Beautiful Video About Jerusalem

Danny Ayalon, the deputy Foreign Miinster, has created another wonderful video, this time on Jerusalem. (Thanks to Carl of Israel Matzav).

A Southern Boy Fulfills A Dream

The IDF website has some great videos, including this one about an American boy from Alabama who has fulfilled his dream by joining the paratroopers in the IDF. He came to Israel for the first time with Taglit – Birthright, and that sparked the dream the he has fulfilled now. (The video is in English…go ahead and enjoy!)

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Light On Our Feet

Israel is the first (outside) country to set up a field hospital in Japan to help with the thousands of injured from the earthquake and tsunami. In addition we are providing aid in the form of mattresses, blankets, coats, gloves and chemical toilets – very practical assistance in light of the fact that thousands are now homeless.

At first I was very puzzled about this. Surely other countries are just as prepared for emergencies as we are, and can offer the same help! So why are we the first?

I think it is a cultural thing. Israelis are sometimes terrible at planning ahead, and we can fight each other about small details when there is no emergency. But when there is an emergency, we are light on our feet. The red tape is cut and things get done. Individuals take the initiative, and they leave the accounting for later.

Only In Israel – Special Products for the Religious Israeli Soldier

Ynetnews.com has an excellent article about new products for the religious Israeli soldier. These products provide a way for a soldier to perform his duties without desecrating the Sabbath (although I think they should be available for any Jewish soldier, religious or not. Why not reduce Sabbath desecration wherever you can?)

Advanced technology meets advanced Jewish scholarship – the Zomet Institute (Zomet in Hebrew means intersection) is responsible for these products.

This is one of the reasons I made aliyah – to raise my kids in a society that enables them to fulfill their dreams without compromising their spirituality. Where else can a Jew not only serve in the army but do it without desecrating the Sabbath? Not to mention combine advanced Jewish learning with engineering studies….

Compare and Contrast

I came across an interactive site comparing different countries as part of a Newsweek series about the best countries to live in. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Israel ranked 22 out of 100, and I decided to see where our neighbors ranked.

The nearest competitor was Jordan, ranked 53. Egypt came in at 74, and Syria at 83.

Some of the statistics were no surprise. Israel, with very little natural resources, has thrived economically because of three things – G-d’s blessings, our brain power, and our democratic freedoms (and considering how tough it is to run a business here, I wonder just how well we would do if the red tape was really cut….).

I was surprised at the difference in life expectancy though – in some cases people in our neighboring countries can expect to live 10 years less than we do!!!

The difference in literacy also surprised me…

More Posts Appropriate for Israel Pride Week

Update: I received this following video from Bob at the Boudica blog (and I learned a bit of history looking up this interesting name!).

Both DaledAmos and Soccerdad have been kind enough to keep sending me appropriate posts for this week.

An alumnus of the University of Toronto sends a scathing letter of protest. Combating the apartheid slander is the title of this great post which contains many sources.

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs also has printed an excellent refutation.

Stand With Us has a downloadable booklet about the real apartheid in the Middle East.

Professor Irwin Cotler, former Canadian Justice Minister, spoke on this topic at the invitation of Hadar – Israel, Council for Civic Action. You can see the video here.

Israel Pride Week

A few weeks ago I put out a call for pro-Israel posts. I wanted to put together a roundup to be published as a counterpoint to the hateful lies coming out starting March 1st. I was gratified at the response, which came almost immediately.

First things first: The problem on the college campus. Jack sent me this link to an important video called Crossing the Line – The Intifada Comes to Campus. Great video, and if you want to sign up to help you can do so on the site. Israel Peace Week is an initiative to combat anti-Israel propaganda on college campuses this week. Click to find out who is organizing near you. Do you know who is sponsoring this week’s hate fest on college campuses? NGO Monitor gives you a list of the Israeli NGO’s and American organizations that are funding them (CODEPINK, the National Lawyers Guild – NY Chapter and Adalah-NY are just a few).

CAMERA  (Committee for Accuracy in Mideast Reporting) has its own site up with its answer to the anti-Israel propaganda. (Don’t get scared by the url address).

Israel’s contributions to the world:

The Israel 21c website is chock full of articles about Israel’s contributions to scientific research  in many fields including medicine and the environment. CityJournal has an article about Israel’s transformation to one of America’s most important economic allies.

Since today is Shushan Purim, this post by Shimshonit is very appropriate. Read about “dream doctors” medical clowns that are revolutionizing treatment in Israeli hospitals.

Soccerdad, a tireless pro-Israel blogger, was the first to send me a post about Israel and the small Pacific Island countries that are good friends of Israel. He also sent me this great post about how Israel sends help around the world.

Political/Historical:

For the history buffs out there here is an article by Martin Peretz about Zionism and the State of Israel. The Terrorism Awareness Project put together a wonderful summary of modern Israeli history and the truth about the conflict in the Middle East. Batya gives a rundown on Israel’s history and the reason why we live here in a down-to-earth manner (which I happen to love!) Baila proves that a map is worth a thousand words!

Its Almost Supernatural quotes an Israeli Arab diplomat who refutes the claim that Israel is an apartheid state. Emet M’Tzion has a post with pictures that refutes the big lie of “Israel apartheid”.

Jack shares with us some thoughts about Israel on the college campus – scary indeed.

Personal Stories:

Sometimes it’s the “little things” that count.  Nechama sent me this post about the “miracle” of some much needed chesed on Purim – how individuals in Israel can really make a difference.

Feel free to contact me with additional posts – I’ll be happy to include them here.

Don’t Forget To Send In Your Pro-Israel Posts!

Just a reminder to send me your pro-Israel posts for the roundup I am putting together. You can send them to westbankmama at fastmail dot fm.

I will be posting the roundup on Shushan Purim, which is Monday, March 1st. Please get the posts to me by Thursday afternoon, February 25th.

Anything pro-Israel is fine – even old posts. Thank you!

Seven Reasons to Support Israel – Joyce Kaufman

Ok, I couldn’t wait. I started putting together my roundup of pro-Israel posts that I will G-d willing put up on March 1st (yes, people are already sending me posts…what about you?) Someone told me about this video and after I saw it I decided to put it up already. Enjoy some straight talk!