Brazilian business leaders look to Israeli know-how

The decision by Brazil's House of Representatives last week to approve a free trade agreement for Israel with Mercosul, the South American free trade area, could have enormous economic consequences for the Jewish state, a member of the delegation traveling with Peres has told reporters in the president's entourage.

Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes, left, President Shimon Peres, center, and Rio de Janeiro's Governor Sergio Cabral, right, attend a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, Friday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that there is a potential for Israel's defense and homeland security industries to earn billions of dollars from Mercosul once the agreement is ratified, particularly from Brazil.

Why An Irish Catholic Family Moved To Israel

The night I meet with Gerry and Theresa Casey, Jerusalem is enjoying its first wintry weather of the year. However, for the natives of Sligo in the northwest of Ireland, the storm brewing outside is reminiscent of the type of climate they have tried to escape this past year to give their little girl Rachel, born with Down's syndrome and serious heart defects, a better quality of life.

"We were told by doctors in Ireland that a warm climate could increase Rachel's life expectancy for up to five years," says Gerry, 40, who officially arrived here with Theresa, Rachel and the couple's three older children - Sean, nine, Emma, seven, and Louisa, five - in December.

Looking lovingly at his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter as she mischievously makes her way around the family's living room, the doting father adds proudly: "I really think it has worked, because today she stood up for the first time without holding on."

South American olim accompany Peres

Some 25 new immigrants from five South American countries accompanied President Shimon Peres on his return to Israel.

The olim from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay left Sao Paulo, Brazil, with Peres on Tuesday following his weeklong visit to Argentina and Brazil. They were scheduled to arrive Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport.

In 2009, about 1,200 new immigrants from Latin America will make aliyah to Israel under the auspices of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the agency said.

(Source: JTA)

Sarah Palin: Israel Settlements Should Be Allowed to Expand!

Alaska - In an interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, Sarah Palin, the former GOP vice presidential candidate, gave her policy recommendations, weighing in on issues in the Middle East, U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and more.

Palin, whose book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," hit bookshelves today, took aim at the Obama administration's stance on Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

"I disagree with the Obama administration on that," Palin told Walters. "I believe that the Jewish settlements should be allowed to be expanded upon, because that population of Israel is, is going to grow. More and more Jewish people will be flocking to Israel in the days and weeks and months ahead. And I don't think that the Obama administration has any right to tell Israel that the Jewish settlements cannot expand."

Acclimating Your Kids To Israel Before and After Making Aliyah

(The following is an interesting discussion from Maalei Adumim's Yahoo Listserve about advice for a woman considering aliyah on how to make aliyah and keep your children intact.)

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We are considering making aliyah next summer with the help of Nefesh
B'Nefesh. We are looking into different locations to live using the Internet. We are myself (48 year old widow) and my 8 year old daughter. We live in Florida.We are modern orthodox (kosher,do not wear slacks,have a tv)and my child is an excellent student( poo-poo-poo) at a local,orthodox school known for it's high academic standards and Hebrew-language immersion
program. I've heard that English-speaking kids who grow up in an "Anglo bubble"in Israel develop drug addictions and other emotional difficulties. Any feedback? Thanks!

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Hi Rhonda,

Dov Hikind Leads Cornerstone-Laying Ceremony at Nof Zion in Eastern Jerusalem

Dov Hikind, a member of the New York State Assembly, was in this disputed city on Wednesday looking for property to buy. He said he was most excited about a new apartment complex overlooking the Old City called Nof Zion.

At noon, Mr. Hikind, led a group of about 50 American Jews in laying a cornerstone for the next phase of Nof Zion, with construction scheduled to start next spring. “I want to buy here,” Mr. Hikind said. “I might make a deal while I am here this time.”

More than a real estate deal, though, it would be a statement: Nof Zion, a private Jewish project, is located in Jebel Mukaber, a Palestinian Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem, in territory that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. Israel claims sovereignty over all Jerusalem; the Palestinians demand the eastern part as the capital of a future state.

Rabbi Jonathon Sacks: What is special about Israel?

What then is special about Israel? In The Kuzari, Judah Halevi says that different environments have different ecologies. Just as there are some countries, climates and soils particularly suited to growing vines, so there is a country, Israel, particularly suited to growing prophets – indeed a whole Divinely-inspired people. “No other place shares the distinction of the Divine influence, just as no other mountain produces such good wine” (Kuzari, II: 9-12).

Nachmanides gives a different explanation. G-d, he says, “created everything and placed the power of the lower creatures in the higher beings, giving over each and every nation ‘in their lands after their nations’ some known star or constellation . . . But the land of Israel, in the middle of the inhabited earth, is the inheritance of G-d . . . He has set us apart from all the nations over whom He has appointed princes and other celestial powers, by giving us the land [of Israel] so that He, blessed be He, will be our G-d and we will be dedicated to His name.” (Commentary to Lev. 18: 25). Though every land and nation is under the overarching sovereignty of G-d, only Israel is directly so. Others are ruled by intermediaries, earthly and heavenly. Their fate is governed by other factors. Only in the land and people of Israel do we find a nation’s fortunes and misfortunes directly attributable to their relationship with G-d.

Judah Halevi and Nachmanides both expound what we might call mystical geography. The difference between them is that Judah Halevi looks to earth, Nachmanides to heaven. For Judah Halevi what is special about the land of Israel is its soil, landscape and climate. For Nachmanides, it is its direct governance by G-d. For both of them, religious experience is possible outside Israel, but it is a pale shadow of what it is in the land.

