Saturday, May 22, 2010 1 Day!!
For our final post, we figured we'd name some things that make the one democracy in the Middle East unique.
For starters, Israel is the only Jewish State in the world, and the only one to exist for a couple of millenia. Israel is also the only state comprised of a people that returned to their home after two millenia in exile. And while we're at it, Hebrew is the only language that was ever revived from purely academic, to once again spoken by an entire country as vernacular.
Israel was the first democracy and only the third country (after Ceylon and India) to have a female head of government (Prime Minister Golda Meir).
This might be a fact about America more than Israel, but it indicates the degree to which the two countries fates have been joined in friendship since Israel's birth-- America was the first country to recognize Israel.
BetterPlace is Israeli Shai Agassi's brainchild, a company that is putting out the first fully electric cars that will be powered by a "virtual oilfield", that is, solar battery stations that completely obviate the need for gasoline in the cars. Read more about it on the website, it's obviously the first such project, and it's awesome. Reduced oil dependence is great for the environment, great for the economy, and great for our foreign relations (we're heavily dependent right now on unfriendly states like Chavez's Venezuela for our oil).
Four years ago Israel built the world's first stem cell pacemaker, essentially proving in a Technion lab that stem cells are capable of regulating the heart's electronic rhythm.
I don't know if Israel is the first to do this, but this is the first such town I'm aware of in Israel. They build these incredible prefab houses and the entire town is planned along sustainable lines, such that the net impact of residents of this town on the environment is a positive one. I do know that there's a lot of interest, especially in the North, in more sustainable practices.
Which reminds me, Israel is the only country that left the 20th century with more trees than it entered with.
Technology is what it is, but it's the values of a state that determine whether that technology will be put to great use. Israel gave us operations Moses and Solomon, huge-scale transports of poor Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the 80s and 90s, as well as operation Magic Carpet in 1949 and 1950 (it was originally called "On The Wings of Eagles"), which brought 49 THOUSAND Yemenite Jews out from their oppressive country into Israel. Operations Ezra and Nehemia in 1952 and 1953 airlifted 120-130,000(!!) Iraqi Jews to Israel, saving them from riots and persecution. And so on, and so forth. Israel is the only refuge for the Jewish people.
Not that Jews are the only beneficiaries of Israel's kindness. Hundreds of Darfur refugees now call Israel home. They have gone where someone would take them, when no hope could be found for them in Africa.
A video of the first baby to be born in the IDF field hospital, the only field hospital that was set up for Haitian earthquake victims. The mother named her child Israel.
and here's CNN footage of the incomparable field hospital in action.
Israel also offered help to Turkey this year, when it suffered a powerful earthquake.
and earlier than that, Chile.
and a few years back, israel brought 85 tons of supplies to Indonesia and Sri Lanka after their terrible Tsunami.
and of course, Hurricane Katrina victims.
Because Israel is unique in one other way. It is the only nation founded to be a Light unto Nations.
Let's celebrate it tomorrow! Come to the Salute to Israel Parade - Sunday, May 23rd from 57th - 74th Streets on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, from 11AM - 4PM Rain or Shine. BE PROUD! CELEBRATE! STAND WITH ISRAEL! Hope to see you all there....
...And, the Empire State Building will be lit in Blue and White in honor of the Salute to Israel Parade and the State of Israel! Go check it out! Special thanks to Empire State Building Lighting for helping us to arrange this.
Friday, May 21, 2010 2 Days
Israel's 2 largest cities are, in many ways, 2 microcosms of the country. On the one hand, you have largely secular, extremely modern, coastal Tel Aviv. The beaches, the business, the bursa (Israel's stock exchange), the hustle and bustle of a modern city. Clubs, partying, lots of fun to be had. There are a few great universities-- Tel Aviv University, Bar Ilan (a religious college, actually), and the nearby Interdisciplinary College in Herzliya.
In short, Tel Aviv is a lot of what Herzl envisioned it would be in his book Altneuland, which in fact is called "Tel Aviv" in its Hebrew translation from German by Nahum Sokolow. A modern city, the 17th most expensive in the world, an Israeli Paris on the Mediterranean, the most modern and luxurious city in the Middle East, a model of what the Jewish people can do in a couple of decades.
But there's another model of Jewish city. Jerusalem is in many ways Tel Aviv's equal opposite. It houses huge religious and secular communities, including the ultra-Orthodox, the modern Orthodox, Conservative (Masorti), some Reformed (including a seminary), many Christians, whether Armenian, Eastern Orthodox or Catholic, many Muslims, mainly Sunni, and the large numbers of secular Jews. The city is modern in one sense (and the new train being built through its center, and the fancy bridge built for it reinforce that impression), sure, but one feeling you can't shake no matter how high the buildings get in Jerusalem is that this place is old. I mean, really, really, ancient. Like when I used to jog to the gym, I sometimes realized that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob might very well have tread this path at one point, long before there was pavement on it. It's a jarring feeling. It doesn't hurt that everything's made out of Jerusalem Stone to make it look like it was built before red bricks were invented!
