Israel Active

Israel has delivered to the UAE its first shipment of products from Samaria – the Biblical region recaptured by Israel during the 1967 Six-day War. They included olive oil from the Tura Winery in Rechelim, and honey from Paradise Honey in Hermesh.

Avraham – a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT - managed to persuade a young man from committing suicide in the mixed Jewish-Arab Israeli city of Ramle. The story is worth reading for the amazing sequence of coincidences in this real-life drama.

Israel’s bobsled teams of Jewish AJ Edelman and his Israeli Druze teammates do not expect a medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics. “We have no relevance other than the fact that we wear the Israeli flag…and so because of that, it’s an honor unparalleled that you can never repay.”

This article highlights the relief felt by many of the 1.2 million Israelis that have been recently inoculated against Covid-19 with the Pfizer vaccine. They are now looking forward to their second doses after 3 weeks.

Rabbi Mike Schultz is spiritual care chief at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center. With so many Israeli Muslim Arab coronavirus patients, he and his team of 19 Jews, Muslims and Christians helps them with non-health issues, including hopes, dreams, family, community and religion.

A recent survey conducted by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics illustrates the adage that “money can’t buy happiness.” Even though residents of central Israel are more affluent and had a higher standard of living, those in the periphery reported much lower levels of loneliness and depression.

Some 20,000 olim (new immigrants) arrived in Israel during 2020. They came from 70 different countries and despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the new citizens emigrated from the former Soviet Union, 2,550 from the US and 2,220 from France.

The Arab delegation from the UAE and Bahrain in Israel this month visited historical and cultural sites in Israel. It was chaperoned by a new Israeli organization Sharaka (Arabic for “cooperation” or “partnership”). The delegation expressed its thanks for making them “feel like family members at home”.

Israeli charity Livnot U’Lehibanot (“to build and to be built”) is celebrating its 40th birthday. The organization (reported previously) provides immersive Israel programs for young English-speaking Jews, combining hikes, volunteering, and “learning about Jewish spirituality through the lens of nature.”

Jonathan Pollard was a controversial figure, but most Israelis were pleased to see him come home. Together with Israel’s Prime Minister, he recited the Shehechiyanu blessing for auspicious events.