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Monday, January 25, 2021

These phylacteries were found in a bunker unearthed in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. Courtesy: Shem Olam Faith and the Holocaust Institute.

Hidden bunker discovered in Warsaw Ghetto

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021 Women from the Cochin Jewish community perform on stage during a culture event at Bar-Ilan University. Photo by Victor Yitzhak, Cochin Jewish Heritage Center.

Meet the Cochin Jews: Israel’s oldest Indian community

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021 US and Israel flags, image by Ted Eytan via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

The true nature of tolerance

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021 For many in Israel and across the world who have been confined to their homes—weary from a constant diet of political drama and itching to extricate themselves from coronavirus woes—a new year is about to begin: Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year for the Trees.” Many rabbis describe this as a particularly important time to appreciate the “land” of Israel. As Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, writes in the Book of Our Heritage, “Tu B’Shevat bespeaks the praise of the land of Israel—for on this day the strength of the soil of the Eretz Yisrael is renewed and it begins to yield its produce and demonstrate its inherent goodness.” How does one appreciate the land of Israel? First, taste it, or more precisely, drink and eat what it produces. Of the seven biblically mentioned species, five grow on Israeli vines or trees. Today, Israel grows 55,000 metric tons of grapes each year. Seventy major wineries and 250 boutique wineries use most of these grapes to produce more than 4.5 million bottles of wine, many of which are winning international awards. Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories Your email Israel also grows 60,000 tons of pomegranates, 2400 tons of figs, 32,000 tons of dates and produces 16,000 tons of olive oil each year, also with award-winning varieties. This is in addition to delicious Israeli oranges, grapefruit, avocados, cherries, nuts, tomatoes, strawberries and so many more. Much of this “holy deliciousness” is available around the globe. Second, appreciate the land by traversing it. This year, we will have to make do with virtual hikes and plan for future ones as soon as possible. Israel has miles and miles of trails from which to choose. The 620 mile-long National Trail is listed by National Geographic as one of the most epic in the world. Not only does hiking in Israel provide spectacular scenery, but where else in the world can you hike on the same paths where our biblical ancestors walked, and see the same species and mountains that they saw? There are also breathtaking trails along the cliffs of the Mediterranean, through amazing hidden desert canyons and waterfalls of the Golan Heights. In case one needs additional motivation, the Talmud commenting on the Torah commandment to “possess the Land and dwell in it” (Numbers 33:53) states that “a person who walks four amot (four steps or about seven feet) in Israel, it is assured to him that he is one deserving of the World to Come.” (Ketubot 111a) Third, appreciate those who came before us and reforested the land by planting a tree. In his 1869 travel book, Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain describes the Holy Land as “a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse. … There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” In the early part of the 19th century, whatever trees were left from earlier over-harvesting were removed by the Ottoman Turks in their efforts to build and power a railroad. There is also photographic evidence of where ground level was a few hundred years ago, and where it is today. The ground in some areas is two meters (6.5 feet) lower than it used to be; the land of Israel had literally been pouring into the sea. In 1901, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael—Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) was founded. KKL-JNF looked for native Mediterranean pine species to help reestablish forests. It began planting in earnest with much help from Jews around the world, who donated and continue to donate via the “little blue tzedakah boxes.” Its efforts have been wonderfully successful. The massive soil erosion that was occurring was arrested. Organic matter was returned to the land of Israel. Reestablishing forests on denuded sites has to begin with species whose seedlings can withstand full sunlight. Since there was no dormant seed source left in the soil, seedlings needed to be planted. Once this was done, there were opportunities to plant the native broad-leafed species. This is exactly what KKL-JNF has been doing. KKL-JNF tree nurseries today are raising the original biblical species: oak, pistachio, Aleppo pine, cedar and carob. Today, all these species have a much better chance of survival because the sites are forested. To date, the KKL-JNF has planted somewhere around 240 million trees. It is responsible for caring for approximately 400,000 of Israel’s 5.45 million acres, or 7 percent of Israel’s land mass. It focuses its efforts on previously forested land or in specific areas where soil loss or the encroaching desert is a critical concern. A satellite view shows Israel as an island of green in a sea of badly abused desert. The plentiful oaks of Bashan and the cedars of Lebanon described in the Bible, and the native species of Israel, are beginning to flourish. One can only marvel at the transformation of the landscape described by Mark Twain to the Israeli landscape of today, and look forward to a future when the land of Israel has healed and the native forest species described in the Bible dominate the landscape. Before I made aliyah several years ago, I had the opportunity to work on the U.S. House Natural Resource Committee. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the only congressman who is also a practicing forester, was kind enough to send me a personal note hoping that when I arrived in Israel, I would have the opportunity to plant oaks of Bashan and cedars of Lebanon. Last year on Tu B’Shevat, my wife and I were able to do just that. After the COVID-19 crisis is over, we plan to plant again. This Tu B’Shevat, Thursday, take the opportunity to taste, appreciate and plan a hike and the planting of a tree. This is the land that God chose for us. How thankful we should be. Gary Schiff is a forester. He currently works as a consultant and guide connecting Israel and U.S. natural-resource interests.

