Israel Active

Thousands of Ethiopian Jews gathered in Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, to celebrate Sigd. The Biblical holiday originally observed in Ethiopia 50 days after Yom Kippur to repent for sins, pray for their return to Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah and a Third Temple.

More than 6,000 families up and down the country took part in Shabbat meals in an initiative to build community connections, with religious families hosting secular attendees. The Beit Hillel organization plans to make the initiative an annual event.

Israel’s high school graduation rate was 92% in 2010 (OECD average 84%). Israel spent 7.2% of GDP on educational institutions in 2009 (sixth highest in the world). And pre-school education is now free for all Israeli children from age 3 upward.

Israel’s Knesset approved the aliya of 899 Indians, known as Bnei Menashe. Some 1,700 Bnei Menashe, who claim to be Jews descended from the biblical tribe of Menashe, are already living in Israel. A further 9,000 remain in India and Burma.

The Center for North African Jewry in Jerusalem exhibits the culture that is common to the Muslims and to the Jews of North Africa, while the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra Ashdod creates a connecting link between Jews and Arabs.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has just issued its first-ever Human Capital Index. Israel came 4th in the world for capacity for innovation, 3rd for life expectancy, 2nd for tertiary education attainment and joint 1st for water, sanitation and hygiene.

(Thanks to Jacob Richman) The next letters sent from Israel may feature some of the latest set of beautiful biblical postage stamps.

Everyone can do some good. Pantry Packers offers groups of tourists to Israel the opportunity to spend 90 minutes packing food for poor families. It’s a concept called Tikkun Olam Tourism.

The IDC (Interdisciplinary Center) in Herzliya is offering the first ever Israel-based law degree course for English speakers. It costs $10,950 pa - 15% of US law school fees. It prepares students for the Israeli bar exam but 5-week US courses exist for those returning to the USA.

(Thanks to CLIC) Israel, whose desalination and irrigation systems are among the most advanced in the world, has turned to her Canadian friends to help cleanse the water of its own Kishon River. www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-israeli-ties-to-be-strengthened-by-clean-water-project/article14696309/ High-flyer. Maybe he is not typical, but once a week D (name cannot be disclosed) is a fighter pilot soaring across Israeli skies, and for five days a week he is a Weizmann Institute nanotechnology doctoral student. Both his siblings are doing post-doctorates and all three received their first degrees from the Open University.