30,000 make Aliyah since Oct 7
Nearly 30,000 new immigrants have arrived in Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre, according to figures released by the World Zionist Organization. 6,000 US Jews have opened Aliyah files - 62% more than the same period last year. In France, the increase is 355%.
They made Aliyah with their pony
Robert and Jennifer Shurtleff landed in Israel to be reunited not only with their daughter, who moved here about a decade ago, but also with their pony, Turk who had been in quarantine. Turk is a trained therapy horse and the Shurtleffs plan to establish a farm to help people with special needs.
Ishay Ribo at Madison Square Garden
Israeli singer Ishay Ribo is to perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sep 15th – one year after his first sold out MSG concert. To mark the occasion he has released a video of last year’s performance of the timeless Rosh Hashana prayer, “Meloch,”. Breathtaking!
Selichot home hospitality
Religious Jewish women who wish to sing the traditional pre-high holiday prayers in a private environment can now do so. The artist Bracha Cohen is hosting Selichot Home Hospitality every evening until Yom Kippur at the gallery in her home in Jerusalem.
Thousands at Kotel Selichot prayers
Thousands attended the first night of Selichot prayers at the Western Wall, praying for the welfare of Israel's soldiers, healing for the injured, and the return of the hostages held captive in Gaza.
Respite in Connecticut
World ORT Kadima Mada brought a group of 21 Israeli teens to the USA for a two -week break with summer camps, parks, and counselling. Each student had lost a family member or friend in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 or in the months of violence against Israel since.
Navigating the new normal
Interesting article highlighting the resilience of Israelis who continue their “normal” lives in a war situation.
Volunteers saved $50 million of produce
Israeli charity Leket Israel reported that since Oct 7, hundreds of thousands of volunteers, from Israel and around the world, helped rescue over 35,000 tons of Israeli agricultural produce that otherwise would have gone to waste.
Bedouin hostage rescued after 326 days
52-year-old Bedouin Muslim Quaid Farhan Al Qadi and father of 11, was rescued by IDF forces from a tunnel in Rafa, Gaza after Israel received intelligence about the presence of living hostages in the area. Farhan’s brother said “Baruch Hashem” (Blessed is G-d) on the news.
1st Temple seal discovered near Temple Mount
An extremely rare and beautiful stone seal from the First Temple period, about 2,700 years old, was discovered near the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount.. It depicts a winged figure, plus an inscription engraved in paleo-Hebrew script – “To Yehoezer, son of Hoshayahu”.