Hello Natick USY.  This is Lauren Roditi your Israel Affairs Vice President!  I will keep 
you updated on the Israeli news.  

As I am sure you have all heard, Israel and Lebanon have been at war since Hizbollah 
captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight people in a cross -border raid on July 12th. 
Nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon were killed as well as 157 Israelis, two-thirds of them 
soldiers. On August 14th, after 34 days of fighting, with hundreds of rockets falling 
both on northern cities in Israel and in Beirut, Lebanon, a cease fire was called.  The 
IDF will not fully withdraw from southern Lebanon before Rosh Hashana, IDF Chief of General
Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said Wednesday, "We hoped that the withdrawal would happen by 
Friday, but there are dialogues that need to continue with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL 
until after the holiday," the departure could be delayed for a week.

In other news, the bodies of the two children of Theodore Herzl, the "father of modern 
zionism", were buried in the Mount Herzl Cemetery. Pauline and Hans were originally buried 
in France but, like their father were disinterred and transported to Israel to be buried 
alongside him. Although it was sanctioned by the Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, there 
is a good deal of contreversy around the subject. Hans converted to Christianity and later 
committed suicide and Jewish Law prohibits burial of people who carry out these actions.

Ahead of the start of the academic year, the Education Ministry has contributed some 10 
million shekels in scholarships for university students participting in the Sahlab project,
which brings students in the field of education to work in Israel's kindergartens and 
elementary schools. "This [project] helps university students to get scholarships and 
advance their studies, and at the same time brings a real contribution to communities," 
said Esti Ron, the national head of the Education Ministry's Department for Educational 
Methods and Models.  The project has brought thousands of students studying in Israel's 
higher education faculties to gain hand-on experience assisting in kindergartens and 
elementary schools throughout the country, and particularly in northern and southern 
peripheral towns. 
 
Shana Tovah everyone, 
l'hitraot, 
Lauren