Israel Active

Researchers in the USA and at Tel Aviv University have produced genetic proof of the Jewish roots of the Bene Israel community from western India. 70,000 Bene Israel made Aliya and always considered themselves descendants of 14 Jews who were shipwrecked on the Indian shore.

With Israeli temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius the animals at Ramat Gan safari park keep their cool in various ways.  Some manage by themselves, whilst others need help.

Israel’s Bryan Meadan produces gluten-free beer made from chickpeas and buckwheat all year round.  But for the Jewish festival of Passover he brings out a date ale which is certified Kosher for Passover by Badatz Beit Yosef.  (3rd link is to a USA site that brews KfP honey beer.)

Jerusalem Post’s Barbara Sofer lists 68 reasons to be proud of Israel as it celebrates its 68th Independence Day.  And an article showing how Israelis journey from Yom HaShoah to Yom Ha’Atzmaut.

I reported previously that Christian leader Father Gabriel Naddaf will light a torch at the Israeli Independence Day torch ceremony. Other honorees include the widow of Israel’s first astronaut, a deaf Holocaust survivor, a Nepal aid worker, IDF soldiers and everyday heroes.

As part of their holiday series, Technion students have built something special for Israel’s Independence Day - the world’s most Zionist robot.

JNF Missions are experiences unlike any other. In addition to visiting many of the cultural, religious and historical highlights of Israel, JNF Missions transcend the boundaries of a standard trip and provide participants with a deeper connection to the land and people of Israel.

There are six winners of the Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize for 2016. The award recognizes outstanding Anglo Olim - veteran and recent - who encapsulate the spirit of modern-day Zionism by contributing in a significant way towards the State of Israel.

Noah Helfstein from New York has donated all his Bar-Mitzvah money, $76,000, to bring the first-ever "Maker Bus" - a mobile technology lab - to less fortunate children throughout Israel. The advanced 3D printer on the bus allows the production of almost any object.

A birdwatcher at Tel Dor on Israel’s Carmel Coast has found a rare scarab seal of a senior Egyptian official of the Thirteenth Pharaonic Dynasty (the 18th-17th centuries BCE).  It has the phrase “overseer the treasury” – the position occupied by the Biblical Joseph after he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams.