Israel Active

A new video showing the route that hundreds of thousands of pilgrims took when walking from the Shiloah Pool to Temple Mount at the time of King Herod, 2000 years ago.

The Rabbi of our community has just returned following surgery. While he was recovering in Laniado hospital, where he also serves as chaplain and fundraiser, staff kept coming up to him and saying, “Do you know that your Netanya supporters bought this equipment?”

Luiza Nahari has immigrated to Israel with her four youngest children. She arrives four years after her teacher husband was murdered by a radical Islamist in Raydah, Yemen. Luiza’s other five children made Aliya shortly after the death of their father.

Ari Teman writes about his parents, who were ordinary suburbanites in New Jersey. They were boring and predictable – but then they made Aliya.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has discovered an industrial olive press from the 6th – 8th century CE. The site was found near Hod HaSharon, North of Tel Aviv. The olive press system had been carved into huge building slabs that were sunk into the ground.

84-year-old Judaic expert Menachem Cohen accomplished a 30-year task to correct all known textual errors in Jewish scripture. Cohen identified 1,500 inaccuracies in vowels and cantillation notation in the Old Testament’s prophets and writings.

In the middle of the Arava desert is Kibbutz Neot Semadar growing several varieties of native date palms and organic grapes that it transforms into sulphur-free wines. It also contains Pundak Neot Semadar - a charming all-organic restaurant with a dining area enclosed by a veritable jungle.

The Rabbis probably would have objected to a young religious Jewish man’s 30km Shabbat trek from Jerusalem to Ofra in order to propose to his girlfriend. Due to having to carry a bottle of water, a spare shirt plus, of course, the ring – they would have ruled that true love should wait a bit.

Ask Herzl is a website that will serve as a database for Israel programs and strategies. It will also connect students and professionals around the country who are working on similar initiatives and facing similar challenges to collaborate and share material and ideas.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Red food colouring has always been a problem. Animal sources do not satisfy vegetarian, kosher or halal customers and the synthetic version can cause behaviour problems in children. Lycopene from Israel’s LycoRed, is safe, approved and made from the humble tomato.