Tu B’Shevat: An annual reminder to appreciate the beauty of the land of Israel

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021 U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Source: Screenshot.

Biden’s top security advisor tells Israeli counterpart that he hopes to build on Abraham Accords

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021 An Israeli student receives a Covid-19 vaccine Tel Aviv, on January 23, 2021 when Israel approved vaccination of 11th and 12th graders. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Israel surpasses 1 million fully vaccinated with both doses

Jewish Website - January 25, 2021

NEWS

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Source: Screenshot.
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Biden’s top security advisor tells Israeli counterpart that he hopes to...

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U.S. National Security Advisor talked on the phone with his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, on Saturday, according to the National Security Council. Sullivan “reaffirmed President...
An Israeli student receives a Covid-19 vaccine Tel Aviv, on January 23, 2021 when Israel approved vaccination of 11th and 12th graders. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

Israel surpasses 1 million fully vaccinated with both doses

Israel
A lone traveler at the almost empty Ben-Gurion International Airport on January 24, 2021. Photo by Flash90.

Israel approves week-long shutdown of Ben-Gurion Airport

Israel
Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat (center) and senior adviser to the U.S. president Jared Kushner with Moroccan King Mohammed VI at the royal palace in Rabat, Dec. 22, 2020. Credit: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO.

Israeli Cabinet approves historic peace agreement with Morocco

Israel
Labor Party Knesset member Merav Michaeli casts her vote in the primary election at a polling station in Tel Aviv on Jan. 24, 2021. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.

Merav Michaeli elected head of Israel’s struggling Labor Party

Israel

COMMUNITY

OP-EDS

US and Israel flags, image by Ted Eytan via Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
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The true nature of tolerance

