Points of Jew

Sharon suffers another stroke

Ynetnews is reporting:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is suffering from a massive brain hemorrhage and is undergoing major surgery, Hadassah Ein Kerem Deputy Director Shmuel Shapira announced Wednesday night.

Full ongoing coverage at Ynetnews.

Sharon: from politician to dietician

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon looks set to embark on a second career is he doesn't get re-elected in the New Year's elections - dietician.

The overweight politician who recently suffered a minor stroke has recently been telling his cabinet to improve their own health and not end up like him.

He said:

"I wish you and your families a Happy Chanukah. I hope that you will eat doughnuts and potato pancakes. Eat, yes but don't overdo it."

Thanks Ariel. And please, no secret munching of sweets and candies when no one is looking at you.

Sharon rushed to hospital

Israeli PM has been hospitalised following a minor stroke.

Ynet has full ongoing coverage:

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem after feeling unwell, Channel 2 has reported.

The prime minister lost consciousness upon arriving at the emergency room, Channel 10 reported earlier, but later regained consciousness.

A member of the Popular Resistance Committees told Ynet that Sharon fell ill because of the stressed caused by the latest wage of Qassam rockets over the last few days. “God answered our prayers and didn’t disappoint us,” the official said.

Diamonds are forever

Israel will soon be able to use a crystal/diamond as part of its mark within The Red Cross Movement.

TotallyJewish reports:

The Red Cross accepted a third symbol last night that will allow Israel to become an official member of the international humanitarian organisation.

Magen David Adom was previously prevented from joining because its symbol, the Star of David, is not recognised under the Geneva Convention, and it will not operate under the cross or the crescent.

Help the helpers of Zaka

I spotted this and so did Jewschool. Zaka is one example of a project that should get some Israeli government support given the service they provide.

From the Daily Telegraph:

Israel's disaster squad on brink of bankruptcy

A Jewish charity whose bearded, skullcap-wearing volunteers rush to the scene of every suicide bombing in Israel is facing bankruptcy following the decline in Palestinian terrorism.

Members of Zaka were among the first to arrive at every atrocity, sifting through wreckage to gather the body parts of victim and bomber alike, in accordance with Jewish law.

"The perception is that our workload has gone down, and so we have seen a decline in the growth of our private funding," said Yehuda Meshi Zahav, the founder and chairman of Zaka.

"But the reality is that our workload has gone up and so, until our funding catches up, there is a problem."

Mr Meshi Zahav appears older than his 44 years but when he explains his workload it is easy to see why.

His group responds to all non-natural deaths in Israel. This does not just include terrorist incidents but murders, suicides and accidents, currently averaging around 35 each week.

Gefilite fish war going on in Israel

There's a gefilte fish war going on in Israel between local producers and importers. The importers claim that Israeli-made gefilte is not subjected to the same standards that imported gefilete is, hence:

Ynetnews reports:

As it turns out, gefilte fish is subjected to specific regulations. According to the relevant standard (number 841for those who care) for preserving fish, applicable to carp preserved in gefilte fish sauce, each piece is supposed to be made of carp alone.

But importers claim that in reality, the standard is not being applied to local producers and is only being enforced against them.

“It turns out that the stuffed fish pieces suffer from serious discrimination in Israel,” a statement by the importers said.

Thanks to Jewlicious for that tasty story.

Be an Israeli and be happy

To the outside world, Israelis may not come across as the happiest of folks, but a recent survey has found they are very happy indeed. So don't worry, be Israeli!

Haaretz reports:

An overwhelming majority of adult Israelis are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. While 82 percent are happy, 52 percent of the population believe their lives will improve in the coming years.

The third annual survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics found that 47 percent of adults are satisfied with their financial situation. About 41 percent believe their financial situation will improve in the coming years.

Investigation into Kabbalah Centre in Israel

Israel's leading online news service, Ynetnews is running an investigation into the Kabbalah Centre.

Those interviewed for this story wanted to use their real names, tell their stories, and share their difficult feelings with the readers. They are particularly interested in seeing the Kabbalah Centre close its doors.

The story comes less than a week after the head of the Kabbalah Centre in Israel was arrested.

Police arrest Shaul Youdkevitch, head of Kabbalah Center in Israel, on suspicion he extracted money from cancer patient, convinced her donations will make her recover from illness.

Click here for more.

Climbing for peace

Dutch Jewish news service JoodseInfo.net writes about the following project that has brought an Israeli and a Palestinian together as well as other people from different faiths and backgrounds.

On October 21st and 22nd a Palestinian named Ali Bushnaq and Dudu Yifrah an Israeli met in Jordan to train for an event that will touch and change their lives, and in doing so, may also touch and change the lives of many people across the world.

Ali and Dudu are team members of The Everest Peace Project's Climb for Peace www.everestpeaceproject.org Together - along with several other people from various faiths they will climb Mt. Everest next spring. The idea is to show that experienced climbers with different beliefs and cultural backgrounds can come together for a 65 day Everest expedition and live, work, and depend on each other while doing something extraordinary: climbing Mt. Everest as a united team in the name of peace.

This was the second time that Ali and Dudu would meet in Jordan. Last June was the first time they "Trained for Peace" and now this unusual couple has become even closer friends. (To read about and view their first climb please check the follow web page: www.everestpeaceproject.org/training_for_peace)

Along for the climb was a film crew from Reuters - they filmed Ali and Dudu climbing and training together. Reuters will put together a feature video clip and it will be fed all across the Middle East and possibly Europe and the U.S. in the coming weeks.

…The only walls and barriers that were present were the ones that they both climbed together.

Maureen in The Guardian

I've never really been a fan of Maureen Lipman. Sure she is adored by millions for her stereotypical Jewish mother character Beattie in those godawful 1980s advertisements for British Telecom and her other roles have never greatly engaged with me.

But I don't deny she has an impressive track record both on stage and screen. So it was all the more interesting to see that our Mo writes for The Guardian.

Thanks to Melanie Phillips for introducing me to Maureen's most recent column.

On the issue of Israel, our Mo writes:

So Israel must be wiped off the face of the Earth. It's official policy according to the president of that well known democracy, Iran. A member of the UN and the human race, he last week told the rest of the world his true agenda for the Middle East. On the same day, the suicide bombers took up their old position in the Israeli marketplace and killed five innocent civilians. There must have been much hand-rubbing and backslapping in Iran that night.

It proves that whatever Israel does right is ultimately wrong. Pull out of Gaza, at astonishing personal cost to their own electorate, and somehow it works against them. They cannot win without loss. They cannot protect themselves, surrounded as they are on all sides by warrior states, without being labelled the aggressors.

No, I'm not defending them arbitrarily; there has been enough to complain about in their behaviour over the past 50-odd years. There invariably is when a country is submerged in a lengthy war. America bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The Lusitania and the Belgrano happened. An innocent Brazilian electrician was shot, here in London, in a moment of post-bombing panic. Stuff happens.

Well said Mo.