Some Lessons Learned in Israel’s Kibbutzim

Like most other Americans, I have been closely watching the recent events in Israel.  I traveled there once, as a tourist, for several weeks. On that family trip, we drove up to the northern border with Lebanon, and all the way south to Eilat, on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. My wife (Avalanche Lily) has studied Hebrew for many years, and she has traveled to Israel more than a dozen times. In all, she has spent more than three years in Israel. So for us, watching the Israel-Hamas War brings back a lot of our travel memories. Lily lived for seven months as a volunteer at two different Kibbutzim in the Hula Valley. She volunteered twice at Kibbutz Dafna and once at Kibbutz Hulata.

On one occasion while on Kibbutz Dafna, she had to take shelter from 122mm Katushya rocket attacks on Kiryat Shemonah, with rockets arriving from Lebanon. Kibbutz Dafna is only three miles from Kiryat Shemonah. It was reported that one of the rockets fell out in the fields less than a mile away from the kibbutz. Lily said that every time a rocket exploded the ground shook at the kibbutz. After another stay in Israel that lasted nine months, Lily left Israel and returned to the U.S. on July 2, 2006. That was just ten days before the 2006 Lebanon War rocket barrage. Friends later called and told her a that rocket fell on a restaurant just five hundred yards from the apartment house where she had been living in Tiberias. So for Lily, the recent events have even more vibrant memories attached.

When the modern state of Israel was founded in the aftermath of World War 2 and the Holocaust, guns were ubiquitous. The vast majority of settlers in the fledgling nation were armed and vigilant. But with the leadership of Israel mostly European Ashkenazis rather than Sephardic, they brought with them a European mindset on gun regulations. The Ashkenazis are quite distinct — genetically, culturally, and even religiously from Israel’s Semetic Sephardim. Quite soon, Israel’s government began registering guns, and eventually developed an absurd system, where for all but a veritable handful of licensed collectors, most Israeli citizens are limited to owning just one gun — usually a handgun — under very strict controls and a stringent permit renewal system. There are also strict limitations to how much ammunition can be kept at home. That is just 50 rounds. When we’ve had Israeli friends stay at our home, they had very wide eyes, when I swung open the door of our main gun vault. They were amazed that we were “allowed” to have more than one gun, and so much ammunition.

Only about 20% of Israeli households now have guns. Some modern-day settlers in the West Bank and up in the Golan Heights are issued M16s for their protection, but they represent less than 3% of the nation’s population. The other 97% are absurdly under-armed, except when they are on active military duty. The nation still has nearly universal conscription, and upon leaving the IDF, there are many years of required Reserve service.  It boggles my mind how an entire people group could experience systematic gun registration, confiscation, mass roundups, and mass extermination, only to put in place their own bureaucracy that would make it all possible to be completely disarmed again.  The word stupid doesn’t quite describe it.

Continue reading“Some Lessons Learned in Israel’s Kibbutzim”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a special column with links to articles and videos showing Fall Colors in the American Redoubt region.

Idaho

Fall Foliage Color update – October 9th 2023.

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Road Map to Idaho’s Fall Foliage.

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No Preliminary Injunction Against Idaho Law Mandating Public School Students Use Bathrooms “That Correspond with Their Biological Sex”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 16, 2023

October 16, 1846: William Thomas Green Morton first demonstrated the use of ether as a general anesthetic before a gathering of physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

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After the French Revolution began, Marie-Antoinette, queen consort of Louis XVI, was targeted by agitators who, enraged by her extravagance and attempts to save the monarchy, ultimately guillotined her on this day in 1793.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

 

Cold Steel Leatherneck SF Field Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Clearly inspired by the Marine “Knife, Fighting Utility” of World War II and beyond, the Cold Steel Leatherneck SF takes a classic concept and improves upon it. The German D2 steel blade of the Leatherneck is a significant upgrade from the 1095 carbon steel of the original, as is the Kray-Ex handle that replaces the stacked leather washers of the original.

During my testing I found the Leatherneck SF to be a sharp and durable knife that was especially useful in firewood processing, gardening, and yard care.Continue reading“Cold Steel Leatherneck SF Field Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken

The following recipe for One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken is from SurvivalBlog reader J.P.V..

Ingredients
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 Tbsp butter or ghee
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin or minced
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 lb fresh green beans (or veggie of your choice)
  • Season chicken with S & P, to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add chicken and sear both sides until golden brown.
  4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside saving the drippings.
  5. Add garlic, brown sugar, honey, thyme and oregano to skillet and stir.
  6. Reduce heat to low and heat through until sugar melts and is bubbly.
  7. Add chicken back to skillet and coat with sauce. Add green beans to skillet.
  8. Tent aluminum foil over the green beans to keep them from burning.
  9. Bake 40min or until chicken is done, spooning sauce over all halfway.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at bank branch closures. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Mark Lundeen: Gold’s Price in Foreign Currencies.

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Zimbabwe turns gold-backed digital token into payment method.

