January 14, 2013 | 11:10 am

This week from Israel

Posted by Noga Gur-Arieh

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Let it snow!

As you probably already know, the past week was the stormiest week Israel has seen in years. The rain poured for five straight days, as streets were flooded, trees collapsed, and we were freezing! We are not used to such a cold, stormy winter, in our mostly warm Israel, and this past week took us all by surprise. However, this rain did not cause only trouble. It also brought great news for our drying source of water. That European winter that came upon us, also brought snow to Jerusalem and the northern parts of Israel.

Read more here  and here.

Check out Israelife's stormy photo album.

Gaza and Israel cooperate

While Hamas, the terror organization which rules Gaza, is making extra effort in hurting Israel, some of Gaza's citizens actually find a common language with Israelis. Last week, 30 farmers from Gaza, participated in an agriculture expo held in Eshkol Regional Council in Israel.

Read more here.

Israel's leading scientists on their way to making a difference

Thanks to the National Institute for Psychobiology in Israel, many Israeli scientists have been able to find ways of treatment for disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. So far, many lives were saved thanks to the NIP's funds. Unfortunately, the diseases are many, and the funds are limited…

Read more here.

Still a high-tech giant

The Wall Street Journal posted a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which shows that in 2012, there were 50 high-tech "exit". Guess how much money did Israelis earn in one year, thanks to those deals?

Read more here.

Doubled nomination

You probably already know this, but I am too proud to skip this wonderful news! Two Israeli documentaries, dealing with the Israeli Palestinian conflict, are nominated for an Academy Award. I think this is the first time I read the words "Palestinian conflict", without having to deal with a flood of criticism.

Read more here.

A rabbi arrives to a kibbutz

No, this is not the beginning of a joke, and not a story that ended with a conflict of any sort. This is the story of a secular Bar-Mitzvah, hosted by Israel's chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger, with very special visitors joining the celebration…

Read more here.

FIFA stands for Israel

Soccer is known for its occasional audience aggression, but some Hungarian fans lost track of "right" and "wrong"… A "friendly" Israel-Hungary soccer match last year, turned to be the exact opposite of "friendly", when Hungarian fans started chanting anti-Semitic and racist comments, and yell "stinky Jews" at the Israeli players. Now, FIFA had announced that the fans will be banned from attending the country's World Cup qualifying game against Romania

Read more here.

Watch the shocking racist incident