Elul 5762                        Gwen Hamlin, Editor    Ed Christiansen, Associate Editor
                                                                                                                    August 2002

THE  INTERNATIONAL  JERUSALEM  POST      NICE to secure Aussie House:   Israel’s “NICE” System based in Ra’anana will provide Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra, with a digital video recording system for enhanced security.  NICE’s system will interface with the existing management system in Parliament House and record with the multiple cameras already installed throughout the building and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Down under, at a Kibbutz:   Israel has established the only exclusively “All Australian” zoo outside Australia, which is devoted to Australian Fauna and Flora. The Australians laid down strict criterions for the animal’s well-being and personal safety by supervising the work ensuring the standards were met in full. Including the double-door cages for the birds, and special designed fences and diet for the Kangaroos.
   The scene is 100 percent antipodean - the location in Israel is just west of the Jordan River - “Kibbutz”  Nir David’s Australian Park. The species indigenous to Australia thrive in the Mediterranean climate and visitors are flocking to see them.

Arafat cares:   P. A’s. Chairman Arafat deposits over $5 Million from Arab Aid funds into his personal account, according to a report in Kuwaiti Newspaper Al-Watan, which says documents from private sources in Cairo report that this is a theft of Arab Aid funds through an arrangement between Arafat and his Cairo office head, Ramzi Khouri. The money was used for upkeep of Arafat’s wife Suha and daughter who live in Paris and Switzerland.

THE  JEWISH  PRESS   U.S. Extradites Egyptian Involved In Sadat Killing:   The USA has extradited to Egypt an Islamic insurgent, Nabil Soliman; he has lived illegally in US since 1992 and is convicted of participating in the assassination of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat in 1981.

Anti-Semitism - USA:   Anti-Semitism in the United States is increasing. 17% of Americans are strongly Anti-Semitic, up from 12% 4 years ago, and 48% of Americans hold no prejudices against Jews, down from 53% 4 years ago. (Anti-Defamation League reports in survey)

Iran:  Iran is training Palestinian Terrorists in the use of shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles in a drive to shoot down Israeli combat aircraft. Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies said the training is taking place in Lebanon, and supporters of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat have also received training.

Excerpts by Alan Caruba:   America’s population is over 287 Million, and has one vote in the United Nations General Assembly. There are 188 other members. Of these 130 members have less than 13 million people. That is less than the state of Florida, and their vote is equal to that of U.S.A. It gets worse: There are 31 nations with a full vote that have less than our least populated state, Wyoming. These UN member nations have the same vote as the U.S., China, India, Russia, Great Britain, Japan and other major powers in the world. The real power is in the UN Security Council, composed of permanent members, Great Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States. All of them except for the U.S. are nations with strong socialist or communist legacies. The question is, how much security has the UN provided the world since 1947 when it began? The 5 wars waged against Israel are a testimony to the UN’s ability to look the other way when a member nation is fighting for its life. There is no single organization in the world that is more Anti-Semitic than the United Nations. Remember that the next time a US Ambassador to the UN casts our one vote in the General Assembly at the same time as Djibouti.

Jews of China:   Over the past centuries, there have been thousands of Jews living in China. Today’s Chinese government recognizes Jews as an official Chinese ethnic group. Despite assimilation and communist persecution, a Jewish presence remains in China today.
   Archeological evidence points to a Jewish presence in China in the 8th century. The Emperor commemorated a Temple in 1489 and the stone tablet can now be seen in the Kaifeng Museum. In addition, a street in the Jewish quarter is still called “The Lane of the Sect that teaches the Scripture,” which could only refer to the Jews.
   During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) a Ming Emperor conferred upon all the Jews seven surnames by which they are identifiable to this day: Ai, Lao, Jin, Li, Shi, Zhang, and Zhao. Chinese Jews and their descendants will have only one of these seven names. Shi and Jin mean stone and gold.
   In the 13th century Marco Polo spoke of meeting Jews. Shanghai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in China. Jews fleeing Russia in the 1900’s were followed to China by refugees from the Nazis in World War II. At one point in World War II there were 30,000 Jews in Shanghai. The entire Jewish community left for western countries after World War II. Japanese ordered the Chinese to force all Jews in Shanghai into refugee camps where they remained. Today there appears to be a rebirth of Jews in China. The Jews of Shanghai will never forget that China gave them a haven to escape Nazi genocide.

Worsening Water Shortage:   In a 300-page report dealing with Israel’s worsening water shortage, it is recommended that a state of water emergency be declared for the next two years.

