NBA greats, both past and present, traveled to Israel this week on a goodwill mission. Among them were Allan Houston and Dwight “Superman” Howard, who led a basketball clinic for teens. Said Allan Houston, “We’ve been honored to be here and show our support for not just these wonderful kids and students out here, but just for all the Israeli people that have embraced us.”

The trip was sponsored by both Christian and Jewish organizations. Said Bill Alexson, head of the Sports Power International, “I take these players across the globe. We do exhibition games; we do camps, clinics, school assemblies, and urban outreaches. And at all of these events, selected players will share their personal stories of how they have overcome adversity in life, how they have handled success. They will encourage young people to make right choices in life. And their talks emphasize having character, leadership, responsibility and faith.” Of course, the trip is a learning experience for both sides.

On Wednesday, the Israeli delegation met with Shimon Peres, who received a signed basketball before setting up one of his aides with the assist. Yes, the 87-year-old president has still got it.

Later that day, Omri Casspi participated in the Twinned Peace Sports Schools Project, a part of the Peres Center for Peace which brings Palestinian and Jewish children together. The “twinned” refers to the fact that students have pen-pals and counterparts, or “twins” at the school across the border. During the school year, Jewish students learn Arabic and Palestinian students learn Hebrew, but its on the court that they come together as one. Children from both sides of the border meet once a month with their “twin” school or kindergarten and participate in sports activities (including mixed-groups of basketball games), acquaintance games, and peace education  activities. Other collaboration activities include language instruction, arts and crafts, and theater.

“My experience has shown me that basketball has the power to bridge language, cultural and religious differences and I am happy to be able to share my experience with the children from the Peres Center for Peace’s Twinned Peace Basketball Schools project in Jaffa,” said Casspi.

Said Tami Hay-Sagiv, Director of the Sport Department at the Peres Center, “I am thankful to Omri Casspi for his willingness to take part in the annual event of the Twinned Peace Basketball School project. His participation will help us teach the children the values of equality and dialogue among all people, whether they are Jews, Arabs, blacks or whites.”

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The time of man is traditionally divided into two periods, before and after the advent of writing. Without written records, how can we learn about prehistoric man? After all, the earliest point in which true writing emerged  is estimated to be only five thousand years ago, in the Middle East.

Scientists must result to using less obvious ways to measure the evolution of human behavior and society. With no written word left behind, and most primitive structures destroyed or eroded over thousands of years of change, even the smallest of clues are invaluable and can lead to far-reaching observations.

Twelve thousand years ago during the Late Epipaleolithic period, farming the land was a concept that had yet to emerge. Roaming the land instead as hunter-gatherers, humans had little need to group together and form communities or even common religions and language to be shared across vast territory. Nevertheless, around 10,000 BCE, a group of men and women gathered around the fire with cattle and tortoises and had quite the meal.

Now, in the year 2010, a group of archaeologists stumbled upon their leftovers in the Hilazon Tachtit Cave in Israel’s Lower Galilee. What they found included fossilized remains of aurochs, the wild ancestors of today’s domesticated cattle.

Scientists have hypothesized that the 28 bodies found at the site, in addition to the areas used for feasts, is evidence that the site was used to commemorate the burial of the dead. One of the bodies, surrounded by tortoises, is believed to be a shaman according to University of Connecticut Professor Natalie D. Munroe.

So what does this all mean? According to the report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this marks the best evidence yet that feasting was done in pre-Neolithic times. Conventional wisdom has always said that feasts were an advent of the agricultural revolution which characterized the Neolithic time period. In layman’s terms, this either changes what a lot of people will think about communities of prehistoric man, or this was an isolated case of some pretty talented BBQ aficionados.

To read more, click here.

Photos by Natalie D. Munroe.

A look from outside the Hilazon Tachtit Cave, Israel

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When one thinks about religious life in India, it’s usually Hindus and Muslims that come to mind.  However, there is also a sizable Catholic minority in India.  Over 17 million strong, Catholics in India make up 2 per cent of the population. The Catholic community in India is divided into 29 archdioceses and 128 dioceses and dates back to the arrival of Vasco da Gama at the end of the 15th century.

What does this have to do with Israel? Israel, like India, is a religiously diverse country; a place that over two thousand Indian Catholics have decided to call home.  They live mostly in Israel’s urban centers such as Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Tiberias and Haifa.

