Dead Sea Fun

Historical Photos of the Dead Sea Potash Works

In 1930, a major industry was launched on the barren shores of the Dead Sea, the Palestine Potash Company. Established by Moshe Novomeysky, the company was responsible for approximately half the worth of all of the exports of the Jews of Palestine by 1940. During World War II, the company provided Britain with half of its potash.

See photos from the 1930's at IsraelDailyPicture.com

Wildlife Study in Ein Gedi Threatened by Preservation Plan

A project to preserve rare vegetation at Ein Gedi has been altered after scientists complained that the plan could endanger an ongoing ecological study in the same area.

The plant-preservation project sponsored by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority relates to rare types of vegetation brought to Ein Gedi from Sudan - including mini tropical trees that once flourished in the region but became extinct. It had been decided to erect a fence around the saplings to protect them from foraging animals, but the same area is also the locus of a long-term study by researchers from Tel Aviv University on desert rodents.

Read the full article at Haaretz.com

Computer Science Professor to Become Visiting Research Scientist at Google Cultural Institute

Brent Seales, director of the University of Kentucky Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments and Gill Professor in UK's Computer Science department will temporarily leave UK to accept a position as a visiting research scientist at the Google Cultural Institute. Specifically, Seales will be helping read the un-openable Dead Sea Scrolls through visualization.

The scrolls in question are too fragile to be unrolled, so Seales will use a similar method to what he used to read Pompeii scrolls.

Read the full article at University of Kentucky News

200 New Homes Being Built North of Dead Sea

The Bik'at HaYarden Regional Authority north of Dead Sea "is a success story today," Authority Head David Elhayani told Arutz Sheva Friday.

"We are planning more than 200 housing units that are already in the infrastructure and planning stage," he said. "There has not been such construction in years."

Read the full article at IsraelNationalNews.com

Read more about the Jordan Valley

Dead Sea Overview

The Dead Sea known in Hebrew as Yam Ha-Melah (the Sea of Salt) is the lowest point on earth, surrounded by the stunning landscape of the Negev Desert. The shores of the Dead Sea are the lowest point on the surface of the earth, and the saline water of the lake give lead to the name 'Dead Sea' because no fish can survive in the salty waters.

The other result of the salty water of the Dead Sea are their renowned health and healing properties and the unique feature that one can float naturally in them.

Read the full article at TouristIsrael.com

Read more at JerusalemPost.com

Perfectly Preserved German Bunker Uncovered by IDF at Dead Sea

The IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] Combat Engineering Corps will soon uncover another layer of the 'ancient German bunker' which was concealed in the northern Dead Sea region.

The Dead Sea's receding waterline led to the exposure of a massive weapons' reservoir with thousands of artillery shells, bullets, rifles, guns, mines, explosives and even ancient walkie-talkies which were preserved in near perfect condition thanks to the high salt content in the water.

Read the full article at YNetNews.com

Update July 4, 2012 - see more pictures IsraelDailyPicture.com

Vacation Reading - Try One of These

Here are some suggestions...Dead Sea-themed novels to enjoy while relaxing in a lounge chair by the hot mineral pool. The Dovekeepers is brand new!

The Dovekeepers - Read a review in the NZHerald.com

Bitter Waters - Read reviews in the Wall Street Journal and OverlookPress.com
View a beautiful YouTube video about Bitter Waters

Carmen at Masada: Fascinating Details About the Production

Update June 08, 2012: Masada Sandstorm Gives Israeli Opera Star Break

Read the full article at JerusalemPost.com

Carmen is the biggest and the most challenging of the three productions staged by the Israeli Opera at Masada since 2010. About 2,500 workers have been involved in creating the site, and 450 international performers, including 32 flamenco dancers from Spain, will take to the stage.

Read the full article at The Guardian

For Ofra Gazit, marketing director of the local Tamar Regional Council and a resident of nearby Kibbutz Ein Gedi, the opera festival means an increased focus on this unique and ecologically fragile area of the country. "The festival helps position the Dead Sea area as a natural theater," Gazit enthuses. "There's a fabulous natural echo here, and the moon over Masada is dramatic - this year the waning moon will be part of the set," she adds.

Read the full article at The Canadian Jewish News

Carmen at Masada: Free Live Broadcast in 3 Locations

For the first time ever, a free live broadcast of the premier of Carmen at Masada will take place in three locations around Israel.

The open-air screenings of the lavish production – the largest ever in Israel – will make the opening night of the opera available to thousands of Israelis and tourists.

The screenings, which are offered through the courtesy of the Marc Rich Foundation – are set to take place in the following locations:
1. Gan HaShlosha (Sachne) in the north,
2. Amphitheater on the Netanya Promenade (behind the Park Hotel) in the central region, and
3. Plaza of the Be'er Sheva Museum in the south.

Read the full article at IsraelNationalNews.com

Carmen's Opera at Masada Leaves No Trace

Israeli Opera Festival 2012 will feature five performances of the classic opera, Carmen, June 7 to 11 at Masada. According to the Israeli Opera's Artistic Director, Michael Ajzenstadt, over 50,000 people from across Israel and all over the world are coming to experience opera at the lowest point on earth, beneath the mountain of Masada and across from the Dead Sea.

Choosing the location for this momentous performance was a delicate balance between aesthetic appeal and the imperative to not effect the historic site in any way. "We wanted to perform opera in the desert, not just to have an opera performance at a desert location," said Ajzenstadt. "There is no stage. There is sand and rock beneath the mountain. The set is an extension of the surrounding habitat. In three weeks we will deconstruct the set and leave no trace."

Read the full article at GreenProphet.com

Israel Begins Clearing 'Ticking Bombs'

This area in southern Israel is a fertile environment for peppers, and according to the Defense Ministry, it's also rich in landmines. So many, in fact, that the government considers them a 'ticking bomb' for farmers and others in the area.

To deal with the problem, army officials have brought in the Mine Wolf and specially equipped teams to start clearing mines in the area stretching from the Dead Sea into the Arava Desert.

Read the full article at NTDTV.com

FashionTV Comes to the Dead Sea

Along the road leading to the Dead Sea, FashionTV sets up shop for their Dead Sea production featuring models Talia Barzman and Natali Kravchenko wearing beautiful creations by Rossello Shmaria and Tzesin Eden and posing by the water, and The Brownies Band giving an impromptu performance on the sand.

High Court Rejects Dead Sea Petitions

Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) today announced that the High Court of Justice last Thursday rejected petitions filed by the Israel Union for Environmental Defense and the Movement for Quality Government in Israel against Israel Chemicals subsidiary Dead Sea Works, the Israeli government and the Ministry of Finance over the government's decision on a permanent solution for the water level in the Dead Sea's southern basin and royalties that Israel Chemicals will pay the government for mining Dead Sea minerals.

Read the full article at Globes.co.il