Dispatch from Jerusalem

Mimouna – A Unique End to Passover: Mufleta Recipe

Passover and Holocaust Memorial Day usually fall close to each other on the calendar. Is there any connection? I think so, though I’m sure it wasn’t purposely planned.

Northerners in Trauma

Thirty-three percent of northern residents are suffering from medium or high and, in some cases, severe post-traumatic symptoms, a new study has shown. The study probes 300 people from Jewish and Arab cities that were targeted by last summer. The study found that 33% of Jews and 85% of Arabs remained in their bombarded cities with their families. On the other hand, 45% of Jews against 13% of Arabs said that only some of their family members were evacuated during the war. Twenty-two percent of Jews and 2% of Arabs said everyone in the family sought refuge in a safe place. The average number of days spent away from home stood at 19 among Jews and 10 among the Arabs.

Remembering Yuri Shtern — Founder of the Christian Allies Caucus

“Israel lost a hero when our dearly beloved Yuri Shtern passed away after a long fight with cancer. As I marched in the funeral procession with thousands of Israelis and other Christian leaders, I thought to myself, not only Israel lost a hero, not only Israel lost a great man, but the Christian world lost one of their best Israeli friends. I for one am going to mourn over the loss of this great man.”

—Rebecca J. Brimmer, January 17, 2007

Nation Rising Against Nation

Iran: “They [Israel] well know the power of the Iranian people. I don’t think they would ever dare to attack us, neither them nor their masters [the United States]. They won’t do such a stupid thing.” (January 17, 2007)

Fixing the Brain

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have discovered a method that may facilitate the revival of dead brain cells caused by head trauma, stroke, or disease. The new method gets rid of excess glutamate, which floods damaged areas of the brain, leading to the death of larger areas after a trauma. Glutamate carries impulses from one nerve cell to another. When brain cells are damaged, they spill out and overexcite the cells they touch, killing them as well.

Becoming Zealous for God and Israel

When people think of Bridges for Peace, they don’t usually think of a group of young adults cruising around Israel, riding ATVs, having ridiculous amounts of fun, and discovering the incredible depth and history of this nation. They don’t think of 18- to 30-year-olds setting apart 11 days to seek the Lord in Israel, pursue His heart, and develop a new passion and understanding for the purpose of God in Israel and the nations. Well, that is changing.

God’s “Great Host” of Women

A study of the Hebrew roots of Bible words and events often challenges what many have been taught. Recently, I came across an explanation on the distinction between man and woman on “Judaism 101—Hebrew Language: Root Words” (www.jewfaq.org/root.htm): “…the rabbis concluded G-d* created women with greater intuition and understanding than men, because man was ‘formed’ (yeetzer, Gen. 2:7), but woman was ‘built’ (yeeben, Gen. 2:22). The root of ‘built,’ bet-nun-heh, is similar to the word “binah” (bet-yod-nun-heh), meaning understanding, insight, or intuition.”

With Friends Like Egypt

A lot of attention has been given in the press lately to Israel’s enemies, and rightly so. The growing Hizbullah–Syria–Iran alliance is a clear threat to Israel, as demonstrated by the conflict in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denials, threats to “wipe Israel off the map,” missile tests, and nuclear ambitions certainly all give Israel plenty to worry about. But what about Israel’s friends in the Muslim and Arab world?

Byzantine Arch Discovered

The Hurva Synagogue was the largest in the Old City of Jerusalem until it was destroyed by the Jordanians after the 1948 War of Independence along with almost every other Jewish synagogue, home, and building. Shortly after Israel captured the Old City in the 1967 Six Day War, a small portion of the synagogue was rebuilt: a single arch that became a familiar sight on the Jewish Quarter skyline. That arch was recently removed when builders began the complete restoration of the synagogue to its former glory.

Coming—Great War to Wipe Out Israel

Iranian newspapers Kehyan and Resalat have urged Muslims around the world to prepare for a “great war” to destroy the State of Israel. “Hizbullah destroyed at least half of Israel in the Lebanon war…now only half the path [to its destruction] remains,” an editorial in the conservative Keyhan newspaper declared.