Israel Active

A global service of solidarity on Mar 21 was streamed live from the Kotel (Western Wall). The hour of psalms and please for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas culminated with the simultaneous recitation of the Shema prayer.  Also see the connection between Purim and this war.

This May, join the Friends of the IDF for a truly unforgettable mission to spend Israel's Memorial Day and Independence Day on Israeli soil with her protectors. Spend Shabbat in Jerusalem; private meeting with Israel’s President; Yom haZikaron at the Kotel; Yom Ha’Azmaut with IDF soldiers.

An immersive virtual tour (one-hour on Zoom) exploring the profound impact of Persian rule on ancient Israel and its enduring influence on the symbols of Zionism.

North American Jewish response to the Gaza war has been phenomenal. Jeff Schoenfeld, co-chair of the Israel Emergency Allocations Committee, is busy allocating $800 million of funds raised by Jewish Federations of North America and other institutions.

UK readers can join Technion UK (May 6 – 10), for the “Solidarity trip to Israel”. Experience Israel’s innovative spirit firsthand through privileged encounters with pioneering startups, interactive sessions at the Technion Institute and adventure into the heart of Israel’s past, present, and future.

The Israel Prize for civilian heroism will be awarded to Menachem & Elchanan Kalmanson and Itiel Zohar, for saving over 100 lives on Oct 7. They named themselves “Team Elchanan” in honor of Elchanan Kalmanson, who died in the rescue operation.

Ariel Harush is an engineering student at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. He 3D-printed a radio connector for a friend in the IDF and suddenly army commanders were asking for 1,000 of them. He and 400 volunteers have since printed 43,000 items, from knee pads to night-vision rifle adaptors.

Rabbi Tzvi Kushlefsky, a Rosh Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, has just fathered a firstborn son at the age of 88 years old. He became a widower at the age of 82 and remarried a 50-year-old woman who had several children previously. The baby was born at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.

Soldiers from the Hakotel and Yaffo Hesder Yeshivas, together with their peers from the Nachal Brigade, welcomed a new Torah scroll at the Netzarim Corridor in the Gaza Strip.

Five months after the devastating Hamas massacre at the Nova Music Festival, survivors gathered to pray at the Western Wall. Notes from survivors were carried from Reim and placed in the cracks of the Kotel.