Israeli, Palestinian girls learn together about animal welfare in Tel Aviv

(photo: SHARON UDASIN)

By Sharon Udasin - March 23, 2015

Originally appeared here in The Jerusalem Post

As Yaniv Ovadia shouted, “Who wants to pet the cats?,” several dozen elementary school girls sped down a sandy hill at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in south Tel Aviv on Sunday evening.

So many of the girls, Palestinian and Israeli students from Jericho and Beit Shemesh, eagerly clamored around the fenced-in area housing the shelter’s felines, that Ovadia redirected some of them back to the dogs they had been playing with.

The approximately 40 girls were participating in an event called “New Spring – New Hope,” held at the SPCA in conjunction with the Peres Center for Peace.

“We let them pet and walk the dogs in our yard,” Ovadia, the director of the SPCA’s humanistic education department, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. “That’s when the real connection takes place.” Read More

Palestinian scientist wins top job at Israeli ministry

(photo: Jewish Agency for Israel)

By Avi Lewis - March 22, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Times of Israel 

A scientist from East Jerusalem was appointed to a senior position at Israel’s science and technology bureau Sunday, becoming the highest-ranking Palestinian without Israeli citizenship in an official government post. 

Tarek Abu-Hamed of Sur Baher, who specializes in the field of chemical engineering, was named as deputy chief scientist of Israel’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, the state body responsible for setting national policy on issues such as international scientific collaborations and research and development funding.

The deputy chief scientist is responsible for overseeing national scientific infrastructure, statewide intellectual property and the taxation of academic institutions, according to the ministry’s website. Read More 

Mob launches anti-Semitic attack on Stamford Hill synagogue

By Agency - March 22, 2015

Originally appeared here in The Telegraph (UK)

A drunken mob of more than 20 thugs shouted "kill the Jews" as they stormed into a north London synagogue while young worshippers celebrated the end of the sabbath.

The anti-Semitic abuse was hurled by the group of men and women as they first beat up a young man outside before chasing him inside, breaking windows and attacking others.

Part of the chaotic incident in Stamford Hill was captured on video before the intruders were beaten back as the worshippers grabbed chairs to protect themselves.

Scotland Yard said six people - four men and two women - were later arrested on suspicion of public order offences and assault. Read More

UK Prime Minister promises not to turn 'a blind eye' to anti-Semitism

By Tamara Cohen - March 19, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Daily Mail 

Jewish schools and synagogues will get £10million a year for guards to protect against anti-Semitic attacks, David Cameron announced last night.

In a hard-hitting speech to Jewish leaders last night, he promised not turn ‘a blind eye’ both to physical attacks and to ‘non-violent extremism’.

The Prime Minister said new money had been found in the Budget to protect the community following the terrorist attacks in Paris and at a synagogue in Denmark.

He said he had been ‘sickened beyond belief’ by the attacks in Paris in which journalists were killed at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, and more people died at a kosher grocery store.

‘At a time when once again the Jewish communities of Europe feel vulnerable, and when anti-Semitism is at record levels here in Britain, I will not stand by, I will not turn a blind eye’, Mr Cameron said. Read More

Israel purifies Marshall Island's drinking supply

By Abigail Klein Leichman - March 15, 2015

Originally appeared here on Israel21c

For more than 20 years, Israel’s G.A.L. Water Technologies managed to stay under the radar as it quietly provided its water-treatment products on a humanitarian basis to African nations through Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Now the Caesarea-based company is in the spotlight as it sends its latest solution — a unique water-purification system loaded into a vehicle — to the Marshall Islands, which suffer a serious lack of drinking water despite being surrounded by the vast saltwater northern Pacific Ocean.

Israel has gained a worldwide reputation for sharing its advanced desalination and water-tech products. Just in the past year, the Israeli company IDE Technologies constructed a ship-based desalination operation in Japan.

Therefore it was understandable that at a recent Samoan summit for heads of small developing island states, Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak appealed to Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi for assistance with the water shortage.

In response, Hanegbi arranged for the island to receive a donation of the very first GalMobile, G.A.L. Deputy CEO Sigal Levi tells ISRAEL21c.

“This new product, patented in 171 countries, is the first of its kind in the world,” she says.“In a few minutes you have enough fresh water for 6,500 people to drink, completely automatically, with no need for an engineer.” Read More

Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli wants to judge you

 (Photo: Bar Refaeli image via Shutterstock)

By Gabe Friedman - March 17, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Times of Israel 

JTA — In the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on March 3, which added to a growing rift in US-Israel relations, the Israeli embassy in the United States has started a contest to reignite the next generation’s enthusiasm for Israel. The hook: it involves Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli

The contest is calling for American college students to film short, creative videos that display their love of Israel. One winner will earn a free trip to Israel, and three finalists will win a trip to Washington, DC to meet with Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer. Read More

Israelis take to the nation’s beaches, parks after placing their votes

(photo: SHARON UDASIN)

By Sharon Udasin - March 17, 2015

Originally appeared here in The Jerusalem Post

While just a brave few took to the still chilly waves on a breezy but sunny Tuesday afternoon, families came out in droves to build sand castles, play matkot and enjoy post-voting barbecues at Palmahim National Park this Election Day.

