Israel Active

Israeli non-profit Tav Midot assesses Israeli charities and awards a “seal of effectiveness” on those that pass its scrutiny as to professionalism, efficiency and “value for money”. Over 150 Israeli non-profits are valid holders of Midot Seal of Effectiveness, granted for a period of up to three years.

Yosef Abramowitz, CEO of Israel’s Energiya has set up a new non-profit Gigawatt Impact to share Israeli agrivoltaics expertise with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. Agrivoltaics is the dual use of land for solar-energy production and agriculture.

Interesting article, explaining why Syria is suffering a severe water crisis and devastated agriculture resulting from water mismanagement, over extraction, and Turkey’s damming of the Euphrates river. Ironically, Israelis could help solve the crisis, but will Syria ask them?

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) has launched the congressional Friends of Judea and Samaria caucus to support legislation rejecting the term “West Bank” and to foster ties between Israel and the United States. They don’t say the US was founded on ‘West Bank-Christian’ principles.

The Henley Passport Index ranks the Israeli passport as the 19th strongest in the world (up two places from last year and six from 2023). Israeli passport holders can now enter 170 countries without a visa.  Only the United Arab Emirates is higher in the Middle East region.

Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science is switching to the use of only green electricity and is becoming an almost fully renewable energy campus. It will supplement its own 12% solar energy with green, solar-derived electricity from Israel's Enlight Renewable Energy to cover all the electricity consumption of its campus.

A unique course connects Ben-Gurion University students to Bedouin highschoolers near Beersheva. The BGU students earn necessary academic credit, while the Bedouin students significantly improve their Hebrew to enter academia and achieve inclusion in Israeli society.

Non-profit Nefesh b’Nefesh awarded its Maor (“light”) Youth Prize to nine young new immigrants who have enriched Israeli society during 2024. Their work includes with Big Sister – Little Sister, Ezra Youth, Mesamchim, tzitzit-tying, Israeli Scouts, Shuk Otef, Lonely Bench, and Lone Soldiers.

Israel’s SmartAID has teams fighting California wildfires and using solar-telecommunication trailers to assist evacuees and responders. IsraAID is sending volunteers and aid professionals; Zaka is already there, plus teams of Israeli firefighters and protection experts are on their way.

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel met with Ghana’s newly elected President John Mahama after attending his inauguration. She discussed how Israel can share its know-how in agriculture, technology and food security. Israel’s ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, added renewable energy.