Israel Active

Around 160 pastors from the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition (HILC) went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington to “strategize practical ways to help the Jewish state”, and to “witness for themselves the great miracles that God has wrought, just as the Bible promised." =

A group of American Jews were visiting Mount Herzl where many young Israeli soldiers are buried.  Their Rabbi explained how devastating it is for parents to lose a child. Then they came across the mother of fallen soldier Erez Deri and her story inspired them into action.

Benjamin Barmeyer of Texas, 22, of Native American descent, is among the diverse pool of young people from abroad who have chosen to join the Israel Defense Forces.

While a top-quality Jewish education in Israel typically costs around $1000 per year, day school tuition in the US is a lot more – many over $30,000 per child.       It’s enough to make you want to go on Aliya.

Israel is launching an annual NIS 150,000 prize for research into the history of the 850,000 Jews that fled Arab lands and Iran and settled in the newly founded State of Israel. It will be awarded on Nov 30 – the day after the UN 1947 partition plan that triggered the mass exodus.

A quirky, humorous video summary of the various civilizations that have laid claim to the Land of Israel.

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem is displaying artifacts from a 3000-year-old two-gated city in an exhibit called “In the Valley of David and Goliath”.  Archeologists identify it as possibly Sha'arayim ('two gates' in Hebrew), mentioned in the story of David and Goliath.

Archaeologists from Israel and Malta have unearthed a first century CE workshop in the Galilee that produced stone vessels. It is evidence of Jewish communities that used vessels made of stone to avoid religious restrictions associated with using pottery.

Shimon Peres who died on Wednesday, urged Israel to embrace innovation, given the lack of natural resources in the land of milk and honey. Irrespective of his politics, he was unequivocally respected for his unending energy, optimism and inquisitiveness. He believed that anything could be achieved if you really tried.

Chabad set a new world record by getting 262 men to put on tefillin in 10 hours.  The fact that this was achieved in the “secular” city of Tel Aviv is even more amazing.