Author Archives: MichaelOrdman

No atheists in a foxhole

After 7 Oct 2023, many secular Israelis have embraced Jewish rituals and practices. Soldiers have also taken up Jewish activities, singing, and dancing, plus studying Jewish texts. At their request, thousands of Bibles, prayer books, and volumes of Mishna and … Continue reading

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Shabbat project targets one million Israelis

The Shabbat Project (Nov 7-8), brings together a million Jews in Israel and millions more worldwide. South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein (founder) says, “a spiritual revolution is happening in Israel, an outpouring of people wanting a deeper connection to … Continue reading

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Shabbat-friendly electricity

Ben-Gurion University researchers are developing solar-powered microgrids to meet the needs of Orthodox religious Jews, while cutting pollution. The microgrids store renewable energy (e.g., solar power) during the week and then distribute electricity during Shabbat without human intervention. https://israfan.com/p/bgu-shabbat-tech-kosher-energy

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Wedding of most severely wounded survivor

I mentioned previously (see here) about Israelis who wanted to dance after suffering severe injuries. Here is a detailed article about Michelle Rukovicin, the most injured survivor of Oct. 7 2023, who came out of a coma to walk to … Continue reading

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Batman runs marathons for the Bibas family

Manchester UK’s Yoel Levy is “Marathon Batman,”. He runs marathons in honor of Shiri Bibas and her sons, murdered by Hamas.  He also supports Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. His sister has … Continue reading

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Ex-hostage on cover of TIME magazine

Eli Sharabi, a former Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, is featured on the cover of TIME magazine that hit newsstands on Oct. 27. An excerpt of his memoir, documenting his survival of 491 days of captivity in the … Continue reading

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Free therapy

Non-profit Planetherapy provides free therapy sessions to Israelis and Jews affected by Oct. 7 2023. 300+ volunteers from 35 countries, have provided 4,000+ therapy sessions in 22 languages. A dozen therapists are in Israel, counseling first responders, trauma therapists, Nova … Continue reading

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Building & rebuilding

Since Oct. 7 2023, Israeli non-profit Livnot U’Lehibanot (“To build and to be built” – see here previously) has focused on restoring homes damaged in border communities in the north and south. Livnot has completed more than 320 projects in … Continue reading

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Sderot blues festival

From Dec 1-3, the southern Israeli city of Sderot will pulse with the sound of Israeli blues, as top artists, local jams, and rare blues films take over the Music, Soul, Cinema and Resilience Festival at the Sderot Cinematheque. For … Continue reading

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Here come the cranes

The first flock of migrating cranes have arrived at the KKL-JNF Hula Valley Nature Reserve, marking the start of the region’s annual spectacle as the birds leave their Russian breeding grounds (see kkl-jnf’s live cameras). Meanwhile, the first-ever sighting in … Continue reading

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