Kibbutz Solar Farm will ‘Help Fight Terror’

Hat Tip: Ra'anan

The world’s first commercial thermal-electric solar farm was launched this month-- in Israel. It will generate solar electricity along with hot water for Kibbutz Yavne. It can also help fight terror by reducing dependency on Iranian sources of oil.


From Arutz 7:

The Israeli Zenith Solar firm designed the novel system for Yavne, a national-religious kibbutz located halfway between Tel Aviv and Be’er Sheva. The solar energy complex uses mirrors that magnify the sun’s power 1,000 times instead of employing the standard low-efficiency solar cell.

The Zenith system harvests 50 percent of the sun’s radiation, compared with 10 percent in standard systems. A single solar cell opposite a concave dish of 1,000 small mirrors absorbs the solar energy. Each mirror measures about 15 centimeters (six inches) in each direction.

The dishes, currently numbering more than two dozen, are powered by a 60-watt motor that keeps them positioned opposite the sun.

Water, pumped to the cell at the rate of seven liters (1.8 gallons) a minute to keep it from burning out, limits its surface temperature to “only” 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit).

The resultant near-boiling water is pumped into a 20,000-liter (5,200-gallon) storage tank that keeps the water hot for up to 24 hours. From there, it is pumped to kibbutz homes.

Zenith’s team, which includes entrepreneur Roy Segev and Ben Gurion University Professor David Faiman, explained that the system will provide approximately half of the energy needs of Kibbutz Yavne residents. They will be saving 40,000 liters (10,400 gallons) of regular fuel, and the cost of the solar energy will be approximate 8 cents a kilowatt hour, slightly less than the cost of electricity supplied by the Israel Electric Corp (IEC).

President Peres, speaking at the ceremony launching the solar farm, called it “democratic” energy that is available to everyone in the world. He added, “It is a natural way to fight terror because the oil-producing countries of Iran and Venezuela destroy our lives by terror.”

Click here to read more.

Also See:
- Israeli Science Breakthrough Extracts Fuel from Water
- SOVNA provides wind power to cities
- Major Electric Car Agreement Signed by 19 Israeli Companies
- Shai Agassi: Revolutionizing the Electric Car in Israel
- So You Want to Boycott Israel?
- Israeli Facts
- Israeli Company Unveils Groundbreaking External Evacuation System
- The Urban Fish Farm of the Future
- Beautiful Israelis
- Groundbreaking Israeli Lung Imaging System Unveiled

Ilan Halimi's Murderers On Trial

Here is an excerpt from Abe Selig's piece in the Jerusalem Post:

A crime that brought religious tensions to a boiling point in France and shook the world Jewish community to its core was thrust back into the spotlight on Wednesday, as a self-proclaimed "gang of barbarians" went on trial for the murder of Ilan Halimi, a French-Jewish cellphone salesman who was kidnapped, tortured and found dying near a railroad track south of Paris in February 2006.

Halimi, who was 23 at the time of his murder, was reportedly lured by a young French-Iranian woman to his kidnappers' lair in a housing project in Bagneux - a southern suburb of Paris - in late January 2006. There, he was overpowered by a gang of some 21 Arab and African youths, who, using a key provided by the housing project's janitor, tied Halimi to a chair in the basement, where he was savagely tortured for the next 24 days.

Halimi was found on February 13, 2006, naked, tied and handcuffed to a tree near a railroad track in the Parisian suburbs, with burns from acid and flammable liquid covering 80 percent of his body, multiple stab wounds, as well as a severed ear and toe. He died on his way to the hospital.

Now, with the trial under way in Paris, the wounds from 2006 are reopening painfully. At the start of the proceedings on Wednesday, the gang's alleged leader, a French national born to immigrants from the Ivory Coast named Youssouf Fofana, entered the courtroom yelling "Allahu akbar," and scuffles broke out between his supporters and Jewish youths who had gathered at the courthouse to voice their outrage over the crime.

Bearded and wearing a white tracksuit, Fofana gave his identity during formal questioning by the judge as "Arabs African, Salafist revolt, barbarian army," recalling his gang's self-appointed name, "Les Barbares" - the Barbarians.

Fofana also reportedly smirked at Halimi's family members in the courtroom and, in a further provocation, the 28-year-old said he was born on February 13, 2006, in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois- the exact date and location of Halimi's death.

Members of the French-Jewish community told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that, just as the grisly murder in 2006 sent tensions soaring between Parisian Jews and Muslims, the trial itself has once again highlighted the deep rifts that exist between the two communities, who often live side-by-side in the blue-collar, low income banlieues, or outlying suburbs of Paris.

"A few days before the trial began, some young Jews tried to put up Ilan's picture around Paris, and they were confronted by groups of Arabs," Serge Golan, a reporter for the Hamodia newspaper in Paris told the Post. "Fights broke out between the two sides. The trial is certainly bringing back all the old tensions, if they ever really went away in the first place."

Another point of contention, Golan explained, was now over the framing of the crime itself. Fofana stands accused of kidnapping, sequestration, torture and murder - but the charge sheet also includes anti-Semitism, which French law considers an "aggravating circumstance" requiring the stiffest sentences. Fofana faces life in prison.

"The Jewish community understands that this was an anti-Semitic crime, that Halimi was killed because he was Jewish," Golan said.

But Fofana's lawyers, Golan continued, have attempted to frame the murder not as an anti-Semitic murder, but a kidnapping with the sole intent of financial gain.

However, even in that version of the story, Fofana and the others who have been accused, allegedly singled out Halimi because he was Jewish, and "his family had money."

Click here to read Selig's entire article.

The trial is to last until July 10. It remains to be seen if France will effectively prosecute these criminals as authorities were initially in denial that the murder of Ilan Halimi was a premeditated, antisemitic attack.

Also See:
- Halimi's Murderers On Trial, London's 7/7 Bombers Go Free & 150 Killed in Iraq
- Death Sentences, Life Sentences, The FBI & CAIR

Israel celebrates 61st Independence Day

From Arutz 7:

The People of Israel, born more than 3,500 years ago, began celebrating their modern country’s 61st year of independence Tuesday night. Celebrations began immediately after Israel concluded Remembrance Day for thousands who gave up their lives for the nearly six million Jews living in the Jewish state today.

