If you wish to feel hopeful about the future of the planet, read Sharon Shenhav's story. If demonstrate that sometime familiarity makes the heart grow fonder.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - "Fearing bombings and shootings by Islamic militants, some Christians in Indonesia are abandoning traditional churches in favor of more unorthodox but secure confines, such as hotel ballrooms and office blocks". That looks rather radical but the following looks real familiar.

"With foreign governments warning of holiday terror attacks, tens of thousands of police officers will guard churches in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Metal detectors will be in place for most services and armed escorts will accompany parishioners, church officials said".

That is what synagogues and Jewish centers look like in EUROPE! - But then most Christians in Indonesia are Chinese and their inordinate success led them to be called the Jews of Asia.

PROOFS -

Clearly, Israelis part of the core, not gap.

The Nasdaq and global stock market boom is likely to boost growth in Israel to 4.5-5 percent in 2004, an excellent jumping off point for 2005, GLOBES reported. Previous growth estimates for 2004 were just over 4 percent. The Central Bureau of Statistics will publish revised estimates for 2004 growth this week. Senior economic officials expect business product to rise 6.2 percent in 2004, compared with 1.7 percent growth in 2003. According to previous estimates, GDP will grow 3.2 times more in 2004 than in 2003. GDP fell by 3.4 percent between September 2000 and December 2002.

American venture capital fund Greylock Management is looking to open an office in Israel, THE MARKER.COM reported. Previously, Greylock invested in Israeli companies from its American headquarters. Its recipients have been ClearForest, HyperRoll and AtHoc. Greylock, established in 1965, is one of the oldest venture capital funds in Silicon Valley. It currently manages $2.2.billion in 11 funds.

Moreover, it is doing its best to help shrink the gap.

Israeli youth movement seeks integration of minorities Members of the Israeli youth movement 'Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed' volunteer by working with their peers in small Bedouin and Druze villages around the country - with an emphasis on equal rights and full integration into Israeli society. For more, see the most invaluable website Israel 21C - A focus beyond the conflict

Hundreds flock to first Jewish and Arab conference for busineswomen

Yesterday, Abu Roken came to Haifa, along with another 300 women, to attend the first national conference of Jewish and Arab businesswomen, organized by the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development in conjunction with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

But it is in science, technology and invention that Israel excells.

Israeli researchers prove feasibility of infrared cameras in cell phones

Imagine using your cell phone to take your temperature, see who's lurking in the dark, or identify explosives in a package. All you need is an infrared camera integrated into your cell phone. And Israeli research now shows that the technology already exists to build such a device.

Israeli technology creates American virtual cities Tel Aviv-based GeoSim Systems is helping the University of Pennsylvania create a 3-D virtual model of the campus that could revolutionize everything from the way in which prospective students 'visit' the campus to the way in which architects plan for the school's future. Come take a tour.

Israel wins 5 medals at German Inventors Association exhibit Israeli inventors came away with five medals, including two gold medals, at the 56th IENA Nuremberg, the international exhibition of ideas, inventions and new products.

The winners of The Wall Street Journal's 2004 Technology Innovation Awards competition have been announced. Innovators world-wide were considered.

The Gold award went to Sun Microsystems Inc of California for a wireless approach to chip design.

The Silver award went to Given Imaging Ltd of Yoqneam, Israel for 'PillCam', a tiny camera that patients swallow so that doctors can see their digestive tract.

The Bronze award went to InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. of Tirat Carmel, Israel for 'ExAblate 2000', a nonsurgical way to destroy tumors by focusing ultrasound waves on them.

From a world-wide search, Israel took two of the top three places. This should be celebrated by us and brought to the attention of the press world-wide.

Here is Herbert London's must read article entitled, Jews Must Fight Antisemitism Now!"

Sarah Elshazly grew up in my hometown of Haifa and is currently living in the US. (she can be contacted at (sarahelshazly@cs.com) She has held her fire until now but no more. And when Sarah unloads, she minces no words:

"Israeli Arabs have always yearned to be with other Arabs. The language, culture and just being with other Arabs was enough to get a tear in our eyes. It took me a total of 10 minutes to see what I was, or wasn't missing. When I came to the US and started meeting Arabs from the Arab world I was so taken aback. We thought that we were one of them. I was having such a good time taking to what I thought were friends when I heard one of them call me a Zionist. At first I didn't think much of it. I grew up with Zionists and it was never a bad word to me. The way they looked at me after that was enough for me to realize what the Jews I knew had been talking about.

