24 Kislev 5776
Sunday, December 6 2015
SPECIAL NOTICE:
Chanukah began at sundown today.
To all who celebrate this wonderful holiday:
HAG SAMEACH!! (Happy Holiday!!)
UPDATES 8:00 PM
7:45 pm: Palestinian stabbing attack. Terrorist stabs 2 Israelis outside the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. No word on condition of Israelis. Terrorist shot and killed.
The scene of the attack a few minutes ago. You can see MADA medics rushing toward the wounded. The man on the ground is the dead terrorist (photo walla).
7:11 pm: Palestinian shooting attack. Terrorists open fire at Israeli car on Road 443 near Ofer. No Israelis wounded. Terrorists escape.
4:45 pm: Palestinian attacks thwarted. Apparently, details are scarce, there have been several attempts today to attack Israel oil and gas wells off the coast. Here in Ashdod we have heard naval cannon fire during the day in the location of the wells just off the coast (in view of your humble servant’s bedroom).
UPDATE 9:00 AM
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***Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .
Yesterday ended with Palestinian terrorists opening fire on an IDF force near Othniel (near Hebron). Even at this point in the morning, it is not clear who if anyone was wounded on either side.
An attempted stabbing was thwarted in Hebron at the Cave of the Patriarchs when alert Border Guards captured a Palestinian terrorist as she began to stab someone.
Sometimes, it is difficult to get a sense of the scope of the “rock” and Molotov firebomb attacks that occur everyday in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem. But here are more than 20 places where such attacks took place yesterday: Aboud, Neve Daniel, Efrat, Al Moair, Checkpoint 407, Silwad, Jib, Abu Dis, Har Shmuel, Ras al-Amud, Silwad, Old City of Jerusalem, Qalandiya, Hizma, Ibilin, Elon Moreh, Beit Awa, Hebron Hills, Beit Arieh, Marda, Beit Ummar, and Gush Etzion.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Your humble servant thought that on this day before Chanukah, he would focus on some good news in Israel. So herewith, in no particular order . . .
- The population of the Israeli Golan Heights is exploding . . .
Not counting the Israeli Druze towns along the Syrian border, about 16,000 Israelis live on the Golan Heights.
Just outside of Katzrin, the capital of the Israeli Golan Heights.
It is now projected that within the next five years that number of Israelis will double. 12,000 new inhabitants have already purchased apartments and houses in Katzrin. As the mayor said this week, “We used to have a campaign to attract more residents, now we cannot handle the volume of people wanting to move here.”
One of the main sources of new people are new immigrants to the country. The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has 3800 new housing units in the construction pipeline.
Why are Israelis moving to the Golan?
One new resident summed up various reasons: “We were looking for a place with a high quality of life, a high level of education, and a place without traffic jams. We were looking for an agricultural plot and found excellent options in the Golan. We also checked in the Negev, but the prices were more expensive, and we connected more to this area.”
- The amazing Birthright-Taglit program will enter its 16th year in January.
In its first 15 years, it has astonishingly brought more than 500,000 Jewish university students and post-university students (ages 18 to 26) from 66 countries to Israel for a free 10 day trip.
Another group of happy birthrighters in Israel.
It is difficult to gauge the full impact of Birthright, but some statistics are telling (all statistics below relate to Jews outside of Israel):
—90% of participants feel closer to Israel after having been here
—30% of participants have returned to Israel after having been here
–intermarriage (marriage between a Jew and non Jew): only 22% of children of intermarried parents marry Jews–but among children from intermarried couples who came to Israel on Birthright the number is 55%. In other words, coming to Israel on Birthright doubles the possibility that a Jew will marry a Jew.
By the way, 50% of all Jewish children born in the world today are born to intermarried couples.
- A wonderful fund-raising campaign for Hebron began a few days ago.
And its original goal of $500,000 has already been met–as of this morning “The Hebron Fund” has reached $549,858. The really good news is that this number is going to be quadrupled by unnamed matching donors.
Do you want to contribute to a worthy cause? Click here; you can still donate during the “Bonus round”.
What is the money for?
This picture shows what life is like for Jews in Hebron (the two non-uniformed men). The Jews who live there are heroic–as are the IDF soldiers who protect them.
According to the website description:
“This will allow us to purchase the following equipment that is urgently needed:
–Bullet-proof vests for security personnel at schools & houses of prayer
–CCTV camera systems at schools, houses of prayer, Ma’arat HaMachpela, and other holy sites
–ATV type vehicle for security personnel, to provide adequate safety
–Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) & other Emergency Medical Equipment
–Counseling & therapeutic activities to provide relief and comfort for the emotional trauma faced by Hebron’s children
–Communal and General Support to sustain the community and operations during this challenging time”
- Israeli innovation and medical breakthrough continues its startling surge.
Please note that all the items below are quoted from the excellent website “www. nocamels.com” which in turn gleans the items from other Israel news sources.
–Israel leads the way on HIV research:
“Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new method to destroy HIV-positive cells without damaging the healthy ones. When the HIV virus attacks, it inserts a portion of its DNA into the genome of the healthy cell through an enzyme called integrase. However, research led by Prof. Abraham Loyter and Professor Assaf Friedler has discovered that certain peptides (amino acids) can interfere in this DNA-transfer process, and ultimately cause the infected cell to self-destroy.”
–Israel leads the way on water use in agriculture:
“While water scarcity has plagued desert countries for decades, it is no longer an inevitable concern for Israel’s desert thanks to technologies like Tal-Ya Agriculture Solutions. The Israeli firm has developed technologies designed to grow more food with less water. Among the company’s technologies are: Reusable plastic trays that capture dew from the air, reducing the water needed by crops by 50 percent. The square tray, which costs $3-$5 per piece, is made of recycled plastic. The innovative trays work by surrounding each plant, collecting dew as the weather changes overnight, and funneling it to plants and tree crops. The trays, which are supposed to last for 10 years, also block weeds that would otherwise compete with crops for water.”
Tal-Ya water trays–transforming agriculture.
–Israel leads the way in feeding the planet.
“Can you imagine growing limitless amounts of wheat amid extreme climates such as drought or heat? The Israeli firm NR Gene, based in Ness Ziona, has already checked that off its list. The genomic data startup recently mapped the complete emmer wheat genome in one month, which is now expected to allow scientists to breed seeds with higher yields and stronger disease resistance.
Now, “we can get higher yields, better grain quality and nutritional value, and plants that are resistant to diseases and better adapted to their growing environments,” NR Gene’s lead researcher Dr. Assaf Distelfeld said in a statement. He added: “Sequencing the wild wheat genome will advance wheat research and facilitate the genetic identification necessary for continuing wheat improvement.”
–Israel leads the way in Parkinson’s Disease research.
“While most brain monitoring systems require the invasive insertion of a sensor inside the head, Israel’s ElMindA’s BNA takes its measurements using a sensor-laden futuristic-looking “helmet” that contains dozens of electrodes that measure activity through the skull. The sensors are able to measure the electronic activity of the brain at different points, with each sensor recording the activity associated with a specific brain function – thought, memory, activity, etc.
The data is analyzed by specially developed algorithms based on patented signal processing and pattern recognition techniques that can connect between signals, revealing three-dimensional images of Brain Network Activation patterns which represent high resolution functional neural pathways. The data can aid doctors in the profiling of brain function and changes in functionality, and can assist follow-up of changes in disease progression and/or response to therapeutic interventions.”
———-
In sum, Israel is a place where good news is always happening!
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.