Discovered: Natural Gas is Leaking From Under Haifa Bay

A series of active gas springs on the sea floor under Haifa Bay was discovered by a geophysics research team from Haifa University.

By Hana Levi Julian, MSW, LCSW-R

 

A geophysics research team from Haifa University has discovered a series of active gas springs on the sea floor under Haifa Bay.

According to Dr. Uri Schattner, head of the university’s Department of Marine Geosciences at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, “Geophysical information enables us to research beneath the sea floor and map out the entire system, from the gas sources to the penetration of the sea waters.” Continue Reading »

Israeli company reports development of antibody that fights Alzheimer’s symptoms

 

Israel’s NasVax reported that its testing shows that administering BBS antibody to animals reduces levels of the proteins that are associated with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

Experts estimate that just in the U.S. between 4-5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s.

By Ilan Gattegno

 

The Israeli company NasVax announced on Wednesday that testing has shown that administering the BBS antibody to animals reduces levels of the tau and amyloid beta proteins, strengthening cognitive abilities and reducing brain inflammation. Cognitive impairment and brain inflammation are typical symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Testing shows that BBS antibody fights symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Continue Reading »

IDF Rescue Team sent to Ghana

The IDF’s Home Front Command sent a search & rescue team Thursday morning to Ghana following the collapse of a department store in Accra

By Chana Ya’ar

 

The IDF’s Home Front Command sent a rescue team Thursday morning to Accra, Ghana following the collapse of a department store.

Dozens of people are believed to be trapped under the rubble of the building, officials said.

The aircraft departed from the Nevatim air force base in the Negev, led by National Rescue Division Commander General Ramtine Sabti.

Included among the members of the team are physicians and other rescue personnel with technical experience in disaster relief. Continue Reading »

8,500-year-old skulls found in Neolithic well in the Jezreel Valley

Skeletal remains of a young woman & older man discovered on the bottom of a ancient well in the Jezreel Valley.

 

In a mortal mystery that cannot help but beckon the age-old tragedies of Antigone and Haimon, or Romeo and Juliet, the 8,500-year-old skeletal remains of a young woman and an older man have been discovered at the bottom of a

8,500-year-old skulls found in Neolithic well in the Jezreel Valley. - Photo: Clara Amit/Israel Antiquities Authority

8,500-year-old skulls found in Neolithic well in the Jezreel Valley. – Photo: Clara Amit/Israel Antiquities Authorit

Excavators discovered the well during a dig of the Israel Antiquities Authority at Enot Nisanit in the western Jezreel Valley, which occurred ahead of an enlargement of HaYogev Junction at Road 66 by the National Roads Company.

Continue Reading »

3 mortars fired from Syria land in Israel

 

Three explosive mortar shells land in Golan Heights near northern border, as clashes between Assad’s forces, rebels intensify. No one injured

By Yoav Zitun

 

The clashes between Syrian President Bashar Assad‘s forces and opposition forces edged closer to Israel Thursday, as three mortar shells fired in Syria landed in Israel’s territory.

IDF soldiers in the Golan – IDF Spokesperson’s Unit

Two of the shells landed near the border fence, while a third one landed in the Golan Heights community of Alonei HaBashan.

No injuries or damage were reported.

The IDF said that like in several other cases over the past few weeks, the incident was one of misfire and did not target Israel. Continue Reading »

Putin & Peres Inaugurate Unique Jewish Museum in Moscow

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with Israel’s President Shimon Peres opened a very unique Jewish Tolerance Museum in Moscow

By David Lev

 

In a gala event Thursday, President Shimon Peres, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, opened the unique Jewish Tolerance Museum in Moscow, which will use displays, interactive activities, and the latest technologies to tell the story of the Jewish people throughout the ages.

Moscow Tolerance Museum – Arutz Sheva

The 8,500 square foot institution cost millions of dollars to build and develop, and is the first to tell the “inside story” of the Jewish experience. While Israel’s Diaspora Museum has many exhibits preserving the memory of Jewish communities around the world, the Tolerance Museum takes a more “personal” approach, telling the story of Jewish faith throughout the ages, the Creation of the world, the giving of the Torah, the Holy Temples, and Jewish suffering in the Exile. Continue Reading »

Blair optimistic: Obama win opens way for new Mideast push

Quartet’s Middle East envoy & Former British PM says he doesn’t believe US lost interest in Israeli-Palestinian conflict & he expects to see fresh initiative soon, now that the election is over

By Reuters

 

President Barack Obama‘s election victory opens the way for renewed efforts to revive moribund peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said on Wednesday.

Tony Blair Photo: AFP

Tony Blair – Photo: AFP

Speaking hours after Obama won a second term in office, the former British prime minister told Reuters he did not believe the United States had lost interest in the decades-old conflict, adding that he hoped to see a fresh initiative soon. Continue Reading »

Republican Jewish Coalition Urges Unity in Face of ‘Serious Problems’

The RJC calls on Americans to “come together to craft real solutions to very serious problems our country faces today.”

