Israel Reponds to Hamas in Gaza

ROCKET LAUNCH UPDATE

Latest on rockets against Israel and humanitarian supplies to Gaza - In the past week over 190 rockets, missiles and mortar rounds were fired from Gaza by Iranian backed Hamas and other militants at Israel. More than 563 were fired since Hamas escalated rocket firing on 4 November. Israel maintained restraint until now hoping for a return to calm. - The recent escalation is the result of Hamas's decision to renew attacks after the end of the Gaza ceasefire. Since then, Israel refrained from military actions and continued talks with Egypt to broker understandings. Hamas rejected diplomacy and chose to deliberately escalate the situation. - 250,000 Israelis in the south of the country are in range of rockets from Gaza. - On Friday, Israel allowed approximately 90 trucks of medicine, fuel, cooking gas and other vital goods into Gaza. The shipment included more than 500,000 litres of fuel and 200 tons of natural gas. - On Saturday, 27 December, over 50 rockets were fired at the cities of Ashkelon, Netivot, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod and additional communities through the south. Hamas has ordered its operatives to attack Israel with missiles, rockets and mortar rounds. Israeli residents throughout the south of the country have been ordered to remain in bomb shelters. - An Israeli man was killed on Saturday and four others were seriously wounded when a missile hit a house in Netivot. Another man was seriously wounded when a rocket struck at the community of Mivtahim later in the afternoon. Leading Quotes - Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 27 December: "I call on Gazan militants to cease all rocket attacks on Israel immediately. These attacks are designed to cause random destruction and to undermine the prospects of peace talks led by president Abbas. I understand the Israeli government's sense of obligation to its population." - Bill Rammell, Foreign Office Minister, in Sderot on 21 December: "I have come here to see for myself the impact the situation on the ground. I can see very clearly the traumatic effect that the repeated rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel are having. People are traumatised. The rocket attacks are simply unacceptable" - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert following Israeli operations on 27 December: "I promise you on behalf of the government of Israel that we will make every possible effort to avoid any humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The people in Gaza do not deserve to suffer because of the killers and murderers of the terrorist organisation." - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert address to cabinet, 21 December: "The State of Israel has always hoped for and wanted quiet for the residents of the south and that they should enjoy genuine calm and be free of the threat of unceasing Qassam and mortar attacks... The calm could exist only as long as it was administered by both sides and not with one side relentlessly launching Qassams and mortars." - President Shimon Peres in Sderot, 24 December: "To the Palestinians I say - we do not want to see you suffering on account of Hamas's guilt. The moment that you stop firing rockets at us, there will be quiet in Gaza and the crossings will be open." - Mark Regev, Israeli Prime Minister's Spokesman, 27 December: "Hamas has deliberately been targeting our civilians in towns and cities all across the south... no one would sit by idly and continue to see its civilian population like ducks in a shooting gallery." - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, 27 December: "Until now we have shown restraint. But today there is no other option than a military operation. We need to protect our citizens from attack." Background: The Hamas threat to Israel - Israel withdrew all military and civilian presence from Gaza in August 2005. Since then, more than 5000 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza at Israeli civilian neighbourhoods. In the first four months of 2008, the rate of rocket attacks was one every three hours. - Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza have used the ceasefire declared in June to rearm with Iranian weapons and training. They can call on 15,000-20,000 men. - Since 2004, 92% of Sderot residents (a town of 20,000 inhabitants) have experienced a Qassam rocket falling on their or an adjacent street. 17 Israelis have been killed by Qassam rockets and hundreds have been injured and maimed. - Israeli civilians have 15 seconds of warning period before the rocket strikes. - Hamas are opposed to the peace process being conducted between Israel and the Palestinian moderates under Mahmoud Abbas and are committed to the destruction of Israel. - Hamas have held Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit hostage since June 2006. Month-by-month tally of rockets and mortars fired from Gaza into Israel in 2008 - February: 262 - March: 292 - April: 502 - May: 425 - June (ceasefire declared on 19 June): 235 - July: 20 - August: 8 - September: 2 - October: 2 - November: Israeli operation to prevent kidnap attempt on soldiers - 4 Nov): 193 - December (latest available figures up to 27 December): 370 For daily totals of rockets and mortars fired into Israel, see: BICOM Statistics: Total number of identified rocket and mortar shell hits since 2001 and daily tally for 2008. Humanitarian situation in Gaza - Prior to Hamas's escalation of rocket fire in November, Israel was providing close to 4000 trucks of aid a month to Gaza, along with fuel and electricity despite the ongoing attacks on Israel. - Close to 9,000 Gazans received permits to enter Israel for medical treatment in the first half of 2008, a considerable increase on previous years. - Khaled Abdel Shaafi, director the United Nations Development Programme in Gaza, has denied that there is a humanitarian crisis. In December, he told Canada's Globe and Mail, that, "This is not a humanitarian crisis... It's an economic crisis, a political crisis, but it's not a humanitarian crisis. People aren't starving." Further Information - For a fuller background briefing on issues of humanitarian access and terrorism in Gaza, click here. - For links to the latest BICOM's Analysis, click here.

