In a world of lies about Israel, here are some facts

Lies about Israel are easy to find. They're everywhere.

Here are some examples, some of which just appeared (yet again) in the news:

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Now, let's take a look at some facts about Israel. These facts come in a video, "68 facts you probably didn't know about Israel". It comes to you from Zed films. It was first published on youtube May 9, 2016. it's 6:18 minutes:

Here's something to think about: first, Israel may well be the world's leader in practical humanitarianism. It probably does more to help humanity, particularly during disaster, than any other country. If it's not the best at helping in a disaster, it might be the fastest to set up--and the very best when it comes to world-class disaster hospital care.

Israel's list of life-saving innovations is, arguably, second to none.

Israel's high-tech expertise ranks, possibly, second in the world--even though it has only 8 million people.

Why does all this matter to you? It matters because Apartheid, oppressive, brutal regimes don't 'do' practical humanitarianism. What they do is oppression.

It's a rule of history: brutality and humanitarian actions don't exist in the same place. That means that if Israel is what you are told it is--brutal--then it can't be a world-class water superpower or a start-up nation or 

Santa Claus, and how world media treats Israel

To understand how world media views Israel, consider a recent media story from the USA that went viral (John Ziegler, "As 'viral Santa' changes his story, there are many unanswered questions for him and the media", mediate, December 16, 2016). This tale began in Tennessee on Monday, December 12, 2016, when the Knoxville New Sentinel published a tragic tale of Santa Claus and a dying 5-year old child. 

This story described how a professional make-believe Santa had been called to a local hospital room to help give an X-mas gift to a terminally-ill child. The child wished to meet Santa. 

According to the news report, this for-hire Santa went to the boy. He sat and held the child. He gave the child a gift. Then the young boy died in 'Santa's' arms.

The story went viral. It was unbelievably attractive. It had everything needed to do that: Santa Claus, a dying child, a final X-mas gift "and an extremely emotional and compelling witness in [a man named] Schmitt-Matzen who looks like the perfect modern television version of Santa Claus" (John Ziegler, "Did the news media fall too fast for the viral story of Santa and the dying 5-year old boy?", mediate, December 14, 2016). 

As with many news reports that demonize Israel, this Santa tale was a perfect candidate to go 'viral': it had the emotional 'punch' that hits you especially when an 'innocent' dies or suffers. In 'Palestinian' stories, the 'innocent' is always framed to be the 'Palestinian' 'victim'. In this Santa story, the 'innocent' was the young boy; but he, of course, was truly innocent.

But as happens with so many of those 'let's hate the brutal Israel' stories, this Santa version has raised questions: did it actually happen?

It turns out that this Santa story shares a lot with those 'brutal Israel' tales. This story hadn't been verified. There had been no corroboration. Details were lacking. No one questioned the witness--a self-employed Santa--with probing questions. 

Like so many of the 'brutal Israel' news tales, few questioned the initial Santa report. The story seemed so perfectly humane (Santa comforts a dying child), no one had the heart to become too critical with it. The same is true of stories that demonize Israel: they seem so perfectly to 'prove' Israel's inhumanity, no one thinks to ask too many questions. 

Why spoil what we think about Israel--or Santa Claus?

The anti-Israel industry gives Israel this same 'Santa Claus' treatment: news outlets run their (anti-Israel) stories based solely on a one-sided point of view--the 'Palestinian' point of view (Here, the main point of view was that of the self-employed Santa). No one corroborates these stories. Little third-party verification gets reported (or, if reported, not before the 7th-8th or 9th paragraph). Probing questions are never asked. 

The author of these two Santa stories, John Ziegler, called this Santa tale a  "classically 2016" story. It was 'classic 2016' because it carried the same imprint of so many of the news stories we've seen in 2016: a rush to print with little or no attempt to show verification (ibid). 

Ziegler is not entirely convinced this Santa tale is a hoax. He says it could be true. But he sees too many unanswered questions for it to claim to be a complete, truthful account of what actually happened in that hospital room--if in fact something had happened ("Did the news media fall...", ibid). 

Ziegler says this story is typical of the current era of what he calls a broken news media industry ("As 'viral Santa' changes his story...", ibid). He guesses that this story was so poorly vetted, we may never find out what is true, what is fake.

The same can be said about media news covering Israel. Are those 'evil, Satanic Israel' reports really true, or, are they fake?

You may never know. 

Will dog waste make Israel a world-class humanitarian?

Dog waste is dirt. There’s nothing remotely humanitarian about it.

It’s a problem, not a solution because too many dog owners don’t pick up after their dogs. They leave it behind.

How can dog dirt help humanity? It’s a waste, so to speak, not a benefit.

But in Israel, dog waste is different. It’s a stepping stone to help mankind.   

