Israel Active

(Thanks to Israel21c and Hebrew U) The world is losing its coral reefs due to vital algae being expelled when water temperatures rise. However a “warm-water barrier” at the southern Red Sea, allows in only heat-tolerant genotypes of corals to the Gulf of Eilat.

Over 5,000 Christian pilgrims from around 100 nations will take part in the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem's (ICEJ) annual Feast of Tabernacles this week. The festival is the largest annual tourist event in Israel.

Sukkot / Tabernacles is the most inclusive of Jewish festivals. The Sukkah (booth) itself can be of infinite width, in order to accommodate as many people who wish to celebrate. And in Israel, the last time we saw more representations from nations of the world, was in King Solomon’s time.

Member of Knesset Rabbi Dov Lipman seems to have a positive outlook for Israel’s internal issues. He highlights initiatives for Haredi army service and employment, support for Jewish values and education, building of low-cost housing, hi-tech high schools and electoral reforms.

Winner of the Blankfeld Award for Media Critique is Sri Lankan-born, Dutch student Timon Dias. He started defending Israel when he realized that one side had always rejected peace and that the conflict was not about territory but about ideology.

Csanad Szegedi used to be vice-president of Hungary’s far-right, anti-Semitic Jobbik party until he discovered he was Jewish. He abandoned Jobbik and embraced Judaism. The change to his life culminated this year when he made his first visit to the Jewish State.

Meir Tzan’ani blew the shofar in his synagogue until he was 17 years old when his lungs were burnt in a schoolboy prank. Following a transplant and rehabilitation at the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson campus in Petah Tikva, Meir (now age 57) can blow the shofar once more.

In summer excavations 50 meters from Temple Mount, Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar discovered 36 gold Byzantine coins, jewelry, and a 7th century gold medallion depicting a menorah (Temple candelabrum), a shofar (ram’s horn) and a Torah scroll. As Dr Mazar says “At Rosh Hashana, it’s the best gift we could get”.

Excavations by Tel Aviv University archaeologists in Israel’s Arava desert reveal that copper mines in Israel (previously thought to have been built by the ancient Egyptians in the 13th century BCE) actually originated three centuries later, during the reign of King Solomon.

Miriam Siebenberg lives in a very unusual house - her Jerusalem home was built on top of another home, one that existed over 2,000 years ago. “Both my roots and the roots of our people are right underneath this house,” she says. The Siebenberg House Museum is definitely worth a visit.