Arguments for the sake of Heaven
The Bible Study meeting at the Jerusalem residence of Israel’s President was entitled “The Power of Disagreement and the Culture of Discourse”. President Rivlin said “I believe in the strength of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and so I have no doubt that argument will flourish.”
Israel railways finds wedding cash
When French tourists lost a bundle of 4,200 euros on Israel railways, staff launched an extensive search operation, locating the money at the station where the couple had boarded. The couple were delighted - the money being a wedding present for their grandson, a new Oleh living in Netanya.
Chabad shul’s 3-minute lifesavers
When Eli Beer of Israeli Emergency Medical Service United Hatzalah spoke about his organization at the Village Shul (Chabad) of Hampstead, UK, he emphasized that a 3-minute response time was vital. Three minutes later, the community had raised £54,000 for the paramedic service.
Weird ways Israel won its Independence
While modern-day Israel is a force to be reckoned with, in its early days, its military might was pretty much non-existent. See the history of the Davidka, Soda bottle bombs and the Burma Road. And Israeli chutzpah!
Birthright is still growing
The Taglit-Birthright program in 2018 brought a record 48,000-plus young Jews from 67 countries to see Israel for the first time. In total 650,000 Jews have had the 10-day Birthright experience, and now Birthright is piloting 7-day tours for young adults aged 27 to 32.
How Israel got into space
In 1961 the US-Russian space race was in full swing. Meanwhile, German scientists were helping Egypt build missiles to attack Israel. So Israeli PM David Ben Gurion ordered Rafael (Israel’s armaments authority) to demonstrate Israel’s capabilities by building Israel’s first rocket into space.
Shared taxis are a vehicle for kindness
Israel’s monit sherut is a shared 10-seater taxi alternative to the bus. Fares and change are passed between passengers and the driver. Strangers converse, visitors receive directions, and the elderly give advice to the young. The sherut provides positive shared experiences.
Bar Kochba “freedom” coin discovered
Winter rains in Israel’s Lachish region literally “unearthed” a rare 133 or 134 CE Jewish coin from the time of the Bar Kochba revolt. On one side is Shimon - Bar Kochba’s first name - in ancient Hebrew. On the flip side the inscription means “the second year to the freedom of Israel”.
The first El Al flight to Entebbe
An El Al Israel Airline flight has brought Israeli tourists to Uganda’s Entebbe airport for the first time since the IDF’s historic rescue of Israeli hostages on 4th July 1976. Some 250 Israeli nationals flew to the African country for a three-day visit.
The earliest images of Jerusalem
In 1844, French architectural historian Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey toured the Middle East and took 1000 daguerreotypes (a type of photograph) including 12 of the earliest surviving images of Jerusalem. The photographs are being exhibited in New York and Philadelphia.