Twelve torches were lit at Har Herzl in Jerusalem at the annual ceremony marking the end of Remembrance Day and the beginning of Independence Day. The honorees who lit the torches are from Tel Aviv, whose 100th anniversary this year is the theme of Israel’s 61st year as a modern state.

Shlomo Lahat, who was the mayor of Tel Aviv for 20 years and is a retired major general in the IDF, lit the first torch in honor of the city’s residents.

Renowned Tel Aviv cantor (chazan) Rabbi Avraham Chan Adler lit the second torch "in honor of those who preserved the traditions of Jewish prayer and poetry in all of Israel's denominations and for the bond between the first Hebraic city and its Jewish roots."

The other torches were lit by artist Leah Mejaro-Mintz, biophysics Professor Menachem Guttman, of the Tel Aviv University and son of famed writer and artist Nahum Guttman, businessman Yair Rotlevi, historian Shula Vidrich, actress Yevgenia Dodina, radio personality Amikam Gurevitch, philanthropist Nazarian Joseph Vince, musician and author Kobi Oz, IDF Lt. Col. Oren Cohen and two youth, Michal Meron and Angelica Yoavov.

עם ישראל חי

Israel remembers its 22,570 fallen

In memory of the fallen Israeli soldiers and the victims of terrorism. Yehi zichram baruch!

לזכר חללי צה"ל


From the Jerusalem Post:

Israel paused Monday night to mourn its fallen soldiers, as the nation marked Remembrance Day and honored the memory of those who lost their lives in defense of the state.

A one-minute air-raid siren wailed across the country at 8 p.m. Monday night, followed by ceremonies in memory of fallen soldiers and the victims of terror attacks across the country.

The official state ceremony marking the start of Israel's Memorial Day began immediately after the siren at Jerusalem's Western Wall Plaza, in the presence of President Shimon Peres, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, and bereaved families.

"They say the pain dissolves as times moves on, as years pass. And I know it isn't so: Pain just becomes sharper as the days and years go by," Peres said at the start of the ceremony. "You see a soldier in IDF uniform in the street and your eyes well up.

"You hear steps in the stairwell and you think maybe he returned, maybe he's coming home," he continued. "But no, it's not him. You participate in a family gathering and your heart is broken. Everybody dances and laughs and you make an effort to break into a smile so as not to spoil the fun.

"This year, also, we lost the best of our boys and girls, some of them in Operation Cast Lead. This year also we returned to the cemeteries, to bury our dead, mourn their loss and cry with the families," the president said.

"For 61 years we have been burying our children and the end is still not on our horizon," Peres said. "Again and again the boys are called to protect their fathers and mothers; again and again the commanders lead their troops and fall in battle, because the best of our men always go down first."

Although the country has faced its share of threats, Peres predicted even more to come, and insisted that Israel wanted peace but was ready for war.

"This year, too, the threat to our existence persists, and yet, we do not run away from the battlefield. We do not want war, but if it is forced upon us, I suggest to our enemies and friends as one, to be on the right side, our side, the side that has always won and will always win," he said.

"The fallen have left behind them a strong and assured country," Peres concluded.

After Peres spoke, Ashkenazi took the stand and praised the IDF soldiers and the army's high moral standard.

"Here, in front of the Wailing Wall, I stand together with all of the IDF soldiers and salute all those who died in defense of our country," the IDF chief said.

"In this time, when speculations and allegations are being made about the moral code of the IDF following Operation Cast Lead, I would like to tell you about the sacrifices being made in fighting terrorism," said Ashkenazi. "The IDF is committed to saving human life, and our enemies take advantage of our high morals when firing at us from within centers of civilian population."

Ashkenazi praised the IDF soldiers, saying that "as their commander I want to tell you - our advantage over our enemies is because of our soldiers; we can and should be proud of them."

He went on to pledge that "the moral and ethical code will continue to lead the IDF in its operations and efforts to defend the citizens of Israel."

While he expressed hope for peace, Ashkenazi also warned those who wish to harm the state of Israel.

"To our enemies - after decades of conflicts, we still carry the hope to live side by side in peace, but I don't recommend that anyone try and challenge us. We are strong and well prepared," he stressed.

The ceremony was broadcast live on Monday night on all Israeli television channels and radio stations.

All places of entertainment will be closed from Monday night until sunset Tuesday.

A two-minute memorial siren will also sound at 11 a.m. Tuesday, followed by official ceremonies at 43 military cemeteries.

The Defense Ministry said that since 1860, when the first Jewish settlers began establishing Jewish neighborhoods outside the Jerusalem city walls, 22,570 men and women have been killed in defense of the Land of Israel.

In the past year, 133 soldiers and security personnel died, a figure that includes non-combat deaths.

There will also be a ceremony for overseas Mahal volunteers who fought and died during the War of Independence, which will take place at the Mahal memorial near the Sha'ar Hagai Junction.

Remembrance Day will draw to a close Tuesday night at 8 p.m. with the traditional torch-lighting ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl marking the sudden transition from sadness to joy with the start of Israel's 61th Independence Day.

Earlier, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged the country to maintain the unity it feels during Remembrance Day every day of the year.

"The unity that we feel during this day is natural and clear," Netanyahu said at a ceremony at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. "But I must say especially on this day of unity, that this [must continue] every day of the year.

"It is this unity which helps us through times of despair and difficulties, and it is this which will also help us tomorrow to face great challenges," he continued. "Our existence as a people and a nation depends on this unity."

Netanyahu also spoke of the need to ensure that every IDF soldier killed or captured by the enemy be returned to Israel.

"Today, as we remember those who have fallen, we should also lend our thoughts to those who were wounded and handicapped, and we should wish them a full recovery and rehabilitation," he said. "We won't spare any effort in locating those missing in action, and in bringing back kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Schalit."

Also See:
- Memorial siren sounds on Allenby and Balfour

Abbas refuses to recognize Israel as a 'Jewish state'

On Monday the head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) delivered a speech on peace-making where he rejected Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's demand that the PA recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Abbas' recent statements are more ridiculous than stating that the USA's borders don't include states won in the 1848 Mexican-American War. Israel's pre-1967 "borders" were armistice lines rather than proper borders. The post-1967 borders are valid. And while we're on the subject of borders and settlements, I have got to wonder at the lack of attention to the illegal building projects in East Jerusalem by Muslim Arabs. The selective attention on Israel is rather sinister and hypocritical. Abbas' underlying message almost suggests that he sees the Israel-Arab conflict as a religious conflict since his main issue is recognizing Israel as a Jewish country.