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) congratulated President Obama on his re-election victory, but called on Americans to “come together to craft real solutions to the very serious problems our country faces today.”

President Obama

President Obama – Reuters

In a statement released by Executive Director Matt Brooks, the RJC noted a significant decline in support for Obama among Jewish voters, with exit polls saying that Obama garnered about 69 percent of the Jewish vote, down from an estimated 74 percent to 78 percent in 2008. Continue Reading »

Knesset Members split on pot legalization in Israel

Some Israeli politicians advocate permitting its use now that two US states legalized marijuana for recreational use.

By LAHAV HARKOV, REUTERS

 

Some politicians were ready to pass a joint around on Wednesday to celebrate recreational use of marijuana being legalized in Colorado and Washington – but most who expressed opinions on the issue advocated medical use only.

Woman smokes a marijuana cigarette [illustrative]

Smoking a ‘joint’ – Photo: Toussaint Kluiters / Reuters

Colorado and Washington became the first US states to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana for recreational use on Tuesday in defiance of federal law, setting the stage for a possible showdown with the Obama administration.

Continue Reading »

Palestinian Authority & Hamas urges Obama to stop siding with Israel

PA president Abbas calls on president Obama to put an end to ‘Israeli occupation,’ while Hamas asks him to stop bias

By Elior Levy

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined world leaders on Wednesday in congratulating Barack Obama for being elected for a second term in the White House, and expressed hope the US president would help instate the two-state solution.

Mahmoud Abbas Photo: AP

Mahmoud Abbas – Photo: AP

Abbas’ chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said that “Obama must take action to dry out the swamp that is the Israeli occupation, because this is the key to democracy.”

In a statement, Erekat stated that the PA has decided to submit its bid for UN recognition this month, “and we hope that Obama stands by the Palestinians.” Continue Reading »

Turkey Seeking Patriot Missiles from NATO on its Syrian Border

Report from Ankara: Turkey is planning to ask NATO for American Patriot Missiles to help defend its southern region from Syria

By Chana Ya’ar

 

Turkey is planning to ask NATO for Patriot missiles to help defend its southern region from Syria, said an Ankara source quoted by international media.

The missile defense battery would be stationed  along the country’s 910 kilometer (560 mile) border with Syria, said a senior Turkish foreign ministry official.

“An imminent official request is to be made,” the source told a reporter on condition of anonymity. “The deployment of these type of missiles as a step to counter threats is routine under NATO regulations,” the official said. Continue Reading »

Taglit-Birthright Reshuffles its Follow-Up Efforts

After Disappointing Results, NEXT Alumni Shuffled to Jewish Federations, Jewish Youth Groups & Synagogues that host religious & social events.


 

By Seth Berkman

 

Birthright Israel NEXT is ceding its follow-up role in connecting young Jews to their Jewish identity after the free trips they take to Israel via the Taglit Birthright Israel program.

The 4-year old program is replacing its staff in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities where there are large concentrations of Birthright alumni, for whom NEXT, until recently, directly created and hosted activities. Instead, NEXT has hired regional directors who are directing alums to already established organizations. Continue Reading »

Border Guard Stabbed with 7 more Cops Injured in Jerusalem Riot

A Border Guard officer was stabbed Tuesday night when rock-throwers in the Arab Shuafat neighborhood of Jerusalem rioted.

By David Lev

 

A Border Guards officer was wounded Tuesday night when Arabs in the Shuafat area of Jerusalem rioted. The officer was stabbed by one of the rioters. At least seven other officers were injured by rocks thrown by the rioters.

Three of the officers, including the stabbing victim, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, as was the attacker who allegedly stabbed the officer.

Police and Border Guards were attempting to quell the riot. Police arrested a 17-year-old Arab rioter in connection with the stabbing. Continue Reading »

View Video: A box that makes taking pills easier

 

A programmable pillbox by SmartMed is designed to increase compliance with prescription medication, & can also manage healthcare remotely.

 

According to the American Heart Association, the number one problem in treating illness today is getting people to take their medication in the right way. About half of prescription drugs are simply not taken as prescribed, and in the United States it’s estimated that 10 percent (30% in the over-65 group) of all hospital admissions result from non-compliance.

This a niche that new Israeli technology company Vaica aims to address with a programmable “smart” pillbox that can be filled by hand or preloaded at the pharmacy. Continue Reading »

Elie Wiesel says he & Obama are teaming to pen a book

Wiesel: “I told myself that I have to be careful because I can never know whether anyone in the audience will be a future president.”

By JTA staff

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Elie Wiesel and President Obama are writing a book together, the Holocaust survivor and author told an Israeli newspaper.

This year’s NADAV Jewish Peoplehood Award recipients are honored in a special ceremony in Jerusalem. From left: Avishai Cohen, Leonid Nevzlin, Irina Nevzlin Kogan and Elie Wiesel. – Photo: Sivan Farag

The book, which the two men will resume writing after Tuesday’s presidential election, is “a book of two friends,” Wiesel, a Nobel laureate, told Haaretz. Continue Reading »