Because I grew up next door to Jews who were like family to us, I didn't hate Jews or Israel. When I heard a Jew talk about how the Arabs hate them and want them dead, I though it was an exaggeration. I knew they were not exaggerating when I actually sat with Arabs from outside Israel and heard the hostility. I remember thinking to myself, what do they have to do with this conflict? They don't even care about us. But the hate goes above and beyond the Palestinian"problem". It was scary to imagine that these people were parents and that these Governments mandated to people, to children, to hate like that. How can a society grow up healthy when the children, the future, is so focused on negative thinking and focused on killing and revenge against an entire nation that was declared an enemy? The hate is so imbedded in the culture that few would question it and those who did were considered traitors, or like me, Zionists!

Most of us worry about raising our children in a healthy manner. We don't want to give them too much sugar because it makes them hyper. We make sure they are dressed warm in he winter so they don't catch a cold. We stress the importance of studying in order to make sure that we secure their future. Yet, their mental health is not taken into consideration? Do they not think that by fomenting the Hatfield and the McCoy hate that they harbor they will do anything but bring up a nation with the need for revenge and fight? How healthy is that? It is pure unadulterated child abuse. To make it worse, they claim that the Jews raise their children to hate them. Perhaps they do and perhaps it is in reaction to the hate which assails them on a daily basis. Be that as it may, how does that justify ruining our children? What kind of objective is that?. So if a Jew decides that all their children must jump off a cliff we'll do the same? C'mon! _______________________________________________________

It is so confusing to me to imagine God these days. Does that bother anyone that I say that? Well, the God that I knew in my heart as an innocent child is a parent figure, one who loves me and cares about me. I can't imagine that I will be happy to break an ashtray that I made in school 30 years ago, much less hate and ordain hate for it. How then does a true Muslim feel without any questioning that the same God that is Merciful and forgiving has created an entire nation for our hating pleasure?

These are some direct quotes from someone who needs a life:

Why do we hate the Jews? We hate them for the sake of our Lord, we hate them for the sake of Allaah because they slandered Allaah and they killed and slandered His Prophets.

- They also say in their Talmud that God consults the rabbis on earth when there is a problem for which He cannot find a solution in heaven. Exalted be Allaah far above all that they say! Is there anything that the Lord is not able to do? Glorified and exalted be He, for He is Able to do all things.

"And the Jews say: ‘Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of Allaah"

[al-Tawbah 9:30 – interpretation of the meaning]

Exalted be Allaah above what they say!

- They themselves said in the so-called Talmud that God – we seek His forgiveness – is not infallible or free from folly, anger and lying.

- In their Talmud it also says that the rabbis have authority over God, and He has to carry out whatever they wish.

The ummah has to repent from the shirk (taking partners with God) and bid'ah and sins that it has fallen into.

- Some people are still confused about the matter of seeking help from the mushrikeen (those who take partners with God) and depending on the kuffaar (Infidels), or mixing the banners of Islam and the banners of the people of shirk. Among the conditions of victory is that this confusion must be dispelled:

"so that those who were to be destroyed (for their rejecting the Faith) might be destroyed after a clear evidence, and those who were to live (i.e. believers) might live after a clear evidence"

[al-Anfaal 8:42 – interpretation of the meaning].

Our path starts with the word of Tawheed ("Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah") so that we may unite on the path of the Messengers, may the blessings and peace of Allaah be upon them all.

- We have a long way to go before we are prepared as Allaah commands us. What are we doing to fulfil the command of Allaah? As He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery) to threaten the enemy of Allaah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allaah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allaah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly" [al-Anfaal 8:60]

Finally, we ask Allaah to save the weak and oppressed believers and to humiliate the Jews and mushrikeen, and grant victory to the people of Tawheed . May He expel the Jews from Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), humiliated and defeated. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.

Oye!

