Monthly Archives: December 2013

Hanukkah miracles

Posted on December 8, 2013

Blinded in a Gaza terrorist attack last month, 2nd Lieutenant Ahiya Klein has recovered enough sight in his left eye to return home and light Hanukkah candles. And, two-year-old Avigail Ben-Tzion is smiling again after suffering serious head injuries when … Continue reading →

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The first night of Hanukkah in Jerusalem

Posted on December 8, 2013

A glimpse of Israel’s capital in the glow of the first candle lit during the festival of lights. Prime Minister Netanyahu lit for the IDF delegation returning from the Philippines. http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/IN-PICTURES-The-first-night-of-Hanukka-in-the-Holy-Land-333247

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The world’s oldest wine cellar

Posted on December 8, 2013

Archaeologists have discovered a 3700-year-old wine cellar in Tel Kabri, in the Galilee. Forty intact jars were found in the cellar, which dates to 1700 BCE. Each of the jars would have held fifty liters. The cellar is estimated to … Continue reading →

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Miracles

Posted on December 8, 2013

Here is an appropriate video to bridge the period between the Jewish festivals of Purim and Passover. It features singers Gad Elbaz, Naftali Kalfa and Ari Lesser. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HqgwB6kOEA

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Mini-golf project gets good publicity

Posted on December 8, 2013

Newsletter subscriber Grant Crankshaw’s Headstart campaign to build a Bible-themed mini-golf venue in Ra’anana has been featured in top media articles. Here it is on Israel21c. http://israel21c.org/israel-in-the-spotlight/crowdsourcers-go-gaga-over-israeli-reggae-and-golf/ http://www.headstart.co.il/project.aspx?id=4445&lan=en-US

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Three of the fastest growing companies are Israeli

Posted on December 8, 2013

Deloitte’s EMEA Fast 500 ranks three Israeli companies among the ten European technology companies with the highest rates of growth. MyThings (advertising) was placed second, Trusteer (IT security) was fifth and MyHeritage (family trees and genealogy) was tenth. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000898022

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Apple buys Israel’s Prime Sense for $350 million

Posted on December 8, 2013

After 18 months of talks, Apple Inc confirmed that it has acquired Israel’s PrimeSense. PrimeSense’s gesture recognition hardware and software is embedded in Microsoft’s Kinect system used in Xbox 360 game consoles. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000896528

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Israeli economy gets more ‘A’s

Posted on December 8, 2013

Fitch announced this that it has affirmed Israel’s ‘A’ rating and raised the country’s outlook to ‘positive’. It also affirmed Israel’s long-term foreign and local currency ratings at ‘A’ and ‘A+’ respectively. The agency also raised the outlook on the … Continue reading →

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All-time record for currency reserves

Posted on December 8, 2013

The total of Israel’s foreign currency reserves reached a new record of £80,589 in November. http://www.boi.org.il/en/NewsAndPublications/PressReleases/Pages/05-12-2013-forex.aspx

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Unemployment falls to 5

Posted on December 8, 2013

%. Israel’s unemployment rate fell to 5.9% in October from 6% in September. The number of Israelis participating in the work force rose to 3,704,000, up 0.4% from the previous month. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000897629

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