Despite having masses they could participate in throughout the country, the religious life of the Indian Catholics living in Israel has recently become much better organized with the appointment of three Franciscan fathers from India as priests in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The new mission to take care of Indian Catholics in Israel is in addition to many other missions catering to diverse Catholic groups in the Holy Land. These communities include English, German, French, Polish, and Filipino speakers as well as many other linguistic and ethnic groups.

In addition to Israel’s Indian Catholic community, there is also a significant community of Indian Jews living in Israel.  Most of the 85,000 Indian Jews in Israel immigrated to the country after it gained independence in 1948.

Photo of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem courtesy of Randall Niles on flickr, used under Creative Commons License. The church, built on the spot which according to tradition is where Jesus was crucified,  is home to six Christian denominations including Roman Catholics.

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Following the devastating January earthquake which left over 200,000 dead and millions displaced, countries from all over the world poured in as much aid and relief workers as possible. Israel, as one of the first to have their boots on the ground, set up the first field hospital with advanced medical equipment. Determined to continue to contribute as much as possible to rebuild Port au-Prince and the rest of the country, Israel is sending 14 police officers  to join a multinational policing force under the command of UN forces stationed in Haiti.  In a historic first, this will mark the first Israeli contingent to serve in active duty under the command of the United Nations. In Haiti, the Israeli officers will be working in coordination with Italian forces.

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon congratulated the officers and thanked them for their service before they are slated to ship out. “You are Israel’s true face. The value of human life is important to all of us and you represent Israel and the Jewish spirit of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) to the international community,” Ayalon told the officers. “This was already proven when Israel was amongst the first to land in Haiti immediately after the earthquake and save so many lives. You continue this tradition.”

“Your goal is to save human lives and help with law and order in Haiti. This will further our standing in the world, which is especially important against those who campaign to delegitimize us. This mission will demonstrate to friends and foes alike that Israel is always willing to contribute and volunteer anywhere and at any time. It is important for people to see Israel beyond the conflict and to see that this is the real Israel. We are not only strong materially, but also strong in spirit.”

“What you are doing is part of our foreign policy of cooperation in the international agenda as a full member of the United Nations,” Ayalon said.

Deputy Police Chief Ilan Franco said that it was Israel’s honor to restore public order in Haiti. “On Monday the contingent will leave for Haiti for a number of months. This mission was coordinated between the Ministry of International Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Police. I am proud to say that this delegation is made up of our best forces.”

Representatives of the United Nations recognized Israel’s contribution and congratulated the officers on their bravery and commitment. As examples of this commitment, two police officers have delayed their weddings to take part in this mission, and one is going although his wife is in the latter stages of pregnancy. Officer Golan De-Leon said, “Even though this will be my first child, I am personally committed to this mission and have the full support of my wife.”

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons

“It is heart-warming,” said Israeli Consul General in New Delhi Irit Shneor with unabashed pride. “In the heart of the destruction in the Ladakh region, among the demolished cabins, in the somber atmosphere, Israeli trekkers are volunteering around the clock, always with a smile on their lips, giving their all to help the refugees from the disaster area left bruised and wounded, without anything, without shelter.”

Flash floods and mudslides  are wrecking havoc all over south Asia, with India’s neighbor Pakistan suffering immense flooding effecting 1 out of 5 persons and creating devastation comparable to the 2005 tsunami or this year’s earthquake in Haiti.

While the scale of destruction is smaller in the Ladakh region of India, hundreds have been killed and thousands have lost their homes and possessions as a result of flash floods. Many American and Israeli tourists became stranded as the flooding leveled the entire region in which many houses are made of mud brick and could not withstand such water damage.

Hundreds of Israeli backpackers needed to be evacuated, but after arranging flights to get the tourists out of the disaster zone, 200 Israelis refused, choosing to stay and help rebuild what they saw destroyed in front of their own eyes.

Said Shoehr, “Some of the Israelis who served as combat medics in the military volunteered at an improvised hospital set up in the city. Some helped lift boulders and evacuate the rubble from the streets. Israelis make up half of all the foreign volunteers, which is truly impressive.”

Matan Golan is a 28 year old Jerusalemite who joined forces with other tourists and worked to set up a field hospital.” He told Indian television, “I think everyone would have done what we did. This is how we were raised. I don’t think anyone else who had come here and seen the disaster would have said to himself, ‘I’m not connect to this,’ and gone home.”

