Israel Active

Lone soldiers leave their Diaspora homes to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Most men become combat soldiers. Some women also fight in combat, while most serve as instructors in army technology, or deal with the press and plan missions that hopefully will never need to be carried out.

Israeli children are foregoing their summer vacation plans in favor of helping children in the bomb shelters in Ashdod, helping senior citizens, volunteering at hospitals, contributing to public diplomacy and collecting care packages for the soldiers on the front.

A hoard of coins from the fourth year of the Jewish Revolt against Rome - minted months before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE – was unearthed during the expansion of Route 1, the major highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Observant Israeli farmers may be making the desert bloom, but every 7 years they must let the land of Israel rest. So in the months before the Jewish New Year it is a very busy time. Here is what Shoshana and Yoni Rappeport have been doing in their Argan tree plantation.

With roughly 1.75 million members, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) calls itself the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States. At their annual summit in Washington, CUFI leader David Brog said, “we have to speak out and be a voice for Israel”.

Nachal Teninim (Aligator stream) is a wonderful national nature reserve and is home to a Roman dam and aquaduct that brought fresh water to Caesarea. Also features an ancient rock quarry, a byzantine flour mill and waterfalls.

A mosaic depicting a non-biblical battle scene has been uncovered in a 5th century CE synagogue in Northern Israel. It features a group of soldiers and elephants clad in armor. It might be a depiction of Alexander the Great meeting Jewish high priest Jaddua (Simon the Just).

AMIA leaders came to Israel to mark AMIA’s 120th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the attack on AMIA’s center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and injured hundreds. Ariel Cohen Sabban, AMIA treasurer, said, “We will never forget that Israel helped us.”

As residents of Judea and Samaria express concern over the frequency of public transportation and the resultant need to hitchhike, the Egged bus cooperative has launched six new routes and announced improvements to several others.

Israel Always, a US-based Christian NGO, is caring for a group of 20 Holocaust survivors who have been bombarded by rockets in Sderot. It has taken them to Jerusalem, where it is providing free hotel accommodations, meals and activities.