Threatened Christians Flee Middle Eastern Countries

{image_1}In the last ten years, the Christian population in the Middle East has decreased by 1.5 million people (from 15 million in 2000 to 13.5 million today). In Egypt, the Copts suffer from violence and persecution by Muslim extremists. In the Palestinian Authority, the Christian population of Bethlehem, which only three decades ago was in the majority, is now a fraction of the population, as Christians flee from persecution and marginalization in the predominantly Muslim area. In Iraq, barely a half a million Christians remain from a population of 1.3 million a few years ago. When encountering persecution, many Christians prefer to leave and look for other countries willing to accept them.

123,500 Join Israel’s Poor

{image_1}SOME 123,500 PEOPLE joined the circle of poverty in Israel in 2009, according to the National Insurance Institute's Poverty and Social Gaps report. A total of 850,300 children live under the poverty line, the report said, and almost two in five children are disadvantaged. In total, Israel has 435,000 poor families.

Susita Finds

Susita (covered in our December 2009 Dispatch)—a Greco-Roman city also called Hippos and one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis—overlooks the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Dead Sea Scrolls Digitalized

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As part of the celebrations of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s (IAA) 20th anniversary in October, a unique project was announced—the documentation of the entire collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They are using the most advanced and innovative technologies available to image the entire collection of 900 manuscripts comprising some 30,000 Dead Sea Scrolls fragments in hi-resolution and multi spectra. These digitized images will be freely available and accessible to anyone anywhere in the world on the Internet.  This is the first time that the collection of Scrolls will be photographed in its entirety since the 1950s.

King Herod’s Theater Box

{image_1}Two years ago, we published an article about new discoveries made at the Herodium, the conical fortress built by first-century King Herod near Bethlehem. One of the finds was King Herod’s private theater with a royal box at the top in the center of a group of rooms. Last summer, even more was revealed about this box (8 x 7 meters, 26 x 23 feet) that doubtless hosted the king, his close friends, and family members during performances.

Roman Bathhouse Unearthed

{image_1}An 1,800 year-old bathing pool that was probably part of a bathhouse used by the Roman Tenth Legion was exposed in excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) where a new men’s mikveh (ritual bath) is to be built in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Battle for Israel’s History

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As long as there have been historians, there have been those who would rewrite their stories, and for a myriad of reasons. On the positive side, re-examining history has long been accepted as a means of keeping our understanding of the past current. Developments in science, technology, archaeology, etc, have shed new light on old stories, sometimes adding a new dimension to a particular historical period or event and sometimes even modifying the mainstream view. Allowing for the reinterpretation of longstanding views based on new evidence is, in fact, good scholarship, providing that adherence to accuracy is central to the review.

Law Passes Requiring Vote for Withdrawal

{image_1}The Israeli Knesset [parliament] passed a new law that will require a public referendum vote or the approval of 80 of the 120 Knesset members for any attempts to withdraw from East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. According to The Jerusalem Post, the National Referendum Law passed in the Knesset 65–33. Though the law applies to East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for their capital, and the Golan Heights, which is claimed by Syria, it does not apply to the West Bank [Judea and Samaria]. This is because the West Bank was never fully annexed by Israel as civilian territory, whereas the other two areas were.

A Dish with History:  Tunisian Chicken

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One of the many pleasures afforded to those who visit Israel is the opportunity to feast on foods influenced by Jewish immigrants from over 100 nations who now make Israel their home. Much of Israeli cuisine is, in fact, an amalgam of culinary delights from around the world, and many dishes bring with them as much history as they do flavor. One such tasty item is our recipe from Tunisia.

Israel Shatters Tourism Record

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Israel announced they broke the record for incoming tourists in a year, with 2010 passing the 3 million-tourist-mark in November. The Tourism Ministry is predicting a total of 3.4 million tourists for 2010, which would eclipse the previous all-time high set in 2008 with 400,000 tourists.

Israeli among Top Game-changers

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Israeli educational executive Shai Reshef was awarded the 12th spot in a poll answered by 3 million readers of popular American news blog site Huffington Post as one of the Ultimate 12 Game Changers. These were defined as people considered by readers to be global innovation leaders who have significantly changed the way we live or view the world.

IDF Training Base Goes Green

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Last year, the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] inaugurated a new officers' training base near Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev. At the same time, a new US $275 million program was announced by the IDF to protect the environment and also fund environmental education at all IDF bases and training areas.