Israel Active

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.

Tel Aviv University researchers have discerned that literacy during the First Temple period existed throughout all levels of the administrative, military and priestly systems of the Kingdom of Judah.  16 ancient Hebrew inscriptions unearthed in Arad were written by at least six authors.

Remnants of one of the world’s oldest surviving Passover haggadahs (text of the Passover seder service) discovered in the Cairo Genizah, are currently on display at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. The haggadah, hand-scribed on parchment, dates from the 12th century CE. =

Two Star of David engravings have been discovered in an ancient Temple in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan. The Roman Temple, which dates back to the 3rd century B.C, is located in the Elephantine Island in Aswan.

Israel’s suicide rate is the second lowest compared to 28 European countries.