With most companies closing their doors for Election Day – as employees working were required to receive 200 percent salary compensation – Israelis flocked to the country’s national parks, nature reserves, beaches and malls, eager to take advantage of their extra vacation. At Palmahim Beach, located just south of Rishon Lezion in central Israel, families and friends gathered to enjoy picnic lunches, catch up on reading and generally escape their everyday routines. 

Three moms from Modi’in, sat chatting and enjoying their lunch, with six kids and one dogs playing around them. 
“Our husbands went on the Israel Trail and we’re the abandoned wives,” one of the moms, Alana Stern, told The Jerusalem Post.  

“My husband got up at 6 a.m. to vote at 7 a.m. and be at the trail by 8 a.m.,” added her friend Adina Yagod. Read More

British colonel finally granted wish: Burial in Israel near soldiers he led

(Hillel Kuttler/JTA)

By Hillel Kuttler - March 16, 2015

Originally appeared here in The Times of Israel

MOSHAV AVICHAIL, Israel (JTA) – On a crisp February morning in this community near the Mediterranean Sea, the sound of Israel’s flag whipping in the wind likely pleased the soul of John Henry Patterson, whose ashes were buried a few yards away.

Patterson was a lieutenant colonel in the British military, and during World War I he commanded the Zion Mule Corps and the Jewish Legion — the first Jewish military units in two millennia.

Although he was Christian, Patterson had expressed an interest in being buried in Israel alongside the men, many from pre-state Israel, he had commanded. Patterson had been reared on the Bible and a love for the Jewish people and their land. But his family could not afford to transport the body to Israel when he died 67 years ago in Los Angeles.

In December, his wishes were finally honored: his remains and those of his wife, Frances, were moved to the cemetery at Avichail, a moshav founded by many of his soldiers. Read More

What's Behind India's Admiration for Israel?

(Avi Ohayon, GPO)

By Gedalyah Reback - March 12, 2015

Originally appeared here in Arutz Sheva 

Many Israelis, particularly Israeli Jews, see India as a natural ally. Both countries face radical Muslim enemies, fighting for their continued independence as the only state for their respective Jewish and Hindu peoples. But that is not how Indians view it, and it might be critical for Israelis to understand that as Jerusalem looks to deepen its relationship with New Delhi.

"Indian abstained from voting for Israeli independence in 1947," says Arjun Ramesh Hardas, "because so soon after arguing against the Pakistani argument that Muslims needed a separate state, they could not accept the idea that religion should be the basis for independence."

Mr. Hardas is the American Jewish Committee's representative in India and was formally involved with The Israel Project as part of their now-defunct India desk.

"According to the Two-Nation Theory, Pakistan and India needed to be separate. India did not accept that idea because when you look at these two countries, everything is culturally identical."

Most Indians and Pakistanis speak dialects of the same language - what Indians call Hindi and Pakistanis call Urdu. Major lifecycle events like weddings are very similar. It was only on religion where they differed. This was not the case with Israelis and Arabs in 1947, but that wasn't what Indians perceived.

"Because Israel was seen as 'Jewish' and did not project itself as a secular state, they had trouble accepting the concept of Israel. It was not anti-Israeli."

It is Israel's identity as an open democracy that would have more appeal among Indians, including the majority Hindus. India might have a Hindu majority, but it has sizeable minorities of Muslims, Sikhs and Jains. Christians and Jews, though much smaller, have still found ways to represent themselves in society. Read More 

How Ice Hockey is bringing Israelis and Canadians together

(Darren Makowichuk/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency)

By Laura Booth - March 10, 2015

Originally appeared here in Calgary Sun

For hockey-loving children in Israel, the chance to head to the rink, lace up a pair of skates, and throw together a game of shinny is rare.

The only rink and hockey school in the entire country exists in its northern most city, Metulla, and is called the Canada Israel Hockey School (CIHS).

So when a group of 20 hockey players from Israel arrived in Calgary Tuesday, after a week in Vancouver, they were both thrilled and shocked at how obsessed this country is with the sport.

“Whenever they get to go into a new arena, it’s a whole new experience ... they just get so excited by every experience,” said CIHS volunteer and North American liaison Mitch Miller.

“To walk in and see a pro—shop here, to see all the hockey stuff, to see a vending machine that sells laces — they go crazy.”