  

One day in Tel Aviv several years ago, a dog owner was caught in flagrante delicto—in the very act of allowing his pug, Paulee, to poop in public with no clean-up. That dog owner collected a fine for his negligence (Abigail Klein Leichman, “What goes down the drain can sustain the whole building”, israel21c, December 11, 2016). That fine annoyed him. So he did what lots of Israelis do in such a situation: he called a friend.

His friend was Prof. Oded Shoseyov of Hebrew University (ibid). He’s a renowned biotech inventor (“A welcome scoop…”, ibid). The dog owner asked him, could the Professor solve a messy poop problem?  

The Professor could. But his solution was as crazy as the request. He would help, all right. But he would focus on the pooper-scooper, not just the poop.

The Professor’s solution was a pooper-scooper with a difference (ibid). After it gathered the droppings, it would turn them into a dry, odorless, sterile powder (ibid). All the dog-walker had to do was push a button to release an ‘activation capsule’ from a cartridge inside the unit (ibid): no muss, no fuss and, most important, no smelly mess.  Instead of having to move a smelly mess from one place to another, the owner solved his poopy problem hands-free, by having his pooper-scooper transform the poop chemically into an odorless powder before his dog-walk ended (“What goes down…”, ibid).

If I understand how this story has unfolded, that pooper-scooper concept helped start the company, Paulee CleanTec (named, no doubt, after the pug who’d pooped in Tel Aviv). Co-founded by Professor Shoseyov in 2008, Paulee CleanTec not only cleans up pet waste, but also livestock waste and human waste (Paulee CleanTec, homepage). Such waste management is important to mankind: each year, more than 200 million tons of human waste world-wide goes untreated (Paulee CleanTec homepage, the problem, human waste). As a result, perhaps 800,000 children a year die from water-contamination issues (ibid). Paulee CleanTec, named after a pooping pug, uses an Israeli-born technology to save lives.

But Paulee CleanTec isn’t the end of this story; waste management, while crucial to human survival, just doesn’t make it to ‘humanitarianism’. That step up belongs to someone else.

In 2013, our hero (Paulee CleanTec co-founder Professor Shoseyov) wowed some 1,600 delegates at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) National Summit in California with his chemical scooper (“What goes down…”, ibid). His presentation attracted one of the attendees, engineer Igor Tartakovsky (ibid), who is today president of a company called, CB engineering, which designs, among other things, waste and plumbing systems. This Tartakovsky told his entrepreneur son Aaron about the Professor’s pooper-scooper. Aaron then wondered if this concept could be scaled up into a system for a high-rise building (ibid).  

Israelis might be slightly crazy. But this idea isn’t crazy at all. The amount of potable water available worldwide to support human life is shrinking. Buildings worldwide consume a full 14% of all potable water—and little, if any of it, is recycled (ibid). There’s a lot of good drinking water in this world that—if you’ll pardon the expression—gets flushed down the toilet.

That thought led Israeli Aaron Tartakovsky to co-found Epic CleanTec and to become part of another start-up called, Israeli-California Green-Tech Partnership (ICGTP). Epic CleanTec develops systems that separate out an entire building’s solid waste from the wastewater stream and converts it into dry, odorless nuggets (sound familiar?) (ibid)—while recycling the water portion of a flush for re-use in more toilet-flushing and for a building’s cooling towers (Epic CleanTec, homepage). ICGTP, meanwhile, works to get this (and other ‘green’ projects) done (“What goes…”, ibid).

Today, Epic CleanTec is working with Israel-California Partnership to install recycling systems into commercial (and high-rise residential) buildings in San Francisco. That’s an important opportunity because San Francisco has become the first US city to pass an ordinance requiring large buildings to recycle their water (ibid).

Several years ago, a dog owner got fined when his pug Paulee pooped in public. Now, because of that fine, Israeli innovations could turn every tall building into its own sewage treatment and water recycling center. That would help preserve the world’s drinking water, too much of which is now diverted to toilets.

Israel has a world-class reputation for using innovative technologies to help mankind solve a growing water [and waste management] crisis (David Hazony, “How Israel Is Solving the Global Water Crisis”, thetower, October 2015). In its own way, those innovations are practical humanitarianism at its best.

For Israelis, nothing is wasted. Any human experience can provoke the creation of technologies that help humanity---even a dog-poop fine.

Will dog waste be the catalyst that helps Israel replace Amnesty International as the world-class humanitarian? It might. After all, this is Israel—the land of miracles.

An Israeli fish story

Israel is a wondrous place. If you follow stories about Israel, you may already know about Israel's high-tech expertise. You may know that Israel is considered to be the world's water superpower. You may even know of Israel's entrepreneurial brilliance. But here's one special Israeli item you probably haven't heard about: Israel's fish story.

