Judea rediscovered
University of Haifa researchers have discovered a massive rectangular stone inscribed with the name Gargilius Antiques, and states that he was Rome’s Prefect of Judea. He ruled during the period leading up to the outbreak of the Bar Kochva revolt in 131 CE. Later, the Romans renamed Judea “Palaestina”.
Winter finally arrives
After many prayers, Israel has had a few consecutive rainy days. There was even snow on Mount Hermon. It may be connected to this editor’s visit to the Bob Dylan exhibition at Tel Aviv’s Diaspora Museum where he heard “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”, “Blowing in the Wind” and “A Hard Rain’s Going to Fall”.
A Muslim woman at the Kotel
Let’s hope that this kind of video helps bring a new perspective to the conflicts at this holy site.
Haredi schools are going green
Jerusalem Municipality and non-profit Leshomra, have launched the “Our Garden” education program in 20 Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) schools. Based on Torah values, it teaches core environmental concepts, such as not littering, recycling, composting, and water conservation, as the children plant, tend and harvest vegetables in their own schoolyard mini-farm.
Waze for Graves
Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services is working on a project to make it easier to locate graves a person might be looking for. They are calling it the Waze of cemeteries.
Another Israeli bus driver story
More anecdotal evidence of Jewish values exhibited by some Israeli transportation employees.
Egged bus driver stops at nothing to save a life
Haifa Egged bus driver Ro’e Levy turned his #40 bus filled with passengers into an ambulance after a woman passenger lost consciousness and collapsed. He closed the doors and ‘flew’ to Rambam Hospital. Doctors said Levy’s actions saved the 43-year-old patient’s life.
Record number of Brazilians making Aliya
700 new immigrants are scheduled to arrive in Israel from Brazil in 2016 - a 45-year record and over three times the annual average. Better economic prospects is a main reason. Since Israel’s establishment, more than 15,000 Brazilian Jews have immigrated to Israel.
Customer finds and returns lost savings to Eritrean worker
Eritrean employee of the Bet Shemesh Osher Ad supermarket, Barak Tofsei, lost the $4700 he had saved up for his future wedding. A customer in Osher Ad found the packet of money, and together with the security supervisor traced the owner. He refused a reward.
Forget those aches and pains
One of the services that the charity Ezer Mizion provides to some of its 660,000 “customers” is its program for the elderly with depression. It relieves not just the patient, but sometimes also the volunteer caregiver – as this example shows.