Israel Active

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.

Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi, the secretary general of the Italian Muslim Assembly and the Khalifa for Europe’s Qadiri Sufi Order, is a strong supporter of Israel’s right to exist, as well as Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, based on his interpretation of Islam.

The US-based Freedom House’s annual report entitled “Freedom in the World 2013” stated, “Israel remains the region’s only free country”, defined as having open political competition, a climate of respect for civil liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent media.

The highest ever number of Israelis has voted for a Parliament of political parties that span Left, Center, Right, Men, Women, Arabs, Druze, Jews (secular, reform, orthodox and ultra-orthodox). PM Netanyahu now intends to form a “broad-based coalition”.