Like other fish stories, this Israeli version seems like just another tall tale. But unlike other fish tales, it's true. I'll even show you the pictures.

This fish story is about an Israeli who wanted his own home aquarium (Viva Sarah Press, "The Israeli who swims in his his living room", israel21c, December 6, 2016). He wanted a large aquarium, so he built a large aquarium.

To put this fish story into context, consider that the most popular home aquariums seem to run between 10-30 gallons. Some who like larger units have to be careful: a 90-gallon tank, filled, can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, including all attachments and contents ("Best aquarium size, fish4beginners). 

This Israeli fish tank was built by high-tech entrepreneur Eli Fruchter (Press, ibid). Here's a picture of Eli with his fish tank: 



                               (courtesy of Viva Sarah Press, israel21c)

In case you're curious, this fish tank holds 7,925 gallons (30,000 liters) (ibid). The tank holds 150 fish from 30 species--and a lot of coral.


Homeowner Fruchter (pictured above) doesn't feed his fish the way you might. He doesn't sprinkle food onto the surface of the water. His feeding process is, shall we say, more participatory. 

Here's a short video about the Fruchter home aquarium, courtesy of Eli Fruchter, on youtube, titled, "Eli's 30,000 liter home reef aquarium". It runs 2:43. The man you will see is Eli Fruchter as he feeds his fish:

Israel: it's not just a fishy place. It's a place of extraordinary beauty. In its own way, Israel is a living coral reef in a savage sea. It's a place where beauty floats effortlessly, nibbling gently at your soul.

Come home, dear reader. Come feel the beauty.

Shabbat Shalom.

A storm in Israel: is it miracle or windy mirage?

(Last updated: December 8, 2016)

A friend has sent me a video. Researching the video, I discovered that some viewers say this video is about a miracle.

I can't say they're right. Then again, I can't say they're wrong, either. 


Israel is like that: it's filled with talk of miracle. For example, some say Israel's very existence as a modern state is a miracle. Others say Israel's survival as a modern state is a miracle.  

The list goes on: we're surrounded by miracles, aren't we?

I couldn't possibly answer that question for you. Only you can do that. But I can show you a challenge.

Take a recent storm at Israel's northern border with Syria, where ISIS fighters in Syria and Israel's army have been trading shots for some time now. The border up there is pretty desolate. 

Recently, a windy storm hammered that border area. Black clouds and noisy, high winds buffeted the entire area. 

This was not a normal storm. It acted strangely. 

For example, despite the heavy winds, the storm stalled. It didn't cross the border. It didn't enter into Israel. It seemed to hover menacingly over Syria.

As you'll soon see in the video below, the storm's black clouds appeared to form a solid wall on the Syrian side of the border. Its behavior was so remarkable, Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers stationed at the border gathered for a closer look. They came out into the open. They stood around looking at the black wall of cloud just meters away. They photographed what they saw. Some appear baffled by how that wall of cloud simply wouldn't cross into Israel. 

Here's what they saw. Was it a miracle, to keep ISIS fighters away from Israel that day? 

Take a close look at the border fence just in front of the soldiers. The fence appears visible at the 0:15-0:16 and 0:26-0:30 marks. The black cloud doesn't cross over that fence.

Also, look at the soldiers. What do you believe they were thinking as they stood there watching and photographing that cloud? 

This video has been posted on youtube. It first appeared on December 2, 2016. I found it under the title, "The bizarre storm completely engulfed the Syrian side of the border, but stopped just at the boundary". Again, it came to my attention from a friend.

Take a look.

Israel is no ordinary place. It's a place where miracles seem to appear before you in a most natural way. To see those miracles, all you have to do is look for them.

Michael Oren, and a call to label Israeli product

Israeli MK (Member of Knesset) Michael Oren (Kulanu) is no stranger to anti-Israel behavior. He saw plenty of it while serving as Israel’s ambassador to the United States (2009-13). He deals with it now yet again as a special Deputy Minister who works out of the office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the beginning of this week, Oren got into a twitter spitting match with the French Ambassador to Israel. This short ‘twitter war’ (haaretz, November 28, 2016, below) began on November 24, 2016 when France announced that, “in accordance with the November 2015 European [EU] Commission guidelines, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are occupied territories and not considered part of the State of Israel” (Barak Ravid, “France Issues Regulations Requiring Retailers to Label Goods From Israeli Settlements”, haaretz, November 24, 2016). Therefore, in order not to deceive consumers [emphasis mine], labeling goods simply as "from the West Bank" or "from Golan Heights" without providing more details is "not acceptable". Instead, goods sold in French stores must be clearly marked as coming from an "Israeli settlement” (Charlotte England, “France becomes first European country to label items from Israeli settlements”, independent, November 30, 2016). 

