HAPPY 60TH Eretz Yisrael ( land of Israel) .

[Christina]

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY TO ISRAEL9 Iyar 5768, Wednesday, May 14, 2008 IN HER ADDRESS, Avraham-Balila noted that many of the people born together with Israel were given names such as Tikva, Yisrael and Zion - and indeed one of the proofs of this was Tikva Sasson, a Ness Ziona kindergarten teacher who is the mother of three and grandmother of six. She was born in Iraq. During April-May 1948, Jews were being beaten up in the streets because it was thought that they were Zionist sympathizers. A neighbor came to tell her father, who had a shortwave radio, that news had come through that the flag of the Jewish people was being waved in the streets of Eretz Yisrael (whole land of Israel) . That must mean something of great import was about to happen. The neighbor went and got some other friends who, dressed in Arab garb, made their way to her father's house. They were stopped en route and questioned, but because of their apparel, were able to convince their interrogators they were Arabs. Meanwhile Sasson's father took her pregnant mother to the roof for safety. When the guests arrived, they too were ushered to the roof, where they all listened eagerly to the radio. They heard Ben-Gurion, and then when they heard "Hatikva"(The Hope,) the baby was born and gave her first cry. The symbolism could not escape any of those present and she was given the name Tikva(hope) in the hope that the family would soon leave for Israel. They made aliya ( immigration to the Land of Israel) in 1951. In his address, Peres remarked that while his guests had already reached midlife, the state, which runs at a different pace, was still young. The theme of the 60th anniversary celebrations is the Children of Israel, and under those circumstances, Israelis born on the same day as the state could hardly be ignored. Ruhama Avraham-Balila, the minister responsible for coordinating 60th anniversary events, has been given credit for bringing the 5 Iyar babies together. "It was a long process," said Noga Bondi, who works in her office. "We advertised asking people to send a photo and a copy of their ID card. We had a notice on the Internet. We did a lot of research and we also coordinated with the Interior Ministry to check that details sent to us were correct." The crowd gathered on the lawns of Beit Hanassi represented a large swathe of the Israel mosaic - European, North African and Middle Eastern parentage; sabras and foreign born; religious and secular; affluent and non-affluent; retirees and workaholics; people who will remain eternally young and people who were old before their time. Some of those who were born in other countries came to the nascent state as babies or young children. Among those born here was the very first Israeli, Ben-Zion Saar, who came into the world only minutes after Ben-Gurion's declaration.

 

[Wakka]

Yay!!

 

[Christina]

Rocket Hits Shopping Center Medical Clinic in Ashkelon by Hillel Fendel(IsraelNN.com) Arab terrorists in Gaza fired two Grad Katyusha missiles at southern Ashkelon late Wednesday afternoon, and one rocket scored a direct hit on a children's medical clinic inside a shopping center. Parts of the building collapsed, trapping four people for a half-hour. Many ambulances rushed to the scene.A spokesman for the local Fire Department stated that the powerful rocket hit the building's 3rd floor and crashed down to the floor below. He said the firefighters rescued four people - including a little girl - who were trapped behind or under a collapsed wall. At present, all the wounded and trapped are assumed to have been rescued and evacuated. The destruction to the building is significant, One toddler was taken to the local hospital in serious condition, four others are listed in moderate-to-serious condition, six others were more lightly hurt, and 18 people are being treated for shock.The rocketed shopping center is located in the southern area of the port city. The rocket hit at approximately 5:50 PM, an hour when the area is generally crowded with shoppers. Witnesses said no Color Red early warning alarm was sounded, and that the explosion caused some initial panic in the shopping center.Ashkelon, Israel's 13th largest city with nearly 110,000 people, has come into range of Gaza's rockets over the past year and a half. Many of the rockets have landed very near the Rotenberg Power Plant, Israel's second-largest electric station, which supplies about a quarter of Israel’s electricity. It is assumed that this afternoon's rockets were timed to coincide with President Bush's visit in Israel. Analysts increasingly opine that a full-scale Israeli offensive in and against Gaza is likely to begin in a matter of days - or even earlier.

 

[Christina]

A Aniversery message from IranAHMADINEJAD: ISRAEL 'DYING', MIDEAST TO DESTROY IT WHEN GIVEN CHANCEMay 14, 2008Ha’aretz reports: “In his latest rhetorical onslaught on Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that it was ‘dying’ and that people in the Middle East would destroy it if given the chance.His remarks coincided with the arrival of U.S. President George W. Bush in the Middle East to celebrate Israel's 60th birthday and try to energize peace efforts complicated by a corruption scandal that could topple Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.Opposition to Israel is a fundamental principle in Shi'ite Muslim Iran, which backs Palestinian militants opposed to peace talks.‘The Zionist regime is dying,’ Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the northern city of Gorgan, referring to Israel. ‘The criminals imagine that by holding celebrations... they can save the Zionist regime from death.’‘They should know that regional nations hate this fake and criminal regime and if the smallest and briefest chance is given to regional nations they will destroy [it],’ said Ahmadinejad, who often rails against Israel and the United States.A 2005 statement by Ahmadinejad saying that ‘Israel should be wiped off the map’ outraged the international community.On Tuesday, he said that Israel would ‘be soon swept away’ by the Palestinians.Last month, a senior Iranian army commander said Iran will respond to any military attack from Israel by ‘eliminating’ it, in comments condemned by Washington…”--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Wakka]

Happy birthday Israel!