From the Jerusalem Post:

Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is the only way to end the conflict, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, in response to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' rejection of the Israeli demand for such recognition.

"The argument over recognizing Israel as a Jewish state is not technical or tactical," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy told The Jerusalem Post Monday.

"The Palestinians cannot negotiate for a two-state solution where one is Palestinian and the other is Palestinian-to-be," he said. "This is essential; it is the choice between ending the conflict or failing to end the conflict."

A ministry statement said that "recognizing Israel as the sovereign state of the Jewish people is a crucial and necessary stage in the historical reconciliation process between Israelis and the Palestinians. The sooner the Palestinians internalize this basic fact, the sooner the peace between our nations will progress."

Earlier Monday, Abbas delivered a tough speech on peace-making, rejecting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's demand that the PA recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Last week senior Palestinian officials also rejected Netanyahu's demand.

"The Israeli government has come up with many new issues and it does not want a two-state solution," Abbas told the Palestinian "Youth Parliament in Ramallah. "We don't accept the term 'Jewish state' and insist on achieving all our rights."

He added: "We say that Israel is a state and the Israelis have the right to call themselves whatever they wish. But I don't accept this. At the Annapolis peace conference we told the Israelis that we only recognize the State of Israel and that they are free to call themselves as they wish."

Perhaps "Palestine" should be based on its historical borders, Mr. Abbas? But that would be a problem since no "Palestine" ever existed. Let's be honest. When Abbas says that he will not recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, he is reaffirming Fatah's position that Israel and the Jews have no right to exist. Fatah's charter doesn't recognize Israel. We should also remember that the head of the the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, used to be a terrorist. Abbas was the financier of the Munich massacre of the Israeli athletes in 1972.

Also See:
- Fatah still refuses to recognize Israel
- PA Officials Reiterate Warning of Renewed 'Armed Struggle'
- Inside a Hamas Meeting
- Question: How did the troubles with Gaza begin?
- The Middle East Conflict?
- During Financial Crisis, Obama Administration Plans to Send $900 Million to Gaza

Life in Iran

Hat Tip: Stuart

The following is a shocking account of imprisonment in Iran's notorious Evin prison. Luckily, the brave student dissident, Ahmad Batebi, was able to escape his death sentence when he was briefly released for medical attention. This story is another example of the human injustice that is perpetrated by the Iranian Government. This CBS interview is from earlier this month.



Also See:
- At least 346 people executed in Iran in 2008
- Dissident Iranian Blogger Dies in Notorious Evin Prison

Ofra Haza: Ya Hilwi Ya Hali

This song is available on Ofra Haza's album "Yemenite Songs."

Yemenite-Jewish music draws on centuries of Hebrew poetry and musical traditions of the ancient Jewish community.

Also See:
- Ofra Haza: Ayelet Chen
- Ofra Haza: Eynaim
- Ofra Haza: Ma Omrot Einaich
- Ofra Haza: Tfila/תפילה

Lieberman appoints Bedouin diplomat Mideast advisor

Avigdor Lieberman appointed a Bedouin Muslim as his Mideast advisor. I thought he was supposed to be a racist!? Here is a thought-- perhaps Lieberman's distaste for Palestinian-Arab terrorism and fruitless compromising has nothing to do with racism after all.

From Y-Net:

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has named Bedouin diplomat Ismail Khaldi his Middle East advisor, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.

Khaldi was the first Bedouin to join Israel's Foreign Service. He currently serves as deputy consul in San Francisco, California.

His appointment is said to stem from Lieberman's' desire to appoint someone familiar with the complexities of the region who is also fluent in Arabic.

Khaldi, 38, is third of 11 siblings. His family resides in a small Bedouin village in upper Galilee. The village is said to have no electricity, no running water and neither a school nor an infirmary. Khaldi served in the IDF and worked as a political analyst for the Defense Ministry and the Israeli Police. He holds a Masters Degree in Political Science from Tel Aviv University.

Sources in the Foreign Ministry also said the appointment carries an important message, namely that it is Lieberman – accused by his rivals of being a racist – who will be the first minister to name a minority as a close advisor.

Other appointments in the Foreign Ministry include Hagit Ben-Yaakov as Lieberman's European advisor, Zeev Gur-Aryeh as his Russia and former USSR bloc advisor and Omer Caspi as his US advisor; all of whom will report to Naor Gilon, Lieberman's chief of staff.

I've met with Ismail Khaldi on two different occasions. The impression I got was that he's a wise and rational-thinking man.

Italian cruise ship fends off pirates with gunfire

These Israelis and Italians have got the right idea.

I wonder if we'll see any protests in response to this. After all, those mean Israelis have no business shooting at poor Somali pirates who very likely have ties to Al Qaeda!

Here is an excerpt from The Guardian:

The pirates drew alongside the liner in a small speedboat on Saturday night and sprayed the bridge with automatic rifle fire. But as they attempted to board the vessel, Israeli security guards on board opened fire with pistols, forcing the pirates to retreat.

The commander of the Msc Melody, Ciro Pinto, said: "It felt as if we were at war."

The skirmish is thought to be the first exchange of fire between a passenger vessel and attackers since the start of the current wave of piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Idan Raichel Project: Min Nhar Li Mshiti

This a truly beautiful Arabic song in the Moroccan dialect that seems to be well-known among Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish communities. Israeli singer Shimon Buskila, who is of Moroccan heritage, usually sings it in his concerts. When I saw the Idan Raichel Project in concert earlier this year they performed it live accompanied with my favorite instrument, the oud.


Also See:
- Idan Raichel Project
- Idan Raichel Project: Chalomot Shel Acherim
- Idan Raichel Project Coming to Los Angeles
- Beautiful Israelis

Elie Wiesel Called “Zio-Nazi” by Iranian official

A member of Iran's official delegation to the UN's anti-racism conference verbally assaulted Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel in Geneva, referring to him and other Jews present as "Zio-Nazis."

The incident was captured on camera. Video features the Iranian official repeatedly screaming at Wiesel, who chose to remain silent and ignore the reprehensible comments.

