IsraAID helped in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, and has provided aid in South Sudan.
25. Traumatized US war veterans are now being healed thanks to a novel treatment developed by Israeli-American psychologist Edna Foa. In the United States, an estimated half million war veterans from Vietnam, and another 300,000 from Afghanistan and Iraq, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Foa, honored by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people in 2010, developed a treatment called PE (Prolonged Exposure), designed to help patients focus on the thoughts and feelings that elicit the highest levels of fear, and then works with them to enable them to confront those fears, moving gradually from the minor to the major terrors.
26. MASHAV, the Center for International Cooperation, runs a variety of programs, but is best known for its training seminars in Israel and wherever needed – Africa, the Middle East, South America, Central America, India, China – on techniques ranging from greenhouse management and irrigation to fish farming and dairy farming. MASHAV has trained some 200,000 people from about 140 countries and has set up dozens of demonstration projects in fields of Israeli expertise. MASHAV also sends medical aid around the world.
27. Israeli public health activist Dr. Zvi Bentwich, director of the Center for Emerging Tropical Diseases and AIDS at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), has been laboring for years to eradicate common parasitic infestations that contribute to Africa’s AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics. In 2011 he won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israeli government for his groundbreaking medical contributions in Israel and among Africans.
28. A three-year-old British charity, Tag International Development, runs more than 20 health, agriculture, disaster preparedness and community development projects in developing nations. All of the knowledge and experience for these projects comes from Israel. Israeli volunteers and professionals with Tag have launched beekeeping and road safety projects in Myanmar; empowerment seminars for Bedouin women in Israel and Jordan; emotional resilience, healthcare and weaving projects in Azerbaijan; model farm and agricultural training center in Sri Lanka; rain harvesting in Kenya; a safe drinking-water project in Pakistan, and a homecare project for the elderly in Indonesia.
29. When Japan was rocked by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, which killed nearly 16,000 people, the IDF sent doctors and other volunteers to set up a field hospital in one of the areas worst hit by the island nation’s worst-ever natural disaster. The facility had wards for pediatrics, surgery, maternity, gynecology, ophthalmology and intensive care, as well as a lab and a pharmacy. Israel also sent over tons of aid to Japanese communities.
Since then, Israel has continued to send regular delegations of specialists on post-trauma missions to help the victims of the disaster, training local teachers and mental health workers, and setting up youth leadership training programs for students from Japan’s Tohoku earthquake-affected region.
30. The Israeli company Pythagoras Solar has developed a new solar window that can generate power, reduce energy consumption and let in daylight, promising a green revolution in the construction industry. The world’s first transparent photovoltaic glass unit, which won the prestigious GE Ecomagination Challenge, can easily be integrated into conventional building design. Existing office blocks can be retrofitted with the new material to take the place of energy-seeping glass windows.
31. With pollution growing to dangerous levels in the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s EcoOcean research and educational organization trains local youngsters on land and sea, and provides local and international marine researchers with an at-cost vessel for advanced marine science studies in the Mediterranean, Red and Black seas. Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society sought out educational collaboration possibilities with EcoOcean to make global progress in saving the seas, badly in distress from global warming and other manmade causes.
32. The Israeli organization Save a Child’s Heart has brought more than 3,000 children from all over the developing world, including about 1,500 from Gaza and the West Bank, to Israel for vital heart operations at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. All 70 to 80 doctors and nurses working with the non-profit organization give their time as volunteers.
Aside from their work in Israel, medical staff fly on missions abroad to carry out heart operations, and to teach local doctors the latest surgical techniques. The organization also trains physicians from abroad in Israel.
33. US veterans suffering PTSD after being wounded in combat are experiencing emotional and spiritual healing thanks to a new program that brings the wounded vets to Israel to meet Israeli peers.
34. The Israeli organization ZAKA (Disaster Victim Identification) provides expert search-and-rescue assistance after natural and manmade disasters around the world. In late 2004 and early 2005, members of ZAKA provided help in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake.
Forensic teams dubbed the group “the team that sleeps with the dead” because they toiled nearly 24 hours a day at Buddhist pagodas transformed into morgues in Thailand. ZAKA volunteers flew to Mumbai, India, after terror attacks there in November 2008; assisted with search and recovery after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, rescuing eight students trapped in rubble; and also aided search-and-rescue efforts in Japan in March 2011.
35. Students in several countries are scoring higher marks in math and algebra tests thanks to the help of Israeli professor Michal Yerushalmy. Yerushalmy developed VisualMath and Math4Mobile, which help students score better on standardized tests, out-perform peers in solving algebra word problems and complex new problems, and devise superior strategies for identifying and correcting mistakes.
36. A new Israeli-developed tooth varnish is saving the lives of kangaroos in captivity, who often fall victim to a contagious, and sometimes fatal, gum condition called lumpy jaw disease. Veterinarians at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo and the northern Gan Garoo Park – which lost 40 percent of its marsupials to this disease – teamed up with dentists and pharmacists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to create a tooth varnish that successfully prevents the condition. After receiving requests worldwide, the veterinarians published the recipe for the treatment online.
37. An Israeli research team has found a way to mate male prawns and increase yields and profitability for farmers. The revolutionary advanced gene-silencing biotechnology for aquaculture was developed at BGU and can reverse the sex of the crustacean, helping local farmers increase their income. The technology is already being put to use in Vietnam.
38. The 27-year-old Jerusalem AIDS Project (JAIP) is helping to educate millions of people across the globe about AIDS with its training program that teaches people in developing countries how to protect themselves from the deadly HIV virus. The unique JAIP program is being used in about 30 countries, including Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, in coordination with groups such as the World Health Organization and UNAIDS. JAIP was commended by the United Nations in 2006 for its approach.
39. Israeli doctors are flying to Africa to help train local medical personnel in male medical circumcision with the organization Operation Abraham, in an effort to halt the AIDS epidemic there. Currently some 22 million people in Africa are living with HIV and AIDS – two-thirds of the entire world’s population of HIV sufferers. Studies suggest that more than half of all HIV infections could be stopped if men were circumcised. Operation Abraham is a consortium of Israeli institutions, including Hadassah Medical Organization and JAIP, teaching local doctors how to carry out the procedure.
40. Israeli aid organizations Israel Flying Aid, IsraAID and Israeli Humanitarian Aid-Latet put Israeli know-how to work getting food, fuel, generators and other critical supplies to emergency workers and victims after Hurricane Sandy devastated the US east coast in 2012. Israeli volunteers delivered fuel to hospitals in the stricken area, prepared emergency food convoys and helped clear debris. An Israeli delegation of trained rescue volunteers also flew to the disaster area. The effort was financed by young Israelis and Israeli companies with partner US companies.
41. A simple mobile-phone imaging system was invented in Israel to diagnose and monitor malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that is the second leading cause of death in Africa, killing an estimated 1,900 children under the age of five every day. The system uses an ordinary mobile phone camera with a $15 specialized lens that can detect malaria by imaging the eye or skin to look for hemozoin, a pigment generated by the malaria parasite. The imaging system, whose developer won a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, can also determine the stage of the disease. Images can be sent immediately to labs in Africa and overseas for diagnosis by experts.
42. Israel is the world-recognized leader in raising therapeutic clowning to the level of a standardized, research-backed healthcare discipline. Its internationally renowned Dream Doctors Project has trained and placed nearly 100 practitioners at 22 hospitals in Israel. Dream Doctors worked with the University of Haifa to establish the world’s only academic degree program in clown therapy as a paramedical profession. Much of the groundbreaking research on the measurable effects of medical clowning is being done in Israel and shared in international forums.
43. Water-purification technologies developed in Israel to recycle the country’s limited water resources are now being used to help save India’s sacred Noyyal River. The 160-kilometer Noyyal River once provided water for around 20,000 acres of rich agricultural land, but toxic waste from textile factories has choked the river, destroying local agriculture and wildlife, and polluting groundwater in more than 95 villages in the region. The Indians are using Israeli-developed nano-filtration to remove dissolved pollutants. Israeli desalination expert, BGU Prof. Yoram Oren, is spearheading the effort.
44. In 2013, Israel set up a field hospital along its border with Syria to treat Syrians wounded in the country’s bloody civil war. Though Syria is an enemy nation, Israeli army medics have been treating dozens of wounded Syrian civilians at the makeshift hospital and in past months Israeli hospitals have treated refugee Syrians as well. According to the UN, about 1.2 million Syrians have been internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries.
45. Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa runs a yearly trauma-care training course for participants from Africa, South America and the Far East in cooperation with Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The medical center also offers fellowships to African doctors specializing in areas including plastic surgery, pediatrics and AIDS, funded by partners such as MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry, international NGOs and the host countries.
46. Israeli engineers and medical specialists have erected a state-of-the-art emergency room in Kisumu, Kenya, servicing a population of 6 million. The facility, at the Kisumu East District Hospital, was built in less than a month and is the hospital’s first fully-equipped ER. It will be a center for both regional emergency treatment and professional training. The effort was led by MASHAV, which has been working in Kenya since the 1950s, when it set up ophthalmology field clinics. Since then, the organization is also involved in projects on food security, health, education and empowerment of women.
