Ancient clay tablets reveal life of Jews in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon

A new exhibition of ancient clay tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq is shedding light for the first time on the daily life of Jews exiled to Babylon some 2,500 years ago.

The exhibition is based on more than 100 cuneiform tablets, each no bigger than an adult's palm, that detail transactions and contracts between Judeans driven from, or convinced to move from, Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC.

Archaeologists got their first chance to see the tablets -- acquired by a wealthy London-based Israeli collector -- barely two years ago. They were blown away.

"It was like hitting the jackpot," said Filip Vukosavovic, an expert in ancient Babylonia, Sumeria and Assyria who curated the exhibition at Jerusalem's Bible Lands Museum.

"We started reading the tablets and within minutes we were absolutely stunned. It fills in a critical gap in understanding of what was going on in the life of Judeans in Babylonia more than 2,500 years ago."

reuters

Meer dan 100 kleitabletten gevonden

Exhibit breathes life into Judean Babylonian exile

Remembrance Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy has passed. He was born to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union in 1931.

His connection to the Jewish people was always very important to him. Watch this video explaining the Jewish story behind the "Live Long and Prosper" hand gesture he created for his role as Spock in Star Trek.

Leonard Nimoy. May his memory be a blessing.

Islamic State abducts at least 150 Christians in Syria

Pray to the Lord For Our Brothers & Sisters



The Islamic State terror group has kidnapped at least 150 Assyrian Christians in Syria, according to activists on the ground in the war-torn country.

Among those taken were women, children and the elderly. The kidnapping has prompted hundreds of terrified families to flee their homes, activists said Wednesday.

“We have verified at least 150 people who have been abducted from sources on the ground,” Bassam Ishak, president of the Syriac National Council of Syria, told Reuters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier said that 90 Christians were kidnapped during the dawn raids on a series of villages near Hasakeh, a city under Kurdish control. The villages sit along the Khabur River in Hasakeh province, which borders Turkey and Iraq.

Nearly 1,000 families have fled their villages in the northeastern province of Hasakeh since Monday’s kidnappings, said Osama Edward, director of the Sweden-based Assyrian Human Rights Network.

About 800 of them have taken refuge in the city of Hasakeh and 150 in Qamishli, a Kurdish city on the Turkish border, Edward said, adding that the number of displaced people came to about 5,000.

Most of the hostages were women, children or elderly.

timesofisrael

ISIS Is About To Execute 150 Christians, Men, Women And Children

Divers Find Sunken Treasure Off Israel's Coast

A group of recreational divers this month discovered the largest cache of gold coins ever found in Israel while diving in the ancient sunken harbor of Caesarea.

The group of divers immediately notified the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which sent an underwater team to recover the treasure.

With its nearly 2,000 gold coins dating back to the 11th century, when the land was ruled by the Fatimid dynasty based in Cairo. Experts believe the coins either belonged to a large merchant ship or were collected taxes en route to the capital in Cairo when the transport ship sunk.

israeltoday

Duikers vinden gouden munten in gezonken haven

Henoch's visit at Caesarea, Oct. 2014.

Israel Becomes a Winter Wonderland

A massive winter storm that descended from Europe slammed into Israel overnight Thursday, with heavy winds, rain and thunder. By the morning, all but the lowest parts of the country were covered in snow.

The Golan and the Galilee regions experienced heavy snowfall, in Jerusalem over 12 inches had accumulated, and even the desert capital of Beersheva reported some snow on the ground.

Gallery of photos taken in Jerusalem on Friday morning

PM of France Manuel Valls Denunciation of Anti-Semitism

Yes, It's from Islam / Muslims. You, France, imported too much Fascist Islam, imported too much Muslims with their antisemetic Koran. You must say it! You must admit it! It's your own fault, France!

Jerusalem Mayor Barkat Subdues Terrorist

Terrorist stabbing attacks are sadly becoming common enough that most are no longer surprised by news of the latest incident. But Sunday’s terrorist stabbing on the streets of Jerusalem did catch widespread attention because it was brought to a halt by none other than Mayor Nir Barkat.

The attack took place at IDF Square where the Jerusalem Municipality meets the corner of the Old City. A young Palestinian man, like many “lone wolf” terrorists before him, approached an Orthodox Jewish man waiting at a crosswalk and stabbed his victim from behind.

The Jewish man jumped and swung his bag to keep the terrorist at bay as he retreated across the street. The terrorist began to slowly cross street, still threatening his wounded prey and other passersby.

It was at this point that traffic cameras (see below) recorded Barkat and his bodyguards bravely march into the intersection and confront the terrorist. Barkat demanded that the terrorist drop his knife. As soon as the weapon hit the ground, Barkat pounced, quickly subduing the attacker with the help of one of his bodyguards.

Barkat was then seen crossing the street to assist and comfort the victim, later identified as 27-year-old Avraham Goldschmidt, a local father of four. On Sunday evening, Barkat visited Goldschmidt at Jerusalem’s Sha’are Zedek Hospital, where the victim was listed in stable condition.

