Israel Active

IsraAID workers discovered that the residents of the tiny islands of Vanuatu love Israel and called the Israelis “a light unto the nations”. IsraAID distributed over 40 tons of rice, flour and drinking water to residents of the Tongoa and Mataso islands that were devastated by Cyclone Pam.

A multi-sector emergency response team from Israel-based IsraAID has arrived on the remote islands of Vanuatu, devastated by Cyclone Pam. After meeting government officials and UN agencies in the capital Port Vila, IsraAID started distributing water and rice and more Israeli aid is coming. (Info from IsraAID’s Shachar Zahavi)

Following the highest turnout (71.8%) since 1999, the next Knesset will contain a record number of women (28) and 17 Arabs. The 23% of female MKs compares to 20% in the US. The turnout amongst was particularly high.

Arab and Jewish girls pose together at the start of the Jerusalem marathon. (Photo credit to Sharon Altshul - ) Also see the varied voters at Israel’s election (TY Hazel)

Israel’s President Reubin Rivlin held a soccer event at the presidential residence, inviting children and soccer stars from around the country to participate in an effort to raise awareness against violence and racism.

Newsletter readers already know the truth of that statement. Now it has been incorporated into the “Shalom Declaration” circulated by UK Christian organizations. The declaration is expected to be signed by more than 800 Christians at a gathering in London, UK later this month.

Palestinian Arab men over 55 and women over 50 no longer need a permit to enter Israel from Judea and Samaria to work. Married men over the age of 22 can also now apply (previously only married Palestinian Arab men over 24 who had children could work in Israel).

Two hundred Gazans travelled in buses to Israel via the Erez crossing, to Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (as reported in the Arab press)

The goal of Israel’s B the Change Competition is to promote startups to improve quality of life for millions of marginalized people. So look out for these winners - ESCO (supports startups) KitchenBug, MobileODT (affordable healthcare), Tulip Winery and VoiceITT (for speech-impaired).

Israel has opened its first embassy in Lithuania. The embassy is in the capital Vilnius (Vilna) where Jews comprised a quarter of the population before WW2. Israel’s first ambassador to the Baltic nation is Amir Maimon. Lithuania’s embassy in Israel opened in 1992.