Israel Active

This article emphasises the multi-cultural composition of Israel’s national soccer team. (See also the sports news below.)

Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa (see previously) has implemented award-winning remote monitoring systems to identify how much water the NGO’s solar-powered pumps have supplied to the 1,000 rural African villages where its technology has been installed. The answer - 77 million gallons in one month.

Three “critically endangered” hawksbill sea turtles, born and raised for 25 years in Eilat’s underwater observatory, have been released into the wild. Israeli conservationists will monitor if and how Nova, Israel and Yael - turtles living for decades in captivity - will survive in the wild.

Luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler ranked breakfast at the five-star David Kempinski Tel Aviv hotel among the world’s best in 2024. Breakfast items included distinctly Middle Eastern dishes, such as baba ghanoush and fresh honeycomb, while overlooking the beach.

Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) gave a rousing response to an interviewer from the New York Times who criticized Israel’s use of pagers to combat Hezbollah terrorists. And he continued to defend Israel as the interviewer threw more provocative questions his way.

The Jewish Agency for Israel has elected a member of Israel’s Druze minority to its board of governors. Col. (res.) Mofid Marai, 65, is a former Knesset member and ex-commander of the IDF’s predominantly Druze Herev (“Sword”) Battalion.

Israel’s Knesset has approved legislation obliging the public sector to donate unused food that can be distributed to vulnerable populations. NGOs such as Leket will collect surplus food from places such as Government ministries, the IDF, prisons, municipalities, religious councils, and hospitals.

The first annual “Wheels of Love” charity bike ride since the start of the Gaza war attracted 330 riders who raised around $3 million for the ALYN pediatric rehabilitation center (see ). The event dedicated to a fallen soldier) was held in stages over 4 days and 62 miles from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem.

Quick-thinking by a Druze-Israeli fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv saved fellow Israeli fans from being beaten by Arabs in Amsterdam. Malham Asaad shouted in Arabic to distract the attackers. He then urged the Israelis to hide all identifying symbols.

Despite the war, Maya - a rare Mediterranean monk seal - has returned to Israel’s shore at Rosh Hanikra near the Lebanon border. It is Maya’s 6th visit since 2010. In 2023 another monk seal, affectionately named Yulia, made two long visits to Tel Aviv’s beach in 2023 (see previously).