The CIHS team of girls, boys, Arabs and Jews will spend five days in Calgary, taking in as much hockey as possible. Read More

UCLA student is latest victim of anti-Semitism on campus

By Barry Kosmin - March 10, 2015

Originally appeared here on CNN.com

The story of the Jews in the United States is a testament to "American exceptionalism" and stands in contrast to a long history of discrimination and pariah status in Europe and Muslim lands. In fact, the economic prosperity and social standing of America's Jews shows that generally they have fared better than many other minorities.

This positive record is a fulfillment of the assurance given to the Newport, Rhode Island, Hebrew Congregation in 1790 by President George Washington: "It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States ... gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." Since then, American Jews have been appointed and elected to public offices as governors, senators, mayors, Cabinet officers and in the military, and today, most American adults are unaware of and don't seem to care who's Jewish.

Thus it comes as a shock when at the University of California Los Angeles, a Jewish woman student applicant for the Student Council's Judicial Board is initially rejected after being asked: "Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?" According to The New York Times, the discussion that followed had "seemed to echo the kind of questions, prejudices and tropes -- particularly about divided loyalties -- that have plagued Jews across the globe for centuries." Read More

Christians across the UK begin signing Israel ‘appreciation’ declaration

Originally appeared here in Jewish News (UK) - March 9, 2015

Christians across the UK have been signing a declaration expressing appreciation of Israel, in the wake of growing anti-Semitism and extremism in the Middle East.

The declaration states: “We deeply appreciate that Israel is the only country in the Middle East which extends freedom of worship to all its citizens and where the Christian community is growing.

“We grieve and stand with families in Israel and the wider Middle East, who have lost loved ones and with all who are persecuted by the rise of violent extremism and intolerance in the region.”

It has been endorsed by organizations, Christian Friends of Israel and the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, as well as by individual churches and prayer groups.

It calls upon the spiritual leaders and elected representative to work to combat anti-Semitism and extremism across the world and to strengthen co-operation between the UK and Israel.

A meeting was held in the Carriageworks theatre in Leeds on 1 March, attended by over 200 people, including Pastor Kemi Ilori, who leads the Team group of 21 churches in Leeds. He said he was ‘proud’ to sign the Declaration and show public support for both the Jewish community at a time of surging anti-Semitism in the UK and extremism in the Middle East. Read More

Cavers find treasure from era of Alexander the Great in Israel

(Clara Amit/Israel Antiquities Authority)  

By Jethro Mullen and Oren Liebermann - March 9, 2015

Originally appeared here on CNN.com 

Hen Zakai loves exploring darkness. In his spare time, he lowers himself into the underground world of hidden caves to navigate the nooks and crevasses of a very different environment.

Zakai was recently spelunking with his father and a friend, all of whom are members of the Israeli Caving Club, when Zakai spotted a shiny silver object in one of the most well-hidden stalactite caves in northern Israel.

As Zakai moved in for a closer look, he found two ancient silver coins stashed inside a nook. The coins were meant to be hidden, perhaps to be retrieved at a later date. Instead, they lay in secret for more than 2,000 years in a small hoard that will give archaeologists a valuable insight into ancient Israel. 

"We saw the pictures of some of the items that were found in the cave," says Eitan Klein, deputy director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit at Israel Antiquities Authority, "and we understood that we are talking about something very, very unique." Read More

Jewish-Arab running group leaves race out of Jerusalem marathon

(photo: Itay Akirav)

By Melanie Lidman - March 5, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Times of Israel

More than 25,000 people are expected to pound the pavement on March 13 for the fifth (full) Jerusalem marathon, including 2,200 from 60 countries other than Israel and 6,000 people running to raise money for charity. If you’re one of the participants, or cheering along the sidelines, keep your eyes peeled for a dozen teenage girls in white shirts. They may not be talking to each other, because they don’t speak the same language, but they’ll certainly be rooting for one another

The girls are members of a new running initiative called “Runners Without Borders” that brings Arab, Jewish, and Armenian girls together. But unlike other coexistence initiatives spearheaded by international groups or well-established organizations with executive boards and fundraising committees, the powerhouse behind this running group is a high school student and runner named Shoshana Ben-David from Jerusalem.

“Last summer, because the whole situation was so tense, I really felt the increase in the racism and the violence,” said Ben-David, 18. “I felt that I had to do something, and I wanted to something for teenage girls because I saw that girls are doing a lot less sport than the boys are doing. So I said, why not kill two birds with one stone? Let’s combine this together with doing something about the terrible political situation.”

Runners Without Borders has two goals: to help young women improve their self-confidence and body image through sports, and to bring disparate communities together, Ben-David explained. Read More

What Happens When a Christian Wears a Cross in Israel?