To read more about what the volunteers are doing to help, click here.

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Located on the shores of the sparkling Mediterranean, Tel Aviv has always been a place of physical and ecological beauty. Now – from an urban farming initiative, to a bike-share program, vegan hamburger joint, and a massive eco-reclamation of the town dump – Israel’s cosmopolitan gem is coming into its own as a green city.

GROW GREEN

“Make the desert bloom” was the hopeful, if ecologically naive, mantra of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. (Not surprisingly, the country pioneered water-conserving technologies like drip irrigation.) Today in Tel Aviv, urban farmers are working to make the city bloom.

The Tel Aviv municipality recently opened an urban farm in Yarkon Park that is accessible by public transit and includes a petting zoo, community garden plots and bird-watching center. The urban farm joins the Maoz Aviv Community Garden as the newest hot spot for urban food growing.

EAT GREEN

Israel is known for its outdoor produce, but in 2008, two food writers paired up with Slow Food to launch the country’s first farmers market. Located in Tel Aviv’s port, it offers mostly organic produce, locally made beer, honey, cheese, olive oil and other artisanal goods. A second farmers market recently opened in Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood. The Jaffa market will be plastic bag-free and offer vegetable delivery by bike courier.

The city’s restaurant scene is also tuning toward local ingredients. Upscale restaurants like Catit, Raphael, and Herbert Samuel all incorporate seasonal, locally grown produce into their dishes. Diners for looking something a little simpler – and vegan – can eat at Buddha Burger, which features an extensive (almost overwhelming) menu that goes way beyond meat-free burgers.

Nearby, Tel Aviv University is joining other colleges across the world in encouraging Meat Free Mondays for students and faculty. The international effort to reduce global meat consumption manifests itself on the Tel Aviv campus with an educational campaign and a special vegetarian entree offered in the cafeteria on Mondays.

DRINK GREEN

The Green Drinks  phenomenon – social/networking meetups for environmental types – has gone international. And like many big cities across the globe, Tel Aviv is in on the trend. The Green Drinks chapter meets monthly at local watering holes or organic coffee shops like LovEAT in South Tel Aviv.

TRAVEL GREEN

Despite the car congestion, biking is a great way to get around this beach town. There are several bike shops and rental locations serving the city, and the Tel Aviv municipality recently green-lighted a bike-share program that would make 1,500 bikes easily accessible to residents for a nominal fee.

The Tel Aviv Bicycle Association promotes safe cycling advocacy and works to ensure that bikers’ needs are heard by city government. And while it is still years from completion, Tel Aviv is in the process of creating a light rail/subway hybrid – the city’s first.

SHOP GREEN

The arrival of global fashion retail giant H&M in Tel Aviv earlier this year caused a frenzy amongst shoppers. Now H&M will unveil its eco-friendly “Garden Collection” – which utilizes organic and recycled materials – at stores across the world, including Israel.

On a more local scale, Tel Aviv designer Lilyja crafts beautiful jewelry out of recycled silver and other materials. Mesila Studios and Ubico Studio create sustainable furniture and home accessories by salvaging materials from trash bins and renovation sites and repurposing them into something truly beautiful. And check out this collection of sustainable designers making everything from wallets and bags to clothing and public art.

PLAY, ACT GREEN

For decades, the Hiriya dump in Tel Aviv was just that: a massive garbage dump that sat kitty-corner to the airport. But through strange feats of city planning alchemy, the dump is being reimagined as an environmentally friendly recreational park. Slated to be completed by 2020, and be the largest urban park built in the last 100 years, the park will include gardens, bike trails, an amphitheatre and a visitor center made from salvaged and recycled materials.

Those who don’t want to wait until 2020 can visit the Center for Environmental Action. Founded by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), the center offers many opportunities to get involved with city-based environmental education and advocacy projects.

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Photo: Joe Shalmoni

Every year, New Yorkers gather by the thousands to celebrate the sights, sounds, arts, and amazing food that makes Harlem a very special place. Harlem Week began in 1974 as “Harlem Day,” a single day tribute devoted to Harlem’s rich economic, political, and cultural history. The one day event has transformed into an entire week celebrating Harlem and inviting Harlemites and all New Yorkers to participate and share in the celebration of this remarkable community.