Wiesel is a Nobel Laureate and the author of 57 books. His best known work is Night, a memoir that describes Wiesel’s experiences during the Holocaust and his imprisonment in several concentration camps.

On Tuesday Elie Wiesel said it was an insult to have allowed Iran's president to launch a verbal assault on Israel at the UN conference.

Wiesel explained that the presence of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iranian president's speech was an insult to intelligence.



Also See:
- PJTV: Taliban Seize Greater Control of Pakistan & Elie Wiesel Called "Zio-Nazi" by Iranian official

Hamas Terrorist Tactics in the Gaza Strip

This video explains the background to Operation Cast Lead, specifically the terrorist tactics that Hamas employs. It shows how Hamas smuggles in weaponry in order to arm itself and how it employs the civilian population and infastructure in order to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel. Hamas' use of human shields during operation Cast Lead caused many civilian casualties. [1]

[1] IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Also See:
- "War Crimes" and Shoddy Journalism
- Human Rights Groups Ignore Hamas Crimes
- Hamas militants using a mosque to store weapons, abusing civilians in Gaza
- TV station in Gaza serves as rocket launching facility, Gaza journalist finds this funny
- Iran Renews Efforts to Re-Supply Hamas
- Hamas: Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields
- Sderot Victim to U.N.: Are Human Rights for Some, But Not Others?
- Sderot Mother Addresses United Nations: "Doesn't My Baby Have Right to Life?"
- 15 Seconds in Sderot, Israel

PJTV: Your Help Needed to Prevent an Honor Killing

On today's show there is information about how we can help prevent a potential honor killing.

Other pertinent headlines include information about despicable torture methods the Iraqi militia is reportedly using on homosexuals and updates from the current "anti-racism" conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Click here to view today's show.

Here is information about the woman who may very well be killed if she's sent back to Pakistan:

A Pakistani woman living in Canada says she'll be the victim of an honor killing by her estranged husband, a Muslim extremist, when she's deported to Pakistan at the end of the month.

Roohi Tabassum, 44, has explained that her husband is waiting for her to arrive in their native Pakistan where she is set to be deported on April 28.

Faisal Javed, a businessman and Sunni community leader, allegedly sent his estranged wife threats. The husband is reportedly outraged that his wife is employed in a beauty salon where she styles the hair of both women and men. He suspects she has a boyfriend.

Tabassum denies having any extra marital affair.

Tabassum was smuggled into Canada from the U.S. in 2001. She has filed an unsuccessful refugee claim. An appeal also was unsuccessful.

The woman said her first cousin was the victim of an honor killing after she refused to submit to an arranged wedding to an older man.

A family friend, Habiba Ahmed, said that women who are murdered in so-called honor killings are often dragged through a street, stones or shot to death. The friend also said that Roohi Tabassum will be killed is she returns to Pakistan in a very public execution in order to make an example of her.

Imam Abdulhai Patel from the Canadian Council of Imams said honor killings still take place in some areas of Pakistan and other Asian countries, but said they are rare.

A recent study suggests otherwise—noting that 1 out of 5 murders in Pakistan is a so-called honor killing. The study was published earlier this month in the European Journal of Public Health. It also notes that honor killings are unique in that there is often participation in the crime by male relatives such as fathers, uncles and brothers.

Time is of the essence with this case. To urge the Canada not to deport Roohi Tabassum, you can write to the Minister of Citizenship, Jason Kenney, at minister@cic.gc.ca. You can also visit http://www.canadianembassy.org for telephone numbers and additional emails to urge a re-evaluation of this situation.

Also See:
- PJTV: Special From Durban II Conference
- EU Walks Out in Protest During Ahmadinejad's Rant

The Jews of Ethiopia

Historians have said that as early as the 16th century, Egypt's Chief Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn Avi Zimra (Radbaz) declared that in Halachic (Jewish legal) issues, the Beta Israel Jews must be recognized as authentic Jews.

In reaffirming Radbaz's position centuries before, Rabbi Ovadia Yossef, who was Israel's Chief Sephardic Rabbi, said in 1972, "I have come to the conclusion that Falashas are Jews who must be saved from absorption and assimilation. We are obliged to speed up their immigration to Israel and educate them in the spirit of the holy Torah, making them partners in the building of the Holy Land."

In 1975, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren wrote to the Beta Israel Jews. He said, "You are our brothers, you are our blood and our flesh. You are true Jews."

In 1975 the Israeli Interministerial Commission officially recognized Beta Israel as Jews and began a campaign to help distressed members of the Beta Israel community come to Israel.

While the immigration and acknowledgment of Jews of Ethiopia is relatively recent, my maternal grandfather (z"l), an Ethiopian Jew, was in Israel prior to its foundation as a country. In fact, he was in the region when the British were dividing up the spoils of the Turkish Empire (also known as the Palestine Mandate). After speaking to various Israelis about this subject, I strongly believe that my grandfather was the first (if not one of the first) Ethiopian Jews in Israel. What I do know about my maternal grandfather is that he volunteered with the British military to fight against Italian fascism and the Nazis. After fighting, he and other men who volunteered with the British military were abandoned and left on their own. Apparently one of the promises made to them was that they would be helped to the Palestine Mandate (which was typically referred to as "Palestina" by the British). My grandfather, after burying his brother in Italy, made the long journey to Israel (through Sudan and Egypt). When I was growing up the idea of Middle Easterners and Africans fighting against Nazism or Fascism sounded quite unusual, even surreal. However, I know that my distant uncles who were Iraqi Jews were also recruited by the British and went to fight against the Nazis. Some Jews of the Middle East and North Africa were aware of what was going on in both Western and Eastern Europe.

Here is a video of a more recent airlift, Operation Solomon, which took place on May 24, 1991. Over the course of 36 hours, 14,325 Ethiopian Jews were brought to Israel.

Approximately 85% of the Ethiopian Beta Israel community, which comprises more than 120,000 people, have emigrated to Israel

Additional Information:
- Jewish Virtual Library

Also See:
- The Persecution of Jews in Syria
- The Persecution of Jews in Iraq

PJTV: Special From Durban II Conference

On my show today on PJTV there is an exclusive about Durban II. The Durban conference was initially an organized, well-funded movement to dehumanize Israel in any way possible. Yesterday Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, presented his bigotry and caused many EU nations to walk out in protest. Aside from the United States and Israel, seven other countries - Italy, Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland - are boycotting the conference.

