Israel Active

The Rana Choir, a mixed Jewish-Muslim-Christian women’s chorus from Jaffa, received a 2016 International Hrant Dink Foundation award in Istanbul, Turkey. The foundation awards “people and organizations working for a world free of discrimination, racism and violence”.

A delegation that included Hindu gurus, Buddhist monks and Shinto priests met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on the first day of a Jerusalem conference designed to deepen Israel-Asia ties.

Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie – whose works, including Yad Vashem, span the globe – will be honored for lifetime achievement at the 2016 National Design Awards by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.

David Bisnowaty was born in Israel and served in the IDF.  Last year he was elected by a big majority to the parliament of Malawi. He says that Malawi has always had very strong ties with Israel.  Israel was the first country to send doctors and agricultural people to Malawi unconditionally.

From Nov 1, Israel is increasing the fishing zone for Gaza fisherman from six to nine nautical miles “to facilitate increased activity in Gaza Strip’s fishing sector, which is an [important] source of income”. The expansion is conditioned on Gazans not exploiting it to smuggle or penetrate Israel’s territory.

Another article about the 4,500 non-Jews doing Sherut Leumi (National Service) in Israel. Seventy percent are Muslim, the rest being Druze, Christian or Circassian.

Ten male and 10 female Arab students have been selected to take part in Bridgetech - a pre-academic program that aims to increase participation of Israel’s Bedouin populations into the country’s high-tech ecosystem.

For the first time, in the documentary My Home, we see life in Israel through those rarely heard from - the Israeli-Arab citizens who would never live anywhere else. Those Arab minorities who change the false narrative that Israel is an apartheid state, that minorities can’t succeed, that they have no rights. (trailer)

Recent improved relations between Israel and Egypt has initiated new projects in which Israel will assist Egypt’s fragile economy.  These include desalination, irrigation, solar energy and agriculture.

The inspiring story of 23-year-old Avi Rosenblum - born to African-American Christian parents in the United States. He was adopted by Jewish parents in California and is now a soldier in the IDF.