More than half desert, frequently hit with drought and subject to chronic water shortages in the past, Israel now produces 20 percent more water than it needs. But, in 2015, the gap between demand and available natural water supplies had … Read more “How Israel Used Innovation to Overcome its Water Crisis”
This year marks the centenary of the decision by the League of Nations to entrust Great Britain with the Mandate for Palestine. Following World War I and the partition of the Turkish Empire, the League of Nations set up the … Read more “One Hundred Years Ago: 1922, Britain and the Palestine Mandate”
It was startling to hear Russian President Putin use the term “de-Nazification”1 in his address outlining his purpose in the invasion of Ukraine. Under the pretext of “de-Nazification”, Putin accuses the Ukrainians of being Nazis and drug addicts, claiming … Read more “Ukraine, Putin’s War and the Jews”
A team of archaeologists working at Lachish has reconstructed how the Assyrian army may have built a huge siege ramp used to conquer the city in 701BC.1 Led by Professor Yosef Garfinkel and Dr Madeleine Mumcuoglu of the Institute … Read more “Piecing Together the Assyrian Siege Ramp at Lachish”
Mount Zion was conquered by Israel’s Harel Brigade on 18 May 1948, and became the only part of Jerusalem’s Old City to stay in Israeli hands until the armistice. The force on Mount Zion served as the forward position in … Read more “Mount Zion Tunnel”
When the State of Israel was declared by David Ben Gurion on 14 May 1948, the Jewish community of Cochin, in southwestern India, were ready to immigrate. “Their whole purpose was to immigrate to Israel and that was their goal”, … Read more “The Cochin Jews – Israel’s Oldest Indian Community”
Excavating under Jerusalem’s Old City, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists have discovered what they think may have been a 2000-year-old city council building.1 Director of the excavation Dr Shlomit Weksler-Bdolach described the structure as one of the most magnificent public … Read more “More Discoveries Under Jerusalem’s Old City”
In one of many remarkable stories of Jewish emigration to Palestine following World War II, Jewish members of British Intelligence worked with the Romanian authorities to bring Jews to Palestine and later to the new state of Israel. The story … Read more “The Ransom of the Romanian Jews”
Three fragments of cloth dyed with purple, the most precious dye of the ancient world, have been discovered in the Timna Valley near Eilat.1 The textiles have been dated to 1000BC, the period of David and Solomon. Also known … Read more “Ancient Cloth with Purple Dye Found in South of Israel”
A two-shekel weight made of limestone was discovered during wet sifting of excavated earth from beneath Wilson’s Arch at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.1
The weight has been dated to the era of the Temple of Solomon, known as … Read more “Two-shekel Stone Weight Discovered in Jerusalem”
Excavations at the Armon Hanatziv promenade to the south of Jerusalem have uncovered architectural objects from the First Temple period (1000-586BC).1 Among the finds are various decorative items from window frames and complete limestone capitals that would have topped … Read more “Excavations at Jerusalem Uncover Architectural Objects from the First Temple Period”
Yatir Forest was established in 1966 as a project using trees to roll back the desert. The largest forest in Israel, Yatir Forest was created by Yosef Weitz, who believed that planting trees would completely change the arid landscape of … Read more “Yatir Forest: Turning the Negev Green1”
Brother Thomas writes in Elpis Israel that in returning to the Land, the Jews “will emigrate thither as agriculturists and traders”.1 When Jews began to settle in Palestine in the late nineteenth century, they created agricultural settlements which were
After the conclusion of the First World War, a conference was convened at San Remo, taly, in 1920, which gave legitimacy to the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of a Jewish Homeland in Palestine under the protection of Britain. At … Read more “100th Anniversary of the San Remo Conference April 1920”
One of the fiercest battles of the Six-Day War was fought on Ammunition Hill (Givat HaTachmoshet) on the night of 6 June 1967, in the battle for Jerusalem. During the British Mandate, the hill was used to store ammunition, and
After almost fifty years I revisited Israel in 2019. One of the most striking things I noticed was the growth of new Christian tourist sites, based on traditional or newly discovered locations. Tourism is a significant contributor to the economy
Further evidence of the Babylonian overthrow of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar has been discovered in the south-western region of ancient Jerusalem.1 Archaeologists from the Mount Zion Archaeological Project found layers of ash and burnt wood
Excavations in Jerusalem’s City of David, to the south-east of the Old City, continue to uncover some remarkable finds1. A burst sewage pipe in 2004 led to the discovery of a stairway forming part of the ascent to
Seal impressions, known as “bulla”, are frequently found during archaeological excavations in Israel. They were created by pressing a seal or stamp, often set in a signet ring, into a soft piece of clay on the top of a string,
Following World War II, Jan Masaryk (1886–1948), Czechoslovakia’s foreign minister, provided help to Holocaust survivors. He worked with Gaynor Jacobson, the Prague repre-sentative of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC), to provide support for Haganah operations to smuggle Jews … Read more “Czechoslovakia’s Crucial Role in the Birth of Israel 1”