Amazing that this racist drivel is actually supposed to be a religious sermon. For me personally, a place of prayer is a place I go to seek peace and not to seek war. How can a preacher sleep well knowing that the only thing he can do to prove that his religion is right is by putting down the faith of others? Why is it necessary? If a person is perfectly happy, secure and content in their faith, they don't need to belittle anyone. If a person has a conscience and dignity, how can he instill such ungodly notions in his followers' hearts? I can't fathom that it is God's intention for any nation, Muslim or not, to justify hate and promote it against creatures who's only fault is that he created them of a certain creed. I mean if a person believes in God and believes that God creates and protects all then isn't it an oxymoron to also believe that God singles out a group for hate? If God wanted us to all be the same, he would have created us that way .

Counter hate! We have to hate them, they hate us!

What I find ironic is how much justification is founded for the hate. Ironic because the Arab arguments for hating Jews and Christians is this: They teach their children to hate us, they want to destroy us and my personal favorite, they deserve to be condemned because they have strayed away from God's message and true calling! OK? Be that as it may, how do we resolve that? We turn around and create a state of mind where God is viewed as a leader of a gang and an outlaw (By"law" I mean God's law. You see the Irony?)

I beg to differ. Not my God. My God has ordained us to be merciful and spread peace. My God has said to the believers that they will inherit the highest level in heaven if they would return ignorance with peace Quran, chapter 19, verse 63. So if we would accuse others of not following"the right message," hate and hostility is not justified.

Thankfully, I meet more and more Muslims/Arabs/Palestinians who reject this way of thinking and who have come to terms of the"prison state of mind" that they have been living in due to these irresponsible teachings. They realize that accepting being indoctrinated is a state of keeping free will away. Ignorance is NOT bliss!

. . . Just last week, PA TV rebroadcast - for the 11th time - an hour-long hate-promotion film that indoctrinates viewers, especially youth, with the message that Israel has no right to exist.

The program stresses that Jaffa, Haifa, and Acre are occupied"Palestine," stolen from the"refugees." It even features a child vowing - with his"blood" - to"return" to west Jerusalem.

Yet another recent rebroadcast featured a senior Palestinian historian calling for Israel's destruction:"Let the intruders be erased," taught Dr. Issam Sissalem. He said Israel is a like the"parasitic worms in the ocean that eat a snail, and then live in its shell," and vowed:"We will not let anyone live in our shell. . . ."

Dan Pipes and Frank Gafni are sounding the alarm none of us wish to hear though we learned better than ignore.

I believe the world is being too protective and its solicitude is spoiling the Palestinains. For their own sake -Let the Palestinians act!

Must read: the Honest Reporting collection of the top dishonest reporting related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. My favorite is the one which reveals how the culture of fear constrains not only the people of the ME but also those reporting on it:

SLIP-OF-THE-TONGUE AWARD

"Winner: David A. Schlesinger, Reuters. In a remarkable moment of candor, Schlesinger, Reuters' global managing editor, admitted that one reason his agency refuses to use the term 'terrorist' has nothing to do with editorial pursuit of objectivity, but is rather 'to protect our reporters.' Schlesinger described the 'serious consequences' if certain 'people in the Mideast' were to believe Reuters called those who detonate civilian buses and open fire on pregnant women 'terrorists.'"

Please remember this item when considering the poll findings in the region.

My own sources, even those living in the West, are afraid to write and those who do use only their first names for fear of retaliation against their families. Recently the father of an Iranian exile who worked as a technician on an anti-Iranian website was arrested in retaliation.

The dishonesty award should have been given to the Western media as a whole for failing to illuminate this basic reality to the world.

The View from Here By Barry Shaw

Subject: If you're going to boycott Israel - do it properly!

OK. So I understand that you are ticked off at Israel, and in love with the Palestinians.

That's fine with me, as long as you have truly weighed up all the facts.

So, you want to boycott Israel?

I'll be sorry to miss you, but if you are doing it - do it properly.

Let me help you. Make sure that you do not have tablets, drops, lotions, etc., made by Abic or Teva.

It may mean that you will suffer from colds and flu this winter but, hey, that's a small price for you to pay in your campaign against Israel, isn't it?

While we are on the subject of your Israeli boycott, and the medical contributions to the world made by Israeli doctors and scientists, how about telling your pals to boycott the following.....

An Israeli company has developed a simple blood test that distinguishes between mild and more severe cases of Multiple Sclerosis.

So, if you know anyone suffering from MS, tell them to ignore the Israeli patent that may, more accurately, diagnose their symptoms.

