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My Israeli Army Experience
by Yeshia Braverman
This really is an army like no other.

It's been a just over a year since I joined the Israeli army and I never thought I would enjoy anything as much as this. The thrills, and excitement, the ups and downs, everyday is nothing like the previous.

Throughout high school I wanted to join the American army. I was a patriot; the Star Spangled Banner always brought a tear to my eye. My parents were not too excited about the idea. After many talks, I had an epiphany. I'm a Jew and by joining the Israeli army, I'd be defending my people in our homeland. No matter what type of Jew you are, we are all part of the great Jewish nation. We are family, brothers in arms, and this is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.

So I joined the IDF in March 2007, and I was completely unprepared. How could I be? All the movies and TV shows I've seen about what happens in the American army portray a very intense and abusive lifestyle, so that's what I was expecting. Luckily my experience was far from that.

Our commanders and officers sat us down on the first day and told us all that the only way we would succeed was to love and respect one another. With the support of your fellow soldier you could do a lot; hop the wall, crawl under barbed wire, and climb up and down roofs. But with the support of your commanders and officers you could do anything; bust smugglers, capture escapees, and arrest terrorists.

Training was hell. There was the obstacle course, the weeks spent in the field, learning how to shoot, where to hide, where the enemy hides, you get the drill. There were the 3AM wake-up calls, especially torturous after not being allowed to go to sleep until 1:30AM. There was the tear gas tent where you were forced to run half a kilometer, do 30 push ups while wearing a mask, then enter a tent filled with tear gas and remove the mask to see how long you could last, while being detained inside by the officer inside (who is wearing a mask).

We had many, many, many hikes. We covered many, many, many kilometers. But they weren't just simple hikes; we would walk 20 kilometers over mountainous terrain before pulling out three or four stretchers, loading the lucky few on top (somehow it was always the same people), hoisting a couple more upon our shoulders and continuing on. All the time getting yelled at by our commanders -- about how we were weak, and have to continue and no giving up.

But back to that support and love. Everyone was working as a team although every once in a while we had races and competitions to see who was better and where everyone was health wise. One of the races was to complete 86 sit ups followed by 75 pushups, after which you had to run two kilometers in under nine minutes. If you didn't pass, you were embarrassed and would have to take it again until you succeeded.

During one of the runs I witnessed one of the most beautiful, unselfish acts. We had just finished the first circle and were coming around for the second when I noticed a couple of people falling back, exhausted. I thought to myself, What a shame. They're going to have to do it again. Then I saw the lead runner and his best friend stop, turn around, and start running in the opposite direction. They had gone back for the laggers and started running alongside them, cheering them on and basically luring them back into the race. They didn't end up passing but they didn't mind -- they had achieved something else: they had showed everyone else what's truly important. That's when we started creating a loving friendship between all of us. And that's what got us through all the training.

The day before we were released for a short vacation for the High Holidays, one of our main officers called the entire company together for a talk. This was in middle of training and there is this sort of distance between you and your commander. You are not allowed to talk to him without his permission, and even then only with great respect, you have to always remember that you are just a private and he is a first or second lieutenant. He told us to have a good holiday and then he said something which no one could believe. On behalf of all the officers and commanders, he asked us for forgiveness. He told us that all the times they had yelled at us or talked down was just for our benefit and was never anything personal. If any of us had been insulted he just wanted to say sorry and to clarify that it came from the heart, for our own good. He made it clear that we were all in this together -- as Jews, as brothers, as part of Klal Yisrael, the Jewish people. And then he wished us "Good Yom Tov."

I was beginning to realize this really is an army like no other.

by Marnie Winston-Macauley

Outrageous, odd, fascinating Jewish facts and figures.

AND IS THE MOON CREAM CHEESE?