Jews, Money and Debt

Over the years we have all come to know that Jews are good with money and history can confirm this.


Jewish Money

Records dating back to Europe in 1300 state that Jews were the only people allowed to lend money for interest. This is because money lending with interest was forbidden to Catholics by the church.

The Christian rulers liked a class of people like the Jews who could supply capital for their use without breaking the rules of their religion. So over time the money trade of Western Europe by this means fell into the hands of the Jews and many Jews became prominent moneylenders.


The Jews today

Jews are the most economically successful group in American society according to leading Economists and are often referred to as "the over class."

Jewish family income is 72 percent more than the national average and even when minority groups are removed from the analysis, Jewish income is 34 percent more than that of Gentile white ethnic groups and although Jews make up only three percent of the population, they account for approximately a fifth of the very rich, i.e. millionaires and above.

What do it all goes wrong?

Remember some golden “Yidisha” rules for debt advice:

* Don't ignore the problem; it won't go away and the longer you leave it, the worse it will get.

* Consider debt solutions such as Bankruptcy, IVA or Debt Management. An IVA can write off up to 60% of debts and is a legally binding solution under English Law.

* Don't borrow money to pay off your debts without thinking carefully. Get advice first.

* Work out your personal budget to send to your creditors, when you tell them about your difficulties.

* Make sure you tackle your priority debts first, for example, debts which could mean losing your home or having your gas or electricity cut off.

* Contact everyone you owe money to and make arrangements to pay a reduced amount that you can afford on your credit debts.

* Get proper debt advice from a Free service such The UK Insolvency Debt Help Service

Credit Crisis News

The social policy team at The UK Insolvency Helpline says it has had more than one million asking for the debt advice since the "credit crunch" began.

Read the new free ebook 'beating the credit crisis'

Outsource Business to Israel

How often are you given the opportunity to partake in the latest outsource craze, boost the Israeli economy, support a talented immigrant looking to make an honest living, and get a quality service you need for a great price?

At JobShuk.com, the answer is every day.

Using the power of the Internet, JobShuk.com is bringing together hundreds of businesses to share experiences and discuss business opportunities

By partnering with Skype and BlogTV we're able to beam Israeli Businesses around the world to showcase their skills and discuss outsourcing projects.

By participating in Israel's second International Business Expo Online, you have the chance to talk and begin a relationship with the amazing people keeping the pulse of Israel alive.

The Expo is designed to allow you to reach out to the exhibitors in any way possible: video chat, audio chat, or instant text messaging.

On Tuesday October 28^th,

• Attendees:
  1. Return to this page, JobShuk.com/expo, at 11am EDT
  2. Head over to the Conference Center to view our featured speakers and business showcases
  3. Go to the Exhibit Hall to meet Israel's business talent and innovators
     Scan their online marketing materials, and engage them in a live discussion about what they can provide for you or your business
• Exhibitors:
  1. Make sure you're signed in to Skype before 5pm
  2. Feel free to participate as an Attendee as well; check out the speakers and reach out to other businesses - just be ready to drop everything and talk to the Attendees when they call

Best TV Deals in the Country

I'm always on the look out to lower my costs and increase my pleasures.... what are you talking about I'm hearing you think. Well as any typical guy I have my strengths and weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is the television, always looking for DirecTV deals from many retailers. Specifically I'm a sports freak, I love anything from soccer, to football, baseball, motor racing and even athletics!

A few times over the years I've switched tv provider, from cable to satellite, to internet and back through the range again. Currently i use DirecTV who gave me 4 months free NFL just for signing up!

Check their site for a range of DirectTV Offers around the year. After years of comparisons and switching, finally I think i'm at home. My remote in my hand with a huge range of stations to watch

Biggest Poker Bonus

I'm not a big poker player though most of my friends are... every now and again I'll meet up with a few of the guys for an evening of poker, beer and general childesh behaviour one would expect with thos elements in place.

Dave, a mate of mine told me about a few poker websites where you can get extra bonus deposists, such as PokerStars Bonus Code . when you enter their code (given on the site at a hidden location), an example of where to find your PokerStars Marketing Code" make your first deposit and you can claim 150% deposit bonus!.

