Israel Active

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.

The ADI Negev Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village in southern Israel held a special early Purim celebration for children with disabilities. The children’s specially designed Purim costumes were made thanks to volunteers with the Israeli nonprofit TOM - Tikkun Olam Makers.

Many of the 200,000 Ukrainian citizens eligible to immigrate under Israel’s law of return will be transported to Israel, thanks to funding from The Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and other global donors. Israel also rescued 100 Jewish orphans and is bringing them to Israel.

In Dec 2021, Israel’s largest health support organization Ezer Mizion facilitated transplants that saved 32 lives in 10 countries.  Nearly 400 lives were saved in 2021.  Over 1.1 million donors are now registered in the world’s largest Jewish bone marrow registry database.