A grave has been unearthed in the Israeli town of Tzfat with the Hebrew inscription “the elderly sage, the doctor Avraham Ben Ezra”.  The biblical commentator was said to have immigrated from Spain to Israel at the end of his … Continue reading →

The northern Israeli town of Beit She’arim is where the Mishna (Oral Law) was compiled during Roman times. The town’s name means “House of Gates”.  Archaeologists from the University of Haifa were therefore amazed to discover a massive gateway during … Continue reading →

Right before Passover, 230 new immigrants from Ukraine landed in Ben Gurion Airport on the Freedom Flight organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. They included four Holocaust survivors, and over 40 … Continue reading →

I reported previously (Feb 2016) on the NGO KeepOlim, dedicated to helping Olim to remain in Israel. KeepOlim’s “No Oleh Alone Program for Pesach” is designed to provide any Israeli immigrant, who wants to attend a Seder in Israel, with … Continue reading →

The Naale/Elite Academy brings Jewish teenage girls from around the world for a free high school matriculation program in top Israeli religious educational institutions all over Israel.  Naale is fully subsidized and supervised by the Israeli Ministry of Education. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/224055 … Continue reading →

The World Zionist Organization is using Israel’s vegan culture to cultivate connections between Israel and the rest of world Jewry and non-Jewry.  It recently ran vegan workshops for attendees of Berlin’s first-ever, weeklong Jewish food festival, Nosh Berlin. http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Israeli-Veganism-Introducing-the-land-of-soy-milk-and-date-honey-to-Berlin-485246

Israeli startup Let’s Bench allows party organizers to print personalized Grace After Meals benchers (birkonim) (booklets and cards) for their celebrations.  Family photos can be incorporated throughout. http://letsbench.com/ https://www.youtube.com/embed/amXLl0_cONI?rel=0 http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-party-planners-website-creates-custom-photo-benchers/

Israel’s Foreign Ministry is placing a replica of the Second Temple menorah (candelabra) on permanent display at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. The statue, similar to that on Rome’s Titus Arch, will also include a written explanation in English, French, Hebrew … Continue reading →