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Visit our Web site: www.bridgesforpeace.com | October 21, 2011 |
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1. Chief of Staff Gantz to SFC Shalit: You are a Hero2. Mashaal to Prisoners: You Will Return to Palestine3. Day of Decision and Heartbreak4. Even a Non-Violent Palestinian Intifada Seems Unlikely Now5. Jerusalem Invests Millions in Arab Schools6. Filter Device Prevents Stroke7. Art Comes to Jerusalem Open Market8. Second Temple Mikveh Discovered
1. Chief of Staff Gantz to SFC Shalit: You are a HeroIDF [Israel Defense Force] Spokesperson, Brigadier General Yoav (Poly) Mordechai on Tuesday afternoon [October 18] provided an update on the condition of SFC Gilad Shalit. Brig. Gen. Mordechai said that SFC Shalit had already undergone initial physical and psychological tests before being flown to Tel Nof.
"The flight was exciting for him and after we landed, Gilad Shalit saluted the prime minister, chief of the general staff and the defense minister," Brig. Gen. Mordechai said. "The chief of staff [Lieutenant General Benny Gantz] told Gilad Shalit that he is a hero and brave and that he is proud of him."
A minute later, SFC Shalit was reunited with his family. Later, accompanied by his family, SFC Shalit began further medical checks. "We understand that for large periods of time, he was exposed to media, including radio," Brig. Gen. Mordechai said of Shalit's time in captivity.
Brig. Gen. Mordechai repeated his request that the privacy of SFC Shalit and his family be respected. "The IDF is proud of Gilad's steadfastness and determination over the years," Brig. Gen. Mordechai said. "We will continue to support him and give him strength."
(By The Israel Defense Force, October 18, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God for hearing all the prayers raised up to heaven on Gilad Shalit's behalf for over five years! Praise Him for Gilad's good condition. Pray that his adjustment to life back in Israel, mentally and emotionally, will be easy.
Scripture
"Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living" (Psalm 116:7-9).
2. Mashaal to Prisoners: You Will Return to Palestine
As hundreds of thousands gathered Tuesday [October 18] in Gaza and the West Bank city of Ramallah to celebrate the homecoming of Palestinian prisoners, Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal praised his group's "accomplishment" in keeping Gilad Shalit's whereabouts a secret for the past five years.
At the Cairo airport's reception hall, Mashaal addressed the Palestinians inmates exiled to Egypt, telling them that "hiding Shalit for the past five years in Gaza is a huge accomplishment." He rejected any Israeli claims that Hamas retreated and became more flexible with its demands. Mashaal said that it was Netanyahu's government which finally compromised.
"The Egyptian mediator got a much better deal compared to the one achieved by the German mediator two years ago. Netanyahu is misleading his people by claiming he got the best possible deal," stated Mashaal.
Mashaal told 40 Palestinian prisoners banished from Gaza and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] at Israel's demand, that their "expulsion from Palestine is a crime, but it's an exceptional moment, and you will return to Palestine," he vowed. "Negotiations based on force are what coerced Israel to pay the price."
He further stated that "the lesson from the prisoner exchange deal also concerns the political aspect - one also needs powerful bargaining chips in these talks. One doesn't sit at the negotiations table without the right cards, or else it's doomed to fail. Our enemy only understands this language."
He added that the swap should be considered a national achievement for all of the Palestinian factions; saying that "the Palestinian security minds beat the Israeli security minds, which are supported by advanced technology."
Earlier Tuesday, Gaza City's residents celebrated the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, set free as part of the Shalit prisoner exchange. Over 250,000 Palestinians gathered in the city's main square, where a formal reception was being held in the honor of the 296 prisoners who were allowed to return to the Strip.
Yahia Sanwar, one of the top Hamas prisoners allowed back into Gaza told the masses: "We feel like we left our hearts behind. We left so many prisoners behind… This is a great victory for our people and for the resistance. "This is the first time a deal of this magnitude has taken place. We will not abandon our prisoners to bleed in [Israeli] jails. I urge the leaders of all the resistance's factions and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades to take it upon themselves and free all of the prisoners soon."
