Israel Active

Shoah survivor Yisrael just celebrated his 100th birthday. He survived the Transnistria Ghetto and then fought with the Red Army against the Germans during World War II. Watch as IDF Home Front Command soldiers surprised him and enlisted him as an honorary IDF Officer.

Birthright Israel is resuming free trips to Israel in May for all eligible adults from the United States who are vaccinated or fully recovered from the coronavirus. Dozens of trips are expected in May and June with more than 400 tour groups planned for July, August and October.

A British archaeologist claims that “Solomon’s Hill” in Rio Tinto, Spain is where gold and silver were mined on King Solomon’s behalf. Isotope analysis shows ancient silver hoards found in Israel originated in Spain. There is also evidence that nearby Huelva is the biblical capital of Tarshish.

Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum, has opened a $3 million guesthouse in Jerusalem. It is intended for survivors of the Shoah to stay at, free of charge, when celebrating their long overdue Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem. 300 survivors have already registered.

104 Olim (new immigrants) from North America arrived this week at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, aged from four months to 98 years. 35 had joined the KKL-Nefesh B’Nefesh “Go Beyond” program, providing enhanced packages to those moving to Israel’s periphery and Jerusalem.

Archaeologists have discovered a 3,500-year-old inscription on a pottery sherd at the ancient town of Tel Lachish, about 40km from Jerusalem. It has been described as the “missing link” of early writing in the Southern Levant, which most, if not all, alphabetic scripts can be traced back to.

We Believe in Israel (WBII) and the Zionist Federation (ZF) are promoting Zionism month from Apr 19 – May 14. Its aim is to give a simple core understanding of Zionism to audiences outside the Jewish Community who have only heard the word Zionism used negatively by Israel’s enemies.

Heavy rain and low temperatures on the weekend of 10-11 April resulted in 15-20 cm of snow on Mount Hermon. Then on 19th Apr temperatures in the center of the country exceeded 40 degrees centigrade. Israel’s facemask regulations were relaxed just in time for citizens to catch their breath!

Gilad Avrahamoff, of the Yeshivat Bnei Akiva, Netanya won the World Bible Quiz for Youth 2021 in Jerusalem. He received his award from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education.

Chaim Luviner, escaped the Nazis and eventually arrived in Israel, where he served in the Israel Defense Forces’ Armored 7th Corps. Today, his 22-year-old grandson, Lt. Ran Shaked, serves as a team commander in the elite reconnaissance unit of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade.