Israel Active

An Israeli business owner won the NIS 80 million jackpot on the Israel lottery with the first ticket he ever bought. When he heard of his win he still went to work, only collecting his prize after finishing work. He said he already had everything he needed, but it was great that his children’s futures are now assured.

An old photograph started Suzanne Hecker on a 25-year quest to find family members. Thanks to Yad Vashem, a Jewish Genealogy site and a school project, it culminated in a reunion in Israel with over 30 cousins.

A new initiative has just been launched to train key influencers in countering antisemites, especially those who hate and demonize Israel as the State of Jewish people. The ProZ course is designed to empower young people who want to defend Israel on social media.

Israeli archaeologists thought they were unearthing a Persian era building in Jerusalem’s City of David. Then they reached the floor of the building and saw on it a crushed vessel that dated from the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The Chabad youth movement in Israel has expanded its “Get Chesed” program. Teens and university students volunteer for weekly visits to thousands of survivors and other elderly Israelis, helping to distribute food packages, run errands, and spend time to help ease their loneliness.

Israeli charity Leket’s 2021 achievements include salvaging 25 million kg of unwanted crops from 600 farmers to feed over 55,000 poor families. They and their partners also rescued over 1.3 million surplus hot meals to deliver to the needy. 18,000 volunteers helped in this life-preserving work.

Marc Chagall’s stained-glass windows at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center were dedicated on 6th Feb 1962. Chagall said on that day, “This is my modest gift to the Jewish people who have always dreamt of biblical love, friendship and peace among all peoples.”

When the on-call surgeon at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital got stuck in the recent snowstorm, the Department director stepped in to save the life of a 3-year-old toddler. And volunteers from Israeli NGO United Hatzalah came in an emergency all-terrain vehicle to rescue a bride and groom stranded by the snow.

Hadera police awarded certificates to volunteers from the Israel Dog Unit (IDU), for helping save the life of 84-year-old Pavel who went missing in nearby Or Akiva. The orthodox Jewish team, with Tess the dog, located Pavel on Shabbat morning and summoned the emergency services to save him.

The Kosovo Embassy in Jerusalem hosted a commemorative event for International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Kosovo’s Ambassador to Israel, Ines Demiri, is Jewish. Kosovo is 95% Muslim, and Muslim Albanian-Kosovars rescued many Jews from the Shoah.