Israel Active

Israel’s Water Authority has officially declared the national water crisis to be over. Heavy winters rains and snow this year, combined with increased desalination efforts and conservatory behavior on the part of the public, has brought the Sea of Galilee to within two meters (six feet) of its capacity.

When the shelter at Jerusalem’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was flooded during a downpour this winter, many people came to the rescue and fostered dogs like Leo. 10 days later, Leo ran away and made a 15km trek back to the shelter – a little thinner, but happy.

Non-Jewish New Orleans University International Relations student Chloe’ Simone Valdary was so incensed by her research into the Arab-Israeli conflict that she created an organization on Campus, “Allies of Israel” to fight Jew-hatred.

The rise in the level of the Kinneret so far this winter is the highest since records began – 47 years ago. Even before the current week’s storms, the water level was just two meters below the upper red line (when the Deganya dam has to be opened).

The Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) reported that a new record has been set this Tu Bishvat, as over a million new saplings will have been planted this past week in forests and parks nationwide.

A new fashion store opened last year by the Women's Courtyard - a multicultural organization that provides support and assistance for young-adult women in distress and at-risk. It offers great clothes while helping at-risk young women who reside in the cities of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Bat Yam, find a place in the workforce.

“Seeing is believing” is the philosophy behind a Foreign Ministry proposal to bring 3,000 North American non- Jewish campus influentials to Israel to show them the country and combat what Ministry director-general for Public Diplomacy Gideon Meir called the “industry of lies” against the country.

In October, a bomb planted by terrorists on the Gaza border exploded, injuring Givati soldiers on routine patrol along the security fence. The commander of the unit, Captain Ziv Shilon, lost his arm in the attack. Today he is back with his soldiers and in a special ceremony he presented them with their combat soldier pins.

The 24,000 residents of Israeli city of Sderot have suffered physical and emotional trauma due to a decade of missile attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. But Sderot has no local hospital or rehabilitation facility. When complete, Sderot’s new Medical Rehabilitation Center will provide physical, occupational, communication, art, sensory and water therapies at no charge.

This recent article in Frontpagemag.com has interesting comments on Israel’s demographics, its economy, the Arab “spring”, gas and oil discoveries and the international political scene.