There’s Oy – l in them thar hills…

As much as I hate to bump Michael Pimp Daddy Steinhardt off the top of the blog, this story bears repetition. It is chock full of faith and hope and just plain … mishigass. According to the Houston Chronicle a Chabadnik, armed with a degree in Geology and the blessing of theLubavitcher Rebbe, is drilling for oil in Israel.

Luskin arrived in Israel in 1990, shortly after becoming convinced that a Brooklyn-based rabbi named Menachem Mendel Schneerson was the messiah. Known as the Lubavitcher rebbe, Schneerson died in 1994, but not before giving Luskin a special prediction.

“The Lubavitcher rebbe told me that my efforts to drill for oil in Israel would succeed,” he said. “Without this blessing I would have given up long ago.”

Luskin hopes to find up to a billion barrels of oil in a 77-square-mile field north-east of Tel-Aviv. He estimates the output at 20,000 barrels a day – an amount that would satisfy 10% of Israel’s current needs. Thus far, Israel has only produced 20 million barrels of oil in 50 years – this is less than what neighbour Saudi Arabia produces in 2-3 days. If he does strike oil in impressive amounts, will we declare another Jewish holiday featuring the consumption of yummy oil drenched treats? Will the Chabadniks involved trade in their Borsalino Fedoras for cowboy hats? Shana Tova y’all ….