Free Republic

Of all Jewish observances, the commemoration of the ninth day of the month of Av is the saddest—and one that reflects the passage of sadness through time. On this day, Tisha B’Av, Jews mourn not only the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 C.E., but also the even more ancient destruction by Babylon in 586 B.C.E. It was therefore all the more striking that this year, mere days before Tisha B’Av, Israelis unearthed a remnant of that earlier event. The Times of Israel reported: Archaeologists have discovered wooden beams believed to have been burned during the destruction of the...

Minister held 3 weeks in Lebanese prison for crime of visiting Israel By israelinsider staff July 31, 2003 Bruce Balfour, 52, was arrested on July 10 at Beirut airport. Lebanese authorities arrested a Canadian minister earlier this month on charges of collaborating with Israel, Lebanese Prosecutor General Adnan Addoum acknowledged Wednesday. Addoum said Bruce Balfour, 52, was arrested on July 10 at Beirut airport on a military court order issued in absentia, which accused him of the crime of visiting Israel and "collaborating with the enemy." Lebanese authorities received information that Balfour had traveled between Lebanon and Israel in a...