Israel Active

One of the seven International Women of Courage 2025 awarded by the US State Department was Israel’s Amit Sousanna. Amit uses her voice to courageously advocate for survivors by using her own lived example to describe the trauma she suffered as a hostage of the October 7th attack.

The Brand auction house in Bnei Brak is auctioning a Jewish Brigade fighters’ Haggadah, and a Haganah Haggadah, both created for Passover 5708, weeks before Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948. Also a 1940 Kibbutz Shefayim Haggadah that refers to the Shoah.

As every year, the Western Wall in Jerusalem is being cleared out of the tens of thousands of prayers that have been inserted between the stones over the past year. These notes will be buried alongside unwanted or damaged sacred writings according to Jewish customs.

Jerusalem’s conference “Ambassadors of Truth” was focused on combatting Antisemitism. The speakers were many of the leading international defenders of Israel and although others boycotted the conference, it was still a great success.

An anonymous donor, through the Israeli Friends of MDA, has donated three ambulances in memory of Lucy, Maia, and Rina Dee, the wife and daughters of Rabbi Leo Dee who were murdered by terrorists on 7 Apr 2023. They will be used in Efrat, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

With a fund to be administered by the JFC-UIA organization, a total of $20 million will be invested in educational development in northern Israel, with a special focus on the Galilee region. This includes transforming Tel-Hai College into a university.

An Israeli Border Police training base received a portable synagogue with prayer books and a new Torah, ensuring officers have access to worship wherever they serve.

Rebecca Starr and Benjamin (Benji) Katz are among countless Diaspora Jews who immediately volunteered to join the war effort in Israel after Oct 7 2023. They met at the NGO Pitchon-Lev, which is providing aid to IDF soldiers and Oct 7 survivors. Rebecca and Benji are to be married in July.

Students from JNF-USA-supported Kiryat Shmona University have returned to clean up the battered city. And young educators from JNF-USA’s network of organizations including MAKOM (see previously) have relocated to Israel’s North and South to revive the communities.

Israel’s Knesset has approved a comprehensive recovery plan aimed at rebuilding communities located within 7 km. (4.3 miles) of the Gaza border that were severely impacted by the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023.