Let there be light

By Susan Freudenheim
Published on October 3, 2012

We take light for granted. But in the Torah’s opening chapter of Bereshit, it was God’s first gift. It seems fitting, then, that when a local synagogue committed itself to helping an impoverished village in rural Uganda, the first gift would be to turn on the lights — to give the gift of solar-powered electricity.

Harvesting solar power in Negev Desert

Published on September 27, 2012

Yosef Abramowitz is running out of time. With only minutes to go until he has to speak to a group of donors at the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Abramowitz looks like he just finished a workout. He’s wearing sneakers, shorts and a white T-shirt featuring an outline of David Ben-Gurion’s head superimposed on the picture of a sun.

Palestian power issues: The night that the lights went out?

Published on August 14, 2012

The Palestinian Authority (PA) owes more than $170 million to the Israel Electric Company, and Israel is threatening to cut off the flow unless the debt is paid. Palestinian officials say that could cause widespread blackouts throughout the West Bank.

Head in the clouds and feet in the desert, Yosef Abramowitz dreams of Israeli solar power

Published on August 2, 2012

Yosef Abramowitz is running out of time. With only minutes to go until he has to speak to a group of donors at the Jewish National Fund, Abramowitz looks like he just finished a workout. He's wearing sneakers, shorts and a white T-shirt featuring an outline of David Ben-Gurion's head superimposed on the picture of a sun.

Minister’s idea to cut electricity to Gaza before Israel is ignored

Published on May 14, 2012

Israel's Cabinet ignored a suggestion by the environmental protection minister to cut the electricity supply to Gaza rather than have rolling blackouts in Israel.

Egypt ends gas deal with Israel, stakeholder says

Published on April 22, 2012

Egypt's energy companies have terminated a long-term deal to supply Israel with gas after the cross-border pipeline sustained months of sabotage since a revolt last year, a stakeholder in the deal said on Sunday.

Wasteland

By Annie Korzen
Published on September 26, 2011

Saving on Utilities

By Annie Korzen
Published on September 19, 2011

Electricity cut to Rambam’s tomb

Published on April 7, 2011

Visitors to the tomb of Jewish scholar and philosopher Moses Maimonides have been left in the dark. That's because the rabbis who manage the site in the Israeli city of Tiberias neglected to pay the electric bills over a long period of time.

Israel cuts power and fuel to Gaza in bid to stop rocket attacks

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 1, 2007

In the face of unceasing rocket attacks on Israeli towns, cities and kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip, Israeli leaders approved the new policy to reduce fuel and electricity to the territory as the most humane way of trying to persuade Gaza's terrorist Hamas leadership to keep the peace.

Santa Monica Tries to Tread Lightly

By Idan Ivri
Published on August 5, 2004

How many trees does it take to absorb the emissions from your car's commute? How much land does it take to feed and raise the beef you eat for dinner? How much space on earth does your trash take up?

The city of Santa Monica has taken up the task of answering those questions in "Santa Monica's Ecological Footprint, 1990-2000," released in March. The report measures the amount of land used to produce everyday products and services like electricity, transportation, garbage disposal and housing. That land use is called the ecological footprint, and it can be measured individually or citywide.

Valley of Dreams

By Charlotte Hildebrand
Published on April 20, 2000

On this Friday morning, Norm Katz, Bunny Schwartz and a guy named Joel are squeezed together like early hour commuters in a crowded subway. They're discussing the role of men and women in traditional Judaism, between the cash register and the reduced baked goods rack -- a space of about three feet -- inside the Kosher Connection of Agoura Hills, the only kosher meat market from Reseda to Santa Barbara. Busy shoppers elbow past, but the trio remains steadfast.