Israel Active

Jacob has added 12 videos to his site describing the history of the State of Israel.

In what has been hailed as “Aliyah super week” by the Jewish Agency for Israel, 500 new immigrants from over 20 countries arrived in Israel in just 7 days. And immigration from North America has reached 1,100 this year with dozens more groups arriving in August.

Shaheen Chishti is a Muslim activist who educates about the Shoah and Israel in Urdu – a language spoken by 600 million Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and elsewhere. He stresses the need to think of Israel in terms of building partnerships for business and for education.

The Israeli government is partnering with Herzog College to create a Jewish education network that will liaise with all 1,500 Jewish schools around the world.  The $12 million initiative will connect Jewish children and establish international frameworks for dialogue between educators.

Lucia Abealar advanced to the next round of “Got Talent Uruguay” after impressing all four judges with her performance of Hatikva - Israel’s national anthem. Lucia translated the lyrics and one of the judges said, “‘To be a free nation in our land’ - That is something that touches each of us.”

Archeological finds at Tel Tsaf in Israel’s Beit She’an Valley included 150 clay seal impressions (bulla). Analysis of the bulla and other items at the site provided unique evidence of long-distance trade in the Southern Levant over 7,000 years ago - predating the development of written language.

An intact chicken egg dating back 1,000 years has been discovered by Israeli archaeologists at a site in Yavne. Whole chicken eggs are rare and this one was cracked during its extraction.  Experts say poultry farming was introduced in Israel 2,300 years ago, during the Hellenistic and Early Roman periods.

American NGO Passages has restarted its tours that connect Christian students with modern State of Israel. The program plans to bring 1,000-plus American students to Israel by the end of 2021, and 3,000 by the summer of 2022. Since 2016 Passages has brought 8,000 US students to Israel.

The buildings and streets of Jerusalem are in a state of flux. Reasons include preparing for a new President, the Israel Festival, summer activities for children, building a new business park, wedding ceremonies, preparing for tourists and pomegranates forming on trees along the streets.

Here is a recording of the webinar “The Tower of David Museum - A Window into the Past, Present and Future of Jerusalem” organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL). Its $40 million refurbishment transforms the museum into a “Must See” site during your next visit to Jerusalem.