Israel Active

Israel Elwyn (see previously) has just opened a $7 million day center in Herzliya for people with disabilities aged 21 and over requiring constant comprehensive support. It is funded by the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, Bituach Leumi, and the Shalem Fund.

30 women leaders, from or with roots across the Middle East and North Africa, met in Tel Aviv for the inaugural Women Champions for Change summit. Israelis, Lebanese, Iranian, Tunisians, Saudis, Afghans, Moroccans, Emiratis, and Iraqis, discussed collaborating on social change.

Beit Issie Shapiro in Raanana has inaugurated Beit Raz, an inclusive early-childhood campus designed to integrate toddlers with and without disabilities from birth to age 3. And already, Beit Raz is to host professionals from UK Jewish children and families charity, Norwood – the UK’s oldest Jewish charity.

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, together with Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar, opened Fiji's embassy in Jerusalem - Israel's capital. Fiji joins the USA, Guatemala, Kosovo, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay. Argentina will hopefully be next.

12 Rwandan Muslim religious leaders arrived in Israel for a six-day visit. The group, including two women, toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque, an Israeli-Arab community, a Bedouin village, and the mixed Israeli city of Jaffa, as well as some of the sites devastated by Hamas on 7 Oct 2023.

Israeli NGO Tevel b’Tzedek (see previously) has developed a model for transforming village economies by comprehensively addressing their challenges. It improves access to water, seeds, fertilizer, agricultural knowledge, a way to store harvests and to bring them to market together.

The UK Ministry of Defence (who trained me in 1975) has banned training Israelis (see & ). In contrast, the United States and Israeli Air Forces are totally aligned. They recently concluded a weeklong strategic forum focused on strengthening operational cooperation and joint planning.

Three Israeli Druze studying at Herzliya’s Reichman University are using their academic skills to raise awareness of the desperate plight of the Druze in Syria. Together they study cognitive psycholinguistics, leadership, and public diplomacy. A formidable trio.

The Israeli President’s Volunteer Awards were established in 1974 by President Ephraim Katzir. They include both organizations and individuals. In 2025 / 5785, some of the celebrants were not even human, and may not have volunteered, but they seemed very happy to be there!

Israel formally reopened its embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, after a gap of more than half a century. Zambia opened its embassy in Israel in 2015 (see previously) after a gap of 40 years. Meanwhile, Israel’s Save A Child’s Heart and AJC donated a $200,000 heart-lung machine to Zambia.