Haniyeh also addressed the Palestinian prisoners' release urged Hamas prisoners left in Israel's jails "to remember that we will not forget you. [Securing] your release is the Palestinian people's duty." He further hailed Hamas's negotiations team and said the deal represented "a new model of Palestinian negotiations."
(Excerpts of an article by Elior Levy, Ynetnews, October 18, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that God will help Israel, both naturally and supernaturally, to keep track of these prisoners and thwart all their plans to reenter Israel and create more terror for this nation.
Scripture
"I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me" (Psalm 18:37-39).
At the Cairo airport's reception hall, Mashaal addressed the Palestinians inmates exiled to Egypt, telling them that "hiding Shalit for the past five years in Gaza is a huge accomplishment." He rejected any Israeli claims that Hamas retreated and became more flexible with its demands. Mashaal said that it was Netanyahu's government which finally compromised.
"The Egyptian mediator got a much better deal compared to the one achieved by the German mediator two years ago. Netanyahu is misleading his people by claiming he got the best possible deal," stated Mashaal.
Mashaal told 40 Palestinian prisoners banished from Gaza and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] at Israel's demand, that their "expulsion from Palestine is a crime, but it's an exceptional moment, and you will return to Palestine," he vowed. "Negotiations based on force are what coerced Israel to pay the price."
He further stated that "the lesson from the prisoner exchange deal also concerns the political aspect - one also needs powerful bargaining chips in these talks. One doesn't sit at the negotiations table without the right cards, or else it's doomed to fail. Our enemy only understands this language."
He added that the swap should be considered a national achievement for all of the Palestinian factions; saying that "the Palestinian security minds beat the Israeli security minds, which are supported by advanced technology."
Earlier Tuesday, Gaza City's residents celebrated the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, set free as part of the Shalit prisoner exchange. Over 250,000 Palestinians gathered in the city's main square, where a formal reception was being held in the honor of the 296 prisoners who were allowed to return to the Strip.
Yahia Sanwar, one of the top Hamas prisoners allowed back into Gaza told the masses: "We feel like we left our hearts behind. We left so many prisoners behind… This is a great victory for our people and for the resistance. "This is the first time a deal of this magnitude has taken place. We will not abandon our prisoners to bleed in [Israeli] jails. I urge the leaders of all the resistance's factions and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades to take it upon themselves and free all of the prisoners soon."
Haniyeh also addressed the Palestinian prisoners' release urged Hamas prisoners left in Israel's jails "to remember that we will not forget you. [Securing] your release is the Palestinian people's duty." He further hailed Hamas's negotiations team and said the deal represented "a new model of Palestinian negotiations."
(Excerpts of an article by Elior Levy, Ynetnews, October 18, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that God will help Israel, both naturally and supernaturally, to keep track of these prisoners and thwart all their plans to reenter Israel and create more terror for this nation.
Scripture
"I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me" (Psalm 18:37-39).
3. Day of Decision and Heartbreak
Monday [October 17] was one of the hardest days for the judges at Israel's Supreme Court of Justice when the representatives of families of terror victims petitioned the High Court to overturn the government decision to release 1,027 Palestinian terrorists in exchange for captured IDF [Israel Defense Force] soldier Gilad Shalit.
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch left the court in no doubt as to the gravity of the decision of the three-person bench. "The moral and legal difficulty is laid out before us; we are sitting among our own people. There is no need to explain the painful history and the very difficult dilemmas we face."
Gilad Shalit's father, Noam Shalit, said, "We sympathize with the pain of the families of the terror victims, but ask that the court not make any change, however small, to the deal made by the government," Schalit's parents, Noam and Aviva told the court.
There was no doubt in the court that the representatives of the terror victims' families were fully sympathetic with the dilemma of the Shalit family. However the families were saying that this exchange is not proportionate and many of the terrorists being released have committed the most heinous of cold-blooded crime.
One of the most outspoken opponents of the exchange deal, Shvuel Schijveschuuder berated the press attending the hearing reminding them that he for example had lost his parents and siblings Mordechai, 43, Tzira, 41, Ra'aya, 14, Avraham Yitzhak, 4, and Hemda aged two. They had died, together with 10 other people when a terrorist blew up the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem.
Although the court has not yet issued a ruling for the appeal, it [was] not expected to be in favor of the terror victims' families. This is because the court on past precedents will not overrule such a government directive.
