No cycle of violence here
Zippy Schrager, a 56-year-old Rabbi’s daughter, manages a cycle repair shop in Mailiya, a Christian Arab village in the Western Galilee, just 12 miles from Lebanon. Zippy learned how to fix bikes from the shop co-owner Ron Boutillier who is currently on IDF reserve duty.
Friends despite the war
Two Jews and two Muslims share an apartment run by Kivunim, an organization that helps young adults with disabilities. Despite Oct 7, the four flat mates get along just as before. Kivunim’s 45 apartments in Nahariya and Haifa house some 120 residents with disabilities.
Druze restaurant goes kosher to serve IDF
Noor, a restaurant located in the Druze village of Julis in northern Israel, has been providing thousands of free packaged meals to local evacuees and soldiers since the beginning of the war. Deputy Minister Uri Maklev helped the owner, Asma, make the restaurant kosher.
The first consulate in Samaria
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is appointing an honorary consul in Judea and Samaria and opening an honorary consulate in the city of Ariel. This will be the first time in history that a foreign country has opened an official representation in Judea and Samaria. PNG’s embassy in Jerusalem.
A hotel of coexistence
The Magdala Hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is hosting 200 war evacuees. Jewish kibbutzniks live alongside Catholic monks, the mostly Muslim hotel staff, and Druze workers, all holding prayers for the peace of the land. It’s an example of coexistence on the outskirts of Tiberias.
Christian population rose 1.3% in 2022
About 190,000 Christians live in Israel, comprising about 2% of Israel’s population and reflecting a 1.3% increase in 2022. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where the Christian population is growing. Also, this article (TY ) about an Israeli Christian serving in the IDF.
Who is fighting for Israel
I thought it a positive sign when Uri Zaki, chairman of Israel’s left-wing Meretz party, said “it is impossible to ignore the large number of fallen soldiers who are religious Zionists. We need to salute this community that gives its life for the defense of Israel.” Then see the photo in the second link.
An accelerator for Arab science entrepreneurs
Ahmad Sheikh Muhammad is head of the Galilee Society – the Arab National Society for Health Research and Services. He now has established ScienTech, the first Israeli accelerator targeted to help Arab PhD STEM graduates turn their scientific research knowledge into businesses.
Trees for Jerusalem’s Christians
As for the past 25 years, the Jerusalem Municipality has been giving out hundreds of free trees to Christian residents. Getting trees this year was more difficult because they come from southern Israel. Many of the farms where the trees are harvested were destroyed by Hamas.
Over 12,000 foreign workers have arrived
12,000+ foreign workers have arrived or returned to Israel since Oct. 7 including 2,218 in agriculture - half of them from Thailand; 100 are from Sri Lanka out of an eventual total of 10,000. 400+ of 5,000 Malawians arrived last month, and 1,500 are expected from Kenya.