47. Israel’s Galten Global Alternative Energy has developed a method of obtaining biofuel from the seeds of the jatropha, a plant that doesn’t compete with food crops. Plantings have already begun in Ghana. Currently only one ton of biofuel can be extracted from 2.5 acres of edible crops such as corn or soybeans, whereas three tons of biofuel can be produced from the same amount of soil growing jatropha plants.
48. The Hadassah Medical Organization works in coordination with the Israel Foreign Ministry and other Israeli agencies on a range of humanitarian projects around the world including a volunteer HIV/AIDS education and treatment program in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan; eye surgery for needy African patients; adult male circumcision for HIV prevention in Africa; and public health education in Kathmandu. Hadassah medical personnel have also participated in Israeli rescue operations around the world since 1960. Among the disaster scenes where they’ve brought critical care expertise are Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Nairobi and Tanzania. Recently, the government of Panama hired Hadassah as a consultant to build a state-of-the-art trauma unit there.
49. In November 2012, the IDF and MADA sent rescue and medical personnel to help when a shopping mall collapsed in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The IDF group consisted of 18 healthcare workers, engineers and communication experts to assist in the rescue operation. MADA sent another delegation of doctors, paramedics and emergency medical personnel to set up a field hospital.
50. Water is such a precious resource in Israel that engineers and innovators have developed a slew of technologies to make sure every drop counts. Israel is a world leader in reusing its wastewater, with some 70 percent recycled and funneled into agriculture projects. That technology is being sought out abroad as countries elsewhere try to reduce water consumption.
Large companies such as the Tahal Group offer low-tech and high-tech software solutions to make wastewater treatment processes more efficient and relevant. Aqwise makes small plastic beads to aerate wastewater so bacteria can work better, a solution now being used at the Taj Mahal in India. Another Israeli company sparking interest worldwide is Applied Clean Tech, whose product removes solids from wastewater.
51. BrightSource might look all-American, but one of the world’s largest solar thermal power plants, about to fire up its 370-megawatt Ivanpah facility in the Mojave Desert in California this summer, is built on Israeli expertise started in the 1980s by a company called Luz. The technology, which sprawls over 35,000 acres, uses thousands of software-controlled mirrors to direct sun to three collection towers that power a turbine.
Since utilities companies in California need to deliver one-third of their power from renewables by 2020, BrightSource has placed its bets to be part of an even larger solar energy installation to go live by 2016. Based in Oakland with R&D in Israel, BrightSource is partnering with the Spanish company Abengoa Solar to build and operate a new solar 500-megawatt installation in Riverside County, California. The company is in the final stages of securing a contract in Israel, and is also seeking opportunities in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and China.
52. Israeli volunteer organization Yad Sarah, which lends medical equipment to people throughout Israel, is serving as a model for countries like Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Angola, Cameroon, China, El Salvador and Hungary. The NGO has become the world’s largest lender of medical devices such as respirators, crutches, oxygen tanks, wheelchairs and hospital beds, and is a recognized UNESCO advisory body. With more than 100 branches across Israel, Yad Sarah offers free rehabilitation centers, meals on wheels, free home repairs, legal aid for the elderly and other services.
53. The Mediterranean’s two remaining species of sea turtles are in danger of extinction, but an Israeli organization is hoping to reverse the trend. Part hospital and part stud farm, the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center at Michmoret treats injured turtles, incubates eggs and increases awareness of the turtles’ plight. A century ago, some 2,000 to 3,000 green and loggerhead turtles used to nest along Israel’s shores. Now the numbers are estimated at 180 loggerheads and fewer than 30 green turtles. Thanks to the work of the rescue center, the number of loggerhead turtles is now rising.
54. Hebrew University’s Prof. David Levy has developed new strains of potatoes that thrive in hot, dry climates, and can be irrigated by saltwater. Potatoes are one of the top sources of nutrition in the world, but they never before grew well in hot, desert regions like the Middle East. Now farmers in these regions can grow potatoes as a cash crop.
55. Israeli neonatologists have established two new neonatal units in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. The city has a population of 1.5 million people, but only one hospital. Of the 28,000 babies born in the city every year, some 4,800 died. Israeli specialists are now training local doctors and nurses to help save infants’ lives.
56. In October 2011, despite a severe diplomatic crisis in the wake of the deadly Gaza flotilla raid over a year earlier, Israel sent a package of aid to Turkey after a massive 7.2 magnitude quake hit the country’s eastern region. Israel was the first country in the world to offer Ankara assistance in the aftermath of the disaster. It sent portable buildings to help homeless survivors in the quake-ravaged area.
Israel has sent rescue teams to Turkey before. In 1999, Israeli rescue teams pulled 12 people out of earthquake rubble and recovered 140 bodies. Israel also set up a field hospital and treated more than 1,000 victims.
57. The United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) awarded Israel’s non-profit disabilities organization Beit Issie Shapiro special consultative status in 2012, allowing it to share research and solutions more widely, and to assist ECOSOC in formulating recommendations to the UN and member states concerning policy for people with disabilities. Hydrotherapy, ground-breaking multisensory rooms and inclusive playgrounds are among the special-needs services implemented by the 32-year-old organization.
58. Asian countries have turned to Israel for help as they look to increase domestic milk production and consumption. Israel set up a demonstration dairy farm near Beijing to show Israeli dairy farming technology. The site became a training center for thousands of dairy farmers in China and from neighboring countries.
China and Vietnam have awarded huge contracts to kibbutz-based company SAE Afikim, whose AfiMilk and AfiFarm computerized systems for modern dairy farm and herd management are globally recognized for their technology and efficiency. Afikim sends personnel to build dairy farms and teaches local workers how to run them, and in cooperation with the Israeli government hosts Asian workers for intensive training in Israel.
59. Israeli start up GlobeLight & Water System is helping keep roads safer in Africa and South America with solar-powered light fixtures. The theft-proof product highlights blue-and-white ingenuity with its built-in microprocessor that monitors and regulates bulb temperature and battery charge. The environmentally friendly light fixtures do not rely on electricity infrastructures, need maintenance once every three years, and can be used in any climate.
60. The United Nations turned to an Israeli company to help purify water for Syrians suffering water contamination during the country’s current violent conflict. Medentech, Israel Chemicals’ Ireland-based subsidiary, produces AquaTabs, the world’s best-selling effervescent tablets, which are considered a better alternative to boiling water to remove contaminants. The Israeli government blessed the deal despite a law nixing trade with an enemy state.
61. IsraAid has launched a social-worker training program in the new African state of South Sudan, considered one of the most undeveloped in the world, in cooperation with Israeli NGOs FIRST and Operation Blessing-Israel. Three Israeli experts on sexual violence flew to Juba to train 30 South Sudanese social workers with the tools to identify and address gender-based violence, such as rape and forced marriage. Violence against women is considered one of the biggest challenges in the region.
62. Faced with chronic water shortages, Israel pioneered new membrane technology and solar desalination plants to make salty and polluted water safe for human consumption and crops. IDE Technologies mega-installations can now be found in countries all over the world, from the United States to the Caribbean. In China, IDE has built the country’s largest and greenest desalination plant to meet the country’s expanding energy needs.
63. Airports around the world are a great deal safer now, thanks to a technology developed by Israel’s XSight Systems, which detects foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway – that’s birds, small animals and fragments that break off planes. The system, which is effective in all weather and visibility conditions, is already in use at international airports in Boston, Paris, Bangkok and Tel Aviv, with more to follow.
Think FOD isn’t that significant? In 2000, the supersonic jetliner Concorde crashed killing 113 people when it hit debris dropped onto the runway by a DC-10 just before it took off. FOD is estimated to cost about $14 billion in direct and indirect damage every year.
For Haji Edum, from Zanzibar, his life-saving moment came twice, when he was flown at age 15, and then again at 23, to Israel for open-heart surgery. He is just one of thousands of youngsters to receive emergency heart care from volunteer doctors in Israel.
War veterans suffering post-traumatic stress in the US; farmers in Senegal, India and China; young women in South Sudan; the wheelchair-bound in Africa; cardiac patients in Gaza and Iraq – all have received life-changing help and expertise from Israeli specialists.
Today we all know the story of Israel the “start-up nation.” News of its technological prowess and incredible innovation has spread far and wide. But what many people don’t know is that Israel is exporting far more than just technology. It is also sharing its experience and skills in a whole range of humanitarian and environmental fields to help people everywhere live better, fuller and healthier lives.
Since Israel was founded in 1948, the country has set itself the historical Jewish goal of becoming a light unto the nations. In the early years of the state, despite austerity rationing, the Israeli government founded MASHAV, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Center for International Cooperation, as a vehicle to share Israel’s creative solutions with the rest of the developing world.
Israel remains true to that vision and every year, with little fanfare, and sometimes very little press attention, Israelis work long hours to find solutions and offer relief to some of the most pressing problems of our times.
