So, How Diverse Is Israel?

(Hat Tip: IsRealli.org)



(Image Credit: IsRealli.org)

In the US, Jews are often perceived to be mostly religious, Caucasian and wearing black hats with curls hanging from the side of their head.

But when it comes to reality, Americans may find Israel to be a place of diversity that rivals (if not surpasses) New York City itself.

(Haaretz.com) But there is a fairly significant paradox involved in defining the Jewish people as an ethnic group. The Zionist view of a people that includes all Jewish communities around the world (an outlook that merits trendy opposition from the left) is certainly one of the most multiethnic and multicultural national attitudes in history. When you see the Jews of Poland and the Jews of Yemen, the Jews of Germany and the Jews of Morocco as members of one people, and establish a country based on this national view, that is essentially a multiethnic and multicultural enterprise, whether or not the participants think in those terms.

After being fortunate enough to visit the holy land years ago, the item that struck me most about the Jewish state was how diverse it was.

While I did encounter Jewish citizens who wore both the hats and the curls, they were often a rarity, unless of course one was able to visit the Old City of Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem I met Ethiopian Jews, European Jews, and yes, even Chinese Jews! This encounter helped break down my previous perception of Israel, as I noticed how friendly the people were, regardless of their national, religious and/or ethnic background.

Hopefully more Americans will be able to visit Israel in the future, as it is a multicultural testament on how people from different backgrounds can live together in relative peace.

Utah College Celebrates Israel's Birthday

While most colleges focus on academics, sports, spring break (and more sports), it looks as if one school (Utah Valley State College to be exact) decided to take time to celebrate Israel existence (or rather reappearance) in the modern world.

(Daily Herald) Though their connection to Israel might seem unusual, a group of college students, state lawmakers and others got together Friday night to celebrate that nation's birthday.
On May 14, 1948, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum and approved Proclamation of Independence, declaring the establishment of Israel, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs's Web site. The students will be out of school by the actual 60th anniversary, so they chose to celebrate Friday.

"Happy birthday, Israel," said Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, as he addressed the group headed by the American Israeli Alliance at UVU.

As Israel's birthday approaches, we will probably see even more celebrations across the US, and perhaps even China (although they may be a little busy with hosting the Olympics and all).

Note: The blogosphere is also celebrating Israel's birthday over at 60bloggers.com, a project launched by Jewlicious and Let My People Sing Festival.

IsraGood, along with 60 other bloggers and writers will be posting their viewpoints of the Jewish state, so be sure to check out the site!

Chinese Citizens Fascinated By Jews?

(Image: Section of books highlighting Jews' businesses, Credit: Ronen Medzini via Ynet News)

No matter where you go it seems that everyone has an opinion about Jewish people. Some are positive, some are not so positive.

But when it comes to the Chinese, they seem to hold a special awe for the Jewish people.

(Ynet News) Although the large majority of the Chinese have never met a Jew, the prevailing opinion in China praises and glorifies the Jews and the State of Israel. Other pearls of wisdom by the Chinese include: "Israel is small and surrounded by enemies, but manages to survive and succeed," and "China and Judaism are the only things that have maintained their character throughout history."

"Israel and China are close friends," the Chinese like to boast, showing impressive proficiency in the history of China's Jews. And indeed, the Jews owe a lot to China, which served as a haven of rest for Diaspora Jews throughout the pervious century. [...]

A common basic assumption in China and the world is that Jews have money and power. The difference is in the approach towards this assumption. While in many parts of the world the Jews' businesses and dominance are viewed with a feeling of disgust, the Chinese have developed great admiration, even idolization, for the Jewish mind.

The article in Ynet further elaborates how China became a safe haven for the Jews up until the country was invaded by Japan during World War Two.

This probably explains China's and Israel's are so friendly towards each other, not only in trade but also the realm of security as well.

Hopefully relations between the ancient cultures will continue--especially since China is acquiring a new taste for Kosher food.

Microsoft CEO To Visit Israel

It looks as if Steve Ballmer is going to help inaugurate a new research and development center in Herzliya, Israel.

