Israel Active

A rare silver half-shekel was discovered at the entrance to a Judean desert cave near Ein Gedi. It has been dated to 66-67 C.E. - the time of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans. The words "Holy Jerusalem" are inscribed in ancient Hebrew script on one side of the coin.

Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center delivered a record seven pairs of twins (14 healthy babies) in a single 24-hour period between July 12 and 13. The previous record was five sets of twins. Shaare Zedek is Israel’s busiest maternity hospital, with more than 22,000 births every year.

A highly trained team of divers and archaeologists have been using sand dredgers to excavate relics from 3,000 years ago off the Israeli coast near Dor Beach some 40km north of Netanya. Two shipwrecks from 500-1000 BCE provide a glimpse of Biblical maritime trade.

Tel Aviv has the highest percentage of vegans per capita in the world. Now, Rabbi Avika Gersh (also known as “the Vegan Rabbi”) has launched vegan matchmaking. He managed the speed dating event at the recent Vegan Fest in Tel Aviv, in which 240 vegans participated.

The Augmented Reality app Kotel AR has been launched by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. It overlays the view of the Western Wall with how it would look at the same location 2,000 years ago. It can be downloaded free on Android and Apple devices.

Israel is to spend NIS 250 million developing and reconstructing sites in Jerusalem’s Old City Jewish Quarter over the next 5 years. It will include funds for the Tifaret Israel Synagogue, the Wall Elevator, the Broad Wall, the Davidson Center, and the Cardo complex, plus tours, events, and shows.

Israel has an organization Magen Dvorim Adom or Bees Red Shield. They will rescue (for free) any swarm of bees – such as one that settled on the car of ISRAEL21c Editor Nicky Blackburn. The bees are then relocated to bee farms. In the Land of Milk & Honey, Magen Dvorim Adom is always a “hive” of activity!

Mike Fegelman, Executive Director for HonestReporting Canada, describes his background and how tactics have changed over the years in the battle to defend Israel in the media.

A group of 130 Olim (new immigrants) from Ethiopia arrived in Israel. It marks the end of the first and second phases of Operation Tzur Israel which has brought 5,000 new Olim from Ethiopia to be re-united with their families on 18 special flights coordinated by the Jewish Agency.

An up-to-date article on the biblical mosaic scenes excavated at the site of the 1,600-year-old synagogue at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village in Israel’s Lower Galilee (see previously).