By
Asaf Ro,irowsky
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Leo Strauss describes in his classic work “Natural Right and History” how the left came...
For many in Israel and across the world who have been confined to their homes—weary from a constant diet of political drama and itching to extricate themselves from coronavirus woes—a new year is about to begin: Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year for the Trees.” Many rabbis describe this as a particularly important time to appreciate the “land” of Israel. As Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, writes in the Book of Our Heritage, “Tu B’Shevat bespeaks the praise of the land of Israel—for on this day the strength of the soil of the Eretz Yisrael is renewed and it begins to yield its produce and demonstrate its inherent goodness.” How does one appreciate the land of Israel? First, taste it, or more precisely, drink and eat what it produces. Of the seven biblically mentioned species, five grow on Israeli vines or trees. Today, Israel grows 55,000 metric tons of grapes each year. Seventy major wineries and 250 boutique wineries use most of these grapes to produce more than 4.5 million bottles of wine, many of which are winning international awards. Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories Your email Israel also grows 60,000 tons of pomegranates, 2400 tons of figs, 32,000 tons of dates and produces 16,000 tons of olive oil each year, also with award-winning varieties. This is in addition to delicious Israeli oranges, grapefruit, avocados, cherries, nuts, tomatoes, strawberries and so many more. Much of this “holy deliciousness” is available around the globe. Second, appreciate the land by traversing it. This year, we will have to make do with virtual hikes and plan for future ones as soon as possible. Israel has miles and miles of trails from which to choose. The 620 mile-long National Trail is listed by National Geographic as one of the most epic in the world. Not only does hiking in Israel provide spectacular scenery, but where else in the world can you hike on the same paths where our biblical ancestors walked, and see the same species and mountains that they saw? There are also breathtaking trails along the cliffs of the Mediterranean, through amazing hidden desert canyons and waterfalls of the Golan Heights. In case one needs additional motivation, the Talmud commenting on the Torah commandment to “possess the Land and dwell in it” (Numbers 33:53) states that “a person who walks four amot (four steps or about seven feet) in Israel, it is assured to him that he is one deserving of the World to Come.” (Ketubot 111a) Third, appreciate those who came before us and reforested the land by planting a tree. In his 1869 travel book, Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain describes the Holy Land as “a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds—a silent mournful expanse. … There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.” In the early part of the 19th century, whatever trees were left from earlier over-harvesting were removed by the Ottoman Turks in their efforts to build and power a railroad. There is also photographic evidence of where ground level was a few hundred years ago, and where it is today. The ground in some areas is two meters (6.5 feet) lower than it used to be; the land of Israel had literally been pouring into the sea. In 1901, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael—Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) was founded. KKL-JNF looked for native Mediterranean pine species to help reestablish forests. It began planting in earnest with much help from Jews around the world, who donated and continue to donate via the “little blue tzedakah boxes.” Its efforts have been wonderfully successful. The massive soil erosion that was occurring was arrested. Organic matter was returned to the land of Israel. Reestablishing forests on denuded sites has to begin with species whose seedlings can withstand full sunlight. Since there was no dormant seed source left in the soil, seedlings needed to be planted. Once this was done, there were opportunities to plant the native broad-leafed species. This is exactly what KKL-JNF has been doing. KKL-JNF tree nurseries today are raising the original biblical species: oak, pistachio, Aleppo pine, cedar and carob. Today, all these species have a much better chance of survival because the sites are forested. To date, the KKL-JNF has planted somewhere around 240 million trees. It is responsible for caring for approximately 400,000 of Israel’s 5.45 million acres, or 7 percent of Israel’s land mass. It focuses its efforts on previously forested land or in specific areas where soil loss or the encroaching desert is a critical concern. A satellite view shows Israel as an island of green in a sea of badly abused desert. The plentiful oaks of Bashan and the cedars of Lebanon described in the Bible, and the native species of Israel, are beginning to flourish. One can only marvel at the transformation of the landscape described by Mark Twain to the Israeli landscape of today, and look forward to a future when the land of Israel has healed and the native forest species described in the Bible dominate the landscape. Before I made aliyah several years ago, I had the opportunity to work on the U.S. House Natural Resource Committee. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the only congressman who is also a practicing forester, was kind enough to send me a personal note hoping that when I arrived in Israel, I would have the opportunity to plant oaks of Bashan and cedars of Lebanon. Last year on Tu B’Shevat, my wife and I were able to do just that. After the COVID-19 crisis is over, we plan to plant again. This Tu B’Shevat, Thursday, take the opportunity to taste, appreciate and plan a hike and the planting of a tree. This is the land that God chose for us. How thankful we should be. Gary Schiff is a forester. He currently works as a consultant and guide connecting Israel and U.S. natural-resource interests.
Op-Eds

Tu B’Shevat: An annual reminder to appreciate the beauty of the land of Israel

By
Gary Schiff
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For many in Israel and across the world who have been confined to their homes—weary...
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How Trump Helped Us To Deal With Covid

By
Laurence Mesirow
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0
Obviously, there is a large number of people in the United States who have been...
U.S. Capitol. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
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The Capitol Raid: Shattering a Jewish Refuge

By
Bruce S. Ticker
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When Rabbi Jordan Hersh’s grandfather, Joseph Goldstein, lived in Poland, thugs there picked Easter to...
Gideon Sa'ar gives a press conference outside the Ministry of Finance in Jerusalem, meeting at the protest tent of several Israeli hospital directors who are demanding equal budgeting from the ministry, Jan. 19, 2021. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90.
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Can the latest American political hit squad decide Israel’s election?

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Jonathan S. Tobin
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The Lincoln Project was one of the biggest winners of the 2020 presidential election. That's...
A protest in Buenos Aires marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Alberto Nisman, the Argentinian federal prosecutor who was investigating the AMIA Jewish center bombing, January 2016. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
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Justice is elusive six years after the murder of Alberto Nisman

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Jewish Website
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This week marks six years since Argentine Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman was found lifeless in...
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Cristobal Colon en la corte de los Reyes Catolicos by Juan Cordero, 1850 Museo Nacional de Arte, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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address the nation: ווענדן זיך צום פֿאָלק administer the oath: משביע זײַן; באַשװע֜רן; (אָ֜פּ)נעמען אַ שבֿועה call for unity: <אוי֜פֿפֿאָ֜דערן אַחדות <איי֜ניקייט/געא֜ייניקטקייט chief justice: דער הױ֜פּטריכטער, ־ס Constitution:...

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