It was no secret that this past November was the driest month in Israel since 1962. Despite fervent prayer services conducted in the religious and secular communities, no relief came. The Kinneret remained at more than 700 feet below sea level, just 31 inches above the forbidden “black line.” It had lost almost eight inches in just the last month.

As a result, at the beginning of December, just as families were lighting Chanukah menorahs, northern Israel suffered the country’s worst-ever wildfire. By the time it came under control, 43 people had died; about 20,000 had been evacuated from villages, prisons, and hospitals in and around the Carmel Forest as well as in Haifa; and about 12,500 acres of forest and farmland had gone up in smoke, taking more than 5 million trees. [click to continue…]