The King of Jewish food, the bagel, has become universal. But who knew how universal? While many scientists believe that the universe is expanding spherically, some are starting to wonder if the universe is bagel-shaped, according to Tony Rothman, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, which he discusses in detail in his book, Doubt and Certainty. Oy. If it becomes a "certainty," the Talmudic debate over whether the universe is poppy seed or onion alone, will take another 3,000 years!

TEFILLIN WINS WORLD SERIES?
Can a brilliant Jewish athlete and a pair of tefillin affect the World Series? Just ask Rabbi Moshe Feller, director of the Upper Midwest Merkos-Lubavitch House. What Jew didn't kvell when, Sandy Koufax, the Dodger's ace pitcher, refused to play on Yom Kippur during the 1965 World Series. (The Dodgers lost that opening game to the Minnesota Twins.) Ah ... but there's more. Rabbi Feller, an avid baseball fan, met Koufax at his hotel, saying: "... Because of you, more Jews knew about when Yom Kippur was going to be this year than they do with a calendar. ..." And, he presented Koufax with a set of tefillin. The Dodgers won the series, and Koufax became the Most Valuable Player. Since then, Rabbi Feller started the first "tefillin mission," putting them on baseballers like Mike Epstein and Ken Holtzman. So for you future athletes: you better eat your Wheaties...and put on your tefillin.

For you future athletes: you better eat your Wheaties...and put on your tefillin.

HITLER'S JEWISH PSYCHIC
During the 1930s, Germans -including Hitler -- were into the occult. Erik Jan Hanussen, the European Houdini, was a Jew, a fact Hitler didn't know when he made Hanussen his psychic advisor. In 1933, in despair over his political future, Hitler recalled Hanussen's prophecy that he would become Fuhrer within a year and the two had over a dozen meetings. More disturbingly, Hanussen loaned large sums to Nazi leaders. After the burning of the Reichstag in February, 1933, German communists were blamed, but speculation "leaked" of Hanussen's involvement. Top Nazis hated the Jew who held their IOU's, and knew ugly secrets about them - and Hitler. On March 1933, Hanussen was executed. His heinous role in Hitler's ascent has been largely unknown to this day.

HOLOCAUST AND HIP HOP
Can it be? It can, and is. Grammy award-winning Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari and Israeli rapper Kobi "Subliminal" Shimoni, co-produced a hip-hop music video that expresses their feelings about the Holocaust, titled "God Almighty When Will It End?" in English, and "Adon Olam Ad Matai?" in Hebrew. Oy? True, some rebbes and cantors feel "hipping" and "hopping" is a long way from the hora. But many others feel this "unorthodox" music by young Israelis, part of the Gedenk (Remember) Movement, are inspiring and informing youth about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. Who knows? Maybe Madness is one method to teach ... madness.

LOIN OF GIRAFFE, KOSHER?
You bet. The long-necked animal chews its cud and has cloven hooves. So why aren't we buying happy meals from Giraffe King? Well for some reason, Giraffe burgers just never really caught on in Ancient Israel, which means we don't have a continuous tradition for eating giraffe, and you know how we Jews feel about tradition (see: Tevye). But even if Bubbies around the world somehow banded together to bring giraffe back, to produce a deli sandwich would cost over $100 a pound! Now that can't be kosher!

YIDDISHE "STRIPS"
As kids, American Joomers (Jewish Boomers) chuckled over the adventures of goyishe comic characters such as Little Lulu and Dagwood. Even if many of comic strip writers were Jewish, actual Jewish comics were underground or not specifically Jewish. Things have changed. In 1986, Art Spiegelman's adult comic-book history of the Holocaust, "Maus" was not only a best-seller but won a Pulitzer Prize. And, our kinder can now identify and root for comic Jewish superheroes, such as Sabra, Seraph, Rambam, and Ragman.

But for those of us who missed the boat on those new Jewish comics, we can take solace in the fact that many of the superheroes of yesteryear had Jewish roots. For example, if Superman were created today, his creators, tribesmen Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel, might have given a Hebrew name on his home planet of Krypton - Kal-El ben Jor-El!

