Developers Promote Plan To Market Israel's North as Center of Spiritual and Recreational Tourism.

The tombs of tzaddikim (religious figures deemed "righteous") scattered across the Upper Galilee will soon rank as the top destination for visitors from Israel and abroad seeking good health, spiritual strength, even a marriage partner. That, at least, is the vision of developers promoting a plan to market the northern region as a center of spiritual and recreational tourism.

Welcome New Olim From North America

From J. Richman's Blog "Good New From Israel":

Congratulations and welcome home to the 210 new olim that made aliyah to Israel from North America. The aliyah charter flight arrived in Israel on Wednesday morning and included 40 children in 41 families, 81 singles, and 13 IDF Soldiers. The youngest oleh in the group is 2 months old and the oldest oleh is 86 years old.

I took 400 photos of the exciting, historic event and I posted them online at: http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/history/2009/a560.htm...

May the aliyah from all over of the world grow and bring more Jews back to their homeland, Eretz Yisrael.

Our Pilot Trip: Please Comment On The Communities That We Will Be Visiting

We are making our Pilot Trip in mid-January with the hopes of making Aliyah this summer, God willing.

A lot of work has been put into planning this trip and I am only half way done. So far, I have narrowed down the list of communities that we will be visiting.

I really, really would appreciate comments on this list. Although we are on the left of being charedish in the U.S., we are looking to move to a strong halacha-driven kippa surga community where most of the women cover their hair, where the kids go to seperate schools, and where there are seperate youth groups. We are also looking for a place that has somewhat affordable housing (i.e. half a million dollar housing is too exorbitant for us).

Our status quo, i.e. safe bet is Ramat Shilo. We believe that we could integrate there, be happy with the schools there, find strong Torani families.

However, we have many reservations. It is still pretty big place as one community that is part of the greater Ramat Beit Shemesh. Moreover, we know that our kids would never fully integrate as Israelis there and to fit into Israeli yeshivot with other Israeli children.

For that reason, we are also looking at several yishuvim to see if we could see ourselves making friends there and where we would feel comfrotable that there are at least a core of people with the same level of observance that we are comfortable with.

Here are the yishuvim that we are looking at:

Nof Ayalon
Talmon and Dolev
Kochav Hashachar
Kochav Yaakov
Neve Daniel
Yad Benyamin
Mitzpe Yericho

Again, please, please do comment to tell me about these different places. Thanks.

My next step is to contact people in these communties, set up times to visit them. I also need to find people who work in careers that maybe I could transition to.

2 weeks to pilot trip...the clock is running out. :)

Teva Partners on New Prostate, Lung Cancer Treatment

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., says it plans to spend $60 million plus an equity investment on a new cancer-fighting treatment. The experimental drug, custirsen sodium (OGX-011), is set to enter Phase III clinical trials in 2010 and early 2011.

The Israeli pharmaceutical giant has just entered a global licensing and collaboration agreement for the new medication with Washington and Vancouver-based OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The new medication has already completed a successful Phase II program in patients with advanced prostate cancer and advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The two companies will collaborate together on a global Phase III clinical trial in patients with the same diagnoses. Researchers are also hoping to use the new treatment to boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

Rahm Emanuel's Rabbi Is Making Aliyah and Starting a New Community

"I disagree with many policies of the Obama administration, but I know that President Barack Obama and [White House Chief of Staff] Rahm Emanuel believe that what they are doing is good for Israel," says Rabbi Asher Lopatin, who for the past 15 years has been the spiritual leader of one of Chicago's most active Jewish communities, the Anshe Sholom Bnai Israel congregation.

"Rahm is a tough guy - and I'm not sure he's the best diplomat," he adds, "but I think that ultimately they think what they are doing is good for Israel."

Emanuel had to leave the community when he began began working in the White House, and later moved his family from Chicago to Washington, but Lopatin still sends them occasional e-mail messages.

In fact, the rabbi does not plan to remain in Chicago for long himself. Two weeks ago, community leaders sent a letter to members announcing the rabbi's intention to leave in the summer of 2011. They also asked for the community's support for his plans to settle in the Negev.