By Ari Soffer - March 4, 2015

Originally appeared here in Arutz Sheva

What's it like being a Christian in Israel?

That's a question Father Gabriel Naddaf - a Greek Orthodox priest and founder of the Israeli Christian Recruitment Forum and Christian Empowerment Council in Israel - decided to explore.

Inspired by a recent video showing the abuse Jews faced in Muslim neighborhoods of Paris, Naddaf asked Jonathan Elkhoury - an Israeli Christian originally from Lebanon - to don a cross and walk through the streets of Haifa in northern Israel. Read More 

How a Catholic Filipino became an IDF soldier

(photo credit:IDF)

By IDF BLOG - March 1, 2015

Originally appeared here in the The Jerusalem Post

Like every Israeli at the age of eighteen, Corporal Aaron Refael drafted into the IDF. However, Aaron is no ordinary Israeli. Today, he serves in the IDF’s Nahal Infantry Brigade, but the process to get there was not simple.

Aaron comes from a Catholic family, originally from the Philippines, and his father works as a driver in the Japanese Embassy to Israel. He was born and raised in Herzliya and has always considered Israel his home. Aaron grew up learning about the importance of the IDF, and knew from a very young age that he wanted to take part in defending the country. “I saw how everyone serves in the military, and I also wanted to contribute,” said Corp. Refael. Read More

Israeli doctors try to save Christian baby who fled Islamic State

(photo credit: Lazar Berman/Times of Israel)

By Lazar Berman - February 26, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Times of Israel 

The summer of 2014 was a tense time for the residents of Qaraqosh in northwestern Iraq. The Aramaic-speaking Chaldean Christian community was on edge. To the west, too close for comfort, the jihadists of the Islamic State had taken large swaths of land. Christians, like other minorities, were suffering grievously when they fell into the hands of IS terrorists.

Rumors swirled in the town that IS would make a push for Qaraqosh, but as long as it remained only a rumor, people stayed put. Leaving their family homes for a dangerous and uncertain future as refugees was too much of a risk. The community was safe, at least temporarily.

That all changed very quickly one day in August. “At 12:00 that day, people started shouting, ‘Get out, Daesh is coming!’ a refugee from Qaraqosh named Lina told The Times of Israel during an interview in Jerusalem, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. “Most of them left their cars and everything and just ran away. They left everything — their clothes, their gold, everything. Even their IDs.”

Not everyone managed to flee. Read More

Historic Breakthrough In Palestinian-Israeli Soccer Cooperation

Photo: Michal Fattal/Flash90

By Times of Israel Staff - February 5, 2015

Originally appeared here in the Times of Israel 

In a historic decision, the Palestine Football Association granted two soccer players international transfer certificates (ITCs), allowing them to leave the Palestinian league and play in Israel.

Until recently, the Palestinian association refused to cooperate with the Israel Football Association, hampering attempts by Palestinian players to transfer between the two leagues.

The Palestinian soccer group issued Mohammad Zuabi and Mohammad Fudi transfer certificates Monday, freeing them to “pursue sports activities and register with another national association affiliated to FIFA.” Read More

Postcard from Israel: Jerusalem's Nachlaot Neighborhood

Nachlaot ("Homesteads"), a cluster neighborhood of narrow, winding lanes near Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market, was first built in the 1870s. Today, its stone houses, hidden courtyards and small synagogues provide the backdrop for a youthful creative culture that has made Nachlaot a residential and tourism jewel.

Come along as ISRAEL21c shows you how the old and new, the funky and the traditional, all coexist colorfully in Nachlaot.

Video by Asi Aivas for ISRAEL21c

French Diaspora Could Push Israel Property Prices Even Higher

Photo: Bloomberg News

By Joshua Mitnick - February 3, 2015 

Originally appeared here on The Wall Street Journal 

TEL AVIV—Residential real-estate prices in Israel have been on a tear for the past seven years. An expected wave of French Jews fleeing an increasingly tense environment in France could push prices even higher.

Advertisements written in French fill the display windows of a strip of real-estate brokerages in this city just steps from the Mediterranean Sea. The influx of the Jewish diaspora from France, the U.S. and other places across the globe helped contribute to a near-doubling of Israel’s home prices since the end of 2007.

According to The Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization that works on immigration issues, 10,000 French Jews will move to Israel this year compared with 7,000 last year.

“January and February are not usually very busy periods because of the winter,” said Eric Toubiana, a co-owner of the Comacom Group brokerage on the city’s busy Ben Yehuda Street. “But ever since the period of Charlie, we’ve had a huge amount of work,” he said, referring to the attack in Paris on the staffers of the French satirical magazineCharlie Hebdo that left 12 dead. Mr. Toubiana said his business partner has flown to France to deal with all the extra business. Read More