Special Features

Can there be successful athletes among the settlers in Judea and Samaria? Recent achievements show that the answer is yes! A very small geographic area has produced four international champions.

A campaign by the widows of two Israeli victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre have had their petition for a memorial at the 2012 Olympic games rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

An online petition headlined "Tell the International Olympic Committee: 40 Years is Enough!" has garnered thousands of signatures. It is urging the Committee to honor at the Olympic Games this summer, the memory of 11 Israeli athletes who were murdered at the 1972 Olympics in Munich by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.

The International Olympic Committee apparently has rejected an online petition seeking a moment of silence for the Munich 11 at the 2012 London Olympics. Emmanuelle...

Danny Ayalon: Denial of request to hold a minute silence during the upcoming London Olympic Games in memory of the 11 Israeli Olympic team members murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics tells "Israelis that this tragedy is yours alone and not a tragedy within the family of nations."

the Olympic Committee's refusal to honor the Munich victims has everything to do with politics. The IOC fears that Islamic countries would refuse to attend the opening ceremony if one minute of silence is observed.

Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, Russell Simmons, Google's Eric Schmidt, Cisco's John Chambers and other leaders in industry, government, education, science and entertainment to discuss major issues facing our world.

Schmidt: "The smartphone revolution will be universal. There are only one billion people with smartphones and two billion with access to the Internet. The World Wide Web has yet to live up to its name. Technology does not produce miracles, but connectivity, even in modest amounts, changes lives."

People flocked to the auditorium for the second plenary of the evening - and with good reason. The line-up was stacked with notable names including President Shimon Peres, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Former Prime Minister of the Great Britain, Tony Blair. Peres spoke of his belief that peace was possible and mentioned that he had met with President Abbas and was left with the impression that they also need and want peace.

Ambassador Dennis Ross, famed dissident and women’s rights activist Ayaan Hirsi-Ali, and Literary Editor of The New Republic, Leon Wieseltier joined former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi offered their perspectives in the session titled ‘A Strategic Look at Tomorrow.’

Canadian MP Prof. Irwin Cotler: "“Israel is both a Jewish and democratic State with the added challenge of living in a hostile environment. The fundamental Jewish values of respect for the sanctity of human life should frame our discourse and policy when it comes to national issues, including Israel’s current African migration challenge.”

Dagan and Ashkenazi made their comments on a panel at the 2012 Presidential Conference that included former Presidential adviser Dennis Ross. Dagan said in Egypt it matters not who votes but who counts the vote.

The most realistic and helpful comments on Iran came today from Gabi Ashkenazi. He says that the military option is and should be the last option and yet it must remain on the table because if other options are to succeed, the only way it can succeed is if the threat of military action remains.

The Economic Outlook Panel, headlined by Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer, Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson, President of the Council of Foreign Relations, Richard Haass, and Financial Times Reporter Martin Wolf, expressed deep concern for the future of the eurozone.

Despite President Peres’ pleas to continue the pursuit of peace, people are beginning to say out loud that it is implausible. After assessing the situation with greater depth, I realize that I have a better chance of becoming Miss America than the Middle East does at achieving peace. Still, David Ben-Gurion made a good point when he said: “In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” Miss America or not, let’s keep that positivity coming.

There is much to learn by listening to these wise and experienced speakers, and we all appreciate the time given by all those who participated in the conference, but more so, I was moved by the ‘schmooze’ time these men donated. People were accessible, friendly and willing to help, because after all, it’s about the future!

Bloggers had the opportunity to ask President Peres some questions at the gathering. Bloggers from both national papers and personal websites were represented and asked questions that ranged from straightforward politics to ones that were more personal. One inevitably centered around the issue of Iran, in which Peres answered that Iran is using dangerous means that don’t give Israelis much of a choice when deciding what to do next.

The Olympic Committee of Israel approved its list of 36 athletes to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Sunday.

At the recent President's Conference in Jerusalem - though Shimon Peres and others spoke about the dearth of women in professional life in Israel, few spoke about the amazing lack of women presenters at the conference. I counted only about a hand-full. One was Ayaan Hirsi-Ali.

Jerusalem originally showed up on the official website as the capital of a country, but it was East Jerusalem, and the capital was “Palestine,” not Israel. Following complaints filed last week by a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Olympics site was changed. Now Jerusalem does not appear as the actual capital of any country at all.

Bob Costas may soon make history by defying the International Olympic Committee and conducting an on-air memorial of his own.

The International Olympic Committee has contacted the management of the BBC on Monday, and requested that they correct their listing of Jerusalem to say,...

The founder of London's Shomrim patrol carried the Olympic torch in South London. Efrayim Goldstein, 23, was one of 187 people who carried the Olympic torch through the city on Monday. Goldstein wore the official white Olympic uniform and was given a matching yarmulke, according to VIN News. He carried the torch for about a half-mile at 8:30 a.m. After handing off the torch, Goldstein and a group of fellow torchbearers observed a moment of silence in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who were killed by terrorists at the Munich Olympics, according to VIN. Goldstein is the founder of the Shomrim Safety Patrol and runs a soup kitchen. According to the nomination for Goldstein, he set up seven charities by the time he became 16.

Rabbi Kook explains that a weakening of the will is due in large measure to a lack of physical energy and strength. When a person’s willpower is weak, he can fall into many bad habits. As part of his overall mending, he must improve his physical health, as well as his moral and spiritual worlds.

For months, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has dismissed calls for a moment of silence at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of eleven Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The worldwide event will take place at 11 AM London time (1 PM Jerusalem, 6 AM New York) on the morning of the opening ceremony, Friday, July 27.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold a moment of silence for the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches slain by Palestinian terrorists...

“If you believe that the 11 murdered athletes must be mentioned, stand for a spontaneous minute when the IOC president begins to speak,” said Ilana Romano, wife of Yossef Romano, a weightlifter who was murdered in the 1972 attack.

On Thursday, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) joined Members of Congress in observing a moment of silence for the 11 Israeli Olympians and coaches murdered...

Video: Israeli Olympian Shahar Tzuberi not only demonstrates his windsurfing skills but also talks about his hometown Eilat and the most important influences on his approach to the sport.