Israel Active

Seven descendants of Kaifeng Jews, an ancient community from China’s Henan Province, have come to Israel and reclaimed their Judaism thanks to the charity Shavei Israel. At its height, 5,000 Jews lived in Kaifeng. Today, about 1,000 Chinese can trace their roots to them.

Nadav Shragai, writing in Israel Hayom, urges that we must provide US President Obama with an historical, religious, legal and emotional tour of the Jewish State. He needs to be shown that the Jewish bond to our land pre-dates WW2 by more than three millennia.

I reported a few weeks ago about the IDF officer whose arm was blown off by Gaza terrorists but who returned to present his battalion with its combat medals. Well here is the video. He praised his soldiers and then quoted Psalm 121 “He who neither slumbers nor sleeps will guard over Israel”.

Sarah Honig writes some great things about Israel in her weekly blog.

Israel’s Quarry Rehabilitation Fund has transformed disused limestone quarries on the Golan Heights and in Karmiel into sites of natural beauty for all citizens to enjoy. The Avital Valley Park will be inaugurated next month. Binyamina and Zichron Yaakov are works in progress.

Exciting new video showing the opportunities given for volunteers to train with Magen David Adom – Israel’s emergency first response service.

“The people are wonderful, the food is outstanding, the views are splendid, the soldiers walk around with big guns and huge smiles and they are much nicer than our civil servants." This was the impression that six Serbian bloggers took back to Belgrade. (Thanks to Uri)

Non-Jewish Zionist writer Julie Burchill chose the Israeli National Anthem as one of her eight records when she appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs. She also chose “Hebrew Man” by Israel’s Ehud Banai and the theme song from the movie “Exodus”.

Congregants at the Or Avner Jewish day school in Chelyabinsk, Siberia heard a huge explosion during morning prayers followed by a bright flash that lit up the sky. Outside, a meteorite fell from space, shattering the stained glass windows of the Chelyabisnk synagogue.

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon highlights Jerusalem’s harmony where (for the first time in history, under Israeli sovereignty) Jews, Christians, Muslims, secular, religious, young and old live side by side. He also shows the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.