Tel Aviv

Residents are fleeing this Israeli city in droves until the threat of Iraqi missile attacks subsides, heading for kibbutzim in the countryside, hotels in Jerusalem and resort towns in northern and southern Israel, out of the range of Scud missiles. Jerusalem's hotels, which have operated at half their normal occupancy rates for the last four months, have filled up with people from Tel Aviv since the Scud attacks began last week. In Eilat, the beach resort on the southern tip of Israel, war in the Persian Gulf has scared European tourists away, but no matter: The town is full of Israelis, most of whom have driven down from Tel Aviv.

TEL AVIV, Israel - More than 400,000 Israelis poured into streets across the country Saturday night, Israeli media estimated, in a show of strength behind a social protest movement that has rocked the country for two months. The demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and elsewhere against Israel's high cost of living, its housing crisis, and distorted distribution of wealth marked the high point - so far - of a summerlong grassroots protest movement that has ballooned from a few tents in Tel Aviv to a nationwide phenomenon that has delivered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government its most serious domestic crisis.

The battle against suicide terrorists is not only about defending of our lives. It is a fight against an absolute evil that totally rejects the value of human life, and it is a struggle for human dignity. Human dignity is a profound human need of every person in every society, to be recognized for their value as human beings. - Alouph Hareven, editorial, Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv), Nov. 1

Up-and-Coming Shopping Districts Need some new stuff? Here's ShermansTravel.com's list of some on-the-rise shopping areas (check out No. 8): 1. Central District Hong Kong 2. Colonia Roma Mexico City 3. HaTachana Tel Aviv, Israel 4. La Candelaria Bogotá, Colombia 5. Palermo Hollywood Buenos Aires, Argentina 6. Monti Rome 7. Nakameguro Tokyo 8. Northern Liberties Philadelphia 9. Rue Tiquetonne Paris 10. Shoreditch London SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

"It happened again!" my daughter Hannah, 12, shouts from the den. "Come quickly! This time it's in Tel Aviv!" Hannah has been watching a children's show on TV, whiling away the last hours of fasting that precede Purim, celebration of the Jews' miraculous escape from annihilation in Persia. On the screen, the Hebrew word piguah explodes in yellow and red letters. Literally, a hit - a terrorist attack. Numb and nauseated, I count my five children. Only Hannah is home.

Three US Airways employees at Philadelphia International Airport have been fired, and a number of others disciplined, for selling their employer-issued "buddy" passes for a profit on flights between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv, Israel. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia are investigating, said US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher. The three employees fired were a US Airways manager, a fleet service agent, and a customer service agent, Lehmacher said. "Several employees were involved in a fraudulent ticket scheme that involved using employee travel benefits to and from Tel Aviv," he said.

Temple reached overseas to add a power forward for this basketball season, signing 6-foot-8 Carmel Bouchman of Israel to a scholarship. Bouchman played at Irani Tet school in Tel Aviv. He joins Rahlir Jefferson, a 6-6 guard out of Chester High, and Khalif Wyatt, a 6-3 guard out of Norristown High, in the Owls' 2009 recruiting class. "Carmel is quality young man from a good family who also is a gifted basketball player," Temple coach Fran Dunphy said. "He is a great addition to our program.

JERUSALEM - Despite its confident saber-rattling, concern in Israel is growing that the country is vulnerable to a devastating counterstrike if it attacks Iran's nuclear program. An announcement this week that a mobile rocket-defense system would soon be built just outside Tel Aviv, where Israel's sprawling military headquarters sits in the middle of office towers, museums, night spots and hotels, caused jitters. Israeli officials cite intelligence reports that Tel Aviv would be a main target of any attack.

Ram Karmi, 82, a leading Israeli architect whose work is both celebrated and controversial, has died. Mr. Karmi won the Israel Prize, the country's highest honor, in 2002 for his architecture. With sister Ada Karmi-Melamed, he designed Israel's Supreme Court, and with a New York firm, he co-designed the newest terminal at the Ben Gurion International Airport. Both buildings were lauded but Mr. Karmi's other designs provoked criticism, including his Tel Aviv central bus station, a concrete labyrinth of staircases and escalators.

If the mystery of his disappearance has been cleared up for those who missed him, it's not entirely solved for Rev. James P. Quinn. The 66-year-old Browns Mills priest, who was reported missing after he failed to join a tour group in Israel, is still musing about the "communication breakdown" that caused an international scare as he lay peacefully in a Zurich hospital. He had collapsed Dec. 31 in the Zurich airport while waiting for a flight to Tel Aviv. "It's weird," said Father Quinn, calmly sipping tea yesterday in his kitchen at St. Ann's Church, where he is associate pastor.