Israel Active

I reported previously that Jenna and Gil Lewinsky, an Israeli couple in Vancouver, were raising Jacob sheep (mentioned in Genesis) for returning to the land of their ancestors. Now the first 3 of 11 flights carrying the sheep have arrived in Israel on 28th Heshvan – the day that Noah came out of the ark.

Many Israelis opened their homes to the thousands of Israeli citizens who had to escape from the devastating November fires.  Volunteers calling the Haifa Municipality were told to “get in line” because so many had offered to host fleeing residents.

In 2014 Tel Aviv University archaeologists found an ancient gatehouse complex in the Negev Desert. Remains of the stables and other artifacts in one of the largest copper smelting camps in Timna Valley have now been dated as 3,000 years old - the time of Kings David and Solomon.

International Volunteer Day on Dec 5 is always well-supported in Israel.  Israel Central Bureau of Statistics published the volunteer data for 2015. Last year, 1.1 million Israelis volunteered - 21% of adults age 20 to 64 and 16% of those 65 and older.

Israeli archaeologists have found a bronze coin from the Hasmonean era, during conservation work on the Tower of David in Jerusalem after recent storms. The coin bears the head of Antiochus 1V Epiphanes – the Syrian-Greek ruler of Judah who was defeated by the Maccabees in 168 BCE.

Hikers exploring a water cistern in the Judean hills discovered a rare engraving of a seven-branch menorah in the chalk bedrock walls.  It has a base with three feet, portraying the menorah that stood in the Jerusalem Temple during the Second Temple period.  

A 2,100-year-old stone bowl engraved with a rare Hebrew inscription – “Hyrcanus” - dating to the Hasmonean period was discovered during excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Givʽati Parking Lot at Jerusalem’s City of David.  Hyrcanus was a common name of the time.

Yehuda Kaplan, the curator of the Bible Lands Museum, explained to Arutz Sheva the significance of an ancient city which was unearthed in the Elah Valley near Beit Shemesh.  The city is over 3,000 years old, and is one of the oldest known urban centers to use sophisticated Judean architecture.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a unique clay figure, mounted atop a ceramic vessel, in the central Israel town of Yehud. The head of the figure rests on its hand as if in a state of reflection, similar to the pose of the famous 19th century sculpture “The Thinker” by Rodin.

International pro-Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs has an Israel Education Center in the heart of Jerusalem.  The center features up-to-date information and resources for visitors, sessions and tours to counter misinformation about Israel.