(Excerpts of an article by Isranet, October 17, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the families of those who have lost loved ones because of terror attacks will be comforted. In the end, it is God who brings justice to all things. Pray that these families rest in the assurance that their heart cries are heard in heaven.
Scripture
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret - it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 37:7-9).
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch left the court in no doubt as to the gravity of the decision of the three-person bench. "The moral and legal difficulty is laid out before us; we are sitting among our own people. There is no need to explain the painful history and the very difficult dilemmas we face."
Gilad Shalit's father, Noam Shalit, said, "We sympathize with the pain of the families of the terror victims, but ask that the court not make any change, however small, to the deal made by the government," Schalit's parents, Noam and Aviva told the court.
There was no doubt in the court that the representatives of the terror victims' families were fully sympathetic with the dilemma of the Shalit family. However the families were saying that this exchange is not proportionate and many of the terrorists being released have committed the most heinous of cold-blooded crime.
One of the most outspoken opponents of the exchange deal, Shvuel Schijveschuuder berated the press attending the hearing reminding them that he for example had lost his parents and siblings Mordechai, 43, Tzira, 41, Ra'aya, 14, Avraham Yitzhak, 4, and Hemda aged two. They had died, together with 10 other people when a terrorist blew up the Sbarro pizza restaurant in Jerusalem.
Although the court has not yet issued a ruling for the appeal, it [was] not expected to be in favor of the terror victims' families. This is because the court on past precedents will not overrule such a government directive.
(Excerpts of an article by Isranet, October 17, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray that the families of those who have lost loved ones because of terror attacks will be comforted. In the end, it is God who brings justice to all things. Pray that these families rest in the assurance that their heart cries are heard in heaven.
Scripture
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret - it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 37:7-9).
4. Even a Non-Violent Palestinian Intifada Seems Unlikely Now
Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday [October 11] urged military commanders to be on constant guard against Palestinian violence, but he also warned to use a gentle hand to avoid provocations. "Excellent work is being done here [in the West Bank or Judea and Samaria] to protect the [Jewish] settlements." Barak added that continued coordination with the Palestinian security forces would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians.
His comments come at a time of increasing tensions between the Jewish residents of the territories and Palestinians. Barak and others [say] chaos could erupt, either in the form of large peaceful demonstrations or mass violent actions, if Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood flounder.
Yet, despite a history of popular mobilization and sophisticated grassroots activism supported by social media, Palestinians appear less likely than ever to engage in a major protest, violent or peaceful, whether it is out of confusion, fatigue or a willingness to give Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas time to achieve his statehood dream, analysts say.
Last month, Abbas formally took the statehood bid to the United Nations' Security Council, where it is now being examined. Should Palestinians demonstrate in their own cities, like Ramallah or Nablus in the West Bank, few Israelis would notice and even less would care. Marching onto Jewish communities or army checkpoints, would, however, elicit a forceful Israeli response, which could quickly devolve into bloody violence, something a cautious Barak warned his generals about.
A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), conducted just prior to Abbas's UN bid, found that 25.9% of Palestinians were in favor of non-violent marches on barriers and settlements, with 15.2% supporting violent actions. But the majority of 53.4% preferred doing nothing.
"A lot of Palestinian leaders criticized me for this poll, saying it wasn't accurate. They survive on protests, and they expected it to be higher. But it was exactly what happened. We reflect what Palestinians feel, and I am glad they said what they think and not what they want their leaders to hear," Nabil Kukali, director of the PCPO, told The Media Line.
"Palestinians aren't ready for mass protests yet or a third intifada. Everything is confusing now," he said. "They generally want to give their leaders a chance to solve the problems."
Another poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, found that 64% of Palestinians do not think that a peaceful popular revolt like in Egypt or Tunisia against Israeli occupation would be capable of ending Israeli rule.
Israeli authorities have warned that the high spirits of the Palestinians over statehood risk devolving into violence should progress toward political gains not bear fruit. While the discontent is similar to 2000 when the violent Second Intifada broke out, the social atmosphere has dramatically changed in the Palestinian street, which is enjoying greater prosperity and still licking mental wounds from the last Israeli crackdown.
