Israel Active

That’s how much paid leave Noam Schalit’s employer Iscar gave him while the terrorist group Hamas held his son Gilad captive. They also provided food and an apartment in Jerusalem.

The Jaffa flea market is one of the oldest bazaars in the world. Whereas it used to be a place to find knick-knacks and second-hand furniture or clothing, today it is also rapidly becoming one of the trendiest spots in Israel.

Students and teachers all over Israel logged online to learn about the Dead Sea, as part of the campaign to make it one of the internationally recognized “New 7 Wonders of Nature.”

British Muslim Kasim Hafeez went from hating Israel, to founding the website theisraelcampaign.org. The change happened when he read “The Case for Israel” by Prof Alan Deshowitz.

With just a hammer, anvil and furnace, Israeli artist Yaron Bob melts, moulds and sculpts the remains of Kassam rocket attacks from Gaza into gorgeous flowers.

Participants at the Jerusalem Conference for English speakers have a message to Jews in the Diaspora: Come to Israel!

The annual festival of Sukkot march included 10,000 visitors from Brazil, the U.S., Norway, Denmark, Thailand, China, and Italy who wanted to identify with Israel.

I couldn’t resist this. The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” and the festival of Tabernacles.

We’ve had a week of joy here in Israel – and it ended with the festival that marks our re-start of the cyclic reading of the Five Books of Moses. It’s even been known for the Rabbi to bring in a bottle or two of whiskey to help the celebrations along.

Rescued from the Holocaust, restored and presented to the IDF at Sirkin Army base, Young Israel’s 200th restored Torah scroll was dedicated to the memory of one of the founders of YI’s Redeem a Torah campaign Ruby Davidman, who died last year. Davidman’s grandson Amit serves at Sirkin. This is a truly fascinating and moving story.