Israel Active

The Rambam (Maimonides) wrote that to help someone get out of poverty was the highest level of charity possible. So it was fitting that Professor Eliezer David Jaffa collected the Knesset Speaker’s Prize last week (awarded last year) for his Israel Free Loan Association. The IFLA has provided $130,000,000 to help 40,000 impoverished Israelis overcome financial difficulties and even saved lives. 99% of the loans were repaid in full, proving that the Rambam was right!

Twenty-four groups, containing over 1200 Jews aged 18-26 participating in the Taglit (Birthright) program, landed at Ben Gurion airport on Monday 9th January – the highest number ever in a single day. They begin a free 10-day tour of the Jewish State.

A ceramic stamp from the Byzantine period (6th century CE) was uncovered in excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority at Horbat Uza, east of Akko. The stamp has a seven-branch menorah and was used to identify baked products, according to Dr. David Amit of the IAA, who has made a study of bread stamps. It probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko. It proves that Jews lived amongst the mainly Christian residents of the area. There were no Muslims at that time.

Sar-El, the National Project for Volunteers for Israel, brings approximately 4,000 Jews and non-Jews from 30 countries to Israel. Volunteering in the IDF for several weeks, Sar-El volunteers save the IDF hundreds of thousands of hours in manpower.

Tel Aviv’s “Fast Lane” was opened in early 2011 and is a big success in reducing traffic flow from super-congested Highway 1. Hundreds of users pay tolls ranging from about $5 to $15 US depending on the time of day. A great feature is that it includes optional free parking and a shuttle bus to inside the city.

Tiyul B’Aretz has no campus and no classrooms. Students “study” the Land of Israel by visiting sites on a bio-diesel bus and using the country as their teacher and guide. Founder Tamar Gersh is a Threshold Fellowship winner.

Israeli soldiers are mostly 18-to-21-year-olds who have the skills of veteran warriors. Why? Because they’re trained from day one to be in top shape, both physically and mentally. Here are some tips from the sports instructor of the Egoz Unit, one of the army’s most elite commando forces.

“The year in one-minute” review from the IDF and its hopes for 2012.

om. This year, 2012, will be the most important year in Israel's history. The world will never be the same again. With revolutions erupting across the Middle East, elections in the United States of America and the European economy in turmoil, Now is the time to stand with Israel.

The Israeli government has approved NIS 110 million for academic institutions in Jerusalem. Finance minister Yuval Steinitz said, “"The city should again become a focus of academe, a draw for creativity and an environment for leading-edge technology. We will increase the number of engineers and research infrastructure to attract young and fresh forces to the city."