Economy & Finance:

Major Banks Close Over 3,000 Branches Nationwide, With Recent 50+ Closures from Bank of America In Just One Week.

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Almost half of US-listed firms have negative profit margins. They have been able to survive in artificially low interest rates and ample liquidity environment.

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‘Don’t invest in the US’: Jeremy Grantham just issued a warning over American stocks, saying S&P 500 could crash by over 50% if ‘a couple of wheels’ fall off — here’s where to look instead.

o  o  o

For those in the “worst-case” camp, here is a link found at Zero Hedge: The Sword of Damocles — An economic worst-case scenario of the Israeli-Palestine war.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 15, 2023

 

On this day in 1959 a final conference on the Antarctic Treaty convened in Washington, D.C., and, after six weeks of negotiations, the treaty was signed by 12 countries, preserving the continent for free scientific study.

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Herbert W. McBride, the author of A Rifleman Went To War, was born in Waterloo, Indiana October 15, 1873. He died in Indianapolis of a heart attack on March 17, 1933, shortly after finishing writing A Rifleman Went To War.

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On October 15, 1529, Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade.

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October 15th, 1859 was the first day of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), made in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Downsizing: Back to Farm Basics, by SaraSue

Things can change overnight, and recently, they have.  In my opinion, we have entered WWIII.  We don’t know yet how bad it’s going to be. But what we do know is that things are heading south, fast. There is no way to rationalize that we Americans are “going to be okay” with what is happening on the world stage. Not to mention, how quickly goods and services have degraded here at home.  You’d have to have your head stuck so deeply in a sand dune that you can’t get it out.  It is better to stand up and face reality than it is to pretend, even if you lose sleep, and even if it makes you stressed out.  Take a deep breath.

You can, at the same time, believe in the Lord’s protection, and ready yourself for war times.  Those are not mutually exclusive beliefs.Continue reading“Downsizing: Back to Farm Basics, by SaraSue”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

The Sophisticated Sensors in The Gaza Border Fence Have Had False Alerts From Burrowing Rodents

So, Why Did it Take Hours For The IDF To Respond, When This Happened?

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provide that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again.

And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.

And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?

And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.

And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.” – Mark 10:1-16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 14, 2023

At the Battle of Hastings, fought this day in 1066, King Harold II of England was defeated by the invading army of William, duke of Normandy, in the Norman Conquest, establishing Normans as rulers of England.

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On October 14, 1947, test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962, bringing the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear conflict. Photographs were taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane and offered incontrovertible evidence that Soviet-made medium-range missiles were in Cuba. These missiles were capable of carrying nuclear warheads and were stationed 90 miles off the American coastline.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Update: Retreat Locale Selection: Seek a Diverse Economy

JWR’s Introductory Note:  This post is an update to a short post that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in August, 2005:

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A diverse local economy is of great importance when evaluating potential retreat locales. Unless you are retired or about to retire, the opportunity to find steady work pre-TEOTWAWKI is also very important. Of course, if you are self-employed or a “Work From Home” telecommuter, then this is less of an issue. These days, with the advent of Starlink Internet and affordable photovoltaic home off-grid power, you can live just about anywhere.

Depending on the scenario you envision, you should probably look for a town with:

  • A robust, growing economy.
  • A good mix of jobs in dryland farming, ranching, mining, industry, high technology, and service sector jobs.
  • City and county governments that are pro-business.
  • A “Farmer’s Market” on summer evenings and/or weekends. This is evidence of sufficient small-scale truck farming.
  • A good mix of established local businesses such as a grocery store, sewing shop, car parts store, hardware store, and so forth.
  • A high rate of church attendance. Even if you aren’t religious personally, a high ratio of church attendance equates to a high ratio of law-abiding citizens.

And a town without:

  • A single-industry economy.
  • Predominantly government payroll jobs.
  • A predominantly retired population.
  • A large seasonal tourist population.
  • A large seasonal student population.
  • Lots of bars.
  • Tattoo/piercing parlors.
  • Welfare dependency.
  • Nearby prisons.
  • Nearby military bases.

Do your homework in detail before you buy! – JWR

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week I did a lot of outdoor work. I burned one last slash pile.  I kept adding some old deadfall from the adjoining woods, including a couple of stumps that must have weighed 120 pounds each.  In anticipation of the rains that arrived at mid-week,  policed up a lot of gardening tools that had been left out.  I also winterized our guest cabin, and I did some organizing in our shop. Most of that involved sorting and relocating drill bits, wire wheels, and other accessories for my new-to-me 1962 vintage drill press. I also co-located my antique braces and bits, and both my corded and 18 VDC DeWalt battery drill motors. It is great to finally get all of the drilling/abrasives stuff together in one place!

On Friday, I attended a gun show in Lewistown, Montana. That is a very long drive for me. But it is a good opportunity to meet with gun show vendors who I don’t see very often. My hunt for pre-1899 cartridge guns continues.  I picked up a nice Pietta .44 percussion revolver and a Winchester Model 1886 chambered in .45-90 — both for my Elk Creek Company  inventory.

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”