(Globes Online) Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer is making his second visit to Israel in May to inaugurate the company's new R&D center in Herzliya Pituah. The R&D center is part of Microsoft Corporation's [...] strategy of acquiring start-ups as well as its bid for Yahoo! Inc.

Microsoft is continuing its brisk pace of courting Israeli's, not to mention purchasing a few startups along the way.

Note: Previously Bill Gates encouraged investors to take a serious look at Israel, as Microsoft has benefited tremendously from Israeli minds.

Image Credit: GamerScore

Sad News: No Israel Baseball This Year

Despite the fact that the Israel Baseball League started out with a bang (note: I am a Blue Sox fan), it looks as if the league is considering taking a year off in order to reorganize.

(Israel National News) Ron Blumberg, who managed the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox championship team in last year's inaugural Israel Baseball League (IBL) season, said the IBL may not return to action until next year. He revealed that financial problems may force the league to take a one-year break this summer, which is the Sabbatical (Shemittah) year.

Although this is disappointing, we should all be proud that the league was launched successfully in the holy land, not to mention the fact that it helped a few Jewish players get picked up by major leagues in America.

Hopefully we will see the Israel Baseball League return in 2009 with not only a larger bank account, but also more teams throughout the region.

Italy To Israel: More Flights Please!

It looks as if Italians will finally have more opportunities to visit the holy land, thanks in part to the Ministry of Tourism.

(Globes Online) Israel and Italy have signed a new civil aviation agreement, which will boost the number of airlines from the two countries making scheduled flights between them. Two scheduled airlines from each country may make flights on the Tel Aviv-Rome and Tel Aviv-Milan routes. [...]

Minister of Transport Shaul Mofaz said that the agreement was another step in the ministry's policy to liberalize Israel's aviation market. "The substantial increase in the number of flights and seating capacity will meet the anticipated growth in demand by Israeli passengers and foreign tourists," he said.

Previously the Vatican decided to increase its number of flights towards Israel, which should help boost up its tourism even more.

60 Bloggers In 60 Days: What Will You Discover?

As the holy land gears up to celebrate its 60^th birthday, a bunch of bloggers, writers and non-geeks have decided to celebrate the occasion by highlighting what they love about the Jewish state over a span of 60 days.

(Jewlicious) Well, May 8th is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. You'll notice lots of events happening in Israel and in communities around the world meant to commemorate this historic occasion. 60Bloggers.com is meant to do the same, but on the blogosphere. Consequently, we've put together a nice broad group of bloggers, some well-established, some relatively new, representing (I hope) ideological, religious and geographic diversity. Over the course of the next 60 days each will write one blog post on 60Bloggers.com where they will write something related to how they feel about Israel at this momentous juncture in time.

IsraGood, along with 59 other writers/bloggers/geeks with Kosher passion will be joining with the festivities, and (for those wondering) I will be highlighting my first impression of the country after visiting when I was a bit younger (okay, like eight years ago).

Several authors have already begun posting their stories about Israel over at 60bloggers.com, so be sure to subscribe to the site lest you find yourself having to backtrack in order to catch up on previous posts.

IDF Special: Jewish Pop Star Signs Up For Service

While usually known for enlisting youth from various backgrounds, it looks as if the IDF will be adding a pop singer to its ranks.

(Forward.com) Maya Buskila, an Israeli pop star more than a decade past the average age of enlistment, will join the Israeli army April 13, just as the marketing campaign for her latest album kicks into gear. The singer’s enlistment, announced by her record company, will make Buskila one of the most famous — and one of the oldest — new recruits to the military, where soldiers are typically taken shortly after they turn 18. [...]

Buskila, who will release the first single off her next album after Passover, will undergo two weeks of basic training and is expected to serve as an entertainer during her two years of service.

The IDF soldiers will probably enjoy hearing some music from Maya Buskila, although it will be interesting to see if she comes up with any new music while going through basic training.

According to the article, Maya Buskila is looking forward towards her new adventure as a soldier, and although I would not be too surprised to see the IDF promoting her decision to enlist within Israel.

Is Israel Car Dealer Heaven?

With the slumping market in the American auto industry, many car dealers (not to mention US politicians) may want to consider taking a second look at Israel in order to determine why the holy land is escaping the auto industry curse.