Here is the latest from the Jerusalem Post regarding Durban II:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a thank-you letter on Tuesday to the eight countries that boycotted the United Nations week-long anti-racism conference in Geneva.

"As Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am writing to express my appreciation for your decision not to participate in the Durban II conference in Geneva," Netanyahu wrote.

"That decision helps restore a measure of sanity in a world in which a conference against racism gives a platform to the head of the regime that denies the Holocaust and openly seeks to perpetuate the destruction of the Jewish state.

"With the most basic values of humanity under assault, your government took an unequivocal moral stand. It is my fervent hope that this stand taken by your country and a handful of others will mark a turning point in this battle and that moral clarity will once again prevail in world affairs," said Netanyahu.

He wrote his letter one day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad gave a speech at the conference in which he called for the eradication of Zionism and said that the Holocaust was the pretext for the creation of the Jewish state.

Netanyahu has also praised the 23 European countries that walked out of the assembly room during Ahmedinejad's speech.

All of those countries, save for the Czech Republic, returned to the conference after the speech.

On Tuesday, the Czech Republic said that it too would boycott the conference. Nine other countries of the 192 member states of the United Nations refused to come to the conference all together. They include: Israel, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.

News:
- Who interrupted Ahmadinejad's Geneva speech?
- Obama expects gestures from Israel, PA
- Swiss defend meeting with Ahmadinejad
- Norway's FM: We won't let Iran hijack Durban II agenda

Analysis:
- No Holds Barred: Why does Obama smile at dictators?

Also See:
- EU Walks Out in Protest During Ahmadinejad's Rant
- UN Watch: Survivors urge international action against genocide
- U.N. Surprise: Victim of Qaddafi Torture Confronts Libyan Chair of Durban II

Subliminal and Miri Ben-Ari: "Adon Olam Ad Matai"

I have posted this before, back in 2007, but it is as applicable as ever.



Miri Ben-Ari is third generation to Holocaust Survivors. Kobi "Subliminal" Shimoni is a Jew of Tunisian and Persian descent.

Shimoni explains his heritage and his association with Gedenk, a group which raises awareness about the Holocaust:

"My father and mother lost most of their family in Iran and in Tunis. They found refuge in the land of Israel at 1948, leaving everything they had behind. With everything that's going on in the world today, my mission is to make my country a better place to live in. In order to do so, we must take the lessons that we have learned from past events, especially with Iran's agenda to deny that the Holocaust never happened, and remember that such tragic events must not be repeated! NEVER AGAIN!"

Also See:
- Israel remembers victims of the Holocaust
- Hitler and the Mufti
- Nazism and Radical Islam
- EU Walks Out in Protest During Ahmadinejad's Rant

Israel remembers victims of the Holocaust

From the Jerusalem Post:

The State of Israel paused on Monday night at 8 p.m. to remember the six million Jews who perished from 1933-1945, as the nation marked the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The state ceremony ushering-in the 24-hour commemoration began after sunset at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in the capital.

The solemn hour-and-a-quarter opening event, broadcast live on television and radio, was attended by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Tel Aviv Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a Buchenwald survivor and the chairman of the Yad Vashem Council, as well as scores of ambassadors and dignitaries from around the world.

In his speech, Peres said that the appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Geneva Durban review conference hours earlier was "a deplorable disgrace."

"The conference opening today in Geneva constitutes an acceptance of racism, rather than the fight against it, and its main speaker is Ahmadinejad, who calls for the annihilation of Israel and denies the Holocaust," Peres said.

"Criticism of the Jewish state is also tinged with chilling anti-Semitism. Among those who collaborated with the Nazis, and those who stood by and let the Holocaust happen, there are those who criticize the one state that rose to grant refuge to Holocaust survivors. The one state that will prevent another Holocaust.

"Anti-Semitism is not a Jewish disease, and its cure is incumbent upon those who perpetrate it," the president said.

"We have learned that our spiritual heritage is dependent on physical security. A people which lost a third of its members, a third of its children to the Holocaust, does not forget, and must not be caught off-guard," Peres said.

Netanyahu, speaking after Peres, also mentioned the Geneva conference, lamenting that "there are those who chose to participate in the display of hate."

The prime minister directed a question at Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz, who met with Ahmadinejad in Geneva on Sunday. "I turn to you, the Swiss president, and ask you: How can you meet someone who denies the Holocaust and wishes for a new holocaust to occur?"

Netanyahu praised "important countries" that chose to distance themselves from the conference, mentioning the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Australia and New Zealand.

"We will not let the Holocaust deniers perpetrate another holocaust on the Jewish people," he said. "This is the highest responsibility of the State of Israel and of myself as prime minister."

"Israel is the shield and the hope of the Jewish People. Here we create for the glory of our people and all of mankind. The country's achievements in every field - culture and science, medicine and security - are groundbreaking. We are a nation small in number but of great fortitude," Netanyahu said.

Recalling his experiences as an orphan in the Buchenwald concentration camp, Lau cited "another child sitting in the dark, Gilad Schalit," who has been held in the Gaza Strip since June 2006.

"Yad Vashem decided to dedicate this year's ceremony to children in the Holocaust, so that Israel's children might appreciate what we have: A national home. A state. Freedom. Sovereignty. Pride. Backbone.

"We can and should kiss this country's ground, which enables to live a full life with a Jewish identity in our home," the rabbi said.

Some 1.5 million Jewish children were killed by the Nazis.

During the ceremony, which included speeches and somber musical interludes, six torches were lit by survivors in memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The chief rabbis of Israel, Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger, recited Psalms and the Kaddish mourning prayer.

All places of entertainment closed on Monday night.

A two-minute siren will sound at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, at the start of a day of ceremonies across the nation.

Also See:
- Hitler and the Mufti
- Nazism and Radical Islam
- EU Walks Out in Protest During Ahmadinejad's Rant
- Gedenk: "Adon Olam Ad Matai?"

EU Walks Out in Protest During Ahmadinejad's Rant

As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad approached the podium to address the Durban Review Conference, representatives of the European Union admirably left the chamber in protest.

