How Learning an Instrument Makes you Smarter

Watch this video about how learning an instrument impacts your brain. Then discuss what you learned in the video and how the neurology works. Kids: do you play an instrument? If so, when you play, do you notice your brain working in a new way? How do you feel when you play?

Syrian Rebel Leader Visit Israeli Hospital

Article: A Syrian rebel leader visited Syrians who had been wounded in fighting and evacuated to an Israeli hospital. This was the first time a senior Syrian official had ever officially visited Israel. Dr. Al-Labwani, now living in Turkey, visited Israel for a week and met with Israelis on how to deal with the civilians hurt in Syria and how to rescue the remaining Jews in Syria. He met with a 12-year old Syrian boy whose big brother brought him on a donkey to Israel, after no one would treat his brother in Syria. Israel is treating him in a hospital in the north. The boy is severely injured, lost a limb, and is blind from shelling on his house in Damascus. But he is alive, thanks to Israel and his big brother.

Al-Labwani said his visit was, "amazing" and that "For 60 years, Assad [the leader of Syria] has taught us that Israel is the enemy, and now he slaughters us and Israel is taking care of us. Then who is the killer and who is the enemy?" He spoke about a desire for peace between Syria and Israel. See a video of him talking here.

Kids: what do you think of this?

  

Happy New Year!

Shanah Tovah! Happy (Jewish) New Year! 

As we begin a new year, let us first pause and watch this video, in which the mother of Naftali Fraenkel gives a New Year's message. Remember that if not for these boys, Israel might have faced catastrophe this Rosh Hashanah. 

And now, in honor of a new year, here's a video of IDF soldiers saying Shanah Tovah

And a return to a favorite musical number for Rosh Hashanah!

Shanah Tovah U'Metukah -- a sweet, happy New Year!

Iranian Youth Sentenced for Making "Happy" Video

Article: Ever heard Pharrell William's hit song, "Happy?" Iranian teenagers made their own version of the song that showed them dancing and celebrating in Tehran. As an Islamic State, Iran's government does not allow boys and girls to dance together or for women to appear without veils/their heads covered. The Iranian government responded by arresting them and now the 6 teenagers have been sentenced for "vulgar behavior:" 6 months in prison and 91 lashes. However, the sentences have been suspended for 3 years, as long as they don't do a similar offense during that time. Watch the video here. If you don't think these teenagers should be punished for being "Happy," sign the petition here. 

Imagine That: Violinist Performs During Brain Surgery

Naomi Elishuv was a violinist in the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Twenty years ago, she was diagnosed with essential tremor and was forced to stop playing. Last week, Naomi was operated on at a medical center in Tel Aviv to suppress her tremor symptoms. Amazingly, while the surgery was being performed, she returned to playing the violin! Naomi now feels she is finally returning to life, after not being able to play for so long. Watch this video of her playing Tchaikovsky during the surgery!

Kids: what is one thing you love so much that it would be devastating for you not to be able to do it for 20 years? Also, how do you think the doctors were able to perform surgery on someone while they played violin? Why did they want her to play violin?

Iron Dome for Snipers

Article: It seems there is nothing Israeli inventors don't think of. An Israeli weapons company says they have come up with a solution to keep Israeli and other friendly soldiers safe from snipers during fighting. (Kids: what is a sniper?) Using an electro-optical system (Kids: break these words down. What does this mean?) that the company created with the US Army, the system recognizes muzzle flash from a distant sniper shooter, fires a laser to figure out where exactly the fire is coming from, sends the information to friendly sniper shooters and other unites, and enables them to know where to respond to. The system can also locate several targets at once. (kids: how does this help friendly soldiers?) Click here for a video demonstration.

All Ashkenazi Jews are Cousins

Article: Kids: if you are Jewish, what is your Jewish ancestry? Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Ethiopian, Yemenite, etc. (where was your family from a few hundred years ago)?

A new study, conducted by medical researchers from America and Israel, has found that all Ashkenazi Jews can trace their ancestry to about 350 individuals, about 600 to 800 years ago. First they found that 128 Ashkenazi Jews, in comparison to non-Jewish Europeans, have extremely similar genetic markings, making them all 30th cousins. Genetics show that the original Ashkenazi Jews were half European, half Middle Eastern (this clarifies a long-standing question of whether Ashkenazi Jews are 100% European in origin or had roots in the Levant). Because the Ashkenazim Jewish community started out so small and remained genetically isolated (they didn't intermarry), they developed more disease-causing mutations, like breast and ovarian cancer, Tay-Sach's disease, as well as other traits, like longevity (living a long life).

One of the benefits of the study is hopefully to map Ashkenazi Jews' genes and study diseases prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews, as well as providing insight into the history of European Jews. (Kids: how will this help or prove useful?)