(Haaretz.com) Signs of an economic slowdown may be appearing all over, but they have not affected new car sales. In fact, Israelis are buying new vehicles at an ever growing pace. New car sales jumped 40% in the first quarter of 2008 to 61,100. March was a particularly good month with 21,553 new vehicles sold. This is a 57% rise over March of 2007. [...]

[R]ental companies bought new cars in preparation for a larger number of tourists starting with the Passover holidays, and the shekel's rise against the dollar and other currencies helped importers to increase the discounts they give to both private customers and leasing companies.

Lower vehicle taxes, which took effect this January, also encouraged purchases of new cars.

Note: Emphasis mine.

Lower taxes may have something to do with Israel's booming car industry, which has been improving since the beginning of this year.

But while some may credit a good economy or just a favorable environment, Israel may benefit from the fact that the car industry is looking to free itself from the burden of oil.

With upcoming breakthrough's in hydrogen power, not to mention electric flying cars, Israel may soon be positioning itself as a major player in the auto industry worldwide.

Israeli's (And Community) Excited Over Jewish Tennis Players

(Hat Tip: Isrealli.org)



(Image: Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich, Credit: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

Of all the sports one could become passionate over, tennis may not be the first thought to pop into one's mind.

However it looks as if three Jewish players have become super stars within the holy land, as well as within their own communities.

(ESPN) Erlich and Ram became the first Israelis to win a Grand Slam doubles title with their success Down Under, although it should be mentioned that Ram had previously reeled in two mixed-doubles trophies at majors. As for Peer, she recently made history by becoming the first Israeli player to compete in an Arab country when she played the Doha, Qatar, tournament in February, reaching the quarterfinals. [...]

Ram described the enthusiastic scene when he and Erlich returned home from their Australian Open victory as "crazy," mentioning phone calls from top government officials, rooms of reporters seeking interviews and additional perks: "We've become even more celebrities now in Israel -- we were famous but now it's become even more so. It's nice, it's part of the good thing in the sport. We go back to Israel and everything is for free now. I went to cut my hair and it was free.

Hopefully this will not be the last we see of Jonathan Erlich, Andy Ram, and Shahar Peer (previously covered on IsraGood) in the realm of tennis, as these athletes are helping to shape Israel's global perception as a more "kosher" place. :-)

Real Estate Agents May Want To Move To Israel

With the housing market doing not to well in the land of opportunity, Israel seems to be singing a different beat when it comes to its national real estate market.

(Israel National News) Forbes business magazine has rated Israel as the world's most "up-and-coming" real estate market, according to Globes online business magazine. Forbes projects positive growth in the future, stating "macro conditions in Israel favor more wealth creation, as the economy has corrected its deflation problems and grown at a 5% rate for two years."

For some strange reason, the Israeli's have been largely unaffected by the general slump occurring in the global market (something that is honestly quite baffling).

Does anybody have any good guesses as to why?

Israel: A New Way To Fix Broken Leg Bones?

Traditionally when leg bones are severely broken, doctors would need to open up the patient's leg and insert a rod with screws--a painful process as far as the patient is concerned.

But now it looks as if an Israeli doctor has come up with an alternative that may not only be less painful, but easier on their bodies as well.

(Israel 21^st Century) Orthogon is developing a magnetically activated, telescopic, intramedullary (IM) orthopedic nail for treatment of long bones. Traditionally, IM nails are inert rods inserted into the bone marrow to align and stabilize fractures in the femur or tibia.

Orthogon's device magnetizes parts in the rod mechanism, so the nail can be manipulated via an external magnetic coil, allowing it to vibrate, compress or elongate the bone. [...]

Once the IM nail is implanted, patients are treated daily by placing their leg into a coil system that creates a magnetic pulse. The magnetic force inside the nail is amplified by mechanical means, in steps of 0.5 microns, to a distraction force of over 100k, forming a flexible callus tissue that is pulled incrementally.

Despite the fact that similar solutions already exist in Germany and the US, Orthogon's solution may actually be cheaper (and more effective) than its rivals (which could result in lower medical bills).

Note: Orthogon's solution is still in development (and awaiting FDA approval) although readers can check out a video explanation (flash required) of what their technology is all about.