France had welcomed Jewish immigrants during the interwar period, many of them from Eastern Europe. But in the 1930s, as refugees fleeing Nazi persecution increased, France began to reassess this ‘open-door’ policy. When German forces invaded France on May 10, 1940, there were about 350,000 Jews…
The Fate of the Jews of France in World War 2 Read More »
Construction work on a new metro rail line in Rome will provide a unique opportunity to excavate the Forum of Peace, reports Rossella Lorenzi[1]. The Forum of Peace was built in the first century AD by the Flavian emperors, and is sometimes known as the Forum of Vespasian, after the founder of the F…
Vespasian’s Forum of Peace at Rome to be Excavated Read More »
Israel’s first large-scale sea wave power plant has been built on the Jaffa port’s breakwater near Tel Aviv (Honey Garcia, “Wave power unit installed in Israel’s Jaffa port”, EcoSeed (29 July 2010)[1]). Constructed by Tel Aviv-based SDE Energy Limited, the wave power plant is an initial st…
When the Moabite Stone was discovered in 1868, it provided firm support for the historical accuracy of the Bible at a time when little direct evidence existed. The nineteenth century saw the growth of exploration in the Middle East and especially the Holy Land. Scholars and travellers moved througho…
The Moabite Stone: An Important Nineteenth Century Discovery Read More »
According to Dr Avi Shapira, the chairman of Israel’s inter-ministry steering committee for earthquake preparedness, a strong earthquake can be expected in Israel within the next fifty years, reports Amiram Cohen (“Before the next big shake-up”, Haaretz.com, 17 December, 2010[1]). “Israel is…
Preparing for the Earthquake Read More »
The Arch of Titus is well known to most of us as the monument in the city of Rome commemorating the subjugation of Judea in 70 AD. What may not be so well known is that the relief sculptures that depict scenes from the victory procession were originally painted in colour. Indeed, only part of the sc…
The Arch of Titus in Colour Read More »
Many anecdotes circulate in Russia to illustrate President Vladimir Putin’s positive attitude toward individual Jews and toward the Jewish community generally. There is the story about the retired teacher who Putin called on during an official visit to Israel in 2005. She had not seen him since sh…
Putin and the Jews: Friend or Foe? Read More »
When the Queen of Sheba made her celebrated visit to king Solomon, the Bible records that among other gifts, she brought “very much gold, and precious stones” (1 Kings 10:2). Indeed, the record goes on to say that she gave Solomon “an hundred and twenty talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:10). It n…
The Queen of Sheba’s Gold Mines Discovered Read More »
The National Library of Israel, which owns Sir Isaac Newton’s manuscripts on theological topics, has put digital copies of all of Newton’s theological writing on the Internet[1]. The manuscripts have been digitally copied and posted on the Internet[2] in co-operation with Cambridge University’…
National Library of Israel Digitizes Newton’s Biblical Studies Read More »
Israel’s discoveries of significant oil and gas fields make it likely that the Jewish State will be energy self-sufficient for the future. But like Australia, Israel has a climate that provides abundant sunlight with the potential for it to be converted into energy.
In the southern Israeli city…
Solar Energy Ventures in Israel Read More »