The central theme of this year was “Harlem Remembers, Salutes and Celebrates the Children of Haiti.”

In the aftermath of January’s devastating earthquake, Israel sent search and rescue units and relief workers to the area.  Once on the ground, the Israeli teams immediately went to work.  Rescue units extracted individuals from the rubble and doctors set up the first advanced field hospital, complete with wards, incubators, and modern equipment.

Photos were taken to capture and record the remarkable story of the brave men, women, and children of Haiti. Entitled “Scenes from Haiti,” the photos taken by the IDF and Israelis on the ground were on display in the children’s exhibit.

“The Consulate General of Israel in New York is excited to participate in several Harlem Week events this year,” said Israel’s Consul General in New York Asaf Shariv. “Harlem, like Israel, has a rich history full of inspiring individuals, revolutionary artists and musicians.  We are proud in our shared enthusiasm and friendship which makes our bond unbreakable.”

This year drew a tremendous crowd. The children’s festival alone, where “Scenes from Haiti” was exhibited, brought in 20,000 visitors over the weekend.

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Newsweek recently published the results of a scientific study to find what they dubbed “the globe’s true national champions,” looking at national statistics related to health, education, quality of life, economic dynamism, and political environment.

Coming in at number 22, sandwiched between Spain and Italy was Israel! Israel also tied for seventh in the “health” category, receiving the same score as France, Germany, Netherlands, and New Zealand. Israel also received a higher score in economic dynamism than most European countries, ranking 15th.

And of the world’s great superpowers, which nation is (un)officially the greatest of all? That would be Finland.

Newsweek has a really cool interactive map showing all the rankings (America came in at number 11 by the way) and each subcategory which you can find by clicking here.

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Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA)

An extremely rare, literally priceless large gold coin was unveiled yesterday after being uncovered by a team of archaeologists in Tel Kedesh, in the upper Galilee.

The coin, minted during the reign of Ptolemy V over in Alexandria in 181 BCE, is the heaviest gold coin ever found in Israel, weighing nearly six times as much as other gold coins.

According to Dr. Donald T. Ariel, head of the Coin Department of the Antiquities Authority, “a coin this size wouldn’t have been circulating in the markets, it would have had ceremonial purpose,” noting that it would have been worth 100 silver coins.

“This much silver would have been the equivalent of a half-year’s salary for an above average person at the time,” he said.

Dr. Ariel told CCN, “[t]he coin is beautiful and in excellent preservation. It is the heaviest gold coin with the highest contemporary value of any coin ever found in an excavation in Israel.”

The “heads” of the coin features Queen Arsinoe II, who married Ptolemy II. Arsinoe II was also known as Queen Arsinoe II Philadelphus, philadelphus meaning “brotherly love,” a reference to the fact that Arsinoe II and Ptolemy II were siblings. That’s probably not kosher.

Nonetheless, after her death, coins bearing her image continued to be made, resulting in a cult-like infatuation with Queen Arsinoe II.

To read more about this crazy find (and where the coin was hidden for millenia), check out the article from CNN here.

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The miraculous birth of a Sumatran orangutan to a 41 year old mother has gotten the entire world excited. An extremely threatened species, the Sumatran orangutan has seen its global population shrink to only 7,300 as a result of territorial expansion by their biological cousins, a species known as Homo sapiens. Deforestation and poaching have had a terrible impact on their natural habitats in Southeast Asia.

Of all the great apes, orangutans are the only species exclusively found in Asia. There are only two surviving species of orangutans, with one now limited solely to the island of Sumatra.

Born at the Ramat Gan Safari in Tel Aviv, this new celebrity is the first orangutan born there since 2000. Attempts to save  this intelligent and beautiful creature are difficult. Orangutans reproduce at a slower rate than any other primate, with females bearing offspring only every 7 or 8 years. With the average lifespan being around 45 years, this newborn’s mother was relatively old at 41.

While many believe the term orangutan is a reference to its orange or light red hair, this actually isn’t the correct etymology. Indigenous peoples of Malaysia and Indonesia called this great ape “orang hutan,” literally meaning “person of the forest.” Indeed, orangutans are one of our closest relatives, sharing 96.4% of our DNA.

While orangutans may not originate from the Jewish State, as this picture shows, they are certainly not averse to matzot.

To read more about Israel’s newest and cutest diplomat, click here.

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