The Iranian president described Israel as "the most cruel and racist regime" despite that Iran has executed more people in 2008 (including minorities and minors). The only country to execute more people than Iran is communist China, which is significantly larger with a bigger population.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon remained in his seat but expressed dismay at an international boycott of the conference. Ki-Moon told the conference's opening session he was "profoundly disappointed" at the boycotts.

Besides the United States and Israel, seven other countries - Italy, Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and Poland - are boycotting the conference that coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day that begins at sunset in Israel late Monday.

In remarks on Iranian television in 2005 Ahmadinejad described the Holocaust as "a myth." The Iranian president has also called for Israel to be eliminated.

Here is a video from Ahmadinejad's rant and the walk out:

Also See:
- At least 346 people executed in Iran in 2008
- Dissident Iranian Blogger Dies in Notorious Evin Prison
- PJTV: Interview with Caroline Glick + Headlines

UN Watch: Survivors urge international action against genocide

From UN Watch's Blog:

On the eve of “Yom Hashoah,” the day to remember the Holocaust, genocide survivors from Rwanda and Darfur spoke at a side event to the Durban Review Conference, organized by UN Watch.

Rwandan genocide survivor and activist Esther Mujawayo said she felt uncomfortable speaking in a U.N. building, considering that the U.N. failed to halt the Rwandan genocide, choosing instead to abandon the country when the killing began. “This was a clear predictable and preventable genocide,” she said.

She complained that the Rwandan perpetrators continue to live in peace even in Europe, while survivors of the genocide struggle to obtain asylum.

Gibreil Hamid, President of the Darfur Peace and Development Center, said the ongoing genocide in Darfur is also preventable and stoppable. Discussing his experience, he said, “We were clearly discriminated against because we were black. The Arabs were not accepting us as Muslims.”

He described the killing and rape of women and children in Darfur in the perpetrators’ attempt to exterminate entire villages.

A “Yom Hashoah” ceremony to remember the Holocaust will be held this evening, beginning at 18:30, outside the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

U.N. Surprise: Victim of Qaddafi Torture Confronts Libyan Chair of Durban II

Both Dr. Dr. El-Hojouj and Bulagrian nurse Kristiyna Valcheva will testify before this Sunday, 19 April 2009. A live webcast will be available at genevasummit.org. Hopefully Dr. El-Hojouj will be able to deliver his full speech-- without interruptions.

Human Mosaic: Racism in Israel?

Interesting video... for anyone who has actually visited Israel and is honest with themselves, it's clear that Israel is the only country in the Middle East in which people are fully afforded their human rights regardless of their religion or race.


Also See:
- You Can Be Anyone in Israel

Dr. Yaron Brook: Israel and the West's War Against Islamic Totalitarianism

The following is from a public lecture by Dr. Yaron Brook, the executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. The lecture, from June 2007, was entitled from "Israel and the West's War against Islamic Totalitarianism: Why We Are Losing."

This is Part 2 of 5 from the Q&A:


Also See:
- Part 1
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5

PJTV: Interview with Caroline Glick + Headlines

I interviewed Caroline Glick today for PJTV. Here is a link to that interview and headlines from my show today.

Thanks for watching!


Here is an excerpt from Caroline's latest article, which is related to the topics addressed during our interview:

Egypt's recent actions against Hizbullah operatives are a watershed event for understanding the nature of the threat that Iran constitutes for both regional and global security. For many Israelis, Egypt's actions came as a surprise. For years this country has been appealing to Egypt to take action against Hizbullah operatives in its territory. With minor exceptions, it has refused. Believing that its operatives threatened only us, the Mubarak regime preferred to turn a blind eye.

Then too, now seems a strange time for Egypt to be proving Israel correct. Senior ministers in the new Netanyahu government have for years been outspoken critics of Egypt for its refusal to act against Hizbullah and for its support for the Hizbullah/Iran-sponsored Hamas terror group. By going after Hizbullah now, Egypt is legitimizing both their criticism and the Netanyahu government itself. This in turn seems to go against Egypt's basic interest of weakening Israel politically in general, and weakening rightist Israeli governments in particular.

But none of this seemed to interest Egyptian officials last week when they announced the arrest of 49 Hizbullah operatives and pointed a finger at Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his bosses in Teheran, openly accusing them of seeking to undermine Egypt's national security.

The question is what caused Egypt to suddenly act? It appears that two things are motivating the Mubarak regime. First, there is the nature of the Hizbullah network it uncovered. According to the Egyptian Justice Ministry's statements, the arrested operatives were not confining their operations to weapons smuggling to Gaza. They were also targeting Egypt.

You can read the whole thing here.

Ofra Haza: Ayelet Chen

This is one of my favorite versions of "Ayelet Chen." It is performed by Ofra Haza (z"l) who is probably the most notable Israeli performer of all time.

Yemenite-Jewish music traditionally focuses on nature and/or religion. The music is also themed on the love for the land of Israel and/or the G-d of Israel. Much of the music draws on centuries of Hebrew poetry and musical traditions of the Jewish community.

Also See:
- Ofra Haza: Eynaim
- Ofra Haza: Ma Omrot Einaich
- Ofra Haza: Tfila/תפילה

Italian Jews rush to aid Italy's quake victims

Italian Jews and Holocaust survivors are rushing to help the Italian communities that sheltered them during World War II. These same communities were hit by last week's devastating earthquake.

From the Jerusalem Post:

A delegation of some 20 elderly survivors and their descendants, as well as Jewish community leaders, roamed the shattered countryside of central Italy on Monday, looking for their one-time saviors, now living in tent camps.

They offered everything from gym shoes to summer camps for children.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for these people," said Alberto Di Consiglio, whose parents were sheltered in the small hamlet of Fossa during the war. "We have to help them."

More than 100 tent cities have been built around L'Aquila and the 26 towns and villages affected by the 6.3-magnitude quake, which struck central Italy on April 6. The temblor killed 294 people and displaced another 55,000.

In the chaos of the relief efforts, Jews who had been sheltered in the area during the war lost touch with their one-time saviors, many of whom are simple farmers with no cell phones.

At least five Jewish families, including around 30 people, took shelter in the small mountainside hamlets of Fossa and Casentino between mid-1943 until the arrival of the Allies a year later, survivors said.

In one tent, Di Consiglio managed to find Nello De Bernardinis, 74, the son of the couple who sheltered Di Consiglio's father and eight other relatives during the war.

