Free Republic

Israel Children Learn About Democracy, Peace And Israel's 60th Birthday By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ----- May 20, 2008 ....... From Metulla in the north to Eilat in the south, every school in Israel is teaching their students the meaning of Israel 60th birthday. Students of all ages and grades have been assigned a variety of tasks from collecting photographs of family, making posters, creating green environmental exhibits to learning how to use free speech on radio, TV and in the newspapers. The Israel News Agency entered a secondary school today in the central Israel town of Ra'anana...

TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Israel was born not only into war, carnage and controversy but also into shortage. Shorn of cash and goods, it had to ration meat, eggs and cooking oil through a coupon system that soon generated undernourishment, bread lines and a thriving black market. Worse, lacking allies, trade partners and natural resources while swamped by poor immigrants, the Israeli economy was also burdened by its leaders' rigorous socialism. Central planning initially generated growth, but Israel's protectionist duties, sclerotic financial system, high labor costs, bloated public sector and exorbitant defense spending soon proved untenable. By the 1980s the...

Almost everywhere I went last week — TV, radio, speeches — I was asked about the 60th anniversary of the Israeli state. I don’t recall being asked about Israel quite so much on its 50th anniversary, which as a general rule is a much bigger deal than the 60th. But these days friends and enemies alike smell weakness at the heart of the Zionist Entity. Assuming President Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic fancies don’t come to pass, Israel will surely make it to its 70th birthday. But a lot of folks don’t fancy its prospects for its 80th and beyond. See the Atlantic...

Israel21C, Yael Naim Produce Powerful, Creative Video for Israel 60th Birthday By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ----- May 9, 2008 ....... Israel21C, a non-profit, non-political Website which creates, aggregates and broadly disseminates high-quality information to the American public, has produced a truly colorful and uplifting video in celebration of Israel's 60th birthday. Israel21C's which describes her mission as delivering news to the global public which transcends the pervasive imagery of conflict that characterizes so much of western media reporting. "Our goal is to strengthen the vibrant and enduring partnership between the United States and Israel, and between Americans...

More than 100 paratroopers from around the world jumped from military planes into Israel's sparkling blue Mediterranean skies Monday afternoon as they rehearsed for a special Independence Day performance set for Thursday. At least 120 paratroopers will parachute along the beaches of Ashkelon to salute the IDF as part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of establishment of the State of Israel, according to the IDF. Over the past weekend 150 foreign paratroopers representing armies from around the world arrived in Israel. Among them are paratroopers from the US, England, France, Spain, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Singapore, South...