Israel Active

400 Torah scrolls are being safeguarded at an IDF military base. Some are 750 years old, written on thicker parchment than today. Many have interesting histories – one is called “The Prisoner”, as it was captured by Egypt in 1973 and “released” in 2000.

Shira Ish-Ran, who was shot by terrorists in 2018, has now obtained the B.Ed degree she was studying for at the time. Although she lost her unborn baby in the attack, she said, “I love the nation of Israel much more than ever, and I want to raise people who appreciate this nation…”

13-year-old cancer patient Eyal underwent a successful bone marrow transplant. In gratitude for the donation of stem cells, Eyal donated his Nintendo to another patient, bringing joy to both children.

Ari and Ron, twin 18-year-old brothers from New York, made Aliyah recently with Nefesh B'Nefesh. They applied to join the Navy at the highest possible level and were drafted into the prestigious “Shayetet 13” unit of the Naval Brigade.

Accompanying US President Biden on his Israel trip is Anne Neuberger. She is an orthodox Jew from Brooklyn New York. Granddaughter of Shoah survivors, she speaks Hebrew, Arabic, and Yiddish (and English!). Her parents were rescued by Israelis at Entebbe in 1976 – the year she was born!

An exhibit at Jerusalem’s Israel Museum uses Virtual Reality (VR) to “rebuild” the Aleppo synagogue, destroyed by the Syrians. The exhibit was only possible thanks to the 50 photos smuggled out by Sarah Shammah, a young Syrian Jew, on the last plane to Israel from Beirut in 1947.

When Israel’s Ida Kleinman passed away in 2010, aged 91, she was determined not to take her famous recipe for nut cake to the grave.  She gave instructions to have it engraved on her tombstone. Now visitors to Rehovot Cemetery can view it anytime, or alternatively at these on-line sites.

David Harris’s potted history of the Jewish State is simply earth-shattering.

A 40-member delegation of young Muslim community leaders from France and Belgium visited Israel recently. They were led by French Imam Hassen Chalghoumi. The participants said they saw real Israelis and not the stereotypes they had been told about back home.

Designing new buildings in Jerusalem is unlike building in any other city in the world. This article describes the new entrance pavilion at the Tower of David Museum, the Davidson Museum at the Western Wall, and the National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers on Mount Herzl.