The giant chestnut tree that Anne Frank wrote about several times in her diary collapsed in stormy weather.
The tree, at more than 150 years old, had developed a fungus that weakened it, and it fell over Monday in heavy wind and rain, according to reports. Weighing about 27 tons, the tree was encased in a steel harness nearly two years ago to keep it upright. Its trunk reportedly snapped about three feet from the ground.
"It broke off like a match," a spokesman for the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam told Reuters. The Anne Frank House was not hit, though several neighboring structures were said to be damaged.
Saplings taken from the tree have been planted around the world. A sapling from the tree reportedly will be planted in its place.
Adolf Hitler may have owed more to the 'subhuman' races he tried to exterminate than to his 'Aryan' compatriots, according to new finding published in Belgium this week.
In research for the Flemish-language magazine Knack, journalist Jean-Paul Mulders traced Hitler's living relatives in the Fuhrer's native Austria, as well as the United States.(It's safe to assume Hitler was a profoundly unhappy person to begin with, but I digress...)
"The results of this study are surprising," said Ronny Decorte, a geneticist interviewed by Knack. "Hitler would not have been happy."
Walk the streets in the Old City and the yeshiva kids are out playing during recess. We stayed at the King Solomon Hotel and fortunately for us we were only 10 minutes away - if you turned right walking out of the hotel - from the top of Ben Yehuda Street. If you turned left we were 10 minutes from a beautiful shopping and eating district along Emek Refaim. The five days culminated in an out-of-this-world concert put on for us by Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser.
Given my past involvement with youth groups and working for six summers at a Jewish camp in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, I fell in love with the Havdalah service.
For those of you who do not know, Havdalah is the short service on Saturday night that concludes Shabbat and prepares us for the start of a brand new week. When done right, it is a powerful and moving experience. This was indeed the case as Yom Tov led us through the blessings over the three-wick candle. One wick symbolizes the spiritualism of Shabbat, taking a rest from work and the everyday stresses; the second wick symbolizes the neshama or soul within us; and well, the third wick...I will leave for you to discover its meaning. Then we blessed the besamim (spices) and the wine. Of course what is a Jewish service without a little horrah action to follow it up? What a truly fulfilling end to a two-week adventure in our ancestral land.
Not since 1996 when last I was in Israel during the summer months, that I have ever again encountered 45 to 50 degree heat. The dip in the Dead Sea was much needed. In the Dead Sea, for those who do not know, there is such a high concentration of salt water, one needs only to lie on one's back in the water and floating is a breeze. No effort to stay buoyant is required. 
Cooled off for the most part, it didn't last long. The next activity on the itinerary was to ATV in the Judean Hills. Offroading in Golf Kart-like Jeeps, we blazed the trails on a wild ride to desert ruins. 
It looked like a scene out of the Lion King with a tree in the middle of the cavern, reminiscent of when Simba was trapped during the Gazelle stampede. It was a dusty trek there and back to where we started from, but the excitement of the ride and the chance to get behind the wheel and drive was an opportunity not to be missed. 
So that was how we wrapped up our time in Ein Gedi. With one great meal at a nearby Kibbutz and a phenomenal meditation session led by Daniel - our guide under desert stars - we returned to our hostel for the night. The time to push on was at hand and with one final lookout over Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea it was off to Yerushalayim.
When the sun went down we partygoers on this trip took to the boardwalk and danced the night away. Before reboarding the bus for Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea, we travelled to Sderot. 
Rockets were fired into Sderot and fell in great numbers last September, many of which have been catalogued and placed on display. From what we were told, they use robots to check for additional hazardous material around the landing sites to ensure no injury befalls the specialists.
One might think that it is terrible to have to live constantly anticipating an attack from neighbours so close... and it is, especially in that area. At the same time, the specialists and the people who live there are truly heroes for the work they do and the life of perseverance they practice everyday.
Parts of Israel are so lush that those with green thumbs would truly be in their element. Foodies have a world of flavours and spices to treat their taste buds to; and portion control here, throw it out the window...it's to each their own. Eat as much as you care to but in the summer heat there is one lesson above all else as you tour around, DRINK! That's water all you readers, the other beverages keep to cool downs at night.
The adventure nuts have a wealth of activities to choose from (photos to follow). For now I can tell you that the stories shared by some of those who live, work and prosper here have been awe inspiring to say the least. From rabbis doing mitzvot that save lives, to Kibbutzniks who make Isreal's economy thrive working the land, growing local fruits and various other products for sale around this small yet powerful place, we Jews all call home.
Forty one Jews ventured off on August 1'st to tour the land of Israel on JUMP (Jewish Urban Meeting Place)'s second trip of the summer. After what was quite the interesting Air Canada flight, where you would think we all would have been served Kosher meals, three of us wound up with the Hindu meal...yes that's right Hindu meals. I can say I have never before been on a flight where I had to exist for nearly five hours on curry and rice. Still, with many great memories since we landed, that's but a side note in an otherwise outstanding first half. 
The first two nights have been spent in beautiful Haifa, looking out at breathtaking views from high in the mountains; visiting the forward-thinking Technion University and after incredible hikes, 
we found it best to unwind and bond seaside, letting loose on the beach. 
Our visit there was with Yitzchak Dovid Grossman (also known as the "Disco Rabbi") the Chief Rabbi of Migdal Ha'Emek, founder and president of Migdal Ohr. To see the sights, learn about our roots and open our eyes to similar challenges the community faces back home and the Gimilut Hasadim we can provide is already making it an invaluable experience.