"It was a great emotion, it's so painful that such righteous people should suffer like this and live in a tent," Di Consiglio said.

De Bernardinis said he was fine for the moment and greatly appreciated the gesture of the Jewish community to check in on him and his family. He said, though, that it would be useful to have help during harvest time, and Di Consiglio promised his whole family would come.

Riccardo Pacifici, the head of Rome's Jewish community, said he was working to get recognition from Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial for people like De Bernardinis and others who sheltered Roman Jews. The memorial bestows a special honor on those who saved Jews during World War II.

Irena Steinfeldt, director of the Righteous Among the Nations department at Yad Vashem, said the museum was not familiar with the stories of Fossa and Casentino. She urged the Jewish families to come forward so the people who saved them could be recognized.

"We have not heard these stories, and we want to hear these stories," Steinfeldt said. "There are still people who haven't approached us and haven't spoken, and I would be happy if the families contacted Yad Vashem and told us," she said.

Other stories of Jews being saved in the same area were recorded, she said, usually involving Jews who fled from Rome to nearby villages. In one town, Tagliacozzo Alto, a priest named Don Gaetano Tantalo took in the Orvieto family in the spring of 1944, even preparing a traditional Passover meal for them, she said. He was recognized by Yad Vashem in 1978.

Also See:
- Earthquake Rocks Italy

IDF Holds Massive Seder for "Lone Soldiers"

The IDF held a massive Pesach Bash for 400 "lone soldiers" this week.

Here is an excerpt from Arutz 7:

The IDF held a massive Seder for 400 "lone soldiers" who have no parents in Israel. Lone soldiers are defined as those who immigrated to Israel without their parents or whose parents have emigrated from Israel, as well as orphans and soldiers who are not in touch with their families for other reasons.

The soldiers arrived at "Al HaYam" seaside resort village at Givat Olga, near Hadera, on Wednesday, and were joined by the IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. He spoke with the soldiers and participated in a special program on IDF Radio, which was broadcast live from a temporary studio erected for the purpose.

I'm typically very skeptical of many non-profit organizations and how much they actually get accomplished. However, I am a big supporter of "Thank Israeli Soldiers." Since 100% of the donation goes to soldiers, I feel much more comfortable knowing that a soldier will actually get what he needs as well as words of encouragement.

This is something to keep in mind if you'd like to do something to let an Israeli soldier know you care and value his/her work to keep the State of Israel safe. It's especially nice to send these packages during holidays.

There is a similar organization here in the United States for the military called Operation USO Care Package that does very solid work to send soldiers basic things they may need.

Also See:
- Thank Israeli Soldiers

Ofra Haza: Eynaim

The clip, "Eynaim" (trans: "Eyes"), is from the Israeli film "Suburban Girl" featuring a young Ofra Haza.

Also See:
- Ofra Haza: Ma Omrot Einaich
- Ofra Haza: Tfila/תפילה

Al Qaeda terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers

An al Qaeda cell was planning on carrying out an a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centers in Manchester, UK police believe.

Here's an excerpt from the Telegraph about the alleged plot:

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.

Police were forced to round up the alleged plotters after they were overheard discussing dates, understood to include the Easter bank holiday, one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

"It could have been the next few days and they were talking about 10 days at the outside," one source said. "We had to act." Police are now engaged in a search for an alleged bomb factory, where explosives might have been assembled.

If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered.

Also See:
- PJTV: Dr. Phyllis Chesler on Honor Killings in America & Easter Terror Plot in U.K. Thwarted

PJTV: Jihadist Spy in the U.S. Navy & Robert Spencer

Here is a link to today's show in which I discuss the recent case of the former U.S. Navy jihadist spy with Robert Spencer.


From the Associated Press:

A former Navy sailor convicted of leaking details about ship movements and the best ways to attack them was sentenced Friday to the maximum 10 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz said Hassan Abu-Jihaad, of Phoenix, betrayed his country and endangered his fellow sailors.

"I cannot really overstate the seriousness of this crime," Kravitz said. The leak "does constitute a fundamental betrayal of your country and of your oath. You endangered your colleagues, you endangered your vessel and other vessels and other sailors, and you endangered your country."

Abu-Jihaad, 33, was convicted last year of disclosing classified national defense information. Prosecutors labeled him a traitor who was trying to help foreign terrorists replicate the bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors.

Abu-Jihaad, an American who is formerly known as Paul Hall and whose chosen Muslim name means "father of jihad," was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold who was honorably discharged from the Navy in 2002.

He was accused of leaking details of the ship movements to operators of a Web site in London that openly espoused violent jihad against the U.S. The information included the makeup of his Navy battle group and a drawing of the formation the group would use to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in April 2001.

Also See:
- Egyptian Student Arrested in Florida for Explosives Possession & Caroline Glick is Interviewed

Israeli Science Breakthrough Extracts Fuel from Water

I've always felt that Israel's greatest asset is its civilian population, who have very sharp minds. This is quite a breakthrough.

From Arutz 7:

Among the most important challenges facing science today is designing an efficient system for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The ability to do so will introduce hydrogen into the market as a clean, sustainable fuel. But man-made systems for getting to the root of water that exist today are very inefficient and often require additional use of sacrificial chemical agents.

Now, a unique approach developed by Prof. David Milstein and colleagues of the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department, provides important steps in overcoming this challenge. Their research demonstrated a new mode of bond generation between oxygen atoms and even defined the mechanism by which it takes place. It is the generation of oxygen gas by the formation of a bond between two oxygen atoms originating from water molecules that proves to be the bottleneck in the water splitting process. Their research has recently been published in Science.

Professor David Milstein in his research lab
Israel news photo: Weizmann Institute
Nature, by taking a different path, has evolved a very efficient process: photosynthesis, carried out by plants. Photosynthesis is the source of all oxygen on earth. Although there has been significant progress towards the understanding of photosynthesis, just how this system functions remains unclear. Vast worldwide efforts have been devoted to developing artificial photosynthetic systems based on metal complexes that serve as catalysts, but with little success. (A catalyst is a substance that is able to increase the rate of a chemical reaction without getting used up.)

The new approach that the Weizmann team has recently devised is divided into a sequence of reactions, which leads to the liberation of hydrogen and oxygen in consecutive thermal- and light-driven steps, mediated by a unique ingredient – a special metal complex that Milstein’s team designed in previous studies. Moreover, the one that they designed – a metal complex of the element ruthenium – is a “smart” complex in which the metal center and the organic part attached to it cooperate in the cleavage of the water molecule.