From environmental breakthroughs that will help reduce greenhouse emissions, to technologies that can increase food production and save vital crops, to humanitarian aid missions in the wake of catastrophic natural disasters, Israelis are providing significant assistance.
To celebrate Israel’s 65th birthday, we take a look at some of the many creative and varied ways Israel is helping to enrich and improve our planet.
The list comes in no particular order, and is by no means exhaustive. There are hundreds more, if not thousands, worthy projects going on every day. If you’ve got a project worth hearing about, we’d be delighted if you include it in our comments section at the end.
1. An Israeli company is developing a toilet that needs no water, and generates its own power to turn solid waste (including toilet roll) into sterile and odorless fertilizer in 30 seconds. Liquid waste is sterilized and then used to flush the toilet. Developer Paulee CleanTec has been awarded a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which reports that about 80 percent of human waste goes into rivers and streams untreated, and 1.1 billion people don’t use a toilet.
2. Fifty years ago, Lake Victoria carp was a significant part of the diet of Ugandan villagers. But when Nile perch was introduced to the lake, it decimated the carp population. Villagers had neither the equipment nor the expertise to catch the huge perch, and symptoms of protein deficiency started becoming apparent in their children. Prof. Berta Sivan of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem came to the rescue with a multiyear project to help these African families. Using expertise developed in Israel, her project not only successfully spawned carp on Ugandan fish farms, but also provided training on how to dig and fill ponds and raise the small fish. Now local children have an abundant supply of protein.
3. About 50 percent of every grain and pulse harvest in the developing world is lost to pests and mold, but an Israeli scientist has developed a surprisingly simple and cheap way for African and Asian farmers to keep their grain market-fresh. International food technology consultant Prof. Shlomo Navarro invented huge bags, now marketed by US company GrainPro, which keep both water and air out. The bags are in use all over the developing world, including Africa and the Far East, and even in countries that don’t have diplomatic ties with Israel.
4. In January 2010, Israel won international praise for the speed and expertise with which it responded to a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti that killed 300,000 people, injured hundreds of thousands and laid waste to the poverty-stricken country. A team of 240 Israeli doctors, nurses, rescue and relief workers arrived in Haiti just days after the quake, bringing medicines, communications and medical equipment. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) volunteers set up the country’s most advanced and well-equipped field hospital in the capital of Port-Au-Prince. Israeli search-and-rescue missions pulled survivors from the rubble, saving many Haitians, including a man trapped for 10 days.
The delegation included volunteers from IsraAID, the IDF, ZAKA, Magen David Adom (MADA), Tevel B’Tzedek, the Negev Institute, and Alyn Hospital. It was the largest Israeli civilian relief mission ever assembled, and was one of the biggest and most skilled on the island. In the wake of the disaster, Israel continues to send aid and assistance, including educational projects, trauma programs, micro-financing, development and relief work, rebuilding of communities and schools, aid packages, empowerment for women, and medical assistance.
5. The invention of drip irrigation by Israeli Simcha Blass and its development by Netafim, and later Plastro and NaanDan Jain, has completely revolutionized agriculture across the world, enabling farmers to increase their yields with less water. Constantly upgraded Israeli drip-irrigation techniques are regularly shared with other countries through MASHAV, Israel’s Center for International Cooperation.
6. Tal-Ya Water Technologies has developed reusable plastic trays to collect dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops or trees by up to 50 percent. The square serrated trays, made from non-PET recycled and recyclable plastic with UV filters and a limestone additive, surround each plant or tree. With overnight temperature change, dew forms on both surfaces of the Tal-Ya tray, which funnels the dew and condensation straight to the roots. If it rains, the trays heighten the effect of each millimeter of water 27 times over.
7. About 1.6 million children under the age of five die from untreated drinking water in developing nations every year. An Israeli company has developed a water purification system that delivers safe drinking water from almost any source, including contaminated water, seawater and even urine.
WaterSheer’s Sulis personal water purifier is a small 10-gram mouthpiece that attaches to the top of a water bottle. The company has also developed systems to treat large quantities of water. Sulis has been used in Taiwan, Myanmar and Haiti, and will be part of contingency plans in case of disaster at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
8. Israel is building a model agricultural village in South Sudan to teach local farmers about Israeli agricultural methods and technologies to help the fledgling African nation thrive.
9. In plants in China, Italy and the United States, Israeli company Seambiotic is using algae to turn carbon dioxide emitted by power plants into fuel and nutraceuticals. The company’s algae ponds, which are nourished by power plant effluent and sunlight, generate 30 times more feedstock for biofuel than do crop alternatives. The algae are a good source of valuable nutraceuticals, especially popular in China and the East.
Seambiotic is also working with the US National Aviation and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a commercially feasible biofuel variety from algae that has a higher freezing point than biofuels from corn or sugarcane.
10. The lives of thousands of endangered animals in West and Central Africa are being saved thanks to the tireless efforts of Israeli law enforcement activist Ofir Drori, who founded the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) in Cameroon, the first wildlife law-enforcement NGO in Africa. The organization helped propagate a zero-tolerance approach to illegal wildlife trafficking in Cameroon, which has resulted in hundreds of arrests and prosecutions. The model has been replicated throughout West and Central Africa in activities that go beyond nature conservation to the defense of human rights.
11. Israel is the only country that permanently opens its arms to children sick from radiation caused by the Ukrainian nuclear disaster in Chernobyl over 27 years ago. More than 2,755 affected children, ages eight to 15, have been brought to Israel for treatment and resettlement.
12. Israeli researchers and farmers have combined the best of Israel’s agri-tech and clean-tech innovation to create a new artificial desert oasis that could help feed millions of desert-dwellers. The oasis was developed by researchers from Ben-Gurion University and the Central and Northern Arava Research and Development center, and uses Israel’s expertise in growing salt-resistant crops in the Negev desert with little rain under a harsh sun. The oasis uses low-cost desalination technology that runs on solar power to turn brackish water into sweet water.
13. An Israeli company is developing a new contraceptive with the potential to provide a safer, long-acting, non-invasive solution for women in developing nations. Hervana recently won a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its accessible, cheap and socially acceptable LJ-102 suppository, which has to be applied only once or twice a month via a non-hormonal vaginal preparation.
According to the World Health Organization, there are at least 220 million women who don’t have access to effective contraception, and some 50 million abortions per year in the developing world.
14. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called on Israeli company Waze to use its real-time traffic navigation updates in an effort to bring fuel to New Jersey residents suffering from shortages at the gas pump.
15. An Israeli company has developed an alternative seed treatment that could revolutionize farming, protecting vegetable seeds from infestation, fungus, bacteria and even drought, without the side effects of genetic engineering (GMO). Morflora’s product, TraitUP, “inoculates” any seed from foreseeable challenges without altering its genetic makeup in new generations – just like a mumps or measles shot in humans. The product has won international awards and goes on the market this year.
16. Doctors from Israel are restoring the gift of sight to hundreds of people in developing countries thanks to Israeli non-profit Eye from Zion. The organization sends eye doctors from Israel to do free cataract removal operations in places such as Vietnam, China, Myanmar, the Maldives and even Muslim countries including Azerbaijan. The doctors are all volunteers, and most of the people arriving at their mobile clinics are blind in either one or both eyes. The organization also brings doctors from developing countries to Israel for training.
17. Overfishing and pollution are seriously depleting the number of fish in the sea and threatening some fish species with extinction, but now an Israeli company, Grow Fish Anywhere (GFA) has found a way to raise saltwater fish anywhere, even in the desert, without any of the usual problems of pollution. The company has facilities in Israel and New York.
18. An international charity is building a $6 million factory in Africa to build cardboard wheelchairs designed and developed in Israel. The wheelchairs are the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneur Nimrod Elmish of I.G. Cardboard Technologies, and are made entirely of cheap, recycled materials. The charity, which is dedicated to providing free wheelchairs for the disabled in developing nations, spends more than $6 million annually on buying metal wheelchairs from China and sending them to Africa.
19. With its plentiful year-round sunshine, it’s no surprise that Israeli companies are leading the way in creating viable and successful new solar energies that are already helping reduce the world’s dependence on pollution-causing oil. Israel has become a startup nation for the sun with dozens, if not hundreds, of companies operating in this field. Aside from BrightSource, mentioned in an item below, solar companies to watch include Aora, HelioFocus and Arava Power.
20. Israeli educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef founded University of the People, the world’s first tuition-free, online academic institution offering a recognized bachelor’s degree. More than 3,000 professors from major universities volunteer as lecturers and tutors for students from many countries, including China, Pakistan, Haiti, Rwanda, Mali, Peru, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and South Sudan. “I believe that if you educate one person, you can change a life; if you educate many, you can change the world,” Reshef says.
21. The Health Ministry in Kenya has adopted the model of Terem – a chain of independent emergency medical centers in Jerusalem that provides critical care within the community, dramatically reducing hospital visits. Kenya is setting up a chain of 50 such clinics in a move that will revolutionize the African country’s healthcare system. Some 35 million people live in Kenya, but hospitals are few and far between.