(Source: Covenant and Conversation)

U.S. Jews turn to Israel to escape bleak job market

Jewish American math teacher Goldie Burdetsky never expected to find herself working the front desk of a hotel in southern Israel alongside management interns young enough to be her children.

"I mean, for God's sakes, I have a master's degree in education," said the 55-year-old New Yorker. "I expected to be able to find a teaching job in the U.S. without any problems. But I couldn't."

Skip Florida Condos, Buy Homes in Israel,” US Jews Say

Fifty American Jews on a unique visit to Israeli areas claimed by the Palestinian Authority are advising investors to skip over buying condominiums in Florida and to put their money in “our historical homeland.”

Israeli Americans blast 'unjust' U.S. health care reform bill

The organization representing North Americans in Israel has called on its members to fight a U.S. health care bill that would require U.S. citizens living abroad to pay $750 annually for insurance they may not be able to use.

What Prevents Aliyah?

(The following post is from the blog Shiloh Musings, written by Batya. I have to agree with Batya that its very, very scary to consider making aliyah. Me and my wife would like to move to Israel and despite our deep desire to live in the land of our Avot, its so scary to make such a humongous, permanent change).

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What Prevents Aliyah?

This post is inspired by a poll on Arutz 7.

Poll: What's the biggest obstacle to Aliyah?

a guide to jobsearching in Israel – part 3 – heating up the job search and the interview

Here is another great post from Jonny Degani about looking for a job in Israel:

So, you’re balancing he cold and warm job search and working on your skills at the same time. Now it’s time to turn up the heat.

Rav Kook and Hevron

Chayei Sarah: Rav Kook and Hebron

"Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, also known as Hebron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her." [Gen. 23:2]

On February 18, 1930, a somber gathering assembled in the Yeshurun synagogue in Jerusalem. The synagogue and its plaza were packed as crowds attended the memorial service for the Jews of Hebron killed in the Arab rioting half a year earlier.

Baltimore Jewish Times Cover Story: The Adler's Plan to Make Aliyah (hooray!)

Rabbi Elan Adler compares his family’s decision to make aliyah to one of those carnival games in which you shoot a steady stream of water into a clown’s mouth to fill a balloon.

Little by little, the reasons for moving to Israel simply built up, he said. The final straw, according to Rabbi Adler and his wife, Dr. Rivkah Lambert Adler, was the decision of their daughter, Ariella, 19, to make aliyah this past September.

Israel and Rain

Its been raining in Israel this week. How do I know that? Because all of my facebook friends in Israel have had status saying things like "Yeah, its raining!" It made me think about how difference we view rain outside of Israel and how Israel views rain.

In the U.S., we are always happy when its not raining. A rainy day has the most pejorative connotation (i.e. the phrase saving it for a rainy day). In Israel the exact opposite seems to be true. Rain is considered a great beracho and everyone rejoices when it rains, especially considering the many droughts that often plague Israel.

The blog "A Soldier's Mother" had a really nice post about the difference rain is perceived between Israel and abroad:

Decades ago, a representative of another country...I don't remember which any longer...came to Israel and toured our land with our prime minister. After quite a bit of time and many miles, the man turned to our leader and complimented him on the amazing job Israel had done to "deforest" the land. In his country, trees covered everything and the only way for people to create cities and homes was to first clear vast areas of land. Something that was time consuming, expensive, and slow.

Israel: Marching Through the Economic Meltdown

To follow-up on yesterday's post about Israel's economy that is apparently thriving in comparison to the rest of the world, here is an article from one of the authors of the book "Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle" that I mentioned in yesterday's post:

Guatemala Congress Honors Israel

Guatemala City - In recent years Guatemala has become an attractive destination for Israeli tourists, but the warm ties seem to stretch beyond that – to the many years of close relations between the two countries that lead the local congress to honor Israel this week.

(Video) Why Israel is the Leader of Business Innovation: Immigration!

Click here to see the video.

Please click on the link above and watch the interview.

The interview summarizes the content of a new book: "Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle". The authors examined Israel's strong economy (by the way, according to the authors, Israel's economy was hurt significantly less than the rest of the world during this current economic downturn) to see what are the features of Israel's economy that make it so strong, so resilient, and so conducive to entrepreneurism and innovation.

The authors highlight 10 aspects of the Israeli economy that make it distinct from the U.S. Accorinding to the book, the most important factor why Israel's economy is so strong is because of immigration. Due to immigration, new ideas are constantly pouring into Israel and there is apredominant "immigrant" work ethic abudant in the country.

The Pains Of Getting Ready For Aliyah

The following is a post from the blog Bat Aliyah describing her experience preparing for Aliyah and the pains of going through one's items to see if those items should be shlepped along to Eretz Yisrael:

Parshat Lech Lecha: The First Mitzvah Given to a Jew Is To Move To Israel!

Rabbi Moshe Lichtman in his sefer "Eretz Yisrael In The Parasha" notes that the first mitzvah ever given to a jew is to move to Eretz Yisroel.

Only In Israel Chatan V'Kalah Story

This story comes from Bracha Jaffe in Ra'anana:

My husband David called me up a week before my daughter Ruchama's wedding to Moshe Stein and said : “We have a wrinkle…”

The electric company had posted a notice on our apartment building announcing that there was going to be a power outage in our neighborhood to allow for a major repair.

Thousands Visit Tombs of Matriarch Rachel, Yosef the Righteous

Gathering in Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem. Interview with organizers about the uniqueness of Rachel and the ideas behind praying at the tombs of the righteous.





Hundreds at Tomb of Yosef HaTzadik (Joseph the Righteous).





(Source: Arutz Sheva)