An Israeli-made device helps restore the use of paralysed hands. This device electrically stimulates the hand muscles, providing hope to millions of stroke sufferers and victims of spinal injuries.

If you wish to remove this hope of a better quality of life to these people, go ahead and boycott Israel.

Young children with breathing problems will soon be sleeping more soundly, thanks to a new Israeli device called the Child Hood.

This innovation replaces the inhalation mask with an improved drug delivery system that provides relief for child and parent.

Please tell anxious mothers that they shouldn't use this device because of your passionate cause.

These are just a few examples of how people have benefitted medically from the Israeli know-how you wish to block.

Boycotts often affect research.

A new research center in Israel hopes to throw light on brain disorders such as depression and Alzheimer's disease.

The Joseph Sangol Neuroscience Center in the Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital aims to bring thousands of scientists and doctors to focus on brain research.

A researcher at Israel's Ben Gurion University has succeeded in creating human monoclonal antibodies which can neutralise the highly contageous smallpox virus without inducing the dangerous side effects of the exisiting vaccine.

Two Israelis received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Doctors Ciechanover and Hershko's research and discovery of one of the human cells most important cyclical processes will lead the way to DNA repair, control of newly produced proteins, and immune defense systems.

The Movement Disorder Surgery program at Israel's Hadassah Medical Center has successfully eliminated the physical manifestations of Parkinson's disease in a select group of patients with a deep brain stimulation technique.

For women who undergo hysterectomies each year for the treatment of uterine fibroids, the development in Israel of the ExAblate 2000 System is a welcome breakthrough, offering a non-invasive alternative to surgery.

Israel is developing a nose drop that will provide a five year flu vaccine.

These are just a few of the projects that you can help stop with your Israeli boycott.

But let's not get too obsessed with medical research, there are other ways you can make a personal sacrifice with your anti-Israel boycott.

Most of Windows operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.

So, set a personal example. Throw away your computer!

The Pentium NMX Chip technology was designed at Intel in Israel.

Both the Pentium 4 microprocessor and the Centrium processor were entirely designed, developed, and produced in Israel.

Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 in Israel by four young Israeli whiz kids.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R.& D. facilities outside the US in Israel.

So, due to your complete boycott of anything Israeli, you now have poor health and no computer.

But your bad news does not end there. Get rid of your cellular phone !

Cell phone technology was also developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its biggest development center in Israel.

Most of the latest technology in your mobile phone was developed by Israeli scientists.

Feeling unsettled? You should be. Part of your personal security rests with Israeli inventiveness, borne out of our urgent neccesity to protect and defend our lives from the terrorists you support.

A phone can remotely activate a bomb, or be used for tactical communications by terrorists, bank robbers, or hostage-takers.

It is vital that official security and law enforcement authorities have access to celluar jamming and detection solutions.

Enter Israel's Netline Communications Technologies with their security expertise to help the fight against terror.

A joint, non-profit, venture between Israel and Maryland will result in a 5 day Business Development and Planning Conference next March.

Selected Israeli companies will partner with Maryland firms to provide innovation to the US need for homeland security.

I also want you to know that Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.

Israel produces more scientific papers per capita - 109 per 10,000 - than any other nation.

Israel has the highest number of start-up companies per rata. In absolute terms, the highest number, except the US.

Israel has the highest ratio of patents filed. Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies outside of Silicon Valley.

Israel is ranked 2 in the world for venture capital funds, behind the USA.

Israel has more museums per capita.

Israel has the second highest publication of new books per capita.

Relative to population, Israel is the largest immigrant absorbing nation on earth.

These immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom or expression, economic opportunity, and quality of life.

Believe it or not, Israel is the only country in the world which had a net gain in the number of trees last year.

So, you can vilify and demonize the State of Israel. You can continue your silly boycott, if you wish. But I wish you would consider the consequences, and the truth.

Think of the massive contribution that Israel is giving to the world, including the Palestinians - and to you - in science, medicine, communications, security.

Pro rata for population we are making a greater contribution than any other nation on earth.

We can't be all bad.....

As i noted before there is a problem with bias against Jews and Israel which is promoted by a number of profs at Columbia University's MEALAC department.

We need as many people as possible to sign this important on-line petition. Academic Freedom for All at Columbia University Petition

Please send this to your e-mail lists, bloggs, and listserves.