Israel Active

Rabbi Yosef Garmon was warned by many to take off his skullcap when visiting Somaliland, but when he reached Hargeisa, the rabbi was greeted by crowds yelling “Am Yisrael Chai,” (“The Jewish People Live)”. And read what Somaliland’s envoy to the USA, and Israeli journalists say.

National Party’s Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ Presidential election. He is the son of Christian Arabs who emigrated from British mandate Palestine in the 1940s. Asfura told Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar that he wished to strengthen ties with Israel.

A delegation from Chile recently visited Israel for the first time. It included Ivan Enrique Pardes Pichinao, the President of the indigenous Kupal Pichinao Mapuche community. They were also persecuted by the Spanish as heretics in the late 15th century and now share a spiritual bond with Israel.

Israel, Greece, and Cyprus have signed a new trilateral military cooperation work plan for 2026, further deepening security ties among the three eastern Mediterranean partners. It includes joint military exercises and training, working groups across multiple domains, and ongoing strategic dialogue.

537 men from the ultra-Orthodox sector enlisted in the Dec-Jan cohort for haredi tracks in the army, many  joining IDF combat units.  Others have enrolled in a course incepted by the Ma'alot Tzur association, to be trained as IDF welfare officers, and serve soldiers from the haredi community.

Sharon took a tour from Jerusalem to the Western Galilee. Her photos show how this season is peacefully and respectfully celebrated in Israel by members of different faiths. And (TY Hazel) the Jerusalem Municipality again distributed free Christmas trees to the city’s Christian residents.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Israel’s Ethiopian community totaled 177,600 people in 2024. Of those, 53% were born in Ethiopia, and 47% are Israeli-born. Netanya has the largest population - 13,300. 57.7% of students went on to study at university, more than the general population.

Nuseir Yassin, better known as NAS Daily (see previously), continues to make thousands of entertaining videos about Israel. In this video he reveals the name of the country with the most billion-dollar startups per capita.  I bet you can guess which country that is!

At the Bethel Church, House of God in Anaheim, Calif., some 100 evangelical Latinos and their pastors gathered to express solidarity with Israel and launched La Iglesia a Favor de Israel - a new Zionist nonprofit targeting Spanish speakers.

Polyphony’s Liturgical Festival Dec (18-20), which had to relocate to Jerusalem last year, returned to its home city, Nazareth. Nazareth’s Polyphony Association has a vision of dissolving barriers between religions and cultures in Israel through musical education and projects.