A tree from biblical times

12.1.08

A tree from biblical times

Gerry said,

‘Come. I must show you something.’

‘Show me what?’

‘You’ll see’

He took me by the hand and led me behind the new art centre to the old part of Natanya, and I was surprised.

What is there to see at this end of town?

We got to a small park, and he stopped.

‘Look at this tree’ he said pointing to a very large sycamore,

‘It stands here from the days of old Israel.It is over two thousand years old!’

And what a tree: A trunk five meters wide at its widest angle; with a huge canopy, full of fruit and leaves and very much alive.

Looking at it I wondered at the travellers it met, the wars he lived through and the lovers under its shade.

From long into antiquity the Land of Israel was a transit land between three continents: between Europe, Africa and Asia.It had two main routes passing through it: one along the Mediterranean shore and the other over the mountain ridge; and it may very well be that this tree stood beside the main route along the sea.

Egypt in the south, and the Hittites, Assyrian and Macedonians to the north, to name only a few, used these highways for commerce and their none-ending wars; in their quest for the then world domination.The ‘King’s Way’ was the one along the seashore, in Hebrew - Derech Hamelech, and the other -Derech HaHar – meaning - The ‘Mountain Route’.

Standing there the uniqueness of the place overtook me. I looked, wondered and wished I could communicate with it.

We returned, several times, to this small park that is not even a street away from the hustle and bustle of Natanya’s main street. We shot day, twilight and night photos, when the tree is floodlit, and included some here for your enjoyment.

A day shot

Floor painting done by a traveler in 1873

At this angle, the trunk is 5m wide

A part of very old branch

The fruit on its branches

The tree at twilight

A night shot

A branch at night

Renate

http://www.promisedland-renate.com

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Israel"s achievements

Having to be on alert at all times and in fighting mode, did not and does not stop the Israelis from living a ‘Normal life’ and achieving great things. The land that was desert and swamps full of illnesses like Malaria & Trachoma and more is today a modern green place, full of trees and flowers. Not only that but it is also a power place to many new inventions that benefit mankind every day. I am attaching a list I received sometime ago, which is NOT complete, to show you some of Israel’s achievements.

Here it is:

Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay additional claim to the following:

The cell phone and Voice mail technology was developed in Israel & AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.

The Pentium MMX Chip technology, Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel & Motorola has Motorola Israel.

Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita, as well as the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world & produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people - as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.

Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats, and has the fourth largest Air Force in the world (after the U.S., Russia and China).

In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the
world, except the U.S. (3,500 – 4000 companies mostly in hi-tech).

With more than 4,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world - apart from the Silicon Valley, U. S.

Outside the United States and Canada, it has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
It is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.

Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

Her $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbours combined.

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.

Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union).

In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.

When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.

When the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day - and saved three victims from the rubble.

Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship - and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

It has more museums per capita than any other country, and has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

It is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

In Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U.S. hospitals, 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.

Israel's Givun Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.

Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera, helps doctors diagnose heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U.S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions, Israel places first in this category as well.

Israel produced 4 Nobel price winners in the last 4 years – 2 in Mathematics & 2 in Economics.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct - all
without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave Desert.

All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other county on earth.

Promised Land - Renate

12.1.08