The team found that upon mixing this complex with water the bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms break, with one hydrogen atom ending up binding to its organic part, while the remaining hydrogen and oxygen atoms (OH group) bind to its metal center.

This modified version of the complex provides the basis for the next stage of the process: the “heat stage.” When the water solution is then boiled, hydrogen gas is released from the complex – a potential source of clean fuel – and another OH group is added to the metal center.

“But the most interesting part is the third ‘light stage,’” says Milstein. “When we exposed this third complex to light at room temperature, not only was oxygen gas produced, but the metal complex also reverted back to its original state, which could be recycled for use in further reactions.”

These results are even more remarkable considering that the generation of a bond between two oxygen atoms promoted by a man-made metal complex is a very rare event, and it has been unclear how it can take place. Yet Milstein and his team have also succeeded in identifying an unprecedented mechanism for such a process. Additional experiments have indicated that during the third stage, light provides the energy required to cause the two OH groups to get together to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which quickly breaks up into oxygen and water. “Because hydrogen peroxide is considered a relatively unstable molecule, scientists have always disregarded this step, deeming it implausible; but we have shown otherwise,” says Milstein.

Moreover, the team has provided evidence showing that the bond between the two oxygen atoms is generated within a single molecule – not between oxygen atoms residing on separate molecules, as commonly believed – and it comes from a single metal center.

Discovery of an efficient artificial catalyst for the sunlight-driven splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen is a major goal of renewable clean energy research. So far, Milstein’s team has demonstrated a mechanism for the formation of hydrogen and oxygen from water, without the need for sacrificial chemical agents, through individual steps, using light. For their next study, they plan to combine these stages to create an efficient catalytic system, bringing those in the field of alternative energy an important step closer to realizing this goal.

Participating in the research were former postdoctoral student Stephan Kohl, Ph.D. student Leonid Schwartsburd and technician Yehoshoa Ben-David all of the Organic Chemistry Department, together with staff scientists Lev Weiner, Leonid Konstantinovski, Linda Shimon and Mark Iron of the Chemical Research Support Department.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is home to 2,600 scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

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Arabs Attack Bat Ayin Jews

If Arabs in the West Bank can't tolerate a tiny community of Jews living on Jewish-owned land in Bat Ayin, peace doesn't seem feasible in the slightest. These latest attacks reminds me of the things my family endured in Iraq and Syria, places where Jews predated both the rise of Islam and Christianity.

From Arutz 7:

Dozens of stone-throwing Arabs attacked Jews of the Bat Ayin community, south of Jerusalem, on Wednesday morning. The Jews had gathered on a hill known as Mukhtar Mound, adjacent to Bat Ayin to recite the Blessing of the Sun and to place a cornerstone for the synagogue of a new community on the Jewish-owned land.

The prayers and ceremonies were coordinated with the local regional council and army, which escorted the Bat Ayin residents, Bat Ayin Yeshiva Dean Rabbi Natan Greenberg told Israel National News.

Trouble started after the Jews concluded the Blessing of the Sun at the site, now called Arzei Shlomo (Cedars of Solomon), in memory of 13-year-old Shlomo Nativ, who was murdered in an Arab axe attack last week, and Erez Levanon who was killed by Arab terrorists two years ago. The site was purchased by Jews in the 1930's.

More than 200 Bat Ayin residents walked away from the ceremony and to the site of the planned synagogue, where Chaim Nativ, father of the young terror victim, drove cornerstones into the ground with an axe, the same tool used to murder his child a week earlier. Daniel Winston, said his son, who was a classmate of Shlomo, made the axe handle out of a fig tree.

The participants in the ceremony built three walls, approximately three feet high and three feet wide, out of stones they gathered at the scene until Arabs began to attack them with rocks. The soldiers refrained from escalating the confrontation and held fire until the Arabs called for reinforcements over a loudspeaker system and began shouting in Arabic "Death to Jews" while the Jews retaliated with rock throwing.

As the Arab crowd approached the Jews, the soldiers shot and wounded at least one person critically. Arab sources reported that more than a dozen others suffered lesser wounds, mostly from tear gas. Rabbi Greenberg said that Arab claims that the Jewish residents shot and caused property damage at a nearby village were "total lies."

Reuters told its readers around the world that that "dozens of Israelis...rampaged..., smashing car windows and damaging homes." It quoted Arabs that the Jews smashed car windows but did not offer any evidence and did not quote Jewish denials.

Winston said that the community plans to return to the site for afternoon prayers at 1:30 (6:30 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday.

Rabbi Greenberg explained that the construction of a synagogue as the first step for the new community is based on the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who said that one should pray on land where one wants to establish a community.

The location of the planned community is adjacent to a lookout point that Bat Ayin residents say Arab terrorists use to observe the movement of the Bat Ayin residents.

Following the Arab attack, the Jews returned to Bat Ayin for a ceremony marking the seventh day since the gruesome murder of the 13-year-old. A seven-year-old child also suffered moderate wounds in the attack. The terrorist escaped, and no arrests have been made.

News:
- IDF Tightens Security for Passover, Warning to Sinai Tourists
- Father Wounded in Rock Attack

Happy Pesach!

One of the most important Jewish holidays, Pesach or Passover, commemorates the Jewish liberation from slavery. The primary observances of Passover are related to the Exodus from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15.

Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu’ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. [1]

[1] Jewish Virtual Library

Ofra Haza: Ma Omrot Einaich

"Ma Omrot Einaich" (translated "What Do Your Eyes Say?") is from Ofra Haza's "Shirei Moledet" records. "Shirei Moledet" refers to folk songs of Israel.

Also See:
- Ofra Haza: Tfila/תפילה

SOVNA provides wind power to cities

SOVNA, an alternative energy company, is creating a new way to harvest clean electricity from the urban wind. It's turbines, which go on the rooftops of buildings in a city, can provide up to 3 percent of a city's power needs. [1]

[1] You Tube

Also See:
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- Israeli Researcher Patents Cure for 'Bubble Boy' Disease
- Israeli Scientists Discuss Enhancing the fragrance of flowers on CNN World Report
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- Beautiful Israelis
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