Israel News for September 15, 2016
IDF Hits Gaza
In response to several mortar shells that fell near the Gaza border fence in Israeli territory, the IDF hit Hamas military targets near the border with airstrikes. No injuries were reported. Israel holds Hamas responsible for all military activity within Gaza, even though the mortars wee probably fired by a splinter terror group not directly affiliated with Hamas.
For further reading click here.
Peres Condition
Simon Peres remains in serious condition in Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer three days after suffering a stroke, but has regained consciousnesses. Dr. Ze’ev Feldman, Director of the neurosurgical unit in the hospital, said, “the fact that he returned to consciousness is extremely significant and may enable a recovery in the future and a return to fuller functionality, as opposed to a person who remains unconscious and cannot communicate. His situation is still serious but stable and the danger still exists considering his situation and age.”
PM Netanyahu visited Peres in the hospital last night and remarked, “I was impressed that there is an exceptional team taking care of an exceptional person. Peres has great vitality, he is young and energetic and there is hope.” He asked that everyone continue to pray for Peres’ recovery.
For further reading click here.
Bullets for US
Israel Military Industries (IMI) manufactures bullets primarily for the IDF and NATO armies. But over the last year IMI sales to the American civilian market has skyrocketed to NIS 250 million from only NIS 30 million two years ago. Apparently Americans are stocking up in expectation of the implementation of new gun control regulations. In fact, all weapons and ammunition manufacturers operating in the American market have also seen their sales go up.
For further reading click here.
Sewage Treatment
Israel’s sewage treatment plants produce hundreds of millions of cubic feet of water for use by farmers for irrigation. But they have been dumping the wastewater, or sludge, into the Mediterranean. In 2015, the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shafdan) channeled 39,000 tons of sludge into the sea. The sludge is one of the greatest pollutants of the Mediterranean.
To solve this problem the plants will begin treating the sludge and turning it into hundreds of tons of fertilizer, which will be given to farmers for free. The process will also create energy.
For further reading click here.
Salt Please
Over two thirds of Israel’s drinking water comes from desalination plants. In some areas 100% of the water is desalinated. While that might be solving the water crisis, researchers are finding that drinking saltless water might be causing iodine deficiencies, which can lead to Thyroid disorders including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer.
But it’s more than just drinking water. Desalinated water is also used in agriculture for watering plants and animals and for industrial processing of food products.
This could be a business opportunity for iodine supplements. Or maybe it’s just time to start adding more salt at dinner?
For further reading click here.
Chicken Crisis
There might be less chickens on Shabbat tables this week. That’s because there’s a four day Muslim holiday this week (Id al-Adha) and many of the workers at slaughterhouses in Israel are Muslims who took off for the holiday. Some slaughterhouses were closed for the festival.
Supermarket chains said that because they last received supplies of fresh chicken on Monday, many of their stores have already run out. Stores that still have chicken are expected to run out by this afternoon.
For further reading click here.
Belated Bar Mitzvah
Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor living in Israel, will finally celebrate his bar mitzvah — 100 years late. Kristal is 113 years old, the oldest man in the world. He was born in 1903 in the town of Zarnow, Poland and missed his bar mitzvah celebration as a result of World War I.
Kristol was deported to Auschwitz in 1944, where his wife was killed. His two children were killed previously in the Lodz ghetto. After the war Kristol remarried and moved to Haifa in 1950. He has two children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
When asked at the time he was certified as the oldest living man what his secret was to long life, Kristal said: “I don’t know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why. There have been smarter, stronger and better-looking men than me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost.”
For further reading click here.
