Israel Active

Former US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and his family donated a mini-lance (mini-ambulance) emergency response vehicle to Israel’s United Hatzalah. He requested that will be specifically driven by a female Arab volunteer and deployed in eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

Operation Hug (see previously) has now brought over 1,000 parents from over 50 different countries to visit their children who are lone soldiers serving in the IDF. Thanks to Nefesh B'Nefesh, JNF-USA, and FIDF (Friends of the IDF).  Watch some of the recent reunions here.

Israeli Doctors in America, together with the Israeli Ministry of Health and Israel’s Economic Mission to the USA – East Coast, have launched the IL-USDocAID Initiative. It brings US medical professionals to work either in Israeli hospitals or with Magen David Adom.

IDF reservist Itay returned to Israel on an overbooked El Al flight from Bangkok with a seat in a washroom. The other 14 washrooms also seated IDF reservists, plus 10 in the cockpit and elsewhere. Luckily, he had a pre-flight massage. Two days later he was dodging terrorist bullets in Huwara, near Nablus.

An extremely rare stone box, dating back to Jerusalem’s 2nd Temple, was found on the Pilgramage Road in Jerusalem’s City of David. Stone vessels cannot become impure and were often used in Temple times. The box’s burnt exterior fits with Jerusalem’s 70 CE destruction by the Romans.

Israel’s National airline El Al is granting free tickets to various destinations in Europe, to IDF soldiers who have completed 30 days reserve duty since the outbreak of the war. In addition, they will have priority in boarding flights and be thanked in an announcement on the plane at the beginning of each flight.

Rabbi Doron Perez of Mizrachi describes how Fri Feb 23 is Purim Katan – the day when miracles happen. Like us all he prays that all Israeli hostages are freed – including his son!

Since Oct 7, thousands of Jews from the Diaspora have boarded El-Al planes to show their love and solidarity by volunteering in Israel. They include from Masa Israel Journey, Taglit-Birthright Israel, and Operation Hug. El Al supports these volunteer programs by subsidizing ticket costs.

Bedouin Arab Abu Ar’ar was born in the Gaza Strip, so wasn’t Israeli. On Oct 7, he hid as Hamas terrorists murdered his wife. He heard them planning an ambush on nearby IDF soldiers and went to warn them, saving their lives. His reward - permanent residency in Israel.

An IDF paratrooper has found a bag in an Arab house in Khan Younis in Gaza. It was a souvenir from a Chabad conference of teachers (Kinus Mechanchim) held in Gush Katif over 25 years ago. The paratrooper gave the bag to his uncle, Rabbi Kirshenzaft - the shliach of Gush Katif at that time.