Anti-Semitism in Moscow:   Two men with shaved heads attacked a 16 year-old boy in Moscow who is the son of a rabbi, breaking his nose. This was the second case of anti-Semitism in Moscow in 2 days.

The Sword and the Typhoon:   The Israeli Navy has a new missile boat named “Cherev” (sword)  which has a maximum speed of 32 knots and a crew of 51. This new boat is the first vessel to be fitted with a new, thermal camera-guided cannon called the “typhoon.”  A problem for the navy patrol boats is difficulty in accuracy while bouncing at sea. However, the Typhoon system is capable of locking onto a target and firing the cannon with amazing accuracy.

United States:   U.S. officials launched proceedings to revoke the citizenship of Michael Gorshkow, 79, of Florida, for Nazi activities, as a Gestapo interpreter and interrogator who helped kill 3,000 people in Belarus. Gorshkow immigrated to the U.S.A. illegally after World War II.

Missiles Smuggled by Islamic Extremists:   The United States has determined that Islamic insurgents have smuggled anti-aircraft missiles into America. The Russian-made SA-7 and the U.S.-made Stinger were probably smuggled through Mexico, and the shoulder-fired, portable missiles have a range of five and eight kilometers.

Syria Supplying Rockets to Hizbullah:   Syria is supplying long-range rockets to Hizbullah (terrorists), say Israeli defense sources. The Syrian move marks a change in policy for the regime of President Bashar Assad. This policy change is made as Iran has been hard-pressed to fly the weapons over such neighbors as Turkey, while fearing that Israel and the USA will stop shipments via the Mediterranean Sea. Assad feels Syria will not come under Israel or USA attack in response to the Hizbullah campaign against Israel.

How old?  In Israel there are 604 people over the age of 100. The oldest is 117. At a recent ceremony, two ambulances were standing by in case they were needed, and wheelchairs and walkers were provided so the visitors could take part in the ceremony with dignity and the security they so richly deserve.

Visa Problems in U.S.:   Three Saudis who were the last of the 9/11/01 hijackers to enter the USA did not visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to get visas. They submitted a short form and a photo to a travel agent in Saudi Arabia; Most Saudi applicants never come into contact with a U.S. citizen until stepping off the airplane onto American soil. This open-door policy for terrorists is named “Visa Express.” Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that enjoys such privileges, so easily.
   The C.A. (Consular Affairs) written policy is that “if the travel agency is satisfied that a traveler has the means to buy a tour package, there will be little further evaluation of the applicant.” There is no single transliteration system from Arabic to English, so any Arabic word, including a name, can have dozens (or more) English spellings. And the systemic problem with the visa process reaches far beyond Saudi Arabia.

Dispatch From Jerusalem: Bridges For Peace

ARMY - Israeli Army officers confirmed that the Israeli Army (IDF) found more than US $100,000 in counterfeit American currency in the headquarters compound of Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Earlier reporters were told that “hundreds of thousands” of counterfeit Israeli shekels, as well as the printing plates to make them, had also been confiscated.

WINDS ?  Different winds are required to produce fullness of a planted garden in Israel. North wind brings rain and dew. South winds bring warmth that ripens the fruit; all others in their proper order and place bring rich soil, healthy plants, etc., and without proper winds the garden will fail.
   Israel is “at the center of the earth.” (Eze. 38:12). The winds are related to the moisture, or lack of it. (Prov. 25:23). Late winter/early spring rains, with thunder and lightning, sustain growth of grain crops, when barley and wheat fill their heads with starch. Spring passes quickly in Israel. The hot winds are called “sharav” in Hebrew, and “hamsin” in Arabic.
   In the weeks between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) in Israel seven species of agriculture gain critical growth. The figs form, barley and wheat heads fill; dates, pomegranates, olives and grapes are pollinated and set their fruit.
   In Egypt, Israelites did not depend on the rains, for the Nile River would irrigate the crops. Moses warned the people about the rain and wind being different for the crops (Deut. 11:10-11, 14-15). The Israelites understood the agricultural differences in the Promised Land (Ex. 15:5;Eze. 20:6). The abundance of milk and honey would not come easily. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was faithful to sustain Israel when He brought them into the Promised Land.

INSIDE  ISRAEL  NEWSLETTER  - Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies and Research:  Another group from America recently broke ground for a new neighborhood in Kochav Yaakov, located on the north side of Jerusalem. This is an example of a new trend of transporting entire U.S. Jewish communities from the Diaspora to Israel. This transplant is coming from New York where 25 families have already committed to purchasing new homes at this site. This location is in a disputed area and a government minister offered the group a location in a more secure area. They turned it down saying their objective is to strengthen the Jewish presence where they are outnumbered by Arabs.