Israel Active

The 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked three Israeli institutions in the top 100 (2,000 surveyed), for the first time since 2013. They are Hebrew University of Jerusalem (90), Weizmann Institute (92) and Technion Institute (94).

Ilan Sztulman, head of the Israeli mission in Dubai, and his wife Jacqueline celebrated the birth of their fifth child - Mia on 14th Aug at Dubai’s Mediclinic. Mia is the first Israeli citizen to be born in the UAE, just one year after the signing of the Abraham Accords.

Two dozen social media influencers from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, visited Israel, thanks to non-profit Israel-is.

The Nechama Rivlin Save the Wildflower Initiative (named after ex-President Rivlin’s late wife) is a community-based project at Jerusalem’s Botanical Gardens. It aims to save rare flowers and return 35 indigenous wildflowers to the region. Israelis can buy seeds from the online shop. (Links to seeds shop - seeds packed by Israelis with special needs)

Major N. is the first Israeli woman to have been promoted to the position of Deputy Commander of a combat squadron. She currently serves as head of the Air Force Commander's Office and will take up her new position as Deputy Commander of the 119 Squadron (The 'Bat Squadron') next year.

Israel's Fiverr has partnered Salesforce in a unique 6-week pilot program to train Israelis with disabilities as Salesforce administrators. It is a project of Fiverr Empower which finds freelance employment for special needs individuals through the Fiverr platform.

Israel has sent 16 firefighters and two planes to Greece to help battle its wildfires.

Amos Hochstein, born and raised in Israel, has been appointed to serve as Senior Advisor for Energy Security at the US State Department. Hochstein served in the Israeli Defense Forces from 1992 to 1995. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources in 2015.

Florida International University in Miami is to offer a course on Israeli entrepreneurship and innovation. “Innovation Nation: The Global Influence of Israeli Technology and Entrepreneurship,” aims to impart lessons from Israel’s startup ecosystem to aspiring business leaders.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid signed three accords during the first ministerial visit to Morocco since 2003. They covered air service, culture, sports and youth, plus a mechanism for political consultation. Lapid inaugurated a liaison mission and promised a future exchange of embassies.