"[The Israelis] are trying to scare everyone about this, and they may even try to escalate matters, but as for the Palestinian people, we are not looking forward to this. A chance for a Third Intifada is doubtful because the Palestinians are not looking for any escalation," Ibrahim Daqqaq, a Palestinian university student from east Jerusalem, told The Media Line.
(Excerpts of an article by Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, October 11, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray for the nations as they continue to review the Palestinian bid for statehood. Pray that wisdom will prevail and many nations will reconsider such a decision.
Scripture
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision…But the LORD will be a shelter for His people and the strength of the children of Israel" (Joel 3:14, 16b).
His comments come at a time of increasing tensions between the Jewish residents of the territories and Palestinians. Barak and others [say] chaos could erupt, either in the form of large peaceful demonstrations or mass violent actions, if Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood flounder.
Yet, despite a history of popular mobilization and sophisticated grassroots activism supported by social media, Palestinians appear less likely than ever to engage in a major protest, violent or peaceful, whether it is out of confusion, fatigue or a willingness to give Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas time to achieve his statehood dream, analysts say.
Last month, Abbas formally took the statehood bid to the United Nations' Security Council, where it is now being examined. Should Palestinians demonstrate in their own cities, like Ramallah or Nablus in the West Bank, few Israelis would notice and even less would care. Marching onto Jewish communities or army checkpoints, would, however, elicit a forceful Israeli response, which could quickly devolve into bloody violence, something a cautious Barak warned his generals about.
A recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), conducted just prior to Abbas's UN bid, found that 25.9% of Palestinians were in favor of non-violent marches on barriers and settlements, with 15.2% supporting violent actions. But the majority of 53.4% preferred doing nothing.
"A lot of Palestinian leaders criticized me for this poll, saying it wasn't accurate. They survive on protests, and they expected it to be higher. But it was exactly what happened. We reflect what Palestinians feel, and I am glad they said what they think and not what they want their leaders to hear," Nabil Kukali, director of the PCPO, told The Media Line.
"Palestinians aren't ready for mass protests yet or a third intifada. Everything is confusing now," he said. "They generally want to give their leaders a chance to solve the problems."
Another poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, found that 64% of Palestinians do not think that a peaceful popular revolt like in Egypt or Tunisia against Israeli occupation would be capable of ending Israeli rule.
Israeli authorities have warned that the high spirits of the Palestinians over statehood risk devolving into violence should progress toward political gains not bear fruit. While the discontent is similar to 2000 when the violent Second Intifada broke out, the social atmosphere has dramatically changed in the Palestinian street, which is enjoying greater prosperity and still licking mental wounds from the last Israeli crackdown.
"[The Israelis] are trying to scare everyone about this, and they may even try to escalate matters, but as for the Palestinian people, we are not looking forward to this. A chance for a Third Intifada is doubtful because the Palestinians are not looking for any escalation," Ibrahim Daqqaq, a Palestinian university student from east Jerusalem, told The Media Line.
(Excerpts of an article by Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, October 11, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Pray for the nations as they continue to review the Palestinian bid for statehood. Pray that wisdom will prevail and many nations will reconsider such a decision.
Scripture
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision…But the LORD will be a shelter for His people and the strength of the children of Israel" (Joel 3:14, 16b).
5. Jerusalem Invests Millions in Arab Schools
With new classrooms and technology tools, Mayor Nir Barkat has declared an education revolution in the eastern sector of the capital city. When the 2011-2012 school year began in the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, millions of shekels in sparkling new or renewed classrooms, computers and sports facilities greeted 42,153 students and their teachers.
Many of the 59 public schools approved and budgeted under the Jerusalem Education Authority of the Ministry of Education have been neglected, undersupplied or overcrowded for decades.
Since taking office in November 2008, Mayor Nir Barkat has been implementing improvements to get these facilities on par with schools in the western sector of the city, says Stephan Miller, advisor to Jerusalem's mayor.
"The mayor and municipal professionals work regularly with members of the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem through the leadership of the community centers as well as organized groups of residents such as the Mayor's Forum of Eastern Jerusalem Principals and the Mayor's Forum for Welfare in Eastern Jerusalem," Miller tells ISRAEL21c. "The completion of the Mayor's plan will lead to a significant change in education in eastern Jerusalem."