Interestingly, some goyim have been swept up by the Jewish-inspired toon craze. Witness: Kal-El Coppola Cage, born in 2005 to Nicolas Cage (Coppola) and wife, Kim who saddled their son with Superman's Kryptonian name. True, Cage had been up for the lead in a Superman flick. But to paraphrase another comic character, "Holy Chutzpah, Batman!"

TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE?
Everyone knows that Chanukah occurs but once a year, right? Wrong. Over a thousand years from now, in the year 3031 of the Gregorian calendar, there will be no Chanukah! Ah, but the following year, 3032, there will be two -- one in January, and the other in December. That's, count 'em 16 gifts per! (And don't forget the latkes.) Tip: Leave a time capsule to be opened in 3000, with instructions to your loved ones to start saving their shekels - and potatoes.

Author Biography:

Marnie is author of the advice column, "Ask Sadie." She has written over 20 books and calendars, including, "Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother" and "A Little Joy, A Little Oy." She wrote for "As the World Turns," (Emmy and Writers Guild nomination). She starred in her own radio show and a Discovery pilot. Marnie is in "Who's Who in America," 2007.

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JNF Plans a Tree for Every Jew on Earth

By IsraelNationalNews.com

The Jewish National Fund, Sunday, at a Jerusalem conference attended by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and JNF representatives from around the world, announced that the JNF was embarking on a new project that would involve planting 15 million trees in Israel—one for each Jew alive.

JNF World Chairman Effie Stenzler said “This campaign has a message that’s even more important than the ecological message.”

Hamas Rocket Nearly Hits Busload of Students in Sderot

By IsraelNationalNews.com

Following a weekend of over 20 mortar shells and rockets, Hamas fired a rocket Sunday afternoon that narrowly missed a busload of students in the parking lot of Sapir College in Sderot. A car was damaged.  Earlier this year, student Roni Yichye was killed by a Hamas-fired rocket in the same parking lot.

A second rocket fell in an open area in the western Negev, causing a fire and sending a man driving nearby into shock. Hamas terrorists also fired two mortar shells late Sunday, north and northeast of Gaza, causing no damage.

Over the weekend, terrorists in Gaza fired 22 Kassams and five mortar shells at Israel's western Negev areas. The tally: One man was killed by a shell on Friday night, two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel, others were treated for shock, and a house suffered a direct hit.

Over the course of Friday night, five Hamas terrorists were killed in an Israel Air Force anti-terrorist operation. In other security-related news, Arabs in Gaza fired at an IDF unit near Kisufim late Sunday afternoon; no word on casualties. 

Israel Considers Truce Offer from Hamas

By Robert Berger (VOA-Jerusalem)

A Middle East ceasefire could be in the offing during a week of high diplomacy. But Israel has mixed feelings. Israel is considering a truce offer from the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

The proposal will be presented by Egyptian intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman, who is due to visit Israel on Monday. It calls for an end to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli border communities, while Israel would halt all military action in Gaza and lift its crippling blockade of the territory.

Israel is sending mixed signals about the truce offer. Spokesman Arieh Mekel says Israel would welcome a halt to the daily rocket attacks. "The ball is in Hamas' court. If they were to stop these attacks, Israel will have no reason to react and there will be peace and quiet," said Mekel.

But some Israeli officials, as well as the army, strongly oppose a ceasefire. They say Hamas would use a truce to regroup and rearm for the next round of violence.

"Therefore, it is inevitable with the acquisition of weapons by Hamas, based on its creed of warfare against Israel, based on its training in Iran, based on its jihadic war effort and ethos, that fighting will continue," said Israeli analyst Mordechai Nissan.

Hamas is seeking a ceasefire because it has been hit hard by Israeli sanctions and military incursions. But Palestinian activist Hanna Siniora believes a truce serves the interests of both sides. "What is needed, and I think what Hamas and all Palestinians are saying [is], 'It is time to sit down and talk instead of to fight and have civilians killed," said Siniora.

The moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank believes a truce would create a positive atmosphere for peace talks when President Bush visits the region later this week.

Despite Junta’s Ban, an Israeli Aid Crew Lands in Myanmar

By YnetNews.com

A small Israeli rescue team has managed to enter Myanmar (Burma), the cyclone-stricken country, despite a government ban. “The residents are waiting for help,” said Josh Krieger of the Latet organization

Talking to Ynet, Josh Krieger of the Latet organization reported of the difficult sights and the great damage caused by the storm, as well as of the difficulties posed by the authorities. "You see a chaos which is only now being treated. Trees on the roads, destructed houses, roofless houses, water and fuel shortages.”

Krieger is one of the only volunteers who managed to enter Myanmar, after the ruling junta refused to allow aid teams to enter its territory. Many international aid crews, including United Nations organizations, have been waiting In Thailand for days in hopes of receiving an approval to enter the country.

On Saturday morning, Krieger managed to reach the capital of Yangon, which has hardly seen any foreigners on its destructed streets. "We have not seen one white person since our arrival," he said. "We are among the few people here. There is very little international aid here. The city is empty," he added.

According to Krieger, media outlets were prohibited to send representatives to the country, and journalists attempting to infiltrate Myanmar and hide their cameras were expelled.

Despite the media blackout, the residents are willing to talk to those who approach them. "They say the situation is terrible, that it's very difficult. They are waiting for someone to come help them, but you won't hear them complain about the junta," Krieger said.

Krieger arrived in Myanmar with Dana Manor, who is responsible for the organization's emergency aid activities abroad. The two met over the past few days with members of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a joint meeting of the humanitarian organizations held in Bangkok.

They later managed to enter Myanmar together, becoming one of the first to do so since the cyclone hit the country. The two said that the reports from Myanmar regarding the number of casualties are vague. An official statement claimed that 23,000 people have perished in the disaster, but sources in the country fear the number will rise, reaching up to 60,000 people.

According to Krieger and Manor, the cyclone hit an area called Irrawaddy, which sustained most of the damage, and continued to Yangon and Thailand. "The delta area sustained the heaviest damage. There are reports of bodies floating there. Our work could take years. Everything here has been completely destroyed," Krieger said, adding that it was hard to estimate the extent of the damage, as the authorities have removed some of the damage in the capital.

Ark of the Covenant Altar Found in Sheba's Palace

By WorldNetDaily.com

The queen of Sheba's palace at Axum in Ethiopia, purported to once have been the home of the Ark of the Covenant, has been found, archaeologists from the University of Hamburg report.

The Ethiopian queen was the friend and ally of King Solomon of Israel in the 10th century before the Christian era.

According to the Bible, in 1 Kings 10, the Queen of Sheba journeyed to Jerusalem after hearing of King Solomon's wisdom to see if what she had heard was true. So impressed was she that she gave large quantities of gold, spices and precious stones to the king of Israel.

"It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom," she said. "However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these, your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."

The Bible makes no mention of Solomon and the queen of Sheba marrying or having a child.

Ethiopian tradition claims the Ark, which contained Moses' stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, was smuggled to Ethiopia by their son Menelek and is still in that country.

The university said scientists led by Helmut Ziegert had found remains of a 10th-century BCE palace at Axum-Dungur under the palace of a later Christian king. There was evidence the early palace had been torn down and realigned to the path of the star Sirius.

The team hypothesizes that Menelek had changed religion and become a worshiper of Sirius while keeping the Ark, described in the Bible as an acacia-wood chest covered with gold. Remains of sacrifices of bullocks were evident around the altar.

The research at Axum, which began in 1999, is aimed at documenting the origins of the Ethiopian state and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The discovery was made in the last 90 days.

