The Oslo Accords and the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza are now widely recognized as tragic errors of immense proportions. Now, we face an even greater danger as the Israeli government, in the wake of the Annapolis summit, is scrambling to give away parts of Israel piece by piece in the pursuit of yet another false peace. We must respond ....   more »

by Sara Yoheved Rigler  The joys of living with the family.  
Jews in Israel live in the midst of their mishpacha -- their family. We are an unruly, bickering, sometimes dysfunctional family, but we are one family nonetheless. And that family in action shines from these true vignettes.
Only in Israel:
On the minor holiday of Lag B'Omer, almost 10% of the population of Israel flocks to the tomb of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mt. Meron in the north. A few years ago, my friend Uriela Sagiv joined the pilgrimage. Around 9:30 p.m. she caught a public bus for the 3-4 hour trip home to Jerusalem. Confident that the last stop would be Jerusalem's Central Bus Station, from where she would catch a cab to her home, Uriela fell soundly asleep.
Hours later, she was awoken by a voice, "This is the last stop." She looked up. It was not the Central Bus Station, but rather a totally unfamiliar Jerusalem neighborhood.
"Where is the Central Bus Station?" she asked in bewilderment.
"Oh, that was three stop ago," the driver of the now empty bus answered. "The bus is on its way to the yard -- ...   more »

A contingent of 30 US Secret Service agents meticulously inspected security arrangements at Israel's Knesset this week in preparation for the upcoming visit of President George W. Bush.
Israel's Ynet news portal reported that the Secret Service insisted that Israel put up a special fence around the Knesset to prevent eye contact between Bush and external elements.
All of the other security arrangement were apparently deemed suitable by the American agents.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Israel on May 15 to take part in events marking the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state's rebirth, including an address to the Knesset.
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Attila Somfalvi
Even if most politicians continue to remain silent in front of the cameras when they are asked about the new investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the question faced by the political system at this time is “what’s going to happen?” The gag order on the affair prevents the politicians from embarking on significant political moves, mostly based on bitter past experience of probes against politicians that started with a bang and ended with a whimper.  
Yet everyone knows that soon we may see a political earthquake, particularly if an indictment is served against the prime minister. Should Olmert be forced to leave the Prime Minister’s Office, all eyes will turn to one person: Ehud Barak. If this scenario comes true, the Labor Party’s chairman would have to take a dramatic decision that means early elections.  
Labor Party officials estimate that Barak would not be able to miss out on another opportunity to go to elections over a moral issue. He indeed stayed in the government in the wake of the Winograd Commission report, yet shying away from new elections in case the prime minister resigns will place him in the position of being perceived as ...   more »

Absorption Ministry's campaign to bring Israelis back results in record-breaking numbers
Itamar Eichner
The Absorption Ministry campaign to return emigrants to Israel ahead of the country’s 60th anniversary has been a great success so far. Since the campaign’s onset, 2,500 people have returned to Israel, the highest number to date. Another 4,500 people are in the process of returning.  
In November of 2007, the ministry launched a campaign in an attempt to bring Israelis back to the country. The initiative was launched in correlation with the country’s 60th anniversary celebrations, and those who return will be granted various perquisites.
On the Rise  
North American aliyah continues to climb 
Jewish Agency anticipates that immigration to Israel from North America will increase by 5 to 10 percent in 2007  
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Amongst the benefits are discounts on flights and on the shipment of belongings, a reduction on income tax in the countries from which they came, health insurance, Hebrew lessons, assistance in job placements, business loans, scholarships for researchers and scientists and facilitating in the scheduling of matriculation exams for teenagers.  
The Ministry of Absorption presumed that many families that left Israel are just waiting for an ...   more »