The mezuzah, a religious object first used by nomadic Israelites wandering in the desert 4000 years ago, is being used by an American Jewish astronaut on his travels into outer space in 2008. Gregory Chamitoff will place mezuzahs on the door post near his bunk aboard NASA’s Discovery shuttle. Chamitoff says the mezuzahs will serve as constant reminders of his home and of his Jewish identity during his six-month-long stay on the International Space Station.

_{Image courtesy of NASA}

All over Israel, kids can be seen roaming the streets in search of wood. The kids are getting ready to celebrate Lag B'Omer (May 23, 2008) with giant bonfires. They will cook hotdogs, potatoes, onions and marshmallows in the fires. The more ambitious will make their own pita bread. They will sing songs around the fires. The older kids will stay up all night with their friends, guitars and sleeping bags by their fires. Fire, fire, fire. The whole country will be blanketed with bonfires. It must be quite a sight from an airplane. And in the morning, the whole country will smell of smoke. The Land of Milk, Honey and Smoke. I wonder if Herzel knew how much fun a Jewish State would be!

_{Photo © 2006 Lisa Katz, licensed to About.com, Inc}