"The results we have suggest that a cult of Sothis developed in Ethiopia with the arrival of Judaism and the Ark of the Covenant and continued until 600 CE," the announcement said. Sothis is the ancient Greek name for a star thought to be Sirius.

The team said evidence for this included Sirius symbols at the site, the debris of sacrifices and the alignment of sacred buildings to the rising-point of Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

Nakba Cartoon Describes Jews as 'Enemies of Homeland' 

By Reuters 

Jewish fighters are shown shooting Palestinians and bombing their villages in an animated film by Gaza-based women marking 60 years since Israel was founded and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced.

"The Tale of a Key" describes the Jews as "enemies of the religion and enemies of the homeland" and is meant to highlight what the illustrators called the "holy" right of dispossessed Palestinians to return to land that is now part of Israel.

The women behind the film, who run a production company in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, said they are not politically aligned but want to teach Palestinian children and adults about the events that drove them from their homeland.

"It tells of the suffering, the killing and displacement," said Moamena Abu Hamda, director of the JohaToon Company in Gaza City. "It shows that the Palestinian people did not leave their land by their own will but they were forced to do it."

Hamas's Al-Aqsa Television drew Israeli and international censure last year for using cartoons and puppet-shows featuring Mickey Mouse and Lion King lookalikes to illustrate the Islamist movement's battle against Israel, which it does not recognize.

JohaToon plans to screen the 32-minute film, which it says is for adults as well as children, in Gaza this month and hopes to market it in other Arab countries and further afield.

Some 700,000 Palestinians fled from their homes in the war that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. About 4.5 million refugees and their descendents now live in squalid camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Most of the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents are either refugees or their descendants and live in eight densely populated camps and four cities.

Refugees cling to a "right of return" and their fate is one of the thorniest issues facing negotiators who are trying to reach a deal this year to create a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank -- land Israel occupied in 1967 Middle East war.

While Israel celebrates its 60th birthday with fireworks, parties and military display this month, Palestinians hold rallies to mourn the "Nakba," or "catastrophe" of displacement and to highlight the refugee problem.

Abu Hamda insisted "The Tale of the Key" - which refers to the keys many Palestinians carry as symbols of their lost homes - was not meant to incite violence against Israelis but to recount stories passed down from previous generations. "We have laid down facts as we heard them from our grandfathers and grandmothers," Abu Hamda told Reuters. "We told the tale as we heard and as people saw it." 

‘Israel at 60’ High School Video Contest

By Israel Faxx News Services

As part of its yearlong celebration of "Israel at 60," Shalom TV is inviting high school students throughout America to participate in a special "Israel at 60 Video Contest."

Any 60-second video saluting Israeli history or Israel today is welcome, with possible themes ranging from "What Israel means to me," to "What Israel has meant for Jewish history" to "What I love about Israel today!" Funny or serious. Simple or profound. Whatever excites the imagination of high school students and helps Shalom TV viewers recognize "Israel at 60."

Winning videos, and those receiving honorable mention, will air nationally on Shalom TV to more than 16 million homes across the country. Additionally, in keeping with the theme, the first-prize winner will be awarded $600. Two second-place winners will each receive $160. And three third-place winners will receive $60. Videos may be produced by student groups, but only one prize will be awarded for each selected title.

In appreciation of American high school students who are commemorating this historic milestone through Shalom TV's "Israel at 60" contest, the Israeli Consulate in New York will host a ceremony honoring the top entries and showcasing the winning videos.

Submissions must be postmarked by Aug. 31, 2008, and should be mailed to Shalom TV, PO Box 1989, Fort Lee, New Jersey, 07024. Videos must be 60-seconds in length and recorded on an acceptable digital format [DVD, DVcam, DVpro, or mini-DV]. All entries become the property of Shalom TV and will not be returned.

An entry form and official contest rules are available on the Shalom TV Web site at www.shalomtv.com by following the "Downloads" link from the network's home page.