There's no beach, unless you want to drive west to the Mediterranean or east to the Dead Sea (which isn't something you go for a swim in, more like a float). The hustle and bustle sure exists, and in that it's no different than Tel Aviv. And the clubs, bars, partying do exist, if you look for it. But what's so strange about it is that the bars in the center of town are literally a ten minute walk from the Western Wall, from the Temple Mount, from the City of David... like I said, jarring. Israel's flagship university, the Hebrew University that predates the State and counted men like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud among its first board of governors, is definitely in line with Herzl's vision-- but all in all, I'd say that Tel Aviv is Herzl's dream city, one that any nation would be proud of.
Jerusalem is something else, a fusion of old and new, traditional and progressive, holy and mundane, fun and sobering. I guess "Altneuland" (Old-New Land) might apply to it, after all.
I think each city has something of the two Israels in it, and I think Israel is a far richer country, materially, spiritually, and culturally, for having both in one, not even an hour apart.
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Earlier today, the Parade tried to set the Guinness World Record for the largest falafel ball in in the world. Were we successful? Follow us on our website and on FB and Twitter to find out.... and pictures will be on Flickr soon!
3 Days
The Israeli art scene is as vibrant as ever. just a few months ago Flash Art Magazine listed three Israeli artists among its top 100.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/three-israelis-listed-among-top-100-emerging-artists-1.5711
Which reminds me, Israel's looking pretty good for Eurovision this year. Make sure to follow Harel Skaat's performance in Oslo, Norway!
Here he is performing the song he'll be singing in Oslo. Israel has actually won the contest three times in its history-- back to back in 1978 and 1979, and 12 years ago with Dana International's "Diva". they also came in second two consecutive years, 82, and 83, the first with Avi Toledano's "Hora" and the second with Ofra Haza's (excellent) "Hai" (as in, "Life"). In 1991 Duo Datz put them in third place with "Kan".
Sometimes, Israel's remarkably quick progress from besieged fledgling nation to artistic powerhouse reminds me of this quote:
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons out to study mathematics and philosophy, georgraphy, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commers, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.
May we merit to see the days when Israel needn't study politics or war, the better to focus on philosophy, history, painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain. And science, agriculture, and technology, just cause it'd be a loss to the world if that disappeared.
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Don't forget - come to the Parade and you can also try to save a life! Please help us find a bone marrow match for Matt Fenster. Stop by either Temple Emanu-El (East 65th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues) and Summerstage/Rumsey Playfield in Central Park (near 72nd Street). All it takes is a simple cheek swab and you could save a life! For more information, visit the Parade FB Fan Page.
Israeli technology, both civilian and military, is a frequent topic of this blog, which is why i often find myself seeing what the excellent Israel21c.org has to say. For today's post, I found the following article from three months ago. http://www.israel21c.org/briefs/four-israeli-start-ups-win-red-herrings
"Four Israeli starts-ups won this year's Red Herring Global 100 Awards in January: Video commerce solutions developer Qoof; SAP upgrade and support company Panaya; Internet video and P2P caching solutions developer Oversi and thin server developer MiniFrame.The companies earlier won the Red Herring Europe 100 Awards.
The editorial staff of the Red Herring international media company evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration.
The competition was first held in 1996. Past winners include Google, Yahoo, Skype, Netscape, Salesforce.com, YouTube and eBay.
Over the years, numerous Israeli start-ups have won the Red Herring Europe 100 Awards, including 16 companies in 2009, four of which made the Global list. In 2009, three Israeli start-ups also made the Red Herring North America 100 Awards: Correlix, Promisec and OpTier, all of which are headquartered in New York and have R&D centers in Israel."
The military innovation I want to talk about is Israel's Merkava 4 tank. It has a crew of four, weighs about 65 tons, is about forty feet long including the main gun, and fires 120mm rounds. It entered full production in '01, and the first battalion of Merkava 4's entered service with the IDF in '04. The Ministry of Defense plans to maufacture up to 400 Merkava 4's.
A friend of mine who drove a Merkava (3, the predecessor to this one, but what I'm about to say applies to this one) explained me why the 1500 horsepower v-12 diesel engine of the tank is in its front, with a fuel tank, and two fuel tanks in the back. The IDF's policy has always been that every man should come home, no matter what happens in battle, and so the engine itself is employed as a last defense. By putting it in front of the tank, though it is less protected, the humans inside are safer.
Such is a state built on Jewish values. Some of you may have noticed the big deal made of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Gilad Shalit, who has been the hostage of Hamas in Gaza for almost four years now (it will be four this coming June 25th). Israel's hostage exchanges typically mean releasing many, many, prisoners (most of them terrorists, all in jail for a good reason) to save the lives of just one or two Israelis. People wonder, why is one kidnapped soldiers worth so much to Israel? For the same reason the engine is in the front of the Merkava. The sons (and daughters) of Israel risk their lives to defend the Jewish State, and the Jewish State recognizes the responsibility this entails to protect them from harm at all costs. As the Talmud says, "All of Israel are responsible for one another".
