Israel Active

Israel is the only country to have revived an unspoken language and establish it as its national tongue. Thanks mainly to Eliezer ben Yehuda (1858-1922), Israelis hailing from all corners of the globe now speak Hebrew as the language of everyday communication.

For the Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat (New Year for trees) Israel21c published a Do-It-Yourself tour guide to the most impressive trees in Israel. Israel is also one of the few countries to enter the 21st century with more trees than 100 years ago. Please help to beautify the Holy Land.

A rare thrilling BBC documentary about Operations Moses (1984) and Solomon (1991), that brought the lost Jews of Ethiopia to Israel. (Editor’s note – on both occasions, my wife and I landed at Ben-Gurion Airport as the C-130 planes were flying out – amazing sight)

A 2,700-year-old farmhouse has been discovered during recent excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood near the town of Rosh Ha’ayin, just east of Tel Aviv. Archaeologists also uncovered the ruins of a Byzantine monastery built on the same site 1200 years later.

For the 1.6 million Israelis living under the poverty line, hunger is a reality. 8000 Pantry Packers volunteers distribute monthly food boxes to more than 40,000 families in 24 Israeli cities. The Colel Chabad run Jerusalem volunteer center celebrates its third anniversary on Jan 31.

15 years ago, Israeli Arnold (Arik) Nesis received the gift of a 1983 Ibanez X Explorer Destroyer X guitar from a US donor. The guitar helped Arnold launch his musical career and now he is asking social media users to help him find the person who changed his life forever.

Over 30,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel in the past year, 10% more than in 2014 and the highest number in over a decade. Nearly 8,000 came from France, while around 7,000 came from Ukraine. Tel Aviv received the most immigrants, followed by Netanya, Jerusalem and Haifa. Aliya from the UK in 2015 increased by 25% from the previous year. Aliya from Western Europe hit record levels.

Israel’s Academy of Sciences and Humanities is running its first-ever job fair to help over 3000 Israeli academics working overseas who have applied for assistance in finding a job in Israel. Over 1,700 of the applicants are currently working in the US, and 228 are employed in the UK.

3,000 young Jews from seven countries gathered in the Jerusalem International Conference Center for Taglit-Birthright’s Mega Event of 2016. And Israel is making it easier for Birthright and Masa participants to extend their stay in the Jewish State without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Israeli President Rivlin welcomed leaders of Emunah, the National Religious Women's Organization, to honor 80 years of caring and educating. Emunah in Israel operates 140 daycare centers, serving 9,000 children. Educational institutions include 19 midrashot for women.