New schools, including approximately 200 classrooms, have been built in the eastern part of the city. The municipality is currently investing the unprecedented sum of NIS 300 million (about US $69 million) in the planning and construction of 285 additional new classrooms for Arab schoolchildren.
This year alone, 42 new classrooms will be opened in new buildings, 18 at the start of the year and the remainder in coming months. Six additional kindergarten classrooms were completed in time for September, including one for special education. In addition, more than 40 public school classrooms were renovated and adapted to pupils' needs, with emphasis on the Shoafat refugee area in northeast Jerusalem. The municipality also built new sports facilities in south central Beit Tzafafa and in Isawiya in the northeast.
Another NIS 750,000 (more than US $170,000) per year has been approved for programs to advance gifted and outstanding pupils, strengthen girls' education and reduce school violence. An additional NIS 1.5 million [US $411,378] is newly designated for the public schools' organizational expenditures.
The municipality and the Education Ministry have shared costs for these initiatives, says Miller, and further upgrades are still to come. "As you can imagine, from vision to construction takes time, and the mayor has moved swiftly since taking office to fast-track these plans," says Miller, "which is why they are ready so early in his first term."
New classrooms wouldn't be as valuable without updated equipment inside them. So with the assistance of Israeli branches of companies such as Ernst & Young and Intel, the municipality rang in the new school year by distributing 1,720 mobile and desktop computers to schools, kindergartens and teachers in eastern Jerusalem. An additional 350 new donated computers were given to schoolchildren to take home.
There was more good news for teachers: Seven classrooms in six schools in the eastern part of the city were converted into technologically sophisticated learning centers with the installation of interactive whiteboards, which can display educational software, web sites, past lessons and other features. Teachers and principals alike have been receiving computer training courses to maximize their use of these new tools.
"We are committed to investing in eastern Jerusalem and reducing the gaps, which are the result of years of neglect," said Barkat upon announcing the improvements at the start of September. "We cannot countenance a situation in which Jerusalem pupils have no classrooms, roads or basic infrastructures. These investments will lead to an increase in residents' quality of life."
(By Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21c, October 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God that Jerusalem's mayor is rectifying injustices and neglect for the Arab sector of the city. Pray that this will be noticed by the nations and that God will bless Israel for taking these steps.
Scripture
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).
Many of the 59 public schools approved and budgeted under the Jerusalem Education Authority of the Ministry of Education have been neglected, undersupplied or overcrowded for decades.
Since taking office in November 2008, Mayor Nir Barkat has been implementing improvements to get these facilities on par with schools in the western sector of the city, says Stephan Miller, advisor to Jerusalem's mayor.
"The mayor and municipal professionals work regularly with members of the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem through the leadership of the community centers as well as organized groups of residents such as the Mayor's Forum of Eastern Jerusalem Principals and the Mayor's Forum for Welfare in Eastern Jerusalem," Miller tells ISRAEL21c. "The completion of the Mayor's plan will lead to a significant change in education in eastern Jerusalem."
New schools, including approximately 200 classrooms, have been built in the eastern part of the city. The municipality is currently investing the unprecedented sum of NIS 300 million (about US $69 million) in the planning and construction of 285 additional new classrooms for Arab schoolchildren.
This year alone, 42 new classrooms will be opened in new buildings, 18 at the start of the year and the remainder in coming months. Six additional kindergarten classrooms were completed in time for September, including one for special education. In addition, more than 40 public school classrooms were renovated and adapted to pupils' needs, with emphasis on the Shoafat refugee area in northeast Jerusalem. The municipality also built new sports facilities in south central Beit Tzafafa and in Isawiya in the northeast.
Another NIS 750,000 (more than US $170,000) per year has been approved for programs to advance gifted and outstanding pupils, strengthen girls' education and reduce school violence. An additional NIS 1.5 million [US $411,378] is newly designated for the public schools' organizational expenditures.
The municipality and the Education Ministry have shared costs for these initiatives, says Miller, and further upgrades are still to come. "As you can imagine, from vision to construction takes time, and the mayor has moved swiftly since taking office to fast-track these plans," says Miller, "which is why they are ready so early in his first term."
