Israel Active

Since it began in 1994, Israeli foundation Hanan Aynor has given scholarships and funding for higher education fees to 4,500 Israelis of Ethiopian origin. It also gives priority to older people, for whom it might soon be too late to enroll, as well as to single mothers.

Ittai graduated from Lotem Special Education School in Rehovot last year and, thanks to “Special in Uniform”, has just been inducted into the Israel Defense Forces. His brother Roi, who has cerebral palsy, joined the IDF five years ago and managed the medical clinic in one of the IDF bases.

11-year-old Mazen from the Gaza Strip became the 6,000th child saved by the Israeli humanitarian organization Save a Child’s Heart (SACH). As Mazen grew, his complicated congenital heart condition required multiple medical procedures. To survive, he needed emergency surgery.

Israel’s D-Fend (see previously) used its EnforceAir technology to remove a rogue drone that was interrupting a mass held by Pope Francis with 60,000 worshippers in Slovakia in September. There were also 90 bishops, and 500 priests present during the incident at the event.

The Israeli government is donating 1 million AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines to the UN-backed COVAX program, which distributes shots to poorer countries. (N.B. Haaretz say it’s 2.5 million vaccines.) The government stated that the vaccines will reach close to a quarter of African countries.

Volunteers from Israeli NGO SmartAID are helping to set up a coordination center for emergency workers in Mayfield and Benton, Kentucky, which were hit hard by recent tornadoes. Another Israeli NGO, IsraAID, is helping with the recovery and clean-up efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett concluded a historic first visit to the United Arab Emirates. In addition to his meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, he met with the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE Minister of Culture.

The Embassy of Israel in Rwanda has donated another 20 cows to vulnerable families in Rwanda – this time in Rulindo District (see previously). It has also donated $100,000 to purchase computers and other devices for teachers whose schools are being connected to the internet.

The Embassy of Israel, in partnership with a medical delegation from Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Centre, organized women’s health clinics in urban slums of South Delhi and North Delhi. The clinics provided free tests, check-ups, and medicines.

The Maktoub Hebrew-Arabic calligraphy exhibit at the Jerusalem Biennale cultural festival - highlights the newfound ties between Israel and Arab countries. It is curated by a US-Israeli artist with Syrian-Jewish roots and a Moroccan artist whose grandfather was Jewish.