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A new study published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that a Mediterranean diet, including wine, olive oil, fruit, and whole grain may be a more effective diet than the low-fat diets commonly prescribed. The study was conducted in Israel by researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva and will undoubtedly change how we think about healthy eating. For a thorough look at the issue, see the Wall Street Journal’s lengthy article (subscription required). In addition, the New York Times blogs on the implications of the study for fat consumption.

When we wrote last about the “Faces of Israel” project, we promised you banners highlighting the multicultural nature of Israeli society hanging along Fifth Avenue. Well, we made good on that pledge; have a look at this video to see the banners on location.

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Fans of Israeli literature won’t want to miss this week’s issue of the New Yorker magazine. The books section summarizes S.Y. Agnon’s book To This Day, newly available in English. Those with an appetite for poetry can find Yehuda Amichai’s poem “Summer Evening by the Window with Psalms” in the same issue.
And if you haven’t yet developed a hankering for Israeli literature, these offerings might be what you need to get started.

Photo: Wikipedia
Used under Creative Commons license

Rutu Modan, one of Israel’s most famous illustrators and comic book artists, won this year’s Eisner award for Best Graphic Album–New for her graphic novel Exit Wounds. The book tells the story of Koby Franco, a young man searching for his father, last seen at the site of a suicide bombing. The Eisner Awards are the highest honors in the comic book industry and are awarded annually at the Comic-Con convention.
Rutu Modan’s webpage has more works and information.
In addition, Modan’s work is currently running serially in the New York Times Magazine with the title “The Murder of the Terminal Patient.” Previous works that appeared in the New York Times can be viewed here.

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A new law passed this week by the Knesset will raise Israel’s environmental standards in the hope of further reducing emissions and pollution. As Haaretz reports, the new law will make it easier to set standards for companies and to monitor the enforcement of these measures. Now, as they say, the real work begins. For our part, we look forward to a cleaner, brighter future.

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Amos Oz’s autobiography A Tale of Love and Darkness has been named as one of the 50 best translations of the past fifty years by the British Translators Association. While they’re obviously nothing like reading books in the original, these translations can come pretty close. Besides have the additional benefit of making readers aware of the vast treasures of language and culture that exist around the world.

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If you’re going to dig into a steak (or other read meat) for dinner, Israeli scientists suggest you might want to have a glass of wine to go along. Apparently, in addition to all the other life-saving functions of red wine, it helps to prevent the formation of toxic chemicals that arise during the breakdown of read meat. That sounds like tasty news. L’Chayim!!

Photo: Yair Gil

We’ve all heard about man’s dream to fly, but for some people dreams can become reality. For the past four years, Israeli-born Yair Gil has spent most of his time in a garage behind his house. His mission was to build a plane that could get him from Israel to the Osh Kosh Aviation Festival in Wisconsin. On July 7, 2008, after a series of test runs he finally took off on a three-week flight to the U.S.
This is not the first time Gil’s first time in the cockpit. During his 37 years as a combat and commercial pilot in Israel, he managed to get a birds-eye view of most of his stops a long the way. “Back than it was business,” Gil says. “Now it’s personal. Though the plane can cover almost 1,800 miles a day, I think I’ll take it easy and enjoy the ride.”
Gil is scheduled to arrive in Wisconsin on July 28, 2008.

Photo: Israel Ministry of Tourism

Few articles succeed in capturing the extraordinary nature of Tel Aviv. This weekend’s portrait of Tel Aviv in the NY Times Travel section, certainly succeeds. As the article notes, you can find beaches, discos, ruins, world-class architecture, and a ton of other things to do and visit. On the eve of its 100th birthday, the city has earned its place as a cosmopolitan metropolis with a distinctly Israeli feel.
If the article isn’t enough to make you hop on a plane, maybe these pictures will help.

Photo: Getty Images

The Israel-based generic drug company, TEVA Pharmaceuticals (the largest company of its kind in the world), has agreed to buy a rival drug company in New Jersey. As a result fo this deal, TEVA may be more visible in the American market, which means you can thank look forward to more Israeli helath products keeping you well. Read more from Reuters.