Israel Active

Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem, after the Six-Day War in June 1967. These photographs contrast pre-67 with post-67. This year, very few will celebrate outdoors. But, hopefully, next year will be different again.

The moment in history when in June 1967, Israel recaptured Jerusalem’s Old City.

The coronavirus is not preventing Israeli farmers from making the land more fruitful.  If you want to join in the spring planting, please click on the UWI link. Or just watch the video to hear from an Israeli farmer who has planted peach trees near the Gaza and Egypt borders.

A 132 CE “Freedom of Israel” coin dating back to the Bar Kochba revolt, was discovered between the Temple Mount and the City of David in Jerusalem. Of over 22,000 coins found in the area of the Old City in Jerusalem, only four are dated to the period of the Bar Kochba revolt.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous impact on the 18 charities that Myisrael supports. The elderly need virtual support, poor families need food, Ethiopian Israeli students need computers, cancer patients need transport and therapy horses need stabling. Please help if you can.

During the first ever visit by the Vizhnitzer Rebbe to the Israeli Prime Minister’s residence, the Rebbe praised the PM for his handling of the coronavirus crisis. “We see that in Eretz Yisrael we have a special siyata Dishamaya (protection from Above),” the Rebbe said.

A second rescue flight this month brought Israeli civilians from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Israel. Of the 89 passengers, there were 25 Olim (new immigrants). Meanwhile, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews worked for months to bring in 53 Olim from Ukraine and 44 from Uzbekistan and Georgia.

All-star Rose Bowl NFL running back Yosef (Calvin) Murray and his wife Emunah (Jeri) were both born Christian. They were youth pastors at a Messianic church but “got too Jewish”. They converted to Judaism through the Chabad, made Aliya and now live in Ma’aleh Adumin.

Israel saluted the diaspora by projecting the flags of countries that are home to Jewish communities hard hit by COVID-19 on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Minister of Diaspora Affairs Tzipi Hotovely said, “Israel sends a big hug to our brothers throughout the world”

Aliya organization Nefesh b’Nefesh received 455 Aliya applications from the US in April. Another 642 have downloaded and are working on their applications. Both numbers are 50% higher than in April 2019. Meanwhile, 18 American new Olim have just arrived in Israel, on a NbN group flight.