  

Yes, the French government is careful. It doesn’t want French consumers to be misled into believing that “goods from Palestinian occupied territories were produced in Israel” (ibid). How thoughtful.

This announcement made France the very first EU member-state to implement the 2015 anti-Israel ‘guideline’ to label these products. That 2015 guideline declared that, if Israeli farm goods and other consumer products which come from ‘settlements’ are to be sold in EU countries, Israeli producers must explicitly label these products as coming from “settlements built on land occupied by Israel” [emphasis mine] (Robin Emmott and Luke Baker, “EU moves ahead with labeling goods made in Israeli settlements”, reuters, November 11, 2015). How thoughtful.

In response to the French move, Michael Oren fired off a twitter (on Sunday night, November 27, 2016). In that twitter, he said, “France is labeling Israeli products from Judea, Samaria, and the Golan. Israelis should think twice before buying French products” (Barak Ravid, “Michael Oren, French Ambassador to Israel Engage in Twitter War”, haaretz, November 28, 2016).

What happened next was interesting. First, was the timing: it took only ten hours for Helene LeGal, French Ambassador to Israel, to respond. The Second point of interest was what LeGal said in her response: she accused Oren of calling for a boycott, something he hadn’t done. The third point of interest is how LeGal worded her responding twit. She said, “so you are calling for boycotting French products when in France boycotting Israel is punished by law?” (haaretz, ibid).

Think about that response: Oren, like the French announcement, didn’t use the word, ‘boycott’. Nevertheless, France’s call to label does support the BDS (Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment) Movement, which calls to stop buying Israeli product. The French labels will certainly help French shoppers to ‘think twice about buying Israeli product’. But when Oren suggests that Israelis think twice about buying French products, LeGal tells Oren that boycotts in France are illegal?

That’s absurd. Oren wasn’t calling for a boycott. He was simply suggesting that what’s good for the French is good for Israelis—shop wisely lest you be misled. That’s illegal?

Apparently, for LeGal, that is illegal—but only for Israel. For LeGal, it’s okay for the French to be concerned about Israeli product, but it’s not okay for Israel to be concerned about French product. How hypocritical.  

This ‘twitter-war’ didn’t end there. In response to LeGal’s outrageous rebuke, Oren did something Israeli officials have seldom done: he fought back; and he didn’t fight back in the Israeli press (where few non-Israelis would see it). He published an essay in a large-circulation American outlet, newsweek (“France should be ashamed of labeling products made by Jews”, November 30, 2016). His essay may have appeared elsewhere—hopefully in France.

Here are some excerpts from his response to the French:

To its credit, France is one of the first countries in Europe to ban economic boycotts of Israel. To its shame, France is the first European country to implement a 2015 European Union decision to label Israeli products from Judea and Samaria—the West Bank—and the Golan Heights.

Who, besides France’s Jewish community—already diminished by the sharp rise in anti-Semitism in [France]—will buy products labelled “Made in an Israeli Settlement”? Who is the French government fooling when it says that it is against any boycott of Israel and then acts to facilitate one?...

There are 200 territorial disputes in the world today, [but] France has singled out [only] one of them—Israel’s with the Palestinians—for special treatment. There is no French labeling of Chinese goods from Tibet or Moroccan goods from Western Sahara…France labels products from only one party [to a dispute]—the Jews…

For Israelis, as well as many Jews worldwide, France’s labeling decision cannot be viewed in isolation from French history. From the Dreyfus trial at the end of the 19th century, to Vichy’s anti-Jewish laws 50 years later, France has much to atone for in its relations with Jews. During World War II, French Jews were prohibited from serving in the army or working as doctors, lawyers, journalists, or state officials. Jewish students were expelled from schools and banned from commerce and industry. The French government and police participated in the roundup of 75,000 Jews, almost all of whom were murdered by the Nazis.

Does the France that once extended these racist laws to…Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia…really want to inflict damage on Jews living in areas they consider part of their ancestral homeland? Does the France that once mandated the registration of Jewish businesses and made Jews wear the yellow star now intend to mark Jewish-made goods?...In the end, France will be negatively labelled, not Israel.

Israel [has]…survived many other boycotts, formal and implicit, and thrived. Still, we have the right and the duty to defend ourselves from unjust practices…Israelis should not boycott French products, but we should certainly think twice before buying them. Or perhaps we should just label them with a sticker stating: “Made in a country that singles out Jewish goods”?

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My comment: Well said, Michael Oren. Perhaps Israel should apply such stickers.

Mr Oren, you teach pro-Israel advocates a lesson: Never back down. Never retreat. Never let hypocrites claim the moral high ground. Never let a hypocrite go unchallenged.

Thank you.