Israel Active

Taglit-Birthright’s program’s 400,000th participant is 20-year-old Ryan Hunter, from Syosset, NY (Long Island). Israel’s Prime Minister personally greeted Hunter at a Birthright Israel Mega Event, attended by 3,200 participants from 60 tour groups.

Sheldon and Miriam Adelson have pledged $5 million to develop the medical school at Ariel University and another $20 million for future academic programs. The Adelsons were inspired to action after the abduction of three Israeli teenagers. “..the medical studies at Ariel University underscore humanity, the desire for life and the value of human life wherever they are..” Sheldon said.

Tel Aviv hosted the largest ever Shabbat dinner when 2,226 participants (over double the previous record) gathered in a hangar at the city’s port to participate in the Friday night meal. The event was co-organized by Chabad and White City Shabbat.

Tel Aviv-based “Torah on the Moon” wants to deposit Torah scrolls on the moon, in case something should happen to the Earth. The space capsule being designed must protect the sacred text from the moon’s harsh radiation and extreme temperature changes for at least 10,000 years.

Thanks to new legislation passed by South Carolina’s House of Representatives, special car license plates have the message: “South Carolina Stands With Israel.” The graphic on the plate shows flags of both Israel and South Carolina. Chabad of Charleston will front the cost.

Whereas Israel’s dairy cattle are the best in the world, its European beef cattle do not thrive in Israel’s environment. Robin Rosenblatt aims to re-invigorate Israel’s beef cattle industry by building a self-sustainable Israeli herd of 300 pure breed Texas Longhorns.

Non-profit organization Shavei Israel is bringing 250 members of the Lost Tribe of Bnei Menashe to Israel this summer. The first 40 have just arrived. There are around 7,000 Bnei Menashe still in India. Their tradition is that they were exiled from Israel 2700 years ago.

The exhibition “People, Book, Land: The 3500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land” was originally scheduled for Jan 2014 but was controversially postponed by UNESCO.

There were over 13,000 submissions to the “My Family Story” competition for the best 3-D Art representation of their family history. 42 students won a trip to Israel and will have their entries displayed at Tel Aviv University’s Beit Hatfutsot Museum of the Jewish People.