22. Norway is sending teachers to Israel to learn how to revitalize the Lapp language of Sámi. Of about 10 Sámi dialects once spoken in the country, only four are still known among the estimated 100,000 Sámi-speakers of Lapland and current teaching methods are not successful. Israel is considered an expert in reviving old languages because of its experience recreating Hebrew. Israeli language experts have worked with experts in Scotland and Wales, where long-suppressed minority languages are now making a comeback.
23. A professional dancer who lost his right leg in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is dancing once more thanks to the help of Israeli father and son, Yisrael and Yehuda Pilosof, who specialize in manufacturing precision artificial limbs. After the quake, Yehuda Pilosof flew to Haiti to help at an Israeli rehab center. He made limbs for 15 people, including the dancer who was flown to Israel for treatment. Since then the Pilosofs have led a seminar on prosthetics in Peru, and have made artificial limbs for soldiers in Sri Lanka on an Israeli humanitarian mission.
24. IsraAID is an Israeli humanitarian organization that gathers Israeli professionals from 17 different relief and activist organizations to respond to emergencies. Founded in 2001, it offers targeted help including disaster relief, search and rescue, rebuilding communities and schools, aid packages, medical assistance, micro-financing and post-psychotrauma care.
In 2004, IsraAID sent search-and-rescue teams and doctors to tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. In 2007, it sent medical staff to Peru after a major earthquake, and provided assistance at a refugee camp in Somalia. In 2008, members flew to Myanmar after a major cyclone, and the following year IsraAID sent medical assistance to the Philippines after two devastating typhoons. IsraAID helped in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, and has provided aid in South Sudan.
25. Traumatized US war veterans are now being healed thanks to a novel treatment developed by Israeli-American psychologist Edna Foa. In the United States, an estimated half million war veterans from Vietnam, and another 300,000 from Afghanistan and Iraq, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Foa, honored by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people in 2010, developed a treatment called PE (Prolonged Exposure), designed to help patients focus on the thoughts and feelings that elicit the highest levels of fear, and then works with them to enable them to confront those fears, moving gradually from the minor to the major terrors.
26. MASHAV, the Center for International Cooperation, runs a variety of programs, but is best known for its training seminars in Israel and wherever needed – Africa, the Middle East, South America, Central America, India, China – on techniques ranging from greenhouse management and irrigation to fish farming and dairy farming. MASHAV has trained some 200,000 people from about 140 countries and has set up dozens of demonstration projects in fields of Israeli expertise. MASHAV also sends medical aid around the world.
27. Israeli public health activist Dr. Zvi Bentwich, director of the Center for Emerging Tropical Diseases and AIDS at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), has been laboring for years to eradicate common parasitic infestations that contribute to Africa’s AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics. In 2011 he won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israeli government for his groundbreaking medical contributions in Israel and among Africans.
28. A three-year-old British charity, Tag International Development, runs more than 20 health, agriculture, disaster preparedness and community development projects in developing nations. All of the knowledge and experience for these projects comes from Israel. Israeli volunteers and professionals with Tag have launched beekeeping and road safety projects in Myanmar; empowerment seminars for Bedouin women in Israel and Jordan; emotional resilience, healthcare and weaving projects in Azerbaijan; model farm and agricultural training center in Sri Lanka; rain harvesting in Kenya; a safe drinking-water project in Pakistan, and a homecare project for the elderly in Indonesia.
29. When Japan was rocked by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, which killed nearly 16,000 people, the IDF sent doctors and other volunteers to set up a field hospital in one of the areas worst hit by the island nation’s worst-ever natural disaster. The facility had wards for pediatrics, surgery, maternity, gynecology, ophthalmology and intensive care, as well as a lab and a pharmacy. Israel also sent over tons of aid to Japanese communities.
Since then, Israel has continued to send regular delegations of specialists on post-trauma missions to help the victims of the disaster, training local teachers and mental health workers, and setting up youth leadership training programs for students from Japan’s Tohoku earthquake-affected region.
30. The Israeli company Pythagoras Solar has developed a new solar window that can generate power, reduce energy consumption and let in daylight, promising a green revolution in the construction industry. The world’s first transparent photovoltaic glass unit, which won the prestigious GE Ecomagination Challenge, can easily be integrated into conventional building design. Existing office blocks can be retrofitted with the new material to take the place of energy-seeping glass windows.
31. With pollution growing to dangerous levels in the Mediterranean Sea, Israel’s EcoOcean research and educational organization trains local youngsters on land and sea, and provides local and international marine researchers with an at-cost vessel for advanced marine science studies in the Mediterranean, Red and Black seas. Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society sought out educational collaboration possibilities with EcoOcean to make global progress in saving the seas, badly in distress from global warming and other manmade causes.
32. The Israeli organization Save a Child’s Heart has brought more than 3,000 children from all over the developing world, including about 1,500 from Gaza and the West Bank, to Israel for vital heart operations at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. All 70 to 80 doctors and nurses working with the non-profit organization give their time as volunteers.
Aside from their work in Israel, medical staff fly on missions abroad to carry out heart operations, and to teach local doctors the latest surgical techniques. The organization also trains physicians from abroad in Israel.
33. US veterans suffering PTSD after being wounded in combat are experiencing emotional and spiritual healing thanks to a new program that brings the wounded vets to Israel to meet Israeli peers.
34. The Israeli organization ZAKA (Disaster Victim Identification) provides expert search-and-rescue assistance after natural and manmade disasters around the world. In late 2004 and early 2005, members of ZAKA provided help in Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake.
Forensic teams dubbed the group “the team that sleeps with the dead” because they toiled nearly 24 hours a day at Buddhist pagodas transformed into morgues in Thailand. ZAKA volunteers flew to Mumbai, India, after terror attacks there in November 2008; assisted with search and recovery after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, rescuing eight students trapped in rubble; and also aided search-and-rescue efforts in Japan in March 2011.
35. Students in several countries are scoring higher marks in math and algebra tests thanks to the help of Israeli professor Michal Yerushalmy. Yerushalmy developed VisualMath and Math4Mobile, which help students score better on standardized tests, out-perform peers in solving algebra word problems and complex new problems, and devise superior strategies for identifying and correcting mistakes.
36. A new Israeli-developed tooth varnish is saving the lives of kangaroos in captivity, who often fall victim to a contagious, and sometimes fatal, gum condition called lumpy jaw disease. Veterinarians at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo and the northern Gan Garoo Park – which lost 40 percent of its marsupials to this disease – teamed up with dentists and pharmacists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to create a tooth varnish that successfully prevents the condition. After receiving requests worldwide, the veterinarians published the recipe for the treatment online.
37. An Israeli research team has found a way to mate male prawns and increase yields and profitability for farmers. The revolutionary advanced gene-silencing biotechnology for aquaculture was developed at BGU and can reverse the sex of the crustacean, helping local farmers increase their income. The technology is already being put to use in Vietnam.
38. The 27-year-old Jerusalem AIDS Project (JAIP) is helping to educate millions of people across the globe about AIDS with its training program that teaches people in developing countries how to protect themselves from the deadly HIV virus. The unique JAIP program is being used in about 30 countries, including Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, in coordination with groups such as the World Health Organization and UNAIDS. JAIP was commended by the United Nations in 2006 for its approach.
39. Israeli doctors are flying to Africa to help train local medical personnel in male medical circumcision with the organization Operation Abraham, in an effort to halt the AIDS epidemic there. Currently some 22 million people in Africa are living with HIV and AIDS – two-thirds of the entire world’s population of HIV sufferers. Studies suggest that more than half of all HIV infections could be stopped if men were circumcised. Operation Abraham is a consortium of Israeli institutions, including Hadassah Medical Organization and JAIP, teaching local doctors how to carry out the procedure.
40. Israeli aid organizations Israel Flying Aid, IsraAID and Israeli Humanitarian Aid-Latet put Israeli know-how to work getting food, fuel, generators and other critical supplies to emergency workers and victims after Hurricane Sandy devastated the US east coast in 2012. Israeli volunteers delivered fuel to hospitals in the stricken area, prepared emergency food convoys and helped clear debris. An Israeli delegation of trained rescue volunteers also flew to the disaster area. The effort was financed by young Israelis and Israeli companies with partner US companies.
41. A simple mobile-phone imaging system was invented in Israel to diagnose and monitor malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that is the second leading cause of death in Africa, killing an estimated 1,900 children under the age of five every day. The system uses an ordinary mobile phone camera with a $15 specialized lens that can detect malaria by imaging the eye or skin to look for hemozoin, a pigment generated by the malaria parasite. The imaging system, whose developer won a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, can also determine the stage of the disease. Images can be sent immediately to labs in Africa and overseas for diagnosis by experts.
