Israel Active

At the NGO Israel’s Society Labs, high-tech professionals volunteer their knowledge and technology to support social change.

The Beyahad (“together”) program at Ono Academic College provides aspiring Druze women with the opportunity to advance their professional careers while maintaining their traditional lifestyle. Israel has female Druze researchers, engineers and doctors and the program aims to encourage more.

After years of diplomatic ties, Israel has opened its first embassy in Rwanda. Israeli Ambassador to Rwanda Ron Adam presented his credentials to Rwandan President Paul Kagame in February. Rwanda’s national airline, RwandAir, is expected to start direct flights to Israel soon.

I reported previously that Jerusalem had spent millions of shekels on improving the Old City, including access to the sites.  The work has paid off, making Jerusalem the largest accessible historical site in the world.  There is even a mobility app in eight languages.

Four years ago, Palestinian Arabs Imad and Ayoub rescued Dr. Eitan and his son when they accidentally drove into a PA village and were attacked by a mob. Recently, Imad’s sister-in-law was severely injured in a vehicle accident. Dr Eitan transferred her to Israel’s Sheba hospital for treatment.

Ishmael Khaldi is Israel’s first Bedouin diplomat and has been posted to Israel's embassy in Nepal. He has teamed up with local Chabad Rabbi Hezkl Lifshitz, to provide trekkers with mini oxygen tanks to rent, for protection against altitude sickness. Khalidi said the project was “where Bedouin and Jewish values meet”.

Israeli and Palestinian Arab firefighters participated in a joint firefighting and rescue exercise in Samaria. The firefighters extinguished simulated fires in four locations, using six Israeli firefighting airplanes, six Israeli firetrucks and two Palestinian firetrucks.

Israel;s Watergen has supplied one of its GEN-350 “water from the air” generators to the St. Joseph’s girls’ school in Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown. Its 900 liters per day of fresh drinking water is saving the schoolchildren from the many endemic diseases in the country.

I reported several times on Israel’s lightweight Wheelchairs of Hope for disabled children. Montenegro President Milo Đukanović has been in Israel meeting with the country’s leadership. His “going home” present was a gift of dozens of the wheelchairs for his country.