Israel Active

Last year I included a long video featuring a selection of the residents of Jerusalem, capital city of Israel.  It showed that despite their different faiths and different levels of religiosity, they all get along with each other.  This version says it all, in just two-and-a-half-minutes.

A list of events to mark the 51st anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.  If you hurry, you might just be able to make it to some of them. Also, see how Jerusalem has grown in the last 10 years.

The life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is celebrated on Lag B’Omer. His mentor Rabbi Akiva supported Bar Kochba in his 134-136 CE revolt against Roman occupation of Judea. So, it was apt that this year on Lag B’Omer, archaeologists found a coin minted by Bar Kochba’s supporters.

Jerusalem Municipality workers (including the Mayor) have been putting up new street signs in Hebrew, Arabic and English, directing travelers to the new US embassy.  Note that the last sentence in the video commentary is wrong - many other countries are moving their embassies to Jerusalem.

Writer Joseph Puder puts Israel’s last 70 years into context. He highlights the revival of the Hebrew language, population and infrastructure growth, cultural integration, its transformation into a technological powerhouse and associated economic success.

The world is still celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday.  This video was made by UK ex-Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, to mark the event.

Bar-Ilan University has inaugurated a new Impact Center for Research on Judaism in Israel and North America (RJIN). Headed by Prof. Adam Ferziger, the new center aims to develop models to improve relations between Jews in Israel and America. It includes a think tank and an MA program.

Although it isn’t official yet, the Central American state of Guatemala has become the first country to physically relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.  The Guatemalan flag was seen flying high in the sky above the Malha Technology Park in the Israeli capital, its new location. The official opening is May 14.

Five young women from the ancient Chinese-Jewish community of Kaifeng underwent formal conversion in an emotional ceremony at the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court. The five made Aliyah in Feb 2016 via the nonprofit Shavei Israel, which supported them afterwards.

The Dead Sea Scrolls digitization project has used advanced imaging technology developed for NASA to reveal script invisible to the human eye. New fragments were discovered and identified from the books of Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Psalms, Jubilees and the Temple Scroll.