Israel Active

Crowds across Israel waved flags and sang as ex-hostages Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Eitan Mor, Segev Kalfon and Bar Kuperstein made triumphant return to their homes after being discharged from hospital treatment, following their more than two years in captivity.

Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,700-year-old cuneiform Akkadian-language inscription – the first ever found in Jerusalem’s City of David. The inscription specifies the first of Av – a date common to Mesopotamia and Judah. It also mentions an Assyrian chariot officer.

Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi gifted two recently released Israeli hostages, Bar Kuperstein and Segev Kaflon, with signed jerseys valued at $10,000 each.

It may be unimportant in most of the countries where newsletter readers reside, but here in Israel we welcomed the first of the season’s rainfall. On 25 Seo, 4 inches of rain fell in Nahariya causing flooding. And on 9 Oct, Netanya on Sea became Netanya in Sea! But the Kinneret is well below the bottom red line.  

David Ben Moshe was born into an evangelical Christian family but was jailed for unlicensed gun selling and drug dealing. In prison he discovered Judaism and on release, he underwent an orthodox conversion. He married, had 4 children, moved to Israel and became a national Jiu-Jitsu champion.

Israel has finally realized that Jews are worried about making Aliyah and finding themselves without a job. The new “Leap to Aliyah” charter commits dozens of companies (hi-tech, medical centers, retailers etc.) to hire immigrants before they arrive in Israel and fill the 35,000 vacancies.

The Israeli city of Haifa recently paid tributes to fallen Indian soldiers, with the Mayor noting that the city's school history books are being changed to correct that it was Indian troops and not the British who liberated the city from Ottoman rule.

Beneath the Western Wall in Jerusalem lies the Great Bridge Route, an extraordinary archaeological site that offers a tangible link to the Second Temple period and the enduring presence of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The bridge connects different areas of the Temple Mount.

Since modern Israel’s establishment in 1948, excavation after excavation has yielded finds that have forced scholars to confront not only the story of ancient Israel but also the development of Judaism, Christianity, and human civilization.  Great summary of major discoveries.

As most people find, when they see Israel and the Palestinian territories for themselves they get a completely different view from that they received in their home countries. Very interesting interview here of the experiences of two granddaughters of Nelson Mandela.