Goldschmidt recalled frantically calling out for help, and his surprise when that call was selflessly answered by Jerusalem’s mayor, who had seen the attack unfold while waiting in his vehicle at the intersection.

israeltoday

Burgemeester Jeruzalem werkt palestijnse terrorist tegen de grond

Brazil's Historic Drought Is Showing No Signs Of Abating

We've allready reported about God's Judgement on Brazil (and other nations) for turning against Israel, by recognising a 'palestinian' state.

SUPPORTING a PALESTINIAN STATE in Israel brings a CURSE on your nation



Brazil’s worst drought since the 1930s doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Halfway through its rainy season, reservoirs remain critically low, blackouts have been plaguing cities and officials are urging residents to cut back on consumption. Drastic water rationing may be coming soon to three of Brazil’s most populous states, which could amplify frustration that has already been simmering against local and state authorities.

São Paulo, home to around 20 million Brazilians, has been the focal point of the prolonged water crisis, and has been feeling the effects for months: 2014’s rainfall levels were the lowest on record there, and the Cantareira reservoir system -- the largest of São Paulo’s six reservoirs -- is only at around 5.1 percent of its capacity, according to water utility company Sabesp. This week, São Paulo officials said some areas could face severe water rationing if rainfalls don’t return to normal, suggesting that the 6 million people served by the Cantareira water system might be getting as few as two days of water service a week.

That’s a stark about-face for the state government, which had in recent months downplayed the chance that water rationing would be necessary. But rationing has already become a part of daily life for São Paulo residents, who have been seeing reduced water availability during overnight hours.

As the situation grows more desperate, other states are scrambling for ways to cut back on water usage. According to Brazil’s Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, 93 cities have already instituted rationing. The main reservoir in Rio de Janeiro state is operating at zero capacity, according to the federal water agency, although officials have noted plans to divert water from other sources to prevent rationing until at least July. In Minas Gerais, the home state of President Dilma Rousseff and a prime coffee-producing region, officials have asked companies and residents to cut back water usage by as much as 30 percent.

The drought has already taken its toll on agriculture: Soybean crops have already seen “irreversible yield damage,” according to Hamburg-based analysis group Oil World, and forecasts for this year’s coffee harvest are considerably lower than last year. Drought conditions have also hit the tourism sector, with several municipalities canceling Carnival celebration plans for mid-February.

Brazilians have also faced rolling blackouts in recent weeks as hydropower resources dwindle, heightening fears about impending energy rationing on top of the water shortage. Hydroelectric dams provide some two-thirds of the country’s energy. For some residents, the lack of water and light in the midst of boiling summer temperatures has pushed them to the brink: Scattered protests have broken out in some municipalities, including São Paulo, in recent months.

Analysts have highlighted climate change, Brazil’s population surge and deforestation all as factors that have contributed to the current crisis. But Brazilians have been pointing fingers at local and state officials for poor planning and failing to upgrade municipal pipe systems. A government reported released this month said that 37 percent of treated water was wasted due to pipe failure before it even reached residents’ taps, based on data from 2013.

Meanwhile, the drought is also tapping another source of simmering resentment: the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A small contingent of protesters has lashed out against a newly constructed golf course in Rio for what they say is a waste of taxpayer funds and precious water resources. Bloomberg News noted one sign at the Occupy Golf protests last weekend that read: “There’s water for golf, but not the population.”

ibtime

Brazil water supply, crops still at risk a year after epic drought

Brazil's worst drought in 80 years from the air, in pictures

Read Our: Brazil floods and mudslides kill hundreds

Update: Zika virus outbreak

In The Syrian War, The IDF Assists Wounded Civilians

Henoch from Mt. Mental Syrian-Israeli border, Golan Heights.

Tomb of Ezra The Scribe Turned into a Mosque

A recent Facebook video from the shrine of Ezra the Scribe, some 400 kilometres south of Baghdad, has confirmed what many have suspected for some years: this tomb, that Jews have revered since Biblical times, has now been transformed into a mosque.

During the period of the Second Temple (516 BCE - 70 CE) Ezra the Scribe led the Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem from Persia. He is either thought to have died in Jerusalem or in Uzair, near Basra.

Ezra's tomb was in Jewish hands until the mass exodus of 1950 - 51. Now, however, Koranic inscriptions and hadith hang on the walls and much green paint has been used to decorate the building.

But the video does show that Hebrew inscriptions still survive, namely psalms inscribed on marble or wooden plaques. These are typical of Jewish holy places in Iraq. They are shaped like lamps - the menorot of the Temple - and bear the ineffable four-letter name of God.

Peer through a window into the sarcophagus and you will see an inscription in Hebrew identifying it as the final resting place of Ezra the Scribe.

israelnationalnews

Ezra's graf in Irak veroverd door islamisten



ISIS verwoest graf van Jonas