Dispatch from Jerusalem

New Leviticus Scroll Unearthed Near Ein Gedi

A recent discovery—the first since 1965 at Masada and currently being authenticated by the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA)—is believed to be part of the 15th scroll of Leviticus. This gives hope that there is “still a chance” to find documents in the Judean Desert, said Professor Hanan Eshel of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan.

“Early Will I Seek Thee”

Every morning on the bus, I watch a variety of observant Jewish women reading from their tiny personal prayer books. As part of their daily routine, these women softly read aloud from prescribed portions of the Psalms, which serve to focus them on God and help them honor Him at the beginning of each day.

The Historical and Legal Rights of the Jews to the Land of Israel

People look for one of three ways to prove that the Jews have a claim to current Israel: The first is a biblical claim, the second is a historical claim, and the third is a legal claim.

Controlling Bacteria Without Antibiotics

Enhancing quorum sensing could prove useful in agriculture, biotechnology, and the food industry.

The overuse of antibiotics in recent decades has created resistant strains of bacteria, which often make drugs much less effective in fighting infections. But a promising experimental method for controlling bacterial activity without antibiotics—by interfering with their communication process—has been developed by doctoral student Adel Jabbour, a 32-year-old Hebrew University researcher from Upper Nazareth.

Palace of King David discovered

The Bible has led the way to a new and exciting archaeological discovery in Jerusalem. Famed Israeli archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem followed Bible verses to what is believed to be the palace of King David.

The Dead Sea Is it really Dead?

You have probably heard at least one preacher give a sermon on tithing. I’ve heard a lot of them. Some are fun, others are interesting, and some contain errors. I won’t try to correct all of the errors or repeat all of the goodies. But I will try to correct one erroneous message I’ve heard and give an alternative, which will allow the same sermon to be preached without that error.

Called To Serve

With a smile, the waitress asked, “May I serve you?” as she handed menus to Richard Bristol and Pieter Marais, from our Food Bank. They were eating lunch at Carmei Ha’ir (Vineyards of the City), a Jerusalem restaurant near Machane Yehuda, a popular outdoor fruit and vegetable market. The food served was delicious, with meat and fish choices, and the service was prompt and courteous. Certainly, this was a restaurant to remember. But, wait, this was no ordinary restaurant! When they finished eating, no one brought a bill or asked for payment.

Bnei Menashe-  “Descendants of Israel”

In a historic decision in March, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar decided to recognize formally the Bnei Menashe (sons of Manasseh) of northeastern India as “descendants of Israel.”

“Pullout Will Be Followed by Increased Terror”

Speaking at a conference in April, Israel’s outgoing army chief of staff warned not to “expect the Messiah to come with” Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon warned that terror will increase significantly after the pullout, particularly in the Samaria area of the West Bank where four Israeli communities are being evacuated.

Iraqi Visitor- Arabs Have Good Life Under Israel

Those Arabs living in Israel and areas under the Jewish state’s overall control enjoy far greater freedoms than any of their brethren throughout the Middle East, said Mithal Al-Alusi, leader of the Democratic Party of Iraq, after visiting Israel.

“I am sure that the Palestinian [Arabs] in Israel have more rights than in any other Arab country, and even the Iraqi citizens during the time of Saddam [Hussein],” he said.