42. Israel is the world-recognized leader in raising therapeutic clowning to the level of a standardized, research-backed healthcare discipline. Its internationally renowned Dream Doctors Project has trained and placed nearly 100 practitioners at 22 hospitals in Israel. Dream Doctors worked with the University of Haifa to establish the world’s only academic degree program in clown therapy as a paramedical profession. Much of the groundbreaking research on the measurable effects of medical clowning is being done in Israel and shared in international forums.
43. Water-purification technologies developed in Israel to recycle the country’s limited water resources are now being used to help save India’s sacred Noyyal River. The 160-kilometer Noyyal River once provided water for around 20,000 acres of rich agricultural land, but toxic waste from textile factories has choked the river, destroying local agriculture and wildlife, and polluting groundwater in more than 95 villages in the region. The Indians are using Israeli-developed nano-filtration to remove dissolved pollutants. Israeli desalination expert, BGU Prof. Yoram Oren, is spearheading the effort.
44. In 2013, Israel set up a field hospital along its border with Syria to treat Syrians wounded in the country’s bloody civil war. Though Syria is an enemy nation, Israeli army medics have been treating dozens of wounded Syrian civilians at the makeshift hospital and in past months Israeli hospitals have treated refugee Syrians as well. According to the UN, about 1.2 million Syrians have been internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries.
45. Rambam Healthcare Campus in Haifa runs a yearly trauma-care training course for participants from Africa, South America and the Far East in cooperation with Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The medical center also offers fellowships to African doctors specializing in areas including plastic surgery, pediatrics and AIDS, funded by partners such as MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry, international NGOs and the host countries.
46. Israeli engineers and medical specialists have erected a state-of-the-art emergency room in Kisumu, Kenya, servicing a population of 6 million. The facility, at the Kisumu East District Hospital, was built in less than a month and is the hospital’s first fully-equipped ER. It will be a center for both regional emergency treatment and professional training. The effort was led by MASHAV, which has been working in Kenya since the 1950s, when it set up ophthalmology field clinics. Since then, the organization is also involved in projects on food security, health, education and empowerment of women.
47. Israel’s Galten Global Alternative Energy has developed a method of obtaining biofuel from the seeds of the jatropha, a plant that doesn’t compete with food crops. Plantings have already begun in Ghana. Currently only one ton of biofuel can be extracted from 2.5 acres of edible crops such as corn or soybeans, whereas three tons of biofuel can be produced from the same amount of soil growing jatropha plants.
48. The Hadassah Medical Organization works in coordination with the Israel Foreign Ministry and other Israeli agencies on a range of humanitarian projects around the world including a volunteer HIV/AIDS education and treatment program in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan; eye surgery for needy African patients; adult male circumcision for HIV prevention in Africa; and public health education in Kathmandu. Hadassah medical personnel have also participated in Israeli rescue operations around the world since 1960. Among the disaster scenes where they’ve brought critical care expertise are Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Nairobi and Tanzania. Recently, the government of Panama hired Hadassah as a consultant to build a state-of-the-art trauma unit there.
49. In November 2012, the IDF and MADA sent rescue and medical personnel to help when a shopping mall collapsed in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. The IDF group consisted of 18 healthcare workers, engineers and communication experts to assist in the rescue operation. MADA sent another delegation of doctors, paramedics and emergency medical personnel to set up a field hospital.
50. Water is such a precious resource in Israel that engineers and innovators have developed a slew of technologies to make sure every drop counts. Israel is a world leader in reusing its wastewater, with some 70 percent recycled and funneled into agriculture projects. That technology is being sought out abroad as countries elsewhere try to reduce water consumption.
Large companies such as the Tahal Group offer low-tech and high-tech software solutions to make wastewater treatment processes more efficient and relevant. Aqwise makes small plastic beads to aerate wastewater so bacteria can work better, a solution now being used at the Taj Mahal in India. Another Israeli company sparking interest worldwide is Applied Clean Tech, whose product removes solids from wastewater.
51. BrightSource might look all-American, but one of the world’s largest solar thermal power plants, about to fire up its 370-megawatt Ivanpah facility in the Mojave Desert in California this summer, is built on Israeli expertise started in the 1980s by a company called Luz. The technology, which sprawls over 35,000 acres, uses thousands of software-controlled mirrors to direct sun to three collection towers that power a turbine.
Since utilities companies in California need to deliver one-third of their power from renewables by 2020, BrightSource has placed its bets to be part of an even larger solar energy installation to go live by 2016. Based in Oakland with R&D in Israel, BrightSource is partnering with the Spanish company Abengoa Solar to build and operate a new solar 500-megawatt installation in Riverside County, California. The company is in the final stages of securing a contract in Israel, and is also seeking opportunities in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and China.
52. Israeli volunteer organization Yad Sarah, which lends medical equipment to people throughout Israel, is serving as a model for countries like Turkey, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Angola, Cameroon, China, El Salvador and Hungary. The NGO has become the world’s largest lender of medical devices such as respirators, crutches, oxygen tanks, wheelchairs and hospital beds, and is a recognized UNESCO advisory body. With more than 100 branches across Israel, Yad Sarah offers free rehabilitation centers, meals on wheels, free home repairs, legal aid for the elderly and other services.
53. The Mediterranean’s two remaining species of sea turtles are in danger of extinction, but an Israeli organization is hoping to reverse the trend. Part hospital and part stud farm, the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center at Michmoret treats injured turtles, incubates eggs and increases awareness of the turtles’ plight. A century ago, some 2,000 to 3,000 green and loggerhead turtles used to nest along Israel’s shores. Now the numbers are estimated at 180 loggerheads and fewer than 30 green turtles. Thanks to the work of the rescue center, the number of loggerhead turtles is now rising.
54. Hebrew University’s Prof. David Levy has developed new strains of potatoes that thrive in hot, dry climates, and can be irrigated by saltwater. Potatoes are one of the top sources of nutrition in the world, but they never before grew well in hot, desert regions like the Middle East. Now farmers in these regions can grow potatoes as a cash crop.
55. Israeli neonatologists have established two new neonatal units in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana. The city has a population of 1.5 million people, but only one hospital. Of the 28,000 babies born in the city every year, some 4,800 died. Israeli specialists are now training local doctors and nurses to help save infants’ lives.
56. In October 2011, despite a severe diplomatic crisis in the wake of the deadly Gaza flotilla raid over a year earlier, Israel sent a package of aid to Turkey after a massive 7.2 magnitude quake hit the country’s eastern region. Israel was the first country in the world to offer Ankara assistance in the aftermath of the disaster. It sent portable buildings to help homeless survivors in the quake-ravaged area.
Israel has sent rescue teams to Turkey before. In 1999, Israeli rescue teams pulled 12 people out of earthquake rubble and recovered 140 bodies. Israel also set up a field hospital and treated more than 1,000 victims.
57. The United Nations’ Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) awarded Israel’s non-profit disabilities organization Beit Issie Shapiro special consultative status in 2012, allowing it to share research and solutions more widely, and to assist ECOSOC in formulating recommendations to the UN and member states concerning policy for people with disabilities. Hydrotherapy, ground-breaking multisensory rooms and inclusive playgrounds are among the special-needs services implemented by the 32-year-old organization.
58. Asian countries have turned to Israel for help as they look to increase domestic milk production and consumption. Israel set up a demonstration dairy farm near Beijing to show Israeli dairy farming technology. The site became a training center for thousands of dairy farmers in China and from neighboring countries.
China and Vietnam have awarded huge contracts to kibbutz-based company SAE Afikim, whose AfiMilk and AfiFarm computerized systems for modern dairy farm and herd management are globally recognized for their technology and efficiency. Afikim sends personnel to build dairy farms and teaches local workers how to run them, and in cooperation with the Israeli government hosts Asian workers for intensive training in Israel.
59. Israeli start up GlobeLight & Water System is helping keep roads safer in Africa and South America with solar-powered light fixtures. The theft-proof product highlights blue-and-white ingenuity with its built-in microprocessor that monitors and regulates bulb temperature and battery charge. The environmentally friendly light fixtures do not rely on electricity infrastructures, need maintenance once every three years, and can be used in any climate.
60. The United Nations turned to an Israeli company to help purify water for Syrians suffering water contamination during the country’s current violent conflict. Medentech, Israel Chemicals’ Ireland-based subsidiary, produces AquaTabs, the world’s best-selling effervescent tablets, which are considered a better alternative to boiling water to remove contaminants. The Israeli government blessed the deal despite a law nixing trade with an enemy state.
61. IsraAid has launched a social-worker training program in the new African state of South Sudan, considered one of the most undeveloped in the world, in cooperation with Israeli NGOs FIRST and Operation Blessing-Israel. Three Israeli experts on sexual violence flew to Juba to train 30 South Sudanese social workers with the tools to identify and address gender-based violence, such as rape and forced marriage. Violence against women is considered one of the biggest challenges in the region.
62. Faced with chronic water shortages, Israel pioneered new membrane technology and solar desalination plants to make salty and polluted water safe for human consumption and crops. IDE Technologies mega-installations can now be found in countries all over the world, from the United States to the Caribbean. In China, IDE has built the country’s largest and greenest desalination plant to meet the country’s expanding energy needs.
