Continuing storms and unseasonably heavy rains marred the Pass-over-Easter holiday for thousands of Israelis and tourists. Many roads were damaged and closed down. A helicopter rescued four occupants of an automobile that was in danger of being swept into the Dead Sea by flood waters poruing over the normally parched terrain. The weather bureau promised partial clearing tomorrow. The rainy season is usually over by this time of year. But parts of the country have been deluged during the past 24 hours with more than a quarter of the total rain that normally falls during the rainy season. The wet weather had a beneficial aspect. Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee), Israel’s largest fresh water reservoir, rose nearly seven inches. According to the experts, this translates into about 55 billion gallons, nearly a quarter of the country’s annual water supply from natural sources. Water engineers of the Jordan Valley regional council said the increase would “make it a blessed year for farmers throughout the country whose irrigation systems are hooked up to the national water conduit.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
