Israel Active

Reservists from various IDF combat units brought Purim joy to Israeli children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities at Aleh’s facility in Bnei Brak. The soldiers rappelled down from the rooftop, each carrying Purim gift packages known as mishloach manot.

Israeli hostage Andrey Koslov revealed details of the daring IDF rescue of him and three other hostages from captivity in Gaza on Jun 8 2024.

Uri Patkin owns the strawberry farm Uri Tutim in Moshav Yesha near the Gaza border. Yesha’s emergency squad bravely fought off terrorists on Oct 7 2023, at a heavy price. Now Uri is once again farming his high-quality, long shelf-life, hanging strawberries.  

Ex-hostage Gadi Mozes has called on his fellow Kibbutz Nir Oz members to rebuild their destroyed kibbutz and help return it to its former glory. Mozes (80) has decided “to buckle down, to roll up my sleeves and to join all those who want our home, Nir Oz, to return to being a warm and vibrant home.”

A group of volunteers ages 55 and older recently participated in Jewish National Fund-USA’s inaugural Sunshine Volunteer Mission to Israel. They spent five days restoring Israeli communities destroyed on Oct 7 2023, fixed schools and playgrounds, helped farmers, prepared food for the IDF and more.

Residents of Kibbutz Be’eri live on dry, arid land in Kibbutz Hatzerim while Be’eri is being rebuilt. 2,700 Birthright Israel volunteers in 100 groups will create 300 gardens - one for each Be’eri family and the surrounding areas. They will feature 1,500 trees, 41,000 herb plants, and thousands of flowers.

Released hostage Omer Shem-Tov told of a miracle he experienced in captivity. "For five months, I had half a bottle of grape juice that I used for Kiddush. The bottle never ran out, and the juice never spoiled. It showed me how good God is and how He was with me."

Tzachi Beck refurbished and gifted a 130-year-old Czechian violin d to freed hostage Agam Berger.  Agam played Amir Benayoun's "You overcame everything with me." breathing new life into its strings, decades after its original owner, an orchestral violinist, perished in the Holocaust.

Philanthropist Rabbi Shai Graucher (see previously) heard that ex-hostage Emily Damari needed a car to help her rebuild her life. So he surprised her with the gift of a brand-new BMW. She will be able to drive it more easily once her restorative hand surgery has healed.

Watch IDF troops stationed on snowy Mount Hermon affix a mezuzah to the entrance of their base.