Israel Active

Israel has offered Lebanon medical and humanitarian assistance in the wake of the blast at Beirut port. Even the & reported this. Israeli doctors and citizens sent messages of support and Israeli hospitals are on standby to receive wounded. Israel Flying Aid is raising funds for supplies.

140 Olim (immigrants) from France have just arrived in Israel thanks to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. They included medical and hi-tech professionals and many who suffered from anti-Semitism in France. Also, see the World Zionist Org’s plans for 50,000+ French Olim.

12 years ago, a United Hatzalah paramedic saved Yaakov Bar Yochai’s life after he almost drowned in Eilat. It inspired Yaakov to also become a paramedic, but he was sad that he could not find and thank the person who saved him. 12 years later, Yaakov finally found Meir Hajbi.

When Jerusalem burned on the 9th Av 586 BCE, the intense heat realigned magnetic material in the floor of a building being excavated in the City of David. Yoav Vaknin of Tel Aviv University has been able to measure the Earth’s magnetic field on the day the 1st Temple was destroyed.

Eli Beer, CEO of Israeli NGO United Hatzalah has just donated blood plasma to help Covid-19 patients recover. Eli almost died after contracting Covid-19. The doctors at Hadassah Medical Center said that his blood was particularly high in antibodies. Eli is also running to raise funds on Aug 16 (see video).

The Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation, based in Montreal, Canada, has launched a scholarship program to support Israeli graduate students of Ethiopian descent, in partnership with Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Readers may remember that last week I asked for suggestions for expanding the Abbreviation for the Jewish State. The winner (TY Pamela) is: Innovation, Survival, Righteousness, Antiquities, Eternity and Loyalty

Thanks to Hazel and our friend, Israel’s Samuel Green (a.k.a. Antithesis) for this excellent blog and rap in response to Wiley, the “Godfather of Grime”, who went on a wild antisemitic rant on Twitter.

Since March, 140 Brazilian Jews have immigrated to Israel. Another 2,400 recently attended an online Aliya fair, organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel. In June, the Jewish Agency opened files for 632 Jews in Latin America – twice the number of June 2019.

Israel is approving entry visas for foreign students planning to study in gap-year programs, including at yeshivahs and seminaries. In a typical year, more than 12,000 yeshivah and seminary students arrive in Israel from aboard to study individually or to take part in organized programs.