63. Airports around the world are a great deal safer now, thanks to a technology developed by Israel’s XSight Systems, which detects foreign object debris (FOD) on the runway – that’s birds, small animals and fragments that break off planes. The system, which is effective in all weather and visibility conditions, is already in use at international airports in Boston, Paris, Bangkok and Tel Aviv, with more to follow.
Think FOD isn’t that significant? In 2000, the supersonic jetliner Concorde crashed killing 113 people when it hit debris dropped onto the runway by a DC-10 just before it took off. FOD is estimated to cost about $14 billion in direct and indirect damage every year.
64.
Strawberries, sweet peppers, cucumbers and eggplants are just some of the crops
that are much healthier today because of some tiny little insects and mites bred
in Israel. Kibbutz-based Bio-Bee breeds beneficial insects for biological pest
control, which enable farmers to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 75
percent. The company exports eight different species of biological control
agents, plus pollinating bumblebees, to 32 nations from Japan and the US to
Chile. The company’s subsidiary, Bio-Fly, also sells sterile Mediterranean fruit
flies to control this major pest in fruit trees, and collaborates with Jordanian
and West Bank Palestinian Authority agricultural experts.
65. An Israeli scientist has developed the world’s first vaccine against canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), a sometimes fatal tick-borne disease in dogs. CME is one of the most common infectious diseases in canines, affecting not only pets but also foxes, wolves, jackals and other wild dogs. It is prevalent worldwide, and currently cannot be prevented aside from tick control. If dogs are infected they need a lengthy course of antibiotics. This is the first vaccine to be proven effective against the disease.
65. An Israeli scientist has developed the world’s first vaccine against canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME), a sometimes fatal tick-borne disease in dogs. CME is one of the most common infectious diseases in canines, affecting not only pets but also foxes, wolves, jackals and other wild dogs. It is prevalent worldwide, and currently cannot be prevented aside from tick control. If dogs are infected they need a lengthy course of antibiotics. This is the first vaccine to be proven effective against the disease.
Question
from Rachel E. A
non-Jewish FB friend of mine wanted to know: To all my Jewish brothers and sisters out
there - if being Jewish comes through the mother's line, why does the Bible
always list the lineage of the fathers?
The
answer is found in Shulchan Aruch Eben HaEzer. Prior to the giving of the Torah
we like all the nations going through the father. What happens if an Egyptian
marries a Amalek Male or Female the child will go according the male. Thus the
Egyptian Woman who could have converted yesterday as long as she is married to
Amalek cannot convert. The child or grandchild of the Amalek female is no longer
Amalek.
Now after Matan Torah, we became a unique Nation. The Tribe continued to come from the father but we see in Vayikra 21 (for the non-Jew Leviticus) that a Cohain had to marry only a Jewish Female who had such and such qualifications. The woman in Judaism received the added role of keeping up the religion while the man continued to supply the Tribe.
Now after Matan Torah, we became a unique Nation. The Tribe continued to come from the father but we see in Vayikra 21 (for the non-Jew Leviticus) that a Cohain had to marry only a Jewish Female who had such and such qualifications. The woman in Judaism received the added role of keeping up the religion while the man continued to supply the Tribe.
ONE
TIME EUROPE KNEW HOW TO BEHAVE: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4434578,00.html
From
Naomi the birth of the IAF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14hu8tnJ01A
yes
this is a repeat film.
In memory of Lieby
the murdered 8 year old: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4432501,00.html
Worthwhile
story to read and film to watch. Resistance Fighter passes away: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431854,00.html http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Shalom+Yoran&oq=Shalom+Yoran&gs_l=youtube.12..0.119339.126286.0.128811.12.9.0.3.3.0.408.1842.1j4j3j0j1.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.HI2kLwkPEhk Joining
a partisan group: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNR2cscroIc
& http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRrBeJIfZYM
He
wrote: "The
Defiant. A True Story of Jewish Vengeance and Survival,"
This is not an
Israeli Phenomena but 87% is a high number: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4429740,00.html
Bird Migration time:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172092#.Uj3lVVffrIU
Much of the problems
caused by the removal of soldiers can truly be taken care of in a month: It was
supposed to be immediately but now on Nov. 1st. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172077#.UjwIHlffrIU
Two Kassams in the
south and this in the center not to mention that two Frum idiots crossed the
border fence in Metula to Lebanon and caused an alert and violation of the Yom
Tov. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172072#.UjwGmFffrIU
Film - Islam is a one
way street http://dotsub.com/view/72457cbc-fe18-4053-ae3f-6c7639cf4e79
Tell me to live in
our land to build 100,000 houses we need a dead Jew of each? – William E.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4432450,00.html
From Lori: The Pope
denies that Yeshu was the Moshiach and it is possible for Jews to be correct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oIvbCoaRr7w#t=14
Not a Kiddush HASHEM
thanks to Steven: very troubling news item. Former Chief
of Jewish Charity Stole Money Early and Often, Prosecutors
Say.
Shortly after William E. Rapfogel
became the leader of one of New York City’s most influential social service
organizations in 1992, prosecutors say, he began to steal.
He received envelope after envelope, stuffed with skimmed cash
kickbacks, according to a criminal complaint filed on Tuesday. Also cited were a
$27,000 check written to a contractor working on his apartment, roughly $100,000
to help his son buy a home, and a campaign finance scheme that manipulated the
city’s matching-funds formula, fraudulently increasing campaign contributions to
favored city politicians who provided government grants to his
organization.
Over two decades at the
nonprofit Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty, Mr. Rapfogel and two
confederates stole more than $5 million, much of it taxpayer money, said the
complaint, which detailed the schemes and charged Mr. Rapfogel with grand
larceny, money laundering and other crimes.
Some of the money went to the co-conspirators, who were not
named in the complaint; some of it was directed to politicians and political
organizations. Mr. Rapfogel, a man whose deeds and connections made his name
almost synonymous with the city’s Jewish philanthropic causes, was accused of
keeping more than $1 million for himself.
The cash-stuffed envelopes clearly added up. Investigators
found $400,000 squirreled away in his Lower East Side apartment — a sizable
chunk in his closet — and in his home in Monticello, N.Y., according to the
complaint and a person briefed on the matter.
Mr. Rapfogel acknowledged unspecified wrongdoing when the
charitable organization, known widely as Met Council, uncovered the financial
improprieties and fired him last month. He issued a statement saying, “I deeply
regret the mistakes I have made that led to my departure.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Rapfogel, dressed in a blue suit with a white
shirt and no tie, was arraigned in a brief proceeding before Judge Kevin McGrath
in Manhattan Criminal Court. He did not enter a plea and waived his right to a
speedy trial, a move suggesting that he was or would be involved in plea
negotiations. Judge McGrath released him on $100,000 bail.
After the hearing, Mr. Rapfogel declined to speak to reporters
outside the courtroom. But his lawyer, Paul L. Shechtman, said: “Mr. Rapfogel
hopes for a fair resolution of this case and will continue to make amends to Met
Council. It’s a sad day, but happily people who know Willie well are still in
his corner.”
The charges, which the
complaint said were in some measure based on investigators’ interviews with Mr.
Rapfogel and the two people referred to as co-conspirators, stem from an inquiry
by the state attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman, and the state comptroller,
Thomas P. DiNapoli. They began to look into Mr. Rapfogel’s stewardship of Met
Council after the organization detected the improprieties and alerted state
authorities. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/nyregion/charitys-fired-chief-is-charged-with-stealing-millions.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Top 10 hidden
Hollywood Jews: http://www.jpost.com/LifeStyle/Top-10-Hollywood-Jews-you-may-not-have-guessed-327064
I met this man many
years ago when I was active in the settler movement. I was a bit wary of him
then. Barry Chamish exposed this recently: MK Eldad:
Itamar Ben-Gvir is a Gov't Agent Wednesday, June 29, 2005 / 22 Sivan
5765
(IsraelNN.com) Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said this evening that right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his affiliations with Kahanist organizations, is actually an agent of the General Security Services (GSS). Eldad claims that Ben-Gvir was sent by the GSS to the Maoz HaYam hotel area in order to stir up the emotions and cause provocations. http://israelrules.blogspot.com/2005/07/propoganda-gone-bad.html
(IsraelNN.com) Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said this evening that right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his affiliations with Kahanist organizations, is actually an agent of the General Security Services (GSS). Eldad claims that Ben-Gvir was sent by the GSS to the Maoz HaYam hotel area in order to stir up the emotions and cause provocations. http://israelrules.blogspot.com/2005/07/propoganda-gone-bad.html
Women in the Nazi
Murder Machine: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433765,00.html
Religious Parties
infighting ruins Aliyah for hundreds of US, Canadian, French and British Yeshiva
Students http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172421#.UkvFw1ffrIU
Inyanay
Diyoma
Israel trying to
solve the money laundering business: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172028#replies
Israel could lose
some of its ability to fight quickly: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172056#.Ujs-ElffrIU
9/11 victim finally
ID Properly! http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/171999#.UjtJ5lffrIU
Armageddon the War of
Gog and Magog and who is not prepared and due to the cuts by Lapid we are in hot
pursuit. Fools sacrifice lives for a bit more money to social programs but how
many lives must we lose? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/budget-uncertainty-crippl_n_3957489.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl7%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D378317
EU trying to create
anti-Israel facts in E1 has material confiscated: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431620,00.html
A very costly mistake
if one loses their life. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431801,00.html Should also blame the
high court of Israel Judges for this too: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172093#.Uj3jxlffrIU
Somali Muslims attack
Kenyan Christians in a mall: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431794,00.html http://debka.com/article/23298/Arabic-speaking-gunmen-kill-30-injure-60-in-Israel-owned-mall-in-Nairobi-Kenya-
For Jihad it is OK!!!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431728,00.html
Russia is afraid of
the gas falling into Al Qaeda hands and Chechen Rebels: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Syria-submits-chemical-weapons-inventory-report-meets-Russia-US-deadline-326686
How Greensboro NC
almost got nuked: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4431784,00.html
They can hit Europe
too not just Israel http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172110#.Uj76j1ffrIU
Has Abbas given the
green light to terror? http://debka.com/article/23301/Why-has-Mahmoud-Abbas-given-the-nod-to-lone-wolf-Palestinian-terror-
Remember
the 19 firefighters killed in AZ guess what: http://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/palestinian-group-claims-credit-for-arizona-wildfire-that-killed-19-firemen/
26 MK’s against
terrorist release: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172182#.UkFWyFffrIU
Enjoying the holidays
in East Yerushalayim but almost lynched: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172188#.UkJok1ffrIU
Bibi is good at
talking but not walking http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433252,00.html
This intelligence
estimate is worrying “There will be peace in our times” N. Chamberlain:
http://debka.com/article/23303/Washington-and-Europe-rush-headlong-towards-accepting-a-nuclear-Iran
Has this mystery be
solved after 125 years? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/jack-the-ripper-solved-investigation-german-sailor_n_3981837.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl16%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D380909
Nobody knows but 50
years later it appears not to be Lee Harvey Oswald this confirms some photos of
him at the base of the book depository while Kennedy went by. http://www.wnd.com/2013/09/report-kennedy-assassin-was-on-fbi-payroll/?cat_orig=politics
Israeli and US
Security Agencies failed on this one http://debka.com/article/23307/Kenya-blames-US-Israeli-intelligence-for-no-heads-up-on-Nairobi-attack
Syria has other WMD’s
according to Assad: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433583,00.html
For
people in the USA from Shona There
are two rallies on DC planned by the truckers of America, one on Oct
11-13th and another on Nov 11th. The one next month
is asking that everyone in the country also not spend any money on ANYTHING
those three days,. The trucks will not be hauling anything anywhere in the
country and if people stand behind them and do not spend money over that weekend
it will bring the country to a standstill. So stock
up on your food so you have enough food and water to last about a
week.
Both events are up on facebook and have garnered thousands of ‘likes’ in the few
days they have been up. If you know anyone who is a truck driver ask them
to support these events. If they don’t get the message in Oct they surely
will in Nov. They are planning for turnouts like the Bikers ride on DC
last week. Truckers from as far away as Alaska have pledged to be
there. This should be an awesome event. I hope that other groups
will join them. Can you just imagine the streets of DC jammed with the Big
Rigs! https://www.facebook.com/truckerstoshutdownamerica https://www.facebook.com/MillionTruckersToDC?fref=ts
What does the black
Islamic Flag mean - article and news. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/25/do-you-know-the-history-behind-the-black-flags-of-jihad-theblazes-buck-sexton-breaks-it-down/
Ed-op Tiger in
Sheep’s clothing: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433025,00.html
Did Rudolf Hess have
a detailed peace treaty? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433768,00.html
I thought this was
solved in 9/11 report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/26/lawmakers-renew-calls-for-investigations-into-faulty-emergency-response-tools/?intcmp=latestnews
Reviving the intifada
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4433838,00.html
Al Qaeda establishing
bases in Syria http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Al-Nusra-Front-forging-al-Qaida-base-in-Syria-327252
Left wing Seymour
Hersh slams US Media Coverage: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/27/hersh-slams-us-media-claims-bin-laden-narrative-is-not-true/
Re: Slowing down
defenses for Gog and Magog: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172331#.UkkY-lffrIU
A moment in history
that almost wasn’t: http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/09/11/karl-rove-tells-story-behind-president-bushs-ground-zero-bullhorn-speech?fb_action_ids=10151829746758286&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582
Israel is a sheep
surrounded by 70 wolves. http://debka.com/article/23316/Russia-Iran-Damascus-may-crank-up-border-tensions-to-weaken-Netanyahu’s-hand-in-America-
Golani Brigade knows
how to handle them: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4435027,00.html
Bibi smiles, Obama
smiles but we get the bad end of the deal. http://debka.com/article/23319/No-showdown-but-Obama-and-Netanyahu-did-not-bridge-gaps-on-Iran’s-nuclear-program
It’s the other 60%
that concerns me for they might not make it. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/172377#.UkpzCFffrIU
From Steven M. Look who is angry at Obama’s speech on Iran - http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/saudis-cancels-un-speech-to-protest-soft-policies-on-iran-syria/2013/10/01/
Debka analyzes the
US-Israel relations and the UN Speech. http://debka.com/article/23323/Netanyahu-has-tough-task-of-rebuilding-a-credible-Israeli-military-option-against-Iran
Netanyahu’s speech:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4435422,00.html
George Tsoros and
friends who “love” Torah and Judaism: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Gal-On-slams-PMs-speech-to-UN-for-ignoring-the-peace-negotiations-with-the-Palestinians-327587
Now
for M. Wolfberg’s Stories “Sukkos”
I think
we had this story already because I wrote about my own friend Grisha, the guard
in the University of Tel Aviv pool. However, the story is such a risking of
one’s soul to be a Jew that I must repeat it. Good
Yom Tov Everyone.
Tonight begins Sukkos, which we refer to in the nusach of davening as Zman
Simchanseinu - a time of our great rejoicing. Being that the Sages chose
to refer to this yom tov as a time of "our" rejoicing, perhaps there is message
that is calling out to us Jews: Namely, that we should reach out to others at
this time of the year to include them in our rejoicing. On the first night
of Sukkos, we invite the Ushpizin - the soul of the Avrohom, into our
Sukkas. Avrohom represents the mida - character trait of welcoming guests,
which is an act of kindness. Let us relate the following true story which
illustrates the power of reaching out to other Jews with a show of
love.
The year 1935; the place was Yaktrinoslov Russia. Stalin, may his name be cursed forever, had total control of the bodies, minds and hearts of hundreds of millions of Russians. He was revered by them as well as Communists the world over as 'The Luminary of the Nations'. Leftists, and Kibutzniks in Israel actually displayed his picture on their lunchroom walls as the living example of good and progress!
So it was no wonder that the Jew who had been the gabbai of the 'Great Synagogue of Yaktrinoslov' got swept up in the Communist fervor, changed his Jewish sounding name from 'Gershon' to Grisha and got a new job - as an outside informer for the secret police (N.K.V.D).
The Party even had him appointed as manager of the apartment building he lived in and he fulfilled his job faithfully; to spy on one of the tenants in his apartment building; the chief Rabbi of the city, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson.
Every suspicious move, every visitor, even every phone call (the Rabbi's phone was tapped) he reported. He couldn't wait to catch him in some 'sin' and even took to occasionally following him when he left the apartment.
In fact, as time passed and Grisha read more and more 'party' literature he came to detest anything that reminded him of his 'dark, past' and it was all rolled up into this Rabbi.
Communism was young, fresh, enlightening the world!! Soon it would free all mankind from the bonds of 'religion' and 'bourgeois oppression'. And the Rabbi was trying to stop it! But for some reason he didn't just make up a story about him and have him taken away, as he could easily do. In fact he still found it hard to actually stop observing the Torah like the Sabbath and a few other commandments.
Then, one winter night about half past midnight when Grisha was sound asleep he was awakened by a knocking at his door. 'Who could it be at this time of the night?' he thought to himself. Certainly it wasn't the police; when they paid midnight visits they would almost break the door down so as to petrify their prospective 'victims'. This was a quiet steady knocking. He peeked through the peep hole in the door and thought he saw....His enemy! The Rabbi! What did he want at this hour of the night?!
He opened the door a bit and began to say something, but something about the Rabbi's face and eyes did something to him. "May I come in?" The Rabbi asked and Grisha opened wider. The Rabbi entered, closed the door after him but for some reason Grisha had trouble turning and looking him directly in the face.
"Listen Grisha" said the Rabbi putting his hands on Grisha's shoulders "I trust you. I believe you are a friend and I trust you." Grisha wanted to protest. He even began to say that he was an informer, but he couldn't say the word. 'Not only that', the thought crossed his mind like a fleeting black crow, 'maybe now I'll get the incriminating evidence!'