New classrooms wouldn't be as valuable without updated equipment inside them. So with the assistance of Israeli branches of companies such as Ernst & Young and Intel, the municipality rang in the new school year by distributing 1,720 mobile and desktop computers to schools, kindergartens and teachers in eastern Jerusalem. An additional 350 new donated computers were given to schoolchildren to take home.
There was more good news for teachers: Seven classrooms in six schools in the eastern part of the city were converted into technologically sophisticated learning centers with the installation of interactive whiteboards, which can display educational software, web sites, past lessons and other features. Teachers and principals alike have been receiving computer training courses to maximize their use of these new tools.
"We are committed to investing in eastern Jerusalem and reducing the gaps, which are the result of years of neglect," said Barkat upon announcing the improvements at the start of September. "We cannot countenance a situation in which Jerusalem pupils have no classrooms, roads or basic infrastructures. These investments will lead to an increase in residents' quality of life."
(By Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21c, October 16, 2011)
Prayer Focus
Praise God that Jerusalem's mayor is rectifying injustices and neglect for the Arab sector of the city. Pray that this will be noticed by the nations and that God will bless Israel for taking these steps.
Scripture
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).
6. Filter Device Prevents Stroke
A revolutionary, minimally invasive heart repair procedure, now being investigated in America and already being performed by European doctors, could save the lives of older people who might not be able to withstand open-heart surgery to repair their heart valves. However, up to 15% of all patients undergoing this procedure - called TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve implantation) - suffer a stroke on the operating table.
"Studies of the last two years have shown significant incidence of stroke with this [TAVI] procedure," SMT CEO Paul Zalesky tells ISRAEL21c. "These valves are so diseased that big chunks of calcium [break off] when they go in to do the procedure. Sometimes this material is knocked off, and breaks loose and goes into the brain."
Foreseeing the risk years ago as TAVI was being developed, Israeli cardiologist Dr. Dov Shimon invented a novel way to prevent stroke. His innovation is a filter against these embolisms. Fitted onto the aortic arch, the medical device - now under development by the Israeli company SMT Research and Development - ensures that particles do not get into the blood flowing to the three main vessels leading from the heart. Inserted before the operation and removed shortly after, the SMT filter holds great promise for many patients because it is performed through an artery in the leg.
Dr. Pieter Stella of the University Medical Center in the Netherlands, got a sneak preview: "The SMT device is the first embolic protection device that I have seen that offers coverage of all three primary vessels feeding the brain."
Excerpts of an article by Karin Kloosterman, israel21c
Prayer Focus
Praise God for all the ways God has used Israel to bless the world with inventions, technology, and marvelous advances in medicine to help heal our diseases.
Scripture
"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, 'Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant'" (Psalm 35:27).
"Studies of the last two years have shown significant incidence of stroke with this [TAVI] procedure," SMT CEO Paul Zalesky tells ISRAEL21c. "These valves are so diseased that big chunks of calcium [break off] when they go in to do the procedure. Sometimes this material is knocked off, and breaks loose and goes into the brain."
Foreseeing the risk years ago as TAVI was being developed, Israeli cardiologist Dr. Dov Shimon invented a novel way to prevent stroke. His innovation is a filter against these embolisms. Fitted onto the aortic arch, the medical device - now under development by the Israeli company SMT Research and Development - ensures that particles do not get into the blood flowing to the three main vessels leading from the heart. Inserted before the operation and removed shortly after, the SMT filter holds great promise for many patients because it is performed through an artery in the leg.
Dr. Pieter Stella of the University Medical Center in the Netherlands, got a sneak preview: "The SMT device is the first embolic protection device that I have seen that offers coverage of all three primary vessels feeding the brain."
Excerpts of an article by Karin Kloosterman, israel21c
Prayer Focus
Praise God for all the ways God has used Israel to bless the world with inventions, technology, and marvelous advances in medicine to help heal our diseases.
Scripture
"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, 'Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant'" (Psalm 35:27).
7. Art Comes to Jerusalem Open Market
Certainly the central market place of any great city is colorful, ringing with a cacophony of sounds and sights that attract shoppers and tourists. But it's often a different story on the backstreets, dingy and grey with urban grunge. The bustling Mahane Yehuda Market, or shuk, is a well-known Jerusalem landmark.
