Israel Active

Senator Lankford from Oklahoma knows the answer.

Israelis enjoyed a social-distancing concert on their balconies in an apartment block in Petah Tikva.  The song “BaShana haba’ah” has the lyrics “You will see. How good it will be. Next year.”

The 6,000-member Haredi community of Kiryat Yearim (Telz-Stone) was hit hard with coronavirus when an infected resident returned from France. Saving life is paramount, so the community enforced complete isolation on 2,000 residents. There are no recent cases.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and his wife Tammy have donated $50,000 to Leket Israel, the country’s largest food aid organization. It isn’t the first time the ambassador has helped an Israeli food bank

The Helmsley Charitable Trust announced an emergency grant of $11 million. It will be used to set up COVID-19 wards in 7 Israeli hospitals and to transform Hasharon Hospital into a dedicated COVID-19 facility.

Jews globally prayed virtually on Zoom to end the spread of COVID-19. The gathering, led by Israel’s Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzchak Yosef, is believed to be the largest joint prayer ever held. Meanwhile Jewish, Moslem and Christian leaders came together to pray in Jerusalem.

In a historic first, El Al flew a commercial flight directly from Israel to Australia to evacuate Israelis stranded due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 17-hour flight landed in Perth and took off several hours later. It carried 230 Israelis, including 80 who went to Perth from New Zealand.

Prayers for rain have worked. The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is at a 16-year high - just short of the upper red line. At that level, the Dganya Dam should be opened to prevent flooding. A little more rain is forecast, plus the melting snow from Mount Hermon should push it over the line.

Immigration to Israel continues despite the coronavirus pandemic. 961 immigrants have arrived in Israel since the beginning of March., They included 72 Ethiopian immigrants from the Falash Mura community.  All new immigrants have to spend their first 2 weeks in self-isolation.

Israel showed again that it doesn’t abandon its citizens. El Al planes have brought back 40 from Ghana, 600 from Ukraine (on 4 flights), including 160 mostly Arab-Israeli students from Odessa. Other missions include from Italy, Ethiopia, Thailand and Croatia.