London to Israel by boat
I wasn’t sure where to put this article. In a bid to reduce her carbon footprint, Lianna Etkind from Brixton, London, chose an unconventional summer holiday this year – a voyage to Israel over land and sea. The voyage aboard a Grimaldi line cargo ship took a week and cost around $520.
Tragedy saves six lives
Promising teenage athlete Gilad Veturi collapsed and died during sprint practice last week. He donated nine organs, which were transplanted into six patients waiting for urgent operations. Gilad’s parents were praised due to their readiness to help others at a time of distress and terrible personal tragedy.
Israelis are also returning
Among the hundreds of thousands of Jews who immigrated to Israel over the last 2.5 years were 22,470 Israelis previously living abroad. Most were aged 31 to 39, and included 4,837 academics and researchers, 2,720 engineers, programmers and hi-tech workers plus 681 business managers.
Be’er Sheva gets National Priority status
The government has declared Be'er Sheva, the capital of the Negev, to be a national priority community. It is investing in Be'er Sheva and in the rapid transportation routes to it, to link it with the centre of the country and also allow it to develop.
Hadassah – a century of achievement
Hadassah, the voluntary Women's Zionist Organization of America, has been working for the land and people of Israel for 100 years. The celebrations culminate in October at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem – where medical care and research benefits people worldwide.
Kinneret is at highest Oct level for six years
The height of Israel’s vital natural reservoir is 1.2 meters above that at this time last year. As Jews worldwide began their annual prayers for winter rains, Israeli skies opened up and the level of the Kinneret rose for the first time in five months.
Rare tapir born at Ramat Gan Safari
The baby is the first male tapir to be born at the Israeli zoo and was born just 15 months after his sister. His mother was also born at the zoo – very rare events for the endangered South American species.
Yarkon fish returns after 50 years
The freshwater Yarkon Bleak fish (known in Hebrew as the Lebanon fish) hasn’t been seen in the mid-stretches of the Yarkon River for several decades. But thanks to a substantial improvement in water quality, Acanthobrama telavivensis have returned to inhabit their ancient waters.
From lost tribe to Rabbi
(Thanks to 12Tribe Films and ShaveilIsrael) Yehuda Gin, from the Bnei Menashe tribe of Jews living in India, made Aliya in 1992. He eventually became a Rabbi and now teaches Jews from China about Judaism.
On the wings of eagles
In 1991 I watched from the runway of Ben Gurion Airport as IAF C4 Hercules planes flew more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews into Israel during Operation Solomon. 21 years later, Ethiopian Airlines chose to make Ben Gurion the first stop for their new Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft.