A 1,000-Year-Old Seed Is Now A 12-Foot-Tall Tree Growing In Israel
According to a Dec. 31 article in The New York Times by Franz Lidz, “Camels laden with spices, gold and precious stones accompanied the Queen of Sheba on her biblical journey to Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C. A thousand years later, Flavius Josephus , the Jewish Roman historian, wrote that the haul had included the balm of Gilead a fragrant, highly-prized resin also known as Judean balsam, which served as the basis for perfumes, incense and medicinal remedies.”
The plant vanished from the region by the 9th century, said Sarah Sallon, director of natural medicine research at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. But in 2010, Dr. Sallon obtained a mysterious seed from the archaeological archives of Hebrew University, hoping that it could germinate. The seed had been discovered in a cave during a 1980s excavation at Wadi el-Makkuk, a winter water channel in the northern Judean desert, and was languishing in storage. After determining that the seed was still viable, Dr. Sallon’s research team planted, sprouted and carefully tended it. When the husk was carbon-dated to between A.D. 993 and A.D. 1202, Dr. Sallon wondered if it could be the source of the balm of Gilead. On the hunch that it was, she named the specimen Sheba.
Since then, the 1,000-year-old seedling has grown into a sturdy 12-foot-tall tree with no modern counterpart. “Not only is it extremely lucky that this one seed survived for a thousand or so years, but that the team managed to successfully germinate the seed and grow the resulting tree to maturity,” Dr. Sallon said, noting that investigation continues, and the possibility that the seed is Judean balsam is intriguing.
Israel Cabinet Approves A 60-Day Cease-Fire With Hezbollah In Lebanon
The Israeli cabinet approved a deal for a 60-day cease-fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, effective Nov. 27, signaling that more than a year of conflict would be suspended. The 10-1 vote by Israeli ministers came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced the proposal in a televised speech to the nation.
U.S. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., who brokered the deal with France, said the cease-fire in Lebanon creates an opening to halt the fighting with Hamas in Gaza as well, and his administration would renew peace talks on that front.
Senate Approves Move To Add Jewish History Museum To Smithsonian
On Dec. 3, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to create a commission to study the possibility of incorporating the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish American History, located in Philadelphia, into the Smithsonian Institution. Having gained approval from the House of Representatives in September, the bill is now set to be signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill is just the beginning of a yearslong process, but one that has gained urgency with the rise in antisemitism in the United States in recent years. A commission of nine experts would have two years to issue a report, establish a fundraising plan, and present recommendations to the President and Congress. The commission would also be tasked to suggest ways the museum could assist educational and governmental institutions in countering antisemitism.
If the effort is successful, the Weitzman would remain in Philadelphia, but would join the Smithsonian’s network of 22 museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum, and the National Museum of the American Latino.
Philip Darivoff, a trustee of the museum pointed out that bringing the Weitzman under the Smithsonian umbrella would help broaden its reach and bring new opportunities to partner with educational institutions and deliver curriculums. “We’re rushing to get this done because of an epidemic of ignorance about the Jewish people. We believe the more people understand who Jews are, how we’ve contributed to this country, how central Jewish text and Jewish wisdom are to American political thought and society, we think it can be an antidote to antisemitism.”
Since 2005, January 27 Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day
In November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to assign January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day that marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the most infamous and deadliest concentration camps of the Holocaust. The date serves as a day to honor the victims of Nazism and promote Holocaust education throughout the world.
U.N. Resolution 60/7 strictly rejects any form of Holocaust denial, encourages member states to preserve sites that the Nazis used during the “Final Solution,” and condemns “religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief” throughout the world.
The 2025 theme is “For a better future.” In a statement, the U.N. said “We must become the generations that carry forward the legacy of the witnesses, remember those who were murdered, and challenge those who would distort or deny the past, or who discriminate and persecute today. We can all mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025 and commit to making a better future for us all.”
Israeli Artist Zeev Engelmayer’s Project: Emotional Response To Oct. 7
Israeli artist Zeev Engelmayer’s “Daily Postcard” project lays bare his emotional response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Since then, Engelmayer has drawn more than 300 images — some evoking despair and isolation, longing and grief, yet the vibrant colors and childlike figures spark a measure of joy and beauty. “I decided to center on hope,” he said, “that something beautiful could be born of something so brutal.” His “Pastoral Kibbutz,” pictured, a folk-like illustration shows a happy picture where something horrible could happen, as it did on Oct. 7. Thirty of the illustrations are on display at Westchester Jewish Center’s Koslowe Gallery, Mamaroneck, NY, through Jan. 21.
Whew! Hurricane Season 2024 Gone At Last. But How About 2025?
Happy New Year. Welcome to 2025, and the revelation of vital statistics that describe the past year’s weather and what we can expect about the year ahead. Your Shofar editor, a true weather junkie, who notes temperature highs and lows, rainfall, snowfall, wind gusts and other climate facts of only passing interest to most of the western world, has listed as favorites the websites of the World Meteorological Organization and the National Hurricane Center. And yes, of course I do, and thank you for asking…
High temperature: 119 on July 6 in Redding, CA
Low temperature: -10 on Jan. 14 and 15, recorded at O’Hare Airport
Rainfall: 22.93 inches in the contiguous U.S., 10th wettest year on record
Snowfall: 49.5 inches, Jan. 13 -16, Green Mountain Reservoir, Colorado
Wind gusts: 180 mph during Hurricane Milton crossing the Florida Keys
Of course, the approach of hurricanes is concerning, but worry not just yet. The Atlantic hurricane season stretches from June 1 to Nov. 30 so, for now, we are free to worry about issues other than weather. Although storms have been known to form before and after those dates, the hurricane season reflects the months when weather conditions are favorable for producing these storms: warm ocean temperatures and insufficient wind speed to break apart forming storms.
On a personal and final note about hurricanes in 2024, Tropical Storm Sara formed in the western Caribbean Sea late in November, making landfall on the northern coast of Honduras and dumping torrential rains across parts of Central America before finally dissipating over the Yucatan Peninsula. We Saras are capable of unexpected shows of strength…
Moving on to 2025, here are the storm names designated for the Atlantic Basin: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy.
Anti-Israel Protesters In Amsterdam Attack Jewish Soccer Fans; Set Fires
Anti-Israel protesters started a fire inside a tram car in Amsterdam on Nov. 11, and riot police were called to disperse them, days after Israeli soccer fans were attacked in the Dutch capital. Video circulating on social media showed rioters throwing sticks and debris and hurling stones at a stopped tram car. The protesters appeared to be yelling “Free Palestine” and “Cancer Jews,” according to videos from the scene. At one point, smoke in the tram can be seen, and fireworks exploded inside the car, starting a fire.
The previous week, Amsterdam authorities declared a state of emergency — during which all protests are banned — after locals attacked Israelis who were in the city for a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax, a major Dutch club. At least 10 Israelis reported injuries, and five were hospitalized from the targeted beatings, many of which were recorded and posted to social media by the assailants. The Dutch police arrested 65 people in connection with the attacks.
Tension had been high in the city prior to the attacks. Pro-Palestinian groups carried out a series of protests. Maccabi fans tore down Palestinian flags. New York Times photo
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