People travel from far and wide to buy vegetables, meat and fish, spices and treats. More recently, chic cafes and boutiques have sprung up. And now there's a project called Tabula Rasa to transform the rundown surrounding streets with urban artwork.
"We chose these streets because they are less colorful, and they don't have all of the vegetables and fruits, so it is less colorful and more greyish and neglected. We wanted to color it up and put some life in it," Itamar Paloge, 28, artist and curator of the project, told The Media Line.
"We have local artists from Jerusalem and street artists and we have the shop keepers and businessmen from the market cooperating with us," Paloge adds as a few merchants line up to add their artistic talent to a massive graffiti-motif mural.
"I'm the Picasso of hummus. They asked me to paint and why not? If we can do pretty things to this market then I always participate," says Elran Shefler of one of the local hummus restaurants.
"A month ago this area was a real mess. But they've managed to make a lot prettier and with recycled material. They took some tin and put in a little earth [to make urns], put a plant here, a painting there. They did a real nice job," Shefler tells The Media Line before he lays down his can of spray paint and rushes back to his work.
In Jerusalem, Mahane Yehuda has become a cultural palette for a plethora of philanthropic organizations with projects to bring culture and style to a place better known for its working class grit. This past summer, Jerusalem Season of Culture - an American-funded organization aimed at brining culture to the masses - used it as a venue for street theatre. High-end culinary chefs have set up haute cuisine kitchens on the rooftops over the alleyways and galleries have nestled in between the food stalls.
This latest urban art endeavour, however, is sponsored by the municipality and even the mayor, Nir Barkat, showed up to do his part. He said he saw no symbolism in the fact that he was given a stencil of a rat to paint.
"It means that I do what they tell me. I listen to the artists and do what they say. I think we should welcome projects like this where artists are accepted by the community," Barkat told The Media Line. Garbage bins, exposed walls and concrete squares all serve as pallets for the street art. After his artistic contribution to a mural, Barkat strolls about the back streets to examine some of the creations.
"When we have a joint venture between artists and the commerce here in the neighborhood it creates a very, very nice atmosphere. It makes the place much more clean and much more wonderful and pretty. This is how it creates more people who come here and enjoy Mahane Yehuda. And this is exactly what we wanted. We wanted the place to come alive and it's coming alive," Barkat says.
Paloge says the inspiration came from the merchants themselves. "They saw us working and were, like, 'We want to give a hand and we want to paint our own streets.' So we took the offer and we brought them together and we did a workshop in which we taught them how to do stencils and how to spray and then they are going to go down and spray the streets," Paloge says.
Still, in the middle of the work day it takes some heavy coaxing to get the merchants to leave their stalls for a few minutes of creativity. "I think anyone can be an artist or just to be able to color up the streets and put some life into it," Paloge says. "Even a vegetable salesman."
(By Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, October 11, 2011)
People travel from far and wide to buy vegetables, meat and fish, spices and treats. More recently, chic cafes and boutiques have sprung up. And now there's a project called Tabula Rasa to transform the rundown surrounding streets with urban artwork.
"We chose these streets because they are less colorful, and they don't have all of the vegetables and fruits, so it is less colorful and more greyish and neglected. We wanted to color it up and put some life in it," Itamar Paloge, 28, artist and curator of the project, told The Media Line.
"We have local artists from Jerusalem and street artists and we have the shop keepers and businessmen from the market cooperating with us," Paloge adds as a few merchants line up to add their artistic talent to a massive graffiti-motif mural.
"I'm the Picasso of hummus. They asked me to paint and why not? If we can do pretty things to this market then I always participate," says Elran Shefler of one of the local hummus restaurants.
"A month ago this area was a real mess. But they've managed to make a lot prettier and with recycled material. They took some tin and put in a little earth [to make urns], put a plant here, a painting there. They did a real nice job," Shefler tells The Media Line before he lays down his can of spray paint and rushes back to his work.
In Jerusalem, Mahane Yehuda has become a cultural palette for a plethora of philanthropic organizations with projects to bring culture and style to a place better known for its working class grit. This past summer, Jerusalem Season of Culture - an American-funded organization aimed at brining culture to the masses - used it as a venue for street theatre. High-end culinary chefs have set up haute cuisine kitchens on the rooftops over the alleyways and galleries have nestled in between the food stalls.
This latest urban art endeavour, however, is sponsored by the municipality and even the mayor, Nir Barkat, showed up to do his part. He said he saw no symbolism in the fact that he was given a stencil of a rat to paint.
"It means that I do what they tell me. I listen to the artists and do what they say. I think we should welcome projects like this where artists are accepted by the community," Barkat told The Media Line. Garbage bins, exposed walls and concrete squares all serve as pallets for the street art. After his artistic contribution to a mural, Barkat strolls about the back streets to examine some of the creations.
"When we have a joint venture between artists and the commerce here in the neighborhood it creates a very, very nice atmosphere. It makes the place much more clean and much more wonderful and pretty. This is how it creates more people who come here and enjoy Mahane Yehuda. And this is exactly what we wanted. We wanted the place to come alive and it's coming alive," Barkat says.
Paloge says the inspiration came from the merchants themselves. "They saw us working and were, like, 'We want to give a hand and we want to paint our own streets.' So we took the offer and we brought them together and we did a workshop in which we taught them how to do stencils and how to spray and then they are going to go down and spray the streets," Paloge says.
Still, in the middle of the work day it takes some heavy coaxing to get the merchants to leave their stalls for a few minutes of creativity. "I think anyone can be an artist or just to be able to color up the streets and put some life into it," Paloge says. "Even a vegetable salesman."
(By Arieh O'Sullivan, The Media Line, October 11, 2011)
8. Second Temple Mikveh Discovered
A plastered building, probably a ritual bath (mikve), dating to the Second Temple period (first century BCE-first century CE) was exposed in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) conducted prior to the installation of a water line by the Mekorot Company at an antiquities site near Kibbutz Tzora.
The excavation revealed a square structure that has three walls treated with a thin layer of plaster that facilitated the storage of water. A channel used to drain water into the ritual bath was installed in a corner. In addition, a plaster floor and three stairs that descend from it to the west (toward the hewn openings in the bedrock) were exposed.
According to IAA excavation director, archaeologist Pablo Betzer, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "This is the first time that any remains dating to the Second Temple period have been exposed in this region. We knew from the Talmud and from non-Jewish sources that on this ridge, as in most of the Judean coastal plain, there was an extensive Jewish community 2,000 years ago that existed until the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
"Yet despite the many surveys and excavations that have been carried out to date no remains from this period have been discovered so far". The name of the Jewish settlement that the ritual bath belonged to has still not been determined.
Mekorot reports that the building was discovered while modernizing the water supply system first built in the 1950s in the region between Kfar Uriah and Moshav Yishi, in a project estimated to cost US $5.4 million.
During the course of all the infrastructure work, Mekorot fully cooperated with the IAA out of a commitment to the values of tradition and history. Mekorot also stated that the discovery will not affect the project's timetable and that the work will be completed on schedule. In addition the water line will be directed away from the present discovery.
(By Isranet, October 14, 2011)
The excavation revealed a square structure that has three walls treated with a thin layer of plaster that facilitated the storage of water. A channel used to drain water into the ritual bath was installed in a corner. In addition, a plaster floor and three stairs that descend from it to the west (toward the hewn openings in the bedrock) were exposed.
According to IAA excavation director, archaeologist Pablo Betzer, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "This is the first time that any remains dating to the Second Temple period have been exposed in this region. We knew from the Talmud and from non-Jewish sources that on this ridge, as in most of the Judean coastal plain, there was an extensive Jewish community 2,000 years ago that existed until the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
"Yet despite the many surveys and excavations that have been carried out to date no remains from this period have been discovered so far". The name of the Jewish settlement that the ritual bath belonged to has still not been determined.
Mekorot reports that the building was discovered while modernizing the water supply system first built in the 1950s in the region between Kfar Uriah and Moshav Yishi, in a project estimated to cost US $5.4 million.
During the course of all the infrastructure work, Mekorot fully cooperated with the IAA out of a commitment to the values of tradition and history. Mekorot also stated that the discovery will not affect the project's timetable and that the work will be completed on schedule. In addition the water line will be directed away from the present discovery.
(By Isranet, October 14, 2011)
Note: All Scripture is taken from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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