Israel Active

What do you think Almog Meir Jan did during his 8 months as a hostage of Hamas?  He learned two languages of course.  Arabic from watching Al Jazeera, and Russian from speaking with his fellow captive Andrey Kozlov.  He also had been able to keep a journal while in captivity.

As the Jewish world celebrates Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day, the Jerusalem Research Institute published its annual survey, showing that the population of Israel’s capital - the eternal city - has just exceeded one million inhabitants. It grew by 13,400 residents since last year’s survey.

Researchers from Tel Aviv and Ariel universities have used a Machine Learning algorithm to find places in the Talmud that contain unusual language variations. They confirmed the theories of Rashi and other Torah scholars that these “special tractates” may have come from different sources.

After two years of renovations costing $5 million, Jerusalem’s 2,000-year-old Herodian Quarter in the Old City is reopening to the public. The 2,600sqm area contains luxurious homes, mosaics, paved streets and numerous ritual baths for the priestly families that served at the 2nd Temple.

A new study from Tel Aviv University identified the earliest appearance worldwide of special stone tools, used 400,000 years ago to cut fallow deer meat. The study also named Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (see Books of Deuteronomy & Joshua) as sacred places where fallow deer were plentiful.

Israel’s Ran Kraus has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. He dedicated the achievement to his friend Matan Mordechai Lior, an Oct 7 victim. Krauss has also successfully climbed Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Russia), and Aconcagua (Argentina).

Israeli doctors have revived Amina al-Hassouni, the seven-year-old Israeli Bedouin Arab Muslim girl who was critically wounded in Iran's massive missile and drone attack on Israel in April. She had been put into an induced coma whilst surgeons fought to save her life. She is conscious and speaking again.

Archaeologists discovered a 2,300-year-old child’s ring at an excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David archaeological park. The gold and gemstone ring upgrades the previous historical view of the nature and stature of Jerusalem’s inhabitants in the Early Hellenistic Period.

Rabbi Meir Peretz from Ashdod has written a 56 cm (22-inch) mezuzah - roughly a third of the size of an average person. Rabbi Peretz is a certified Sofer (scribe) of the Mishmeret Stam Institute, but admitted it was a very complex task. The mezuzah cost the customer NIS 1500 (approx. $400)

Jacob Richman has updated his Jerusalem pages to include new links for Yom Yerushalayim on June 4th – the anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 during the 6-day war.