by Reb Gutman Locks on Mystical Paths

A Blogger asked:

     A few months ago we discovered that a few converts are leaning towards becoming anti-Israel and anti-Zionist. They follow another convert like groupies. I am concerned and need some advice on how to approach them, what to say or if I should say anything at all. Is this something I should be worried about? Is this trend normal? As a pro Israel blogger I felt an obligation to say something.

Gutman’s response:

     One of the reasons why the Torah commands us more than once to love the convert as much as a home born Jew, is that they do not have a share in the Land.

     When the Jewish people are fully returned to our land we will dwell in our inherited portion of the land. The land is divided by tribe, and which tribe we belong to depends upon our father’s tribe. The convert does not have a Jewish father, so he will not inherit a share in the land. He, like the kohenim(Jewish priests who also do not have a portion of the land) will live in the cities.

     The convert, feeling this loss might feel inferior or neglected. To prevent this, the Torah reminds us that we too were once strangers in a land that was not ours, and that we should be sensitive to their feelings. Having said that, still, any Jew who is “anti-Israel” or “anti-Zionist” simply does not understand the nature of the Land of Israel.

     You have to remind your readers just how unique the Land of Israel is. Remember, we did not choose this Land. G-d did. He gave it to our forefathers and to us as their descendants. No one can ever give it away!

Here are a few facts that they should know.

The Jewish people and the Land of Israel are one. So precious is this land to us.

The Torah tells us, “You shall inherit the land and dwell within it for I have given you the Land to possess it.”[i]

When a Jew acquires a home in the land he acquires a share in the World to Come.

In fact, any Jew who even walks four steps in our holy land gains a share in the World to Come.

There are laws that limit a Jew from leaving the land, or from even moving away from Jerusalem.

There are many Torah laws that are affected by the Land, such as the laws of tithing. 

   There are so many wonderful things about this special land, but at the very least, let your readers know that a Jew who does not live in the Land is severely limiting his spiritual opportunity.

   No one and certainly no Jew should ever say anything negative about Jews returning to our land. Jews coming home to Israel is a sign that the Redemption is happening.

[i] Numbers 33:53

GE is banking on Oxitone wrist monitor to provide a heads-up for someone to get medical assistance before it’s too late.

About half of all people at risk of death from heart attacks could gain the chance to live, once Israeli entrepreneur Leon Eisen’s new Oxitone device goes to market in about 18 months.

Using two optical sensors, and another special high-tech tool, he’s developed the world’s first “watch” that can just about tell when your time may be up.

It’s no joke: Oxitone was developed to cheat fate.

Eisen tells ISRAEL21c that about half of the people who die from cardiac or pulmonary arrest would be alive if someone had been there to get them to the hospital in time. Oxitone is made to be worn on the wrist to provide a heads-up for someone to get medical assistance on their own, before it’s too late.

With all the technology out there — personal monitoring devices, crocodile clips for your finger, even those panic buttons — nothing helps if the user is not able to mobilize these devices in time. And many patients may not be able to read the signs that cardiac arrest is imminent.

That’s why Eisen developed a wearable watch-like mobile device –– synched with Bluetooth, Android or iPhone devices –– that takes minute-by-minute readings of heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood.

So potentially “disruptive” is this advance that Oxitone recently was chosen from 400 applicants to be among 13 companies – and the only Israeli one — in GE Healthcare’s Start-Up Health Academy Entrepreneurship Program. The three-year program provides healthcare entrepreneurs the tools to propel their product into the healthcare market.

Pain-free, always on duty

“Oxitone takes the pinch out; it’s worn on the wrist instead of the fingertip to provide continuous, wireless non-stop monitoring while you are walking, eating, sleeping or doing sports,” Eisen says.

Blood-oxygen levels are a critical parameter in monitoring COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which can prevent patients from getting enough air into their lungs.

COPD also accompanies chronic bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, leading to shortness of breath. It is estimated that COPD is the third-highest cause of death in the United States.

Oxitone non-invasively determines if a cardiac event is imminent by following blood-oxygen levels. It may also help people who suffer from sleep apnea, giving peace of mind to the wearer and their loved ones.

It looks like a watch, but it’s a sophisticated blood-oxygen and heart-rate monitor.

When heart rates change and oxygen levels drop, Oxitone sends alerts to pre-determined locations. It can also be used for long-term care, as physicians can access ongoing records to see how a patient is doing over time.

“My product facilitates an early clinical response for cardiac or pulmonary attack,” Eisen explains. “Because it is continuously monitoring, we can provide an emergency alert. With our device, people will feel better because they understand they are protected. This is the breakthrough.”

A telltale heart

Eisen is looking for a $3 million investment and looks forward to starting clinical trials on the device in Israel and the UK. Early R&D trials have already been done, he says. There is also a working prototype in hand, but just how the final Oxitone will look is yet to be determined.

Eisen was trained originally as a physicist. The 46-year-old moved to Israel from Moscow in 1999 and obtained a doctorate from Israel’s famed Weizmann Institute of Science. He then did a post-doc at Bar-Ilan University, where he learned about optical lasers. This work of several years enchanted him, and made him curious about applied sciences.

He started working as a freelancer, building various projects and sensors for high-tech companies.

In 2010, Eisen joined Israel’s startup nation culture by founding Oxitone, the name of the company as well as the device. The company is based in Ashkelon, inside the ATI incubator.

The “watch” will cost an estimated $200, plus a monthly service fee depending on use.

Israel21c

This is the story of a miracle. It is about a group of people who survived trials and tribulations to live in Israel. This is the story of the Elias family, who lost two children on their journey and who bore Zehava Elias on the road.

Zehava’s sister, who passed away from cancer, had advised her to do something important in the army. Zehava, who comes from a family of rabbis, chose to follow her sister’s advice.

Today, she is Lt. Zehava, a decorated IDF soldier. Here is her family’s story.

WALKING TO ISRAEL, TORAH IN HAND

Zehava’s journey has been a long one, from her childhood in Ethiopia to her service in the IDF.

“My father was born into the Ethiopian rabbinic community. My parents lived in a village and lived comfortably. When they first heard of the possibility of living in Israel in 1984, they immediately wanted to do it,” Zehava recalled. “It was a dream for them.” That year, Zehava’s uncles were part of a group that emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel.

Her family followed five years later. “My parents already had eight children and my mother was pregnant with me. They decided to leave everything they had behind: their possessions, their house, their animals, in order to return to Jerusalem,” Zehava said.

“They took with them only a little bit of food, money and my father’s Torah. They were joined by a guide who had already arrived in Israel during the first group’s immigration to Israel in 1984. He returned to help lead this group to Israel. They walked during the night so that they wouldn’t be identified, and they slept during the day,” Zehava explained.

read more, here: IDF website

Next week’s nationwide exercise to focus on grappling with missile strikes on civilians

The Home Front Command on Wednesday was preparing for a massive military drill next week, to focus on coping with chemical weapons attacks. The nationwide exercise will drill the civilian population as well as military and emergency services.

The exercise was originally scheduled to take place three weeks ago but was postponed due to tension with Syria. The simulation, which is being run in conjunction with the emergency response services, starts Sunday morning as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces a week of national emergency preparedness.

Head of the Home Front Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg said Tuesday that the outbreak of a war in which Israel would be hit with a “large volume of rocket fire” was a certainty. “Our opponents hold long-range missiles with large warheads and a carrying capacity of hundreds of pounds,” he said.

The drill will include preparation for possible missile strikes against Israel, particularly in the greater Tel Aviv area. The first few days will center on protecting civilian populations at public institutions and private households. Two alarms will be sounded on Monday, at 12:30 p.m. and 7:05 p.m., and citizens will be requested to go to protected rooms or bomb shelters and to stay inside for 10 minutes.

The drill will mark the first time an entire network of early warning systems will be tested. In addition to sirens, civilians are to receive alerts from various sources, including from from cellphones, social networks, and the television.

Read More

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Ron Prosor - Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations