Israel Active

184 new immigrants (Olim) made Aliyah from Ukraine on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. They landed in Israel on six separate flights financed by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

From 1948 - 67 the Jordanians blocked access to the Kotel (Western Wall) and banned Jews. After the Six-Day War, Shoah survivor Eliyahu helped turn the Kotel plaza into an open space for all. 52 years later, Israeli NGO Ezer Mizion fulfilled Eliyahu’s wish to see it again.

Portuguese Ana discovered her Jewish roots after meeting Israelis in Nepal and then visiting Israel. She then understood the reason for her family’s strange traditions as a descendant of Anusim – Jews forced to convert to Catholicism. Now as Hannah Eyal, she shares her story all over Israel.

9-year-old Belgian Laurent Simons has a degree in electrical engineering and an IQ of 147. Although not Jewish, he and his family have just asked Emmanual Nahshon, Israeli Ambassador in Brussels, for help so he can study biotechnology, medicine, and bioengineering in Israel.

Actor Kirk Douglas, who passed away last week at the age of 103, portrayed US Colonel Mickey Marcus in the movie Cast a Giant Shadow.” His donations to Israel included the Kirk Douglas Theater near the Western Wall and many Jerusalem playgrounds.

Israeli archaeologists have exposed a late 10th-early 9th century BCE Iron Age temple complex at Tel Motza, west of Jerusalem. It has similarities to King Solomon’s Temple and may be one of the sites that were abandoned when sacrificial services were centralized in Jerusalem.

The non-profit Passages organizes 9-day trips to Israel for 3,000 Christian college students each year. It teaches them about the roots of their faith and exposes them to modern Israel. Participants give post-trip talks to churches and write articles for local newspapers.

Israel’s up-and-coming music sensation, Noa Kirel, has just begun a two-year term in the IDF. She said, “I want to serve as an example for boys and girls to enlist.” A Rabbi told her parents to change her name from Noya to Noa as a baby, due to illness. He said it would enable her to move (“lanua”).

89-year-old Lila not only survived the Holocaust, she made it to Israel, where she raised a family and is now the proud grandmother of an Israeli Air Force pilot. In this touching video she watches as her grandson flies over her Israeli home.

Since its 2016 launch, Israel’s Elementor website builder for WordPress has had over 3 million installs in 180 countries. Orthodox Jewish co-founder Yoni Luksenberg has now returned the 20,000-shekel grant he received from incubator KamaTech so it can benefit new startups.