When we think of Jews returning to Israel, what comes to mind? Holocaust survivors seeking a fresh start in a nation that seeks to support rather than exterminate them? Impoverished Russian immigrants fleeing an oppressive Soviet Union to practice a faith they barely know? Zealous Orthodox faithful emigrating to Israel (Aliyah) to immerse themselves in their religious practice? Twenty-five years ago, one small community of Jews fled to Israel, in the process challenging some observers’ assumptions and expectations about the worldwide Jewish community.

In Greek mythology, a chimera was a grotesque, fire-breathing monster usually depicted with the head of a lion, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail. But the creation of modern-day chimeras—lab-grown human-animal hybrids—is moving beyond the realm of mythology or science-fiction—which is raising disturbing bioethical concerns.

“An Italian woman burned alive by a jealous ex-lover could have been saved if passing motorists had heeded her desperate screams for help, police said. Sara Di Pierantonio, 22, was doused in alcohol and set alight on the side of a road outside Rome by former boyfriend Vincenzo Paduano, 27, according to authorities… Surveillance footage showed at least two cars driving by as the woman screamed for help” (Yahoo News, May 31, 2016).

According to a recent report, “Fish are being killed, and prevented from reaching maturity, by the litter of plastic particles finding their way into the world’s oceans… Some young fish have been found to prefer tiny particles of plastic to their natural food sources, effectively starving them before they can reproduce. The growing problem of microplastics—tiny particles of polymer-type materials from modern industry—has been thought for several years to be a peril for fish… Microplastics are near-indestructible in natural environments.

“Violent crimes—from homicides and rapes to robberies—have been on the rise in many major U.S. cities, yet experts can’t point to a single reason why and the jump isn’t enough to suggest there’s a trend… ‘It’s being reported on at local levels, but in my view, it’s not getting the attention at the national level it deserves,’ FBI Director James Comey said recently.