Israel Active

When an official from the Jewish Agency called the names of two Ukrainian women with the same surname waiting to fly to Israel, they discovered they had the same father. Valentina’s father had previously divorced Mariana’s mother. Both half-sisters have sons who have already made Aliyah.

Israeli NGO MyIsrael is publicizing the efforts of its 18 adopted charities to help refugees arriving in Israel from Ukraine. The first charity to be called upon is Animal Angels (HAMA) that is taking animals that have been rescued from abuse to unite them with traumatized Ukrainians.

100 children, ages 2-18, traveled more than 400 miles by bus from the northern Ukrainian city of Zhytomyr to Romania before flying to Israel, where they were greeted by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Refugees on another flight showed their delight on landing in Israel.

Jewish schoolteacher Chani Kochav Lev and her husband Eliezer fled Kyiv, Ukraine, just in time for their baby boy to be born safely at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

In the Israeli village of Kfar Chabad, dozens of Russian-speaking Chabad volunteers work in a high-tech crisis-management center. They use emergency hotlines to provide the Jews of Ukraine with food, evacuation, refugee aid, housing, or access to medical assistance.

The organizers of “Megillah in the Community” have scheduled more than 550 in-person group Purim readings of the Esther Megillah across Israel. The initiative will take place in community centers, public parks, hospitals and more, and geared to all ages and levels of Judaism.

President Herzog’s arrival at the historic Neve Shalom Istanbul synagogue was met with music and loud blasts of the shofar (ram’s horn). The President followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who visited the synagogue.

Dr. Michael Evans, founder of Friends of Zion, presented the Friends of Zion award to former US Vice President Mike Pence for his support for the State of Israel. The Jerusalem event was also attended by former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and former Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer.

On International Women’s Day this article celebrates the women who helped turn Israel into a flourishing country. Highlights include the Women’s Farm established in 1911; women of the Kibbutz movement; the world’s first women’s political party; and the largest proportion of female doctors.

Harold “Smoky” Simon who just passed away, close to his 102nd birthday, was one of the legendary founders of the Israeli Air Force. He flew a Bonanza aircraft, one week after arriving in Israel from South Africa in May 1948. After the War of Independence, he set up several squadrons.