After the Tea Fire in November in Santa Barbara, California, destroyed at least 100 homes and left a number of people in need of shelter, the American division of Naot footwear decided to give some assistance to those who needed it most. In partnership with The Walking Company, Naot donated 400 pairs of shoes to Californians who were eligible for emergency aid.  The big day, 19 December, brought smiles to quite a few people, as the Santa Barbara New-Press (subscription required) reports. Nice to hear about these good deeds.

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JPost reports today on Emily Karpel, whose new, funky sound is taking the country by storm. The Montreal-born singer features a pop sound that hearkens back to the best of eighties music, but which is quite different from many of the other popular bands in Israel. Since she hasn’t taken to the stage much recently, Karpel’s works are probably best found in you local music store.

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On January 4th, at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem, over 1,200 people stood in support of Israel.

Bishop Carlton T. Brown, Senior Pastor of the Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc. in Harlem lead his congregation in a special prayer for the State of Israel and all of the lives affected by the recent events in the region.

“Bethel’s commitment to the nation of Israel spans 20 years. If there was ever a time we needed to stand with the people of Israel in prayer, it is at this critical time when they need our urgent support the most.” said Bishop Brown.

“Seeing the support today for the people of Israel is heartwarming,” Asaf Shariv, Consul General of Israel in New York said, “The people of Israel want peace, but it is also our obligations to permit the children of Israel to sleep in peace.  Israel has moved from restraint to response.  There are children in Israel that do not know what it means to live without “Red Alert,” the 15 second notice that citizens in Sderot to find shelter from an incoming rocket.  It is about time that they live in peace.”

Consul General also read the story written by Corporal Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas from Israel over two and a half years ago, and has since been held without rights in Gaza by Hamas.  To see a video of children of New York reading Shalit’s book, click here.

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Foreign tourists in Israel are doing much to counter the images of conflict that have recently dominated coverage in the media. Ynet reports that visitors have been discovering new areas to visit; like the Galilee, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. Life in these areas of the country has been proceeding apace–and 35,000 tourists a day are taking every advantage, just like always.

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We know that yesterday’s post was about real, healthy food. But sometimes, the candy trade is important as well. Thus, we bring you news that Israelis will soon be able to buy their very own Jelly Belly jelly beans, imported from the US. According to Ynet, you can get them now at a special store, but you’ll have to wait until February to get them around the country.

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We couldn’t quite believe our good fortune when we saw this AP report. It appears that Osem and Strauss are both making inroads into the American market, making it that much easier to get your hands on some of this good stuff. We’re not sure if Adam Sandler contributed to the craze for this health food, but we certainly won’t complain.

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The New York Times today added its voice to the tide of glowing reviews for Ari Folman’s film Waltz with Bashir. We covered more of these reviews in an earlier post, but figured that now that the movie has opened (today!), we would refresh the story a bit. Plus, this review is quite thorough and touches on a lit of the issues we mentioned previously.

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As we’ve noted several times previously, the population of Israel is incredibly diverse and represents people from all over the world. This week, with the confluence of the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays, there is a lot of celebrating taking place. CNN iReport has a great slideshow of Jerusalem getting ready for Christmas, and we wouldn’t want it to slip under our radar. Enjoy!

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For Israelis or people who visit (or write about) Israel frequently, it’s often hard to look at the country through a fresh perspective. When friends ask for recommendations of what to see, the list can be dauntingly huge (unless we think we’ve seen everything). Every so often, though, a helpful reminder comes along and lends us that newcomer’s perspective. The LA Times travel section this week provides just that. In a special Israel section, author Susan Spano admits she had some preconceived notions about Israel before she arrived, but a short visit to Tel Aviv shattered those notions. And while she can’t get everything in, the varied articles cover tourism and culture pretty well.

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We bring you the following story to celebrate Hanukkah (when it’s customary to distribute gifts, sometimes in cash form) and because it is just fun. Without further ado, this in from CNN:
A British tourist who had taken some time off work to volunteer on an archeological dig literally struck gold. While working with senior researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority on a dig in a Jerusalem parking lot, Nadine Ross came across a cache of over 250 gold coins from the seventh century. They depict the Byzantine emperor of the time, Heraclius, who ruled the area (which was then under Byzantine control). Though Ross won’t be allowed to take any of the coins home–since the government hold on to such things that may become significant–she will earn the gratitude of the archaeological community.

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