Israel Active

During Sukkot, Jerusalem was full of hope for the release of the hostages. The schools were on vacation so families were enjoying holiday activities.

After a 4-hour delay on a Delta Airlines flight from New York to Tel Aviv, two musicians led passengers in singing “Adon HaSelichot” and then “Am Yisrael Chai”.

Reminder - Marina Shear, wife of Newsletter subscriber Glen, can help any reader wishing to make Aliyah or purchase a property in Israel.  She has teams of English-speaking lawyers, mortgage brokers, builders, property managers, inspectors and designers. Read her guide and see her website for more details.

Another historical Jewish link to the Land – in the Golan Heights recaptured by Israel in the 1967 Six-day War. Excavations at the Yahudiya Nature Reserve revealed lintels and basalt columns of a 1,500-year-old synagogue – the 26th discovered in the Golan.

The IDF is reopening to the public, Zikim Beach, located near the Gaza border, on Oct. 16, marking the first time the area has been accessible since the start of the war two years ago. The IDF views the opening of the beach as an additional step in the rehabilitation of the area.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Prize has been awarded to the Mossad operatives involved in the “beepers” attack against Hezbollah, and the 12-day Operation Rising Lion war against Iran.

Israelis used to speak about the day when we’d be eating hummus in Damascus as a longed-for era of peace. We’re now eating kosher hummus in Damascus, says Mendy Chitrik, the Safed-born rabbi of Turkey’s Ashkenazi community and the chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.

Israel is the only country in the world where the superfood Mankai (see previously) is grown commercially. So it was vital that the man managing the Mankai at Kibbutz Be’eri returned two days after the Hamas 7 Oct 2023 invasion. Otherwise it might have disappeared from the world.

More about the 3-year initiative to rehabilitate and redesign 32 early childhood educational centers of excellence for ages 3–6 across the Gaza Envelope and northern Israel. (See previously)

After Izhar Shay lost his son on 7 Oct 2023, he launched “Next October” to support early-stage businesses that agree to commemorate one of the approximately 2,000 people, killed on 7 Oct and in the ensuing war, in perpetuity. In two years, the project has enlisted 450 startups.