My favorite is Full Tilt Referral Code" where they offer 100% deposit bonus upto $600 !! seriously for someone like me its enough to give me goosebumps! I still dont play that regularly, but when I do at least i know my investment is being matched so I have double to play with.

Jewish Community Consultant - Simon Caplan

I just signed up to the RSS on a cool new Jewish Blog.  Its written by Jewish Community Consultant Simon Caplan.  He plans to usethe blog to provide useful ideas, information and tips to for people who are engaged in building the Jewish future.

His plan is to draw attention to useful resources available on the internet and to stimulate thought and discussion by putting out interesting quotations and ideas.  Good luck Simon!

Met Su Yan : Sushi Modiin

At last in Modiin we have a kosher mahedrin sushi restaurant.

Sushi Modiin called Met Su Yan (hebrew for 'excellent') serves tasty sushi and noodles.

Lamps make your home look cool!

Ever stressed about how to make your home look impressive and distinctive without breaking the bank? You should think about lighting first, placing some cool floor lamps can make all the difference to the ambiance of your home.

Well, i stumbledupon a cool site that has a huge lighting catalog, including thousands of lamps including table lamps, floor lamps, task lamps, reading lamps, piano lamps. Not only do they have a huge selection from loads of the of top manufacturers, but also at some of the lowest prices I've found. (I used a shopping comparison engine to check)

Cheap baby & toddler shopping

Living in Israel has many postive points, though one of the negatives having just become a father is the poor availability of high quality and importantly low cost baby and toddler products

Since arrive here 3 years ago i've visited many stores and been disappointed with how much more expensive everything is compared to England and USA. I've since begun hunting online for things like baby car seats and other baby items. Finally i found a great website that has lots of real consumer information and links to the best online stores to buy them (at very competitive pricing.

Eventually after getting the low down on all the brands I decided to buy a rear facing car seat and then off i went to the compare the best car seat prices using the product search engine at shopwiki.com

At last, i can get the best for my kid at the best value!

Progressive Action Alliance

Now you can help stamp out hate! Get involved in a campaign to remove the hate group; Houston based 'Progressive Action Alliance'. In a world of tension and violence, where ignorance, lack of education and tolerance have led (and still do) to some of the worst human atrocities since the dawn of mankind, its time to take action. Action against rogue regimes in far away places are outside our reach, though action against rogue organizations on our doorstep who preach hatred and portray false information can and must be stamped out.

The Progressive Action Alliance are a hate group who have taken it upon themselves to press the media and consumers into a situation of mis-information and mis-communication regarding the situation in the middle east. In particular, they hold Israel responsible for the many human rights violations put upon the palestinian people.

By using blatant lies and Freeway Blogging techniques, they are on the streets and actively, freely pushing their anti-zionist and anti-semitic messages to passes by on the American freeways.

The group, The Progressive Action Alliance Houston are now being countered. An Israel advocacy group is attemtting to beat the PAA to position one in google for thier own name. if you have a website or a blog, you can help. Use the same links i've used here and lets take them down a pef or three.

Take action today, help us stamp out anti-sematism.

Jerusalem Stone from the Holy Land

Now you can own your very own piece of the holy land. Jerusalem Stone is quarried in the holy land and possesses uniq

Business Directory in Modiin

A new website for the anglo community of Modiin has launched. Labelling itself as Anglos for Anglos, they are a portal where the Modiin English Speaking Community can get recommendations for service providers and sellers who speak English.

For years it has been an angst of us Anglo Olim who without a full grasp of Hebrew are at the mercy of sometimes unscrupulous tradesmen and vendors.

No longer... with the launch of the site, Anglo-Modiin.com is offering free feature rich business listings, whether for an Accountant, Hairdressor or Handyman. The only condition is that you are either an Anglo, or speak perfect English.

Learn Hebrew Online

Live Language School has announced the launch of its new Learn Hebrew Online course. Aimed at both Jews and Non-Jews wishing to improve or learn from scratch. A state of the art virtual classroom allows native hebrew teachers in Israel to teach either individuals or group classes using innovative technology and fun lesson plans.

Learning Hebrew Online is a cost effective and convenient way to learn a new language in the comfort of your own home. The language school also offers a great promtion to register for a trial lesson with no obligations.

With the addition of the Biblical Hebrew workshops, students can now learn ancient hebrew as well as modern.

Finding Jewish Friends on Facebook

Facebook Friend Finder Facebook Application

Facebook is a phenomenon sweeping the world. Though its not so easy to meet new people using the network. Now you can. A new facebook application called 'Friend Finder' lets you meet hundreds of thousands of Jews and Israelies online.

Its a simple app with a simple philosophy... you choose who to match yourself with!