Israel Active

Jews from overseas are rushing to buy Israeli apartments - 1,900 in 2024, 50% more that in 2023.  Jerusalem was the most popular city, at 100 purchases per month. The French are immigrating in large numbers, whereas Americans and the English are not in a hurry to move, yet.

Researchers from Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have deciphered the Aramaic inscription on a pottery shard discovered in the 1980s at the Alexandrium Fortress (Sartaba) in the Jordan Valley. They used Israeli advanced imaging technology to read ““Eleazar bar Ger… from Beit Akiman.”

This month’s newsletter from JNF-USA’s CEO Russell F. Robinson highlights its work building a new medical center in Kiryat Shmona, disability support in northern Israel, a culinary school, the Alexander Muss High School, and Shabbat for Israel on May 2nd.

World Mizrachi is now registering participants for its 2025 3-day missions for those who plan to be in Israel during Yom HaAtzmaut, Yom Yerushalayim, Shavuot, Thanksgiving or the secular New Year. They include meeting inspirational speakers and visiting places off the beaten track.

Sixty-eight Holocaust survivors moved to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023. The oldest new immigrant who survived the Shoah was 98, while the youngest was 81. Nine went to live in my city of Netanya. Of the 123,715 Israeli survivors, 257 are older than 100.

KKL-JNF has built temporary homes in Kibbutz Ruhama for Kibbutz Kfar Aza residents whose houses were destroyed by Hamas on Oct 7 2023. KKL-JNF Australia held an event where participants crafted handmade mezuzahs and hamsas - each to be affixed to one of the homes.

Biokineticist Nikia Blumenthal offers IDF combat soldiers a cold plunge to promote physical and emotional healing. She packs her car with a portable bath and 100kg (220 pounds) of ice and drives to IDF bases or army refreshment stations. (Disclosure - I attend Nikia’s Netanya stretch classes)

Serving 24-hour shifts in vault-like rooms across the country, 136th Battalion soldiers face the ballistic missile threat against Israel at all times. Ultimately, one person decides when to press the button to intercept a ballistic missile launched thousands of kilometers away.

Israel’s internal risks may have deteriorated by the release of hundreds of terrorists, but at least its external geographic security situation has improved substantially.

The heartwarming scenes of the three released women hostages greeting their parents. The news of their freedom was announced on every El Al airplane, followed by cheers and applause from passengers. And hot off the press, scenes of the latest 4 female soldier hostages being reunited with their families.