But he looked at the Rabbi's eyes and felt ashamed. The Rabbi continued speaking softly, he was aware of the danger. "Tonight about an hour ago an old woman knocked at my door. Are you listening Grisha?" he shook his head yes.
The Rabbi continued, "I let her in and she began weeping. She explained that her daughter found someone to marry. A Jewish fellow that works in the Communist headquarters with her but they were going to make a civil wedding, not according to Jewish law. But this lady decided that her daughter had to get a proper Jewish wedding and, despite the fact that they are sworn atheists, she actually convinced them to do it.
"Of course this is a great risk on their part. If they get caught they will be fired from their work and possibly jailed and murdered. But they too showed up at my door about five minutes later because they didn't want to attract attention. "The situation was dangerous. I had to work quickly but also cautiously. they had to be Jews that wouldn't breathe a word of what happened. I left my house to find nine other Jews to have a minyan present.
"But why.." Grisha tried to protest. He was being spiritually dwarfed in the presence of this old Rabbi. Why didn't he just sit and learn Torah like the other Rabbis. Why were he and these other people, the bride and groom and her mother risking their lives. for what?" Grisha was deep in thought.
The Rabbi voice broke through, "I could only find eight other Jews, with me it makes nine. We need you."
Grisha realized that the Rabbi was no fool and knew full well what that he was a spy. But now he needed him and he trusted him with his life and the lives of others. It was in his hands. He motioned for the Rabbi to wait, slipped on a pair of pants and a shirt over his pajamas, put on his shoes and followed the Rabbi up the stairs to his apartment.
There were several other Jews, a young man and woman and an older woman as the Rabbi said and eight others. They glanced at Grisha and then at the Rav with confusion. But the Rav wasted no time. He sat the couple down, asked them a few questions, wrote a marriage document, produced a bottle of wine and then told everyone to stand and spread a large prayer shawl (Tallit) high over the bride and groom as a wedding canopy. Then he began the short ceremony. Everything was silent except for the Rabbis voice. It was as though they had entered a time tunnel. He read the marriage document, the groom put a ring on the bride's finger, the Rabbi made several blessings... And that was it. Everyone smiled and whispered 'Mazal Tov!! The Bride and her mother were crying with joy. The groom was crying with joy, the men around were shaking hands and kissing each other in joy.
Only the Rabbi was still. His eyes were afire with love of the Creator. They didn't dare sing or dance lest they attract attention. which would mean death for them all but their hearts spoke louder than words.
Then something happened to Grisha that he had only experienced as a child. He felt happy. In moments, one by one they silently exited the Rabbi's house and descended the stairs into the darkness.
Until only Grisha was left. He took out his wallet and handed the Rebbe a card. "What is this?" he asked. "This, Rebbe, is my Party Membership card. I don't need it anymore. From now on I'm loyal to you and your G-d. I'm a Jew, Rebbe. I'm a Jew! And no one can take that from me. You were right, you can trust me. Good Yom Tov Everyone. . M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: In Memory of CHAYA CHAVA BAS REB MOSHE YAKOV In memory of R' Yaakov ben Naftoly, of blessed memory In Memory of Reb Yitzchok ben Reb Shimon (Friedman) of blessed memory Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Leah bas Tziporah
The year 1935; the place was Yaktrinoslov Russia. Stalin, may his name be cursed forever, had total control of the bodies, minds and hearts of hundreds of millions of Russians. He was revered by them as well as Communists the world over as 'The Luminary of the Nations'. Leftists, and Kibutzniks in Israel actually displayed his picture on their lunchroom walls as the living example of good and progress!
So it was no wonder that the Jew who had been the gabbai of the 'Great Synagogue of Yaktrinoslov' got swept up in the Communist fervor, changed his Jewish sounding name from 'Gershon' to Grisha and got a new job - as an outside informer for the secret police (N.K.V.D).
The Party even had him appointed as manager of the apartment building he lived in and he fulfilled his job faithfully; to spy on one of the tenants in his apartment building; the chief Rabbi of the city, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson.
Every suspicious move, every visitor, even every phone call (the Rabbi's phone was tapped) he reported. He couldn't wait to catch him in some 'sin' and even took to occasionally following him when he left the apartment.
In fact, as time passed and Grisha read more and more 'party' literature he came to detest anything that reminded him of his 'dark, past' and it was all rolled up into this Rabbi.
Communism was young, fresh, enlightening the world!! Soon it would free all mankind from the bonds of 'religion' and 'bourgeois oppression'. And the Rabbi was trying to stop it! But for some reason he didn't just make up a story about him and have him taken away, as he could easily do. In fact he still found it hard to actually stop observing the Torah like the Sabbath and a few other commandments.
Then, one winter night about half past midnight when Grisha was sound asleep he was awakened by a knocking at his door. 'Who could it be at this time of the night?' he thought to himself. Certainly it wasn't the police; when they paid midnight visits they would almost break the door down so as to petrify their prospective 'victims'. This was a quiet steady knocking. He peeked through the peep hole in the door and thought he saw....His enemy! The Rabbi! What did he want at this hour of the night?!
He opened the door a bit and began to say something, but something about the Rabbi's face and eyes did something to him. "May I come in?" The Rabbi asked and Grisha opened wider. The Rabbi entered, closed the door after him but for some reason Grisha had trouble turning and looking him directly in the face.
"Listen Grisha" said the Rabbi putting his hands on Grisha's shoulders "I trust you. I believe you are a friend and I trust you." Grisha wanted to protest. He even began to say that he was an informer, but he couldn't say the word. 'Not only that', the thought crossed his mind like a fleeting black crow, 'maybe now I'll get the incriminating evidence!'
But he looked at the Rabbi's eyes and felt ashamed. The Rabbi continued speaking softly, he was aware of the danger. "Tonight about an hour ago an old woman knocked at my door. Are you listening Grisha?" he shook his head yes.
The Rabbi continued, "I let her in and she began weeping. She explained that her daughter found someone to marry. A Jewish fellow that works in the Communist headquarters with her but they were going to make a civil wedding, not according to Jewish law. But this lady decided that her daughter had to get a proper Jewish wedding and, despite the fact that they are sworn atheists, she actually convinced them to do it.
"Of course this is a great risk on their part. If they get caught they will be fired from their work and possibly jailed and murdered. But they too showed up at my door about five minutes later because they didn't want to attract attention. "The situation was dangerous. I had to work quickly but also cautiously. they had to be Jews that wouldn't breathe a word of what happened. I left my house to find nine other Jews to have a minyan present.
"But why.." Grisha tried to protest. He was being spiritually dwarfed in the presence of this old Rabbi. Why didn't he just sit and learn Torah like the other Rabbis. Why were he and these other people, the bride and groom and her mother risking their lives. for what?" Grisha was deep in thought.
The Rabbi voice broke through, "I could only find eight other Jews, with me it makes nine. We need you."
Grisha realized that the Rabbi was no fool and knew full well what that he was a spy. But now he needed him and he trusted him with his life and the lives of others. It was in his hands. He motioned for the Rabbi to wait, slipped on a pair of pants and a shirt over his pajamas, put on his shoes and followed the Rabbi up the stairs to his apartment.
There were several other Jews, a young man and woman and an older woman as the Rabbi said and eight others. They glanced at Grisha and then at the Rav with confusion. But the Rav wasted no time. He sat the couple down, asked them a few questions, wrote a marriage document, produced a bottle of wine and then told everyone to stand and spread a large prayer shawl (Tallit) high over the bride and groom as a wedding canopy. Then he began the short ceremony. Everything was silent except for the Rabbis voice. It was as though they had entered a time tunnel. He read the marriage document, the groom put a ring on the bride's finger, the Rabbi made several blessings... And that was it. Everyone smiled and whispered 'Mazal Tov!! The Bride and her mother were crying with joy. The groom was crying with joy, the men around were shaking hands and kissing each other in joy.
Only the Rabbi was still. His eyes were afire with love of the Creator. They didn't dare sing or dance lest they attract attention. which would mean death for them all but their hearts spoke louder than words.
Then something happened to Grisha that he had only experienced as a child. He felt happy. In moments, one by one they silently exited the Rabbi's house and descended the stairs into the darkness.
Until only Grisha was left. He took out his wallet and handed the Rebbe a card. "What is this?" he asked. "This, Rebbe, is my Party Membership card. I don't need it anymore. From now on I'm loyal to you and your G-d. I'm a Jew, Rebbe. I'm a Jew! And no one can take that from me. You were right, you can trust me. Good Yom Tov Everyone. . M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: In Memory of CHAYA CHAVA BAS REB MOSHE YAKOV In memory of R' Yaakov ben Naftoly, of blessed memory In Memory of Reb Yitzchok ben Reb Shimon (Friedman) of blessed memory Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Leah bas Tziporah
A
healthy, happy and wonderful Shabbos,
Rachamim
Pauli