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Please remember that we have a new Parade route this year - from 57th to 74th Streets (instead of 57th - 79th Streets, as in past years). This means more concentrated fun and celebration, so join us on Fifth Avenue this Sunday!
Monday, May 17, 2010 5 Days
5 Minutes for Israel is a new form of advocacy organization which seeks to quickly mobilize pro-Israel commenters for e-advocacy on news and blog articles, whether to preempt propaganda from other commenters or to refute it from articles and blog posts themselves.
On a less activist note, here is 5 Star Alliance's list of 10 recommended Israeli 5-Star Hotels.
I haven't stayed at all of them but I can vouch for most-- this summer's as great a time to go as any!
Here's a list (about three years behind, but it's hard to keep up with the rate of development and growth in Jerusalem) of 5-star restaurants in Jerusalem.
Here's a pretty self-explanatory link,
Finally, you have the 5 best children's attractions in Jerusalem linked to here.
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Breaking news - Former Knick Allan Houston to make an appearance at the 2010 Salute to Israel Parade! We're not saying when or where, though, so you'll have to come to the Parade to find out....
6 Days
Last week, Jews around the world celebrated the (Hebrew date of) miraculous victory known as the 6 Day War. The best, most thorough, and most engaging history of this war is an excellent book called 6 Days of War, by Michael B. Oren (not content to rest on the laurels two excellent books, after writing Power, Faith, and Fantasy, a history of American involvement in the Middle East since the Revolutionary War, he became Israel's Ambassador to the United States). In it the author breaks down the background, the immediate context, and the day-by-day action, including the first day's surprise attack which, almost as soon as it started after only two waves of attacks, ended with General Moti Hod, the Israeli Air Force commander, told then Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin "The Egyptian Air Force has ceased to exist".
The war, though it liberated Jerusalem, expanded Israel's borders, and destroyed the bulk of enemy forces, did not bring a lasting peace to Israel. Just 6 years later, a surprise attack initiated by Egypt and Syria on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, what would begin the month-long conflict known as the Yom Kippur War. My favorite book on the war, The Yom Kippur War by Abraham Rabinovich, has this to say about Israel's performance in the war:
"in military terms Israel would recognize its achievement in the war as having few historic parallels. Reeling from a surprise attack on two fronts with the bulk of its army still unmobilized, and confronted by staggering new battlefield realities, Israel's situation was one that could readily bring strong nations to their knees. Yet, within days, it had regained its footing and in less than two weeks it was threatening both enemy capitals, an achievement having few historical parallels. Israel faced not just the Egyptian and Syrian armies but much of the Arab world, and did so with the arm it had most relied on, the air force, tied behind its back. As a military feat, the IDF’s performance in the Yom Kippur War dwarfed that in the Six Day War. Victory emerged from motivation that came from the deepest layers of the nation’s being and from basic military skills that compensated for the grave errors of leadership."
The war would leave Egypt in such a weak position, and Israel in such a strong one, that Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat soon recognized the need to negotiate a peace with Israel, leading to the March 26, 1979 peace treaty concluded between Egypt and Israel just 6 years after the Yom Kippur War. The treaty lasts even to this day.
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Congratulations to Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School for winning our Video Contest! We hope you enjoy spending the morning with Omri Casspi on Friday....
Sunday, May 16, 2010 7 Days
The Bible tells us of seven species of foods particularly favored by Israel's climate and soil. They are wheat, barley, grapes (my last post discussed the prodigious wine industry in Israel), figs, pomegranates (it also discussed pomegranate wine!), olives, and dates. Israeli produce, I can tell you from experience, has only improved since the biblical period, in diversity and quality. Who today can deny that Jaffa oranges are the greatest? And if you live in America and have the opportunity to shop at a store that sells Israeli pickles, get them-- they're way, way better. And their cucumbers don't need you to peel off the skin; they use less pesticides and don't taste nearly as bitter-- makes for a great salad (perhaps an Israeli salad).
They include the Masorti (Israeli Conservative) movement's Emergency Fund, Neve Hanna Youth Village (caring for abused children and teenagers), Mateh Aharon (feeding the needy and displaced in Safed), the JNF (protecting Israel's forests-- at the time of the post, there were Katyusha rockets falling from Lebanon and brave firefighters went out under that threat to prevent forest fires), Yad Sarah (helping the needy with medical equipment), Hatzolah Israel (a volunteer, non-profit emergency medical service, assisting the victims of terrorism and other emergencies throughout Israel. They are the fastest medical response team in Israel, and the only team that works in coordination with Magen David Adom), and the UJC's Israel Emergency Campaign fund.
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Remember, people, just one more week to go! Stop on Fifth Avenue to see the Israeli flags next to the American flags on the lamp posts lining Fifth Avenue, right alongside our street banners... the Parade is almost here!
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