Wednesday Links Part 2

From Ian:

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Jerusalem Day 2013


Jerusalem Syndrome
Day marking anniversary of liberation, unification of J'lem in Six Day War isn't a national holiday; reminds gov't of liability.

Without understanding the significance and importance of the Temple Mount, without understanding why Jerusalem is our capital and the soul of our people, Jerusalem Day is meaningless.
It’s not a simple issue of sovereignty or nationalism. The Temple Mount represents the destiny of the Jewish people to be a light to the nations. It is the prophetic vision of a world united, of Jerusalem’s beauty flowing out to all humanity. It is the secret of what the Jewish people can become, what they can bring to the world.

One Jerusalemite Recalls Dark Years under Jordanian Rule

“It felt like Messiah had come,” says Avigail Shlesinger, 81, about the day Jerusalem was liberated from Jordanian Legion rule, 46 years ago.
Shlesinger, who is a sixth-generation Jerusalemite, recalls what life was like in the Holy City during the time the Jordanians were in control of East Jerusalem, from 1949 to 1967. “It was a dangerous era,” she tells Tazpit News Agency. “There were areas in the city, like King George Street, where barriers had to be built to stop the bullets that Jordanian soldiers would shoot at us.”

One Jerusalem. Undivided. Open to all. Controlled by Israel

Mayor Nir Barkat says he’s repositioning the city to retake the role it fulfilled ‘amazingly well’ for a thousand years — where all peoples were equally accepted, but Jewish sovereignty was unquestioned

Is Jerusalem really negotiable?

In an investigation of international affairs regarding Jerusalem, former top Foreign Ministry lawyer Alan Baker, in a recently published piece, unravels the nuanced history of the legal and negotiating aspects revolving around the city.
In his “Is Jerusalem really negotiable?” article – published in February by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, where Baker is the director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs – Baker analyzed the “challenge, with a view to determining why a resolution of the Jerusalem question has defied all past negotiators, raising serious questions about the possibility of reaching an agreement between the parties.”

Israeli team helps Boston fight back against trauma
It takes a village, say Israel’s top specialists as they reshape individual Bostonians’ suffering and refocus on the community as a source of resilience

The mission started on Monday in Watertown, the Boston suburb where authorities captured alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on April 19 following an intense manhunt. Meeting separately with parents, school administrators and clinical staff, ITC members discussed communal strategies to recover from the highest profile terror attack in the US since Sept. 11, 2001.

A Real American Hero Gets His Due

Frederick Mayer, 92, a World War II hero and the subject of the History Channel's The Real Inglorious Bastards, finally received ten medals for his service during the war, presented by Senator Jay Rockefeller, on May 3rd. Mayer’s story is emblematic of genuine American heroes.

The Quiet American Hero: Inspiration for 'The Real Inglorious Bastards'

On the outskirts of a sleepy West Virginia town lives 92-year-old Frederick Mayer. His current life is fairly peaceful—he still chops wood nearly every day and volunteers with Meals on Wheels.
But this ninety-something’s life hasn’t always been so simple.
During World War II, he led one of the greatest missions of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Mayer's incredible story provided the basis for my book They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines in Nazi Germany.

Israel Daily Picture: Perhaps the Weirdest Picture of Jerusalem in the Library of Congress Archives

Why is there a Ferris wheel on the Temple Mount in 1904?
Because this picture is not taken in Jerusalem, but at the St. Louis, Mo. World's Fair in the United States.
The Fair was dedicated to the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (but was delayed until 1904).

Chinese film crew shoots romantic comedy in Israel

A Chinese production company was in Israel to shoot a romantic comedy called “Old Cinderella” using a backdrop of some of the country’s holiest sites and most exotic locations.
Hollywood star Zhang Jingchu was in Jerusalem recently, being filmed in the lead role of a Chinese romantic comedy, “Old Cinderella.”
Millions of Chinese movie-goers decide on vacation destinations based on the places they’ve seen on the silver screen, so the Israel Ministry of Tourism made all the necessary arrangements for the visiting Chinese filmmakers. Jingchu says she wouldn’t be surprised if “amazing” Israel is put on the itinerary of many viewers.

PM Netanyahu promotes Israel-China academic cooperation

Hebrew University of Jerusalem delegation visits leading universities in Beijing.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu — who is currently on a five-day visit to China — has called for further cooperation and the establishment of joint R&D teams for Israeli and Chinese research agencies.
National Economic Council Director Prof. Eugene Kandel will head the Israeli team which will focus on providing Israeli water technology to China. The Israeli technologies specialize in – inter alia – desalination, recycling, preventing water loss and treating wastes. An additional field is renewable energy, especially alternatives to oil for transportation.