Israel Active

The country’s new citizenship law goes into effect, requiring those applying for a passport to affirm they believe that Israel has a right to exist. It is part of an overhaul to emphasize German values and protect Jewish life in the country.

US donor David Magerman is giving $1 million to five Israeli institutions, including Israel’s Technion Institute, Bar-Ilan University, and the Jerusalem College of Technology. He halted his donations to the University of Pennsylvania due to its handling of antisemitism.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed Argentina’s incoming ambassador, Rabbi Shimon “Axel” Wahnish, to Jerusalem. He noted that under the leadership of Argentina’s President Javier Milei, the relationship between the two nations will reach new heights.

Israelis and other Jews enjoy traveling to India. Hindus and Jews are both ancient civilizations facing the threat of Islamic terrorism. Hear some Indians in Israel talk about common interests.

Since Oct 7, relations between Israel and Taiwan have been growing fonder and stronger. The Taipei government has donated many thousands of dollars to Israeli causes, condemned Hamas and declared solidarity with Israel. Officials have even picked fruit on Israeli farms.

Israel’s influence in the oil & gas market is set to improve following the preliminary green light from Israel’s Energy Ministry to more than double exports of natural gas from the Leviathan field. Customers in Europe and the Far East prefer to import gas from Israel, rather than from Russia.

Sokndal, Norway (not to be confused with Sogndal) is possibly the most pro-Israel village in the world. The residents, primarily Christian, express their solidarity with Israel through an array of flags and symbols, reflecting a profound bond rooted in faith and shared values.

Israeli NGO Innovation: Africa, is celebrating a significant milestone. It has just opened the taps in the Nyamphanza Village in Zambia, bringing the number of people whose lives have been transformed with access to clean water, light and electricity since its inception in 2008 to more than 5 million people.

A new Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report shows Israel has the highest birth rate among the top 38 industrialized nations. Israel’s 2.9 is followed by Mexico and France at 1.8. South Korea has only 0.7. OECD birth rates have fallen 50% in the last 50 years.

If you don’t fancy living in Iceland then Israel is the best country to relocate to when you retire.  So says UK’s ConfidenceClub in its “Aging Gracefully Index,” of 39 countries, compiled after Oct 7. Its categories included health care, life expectancy, safety, and life satisfaction.