Israel Active

Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) has established a scholarship fund for students in southern border communities. Many are evacuees and still in shock. Returning to studies is a form of rehabilitation. So far, some 1,670 students have received NIS 4,000 each. See also .

Two articles describing wounded IDF soldiers who are bravely walking again after extensive hospital treatment and rehabilitation.  Major Rotem Shaked Aharon is fortunate to have his original legs, whereas Elisha Madan has two prostheses.

Havat Rom (Rom Farm) some 30 miles from the Lebanese border, contains a farm-to-table restaurant and a glamping site. It also hosts a government rehabilitation program helping people with mental illnesses and disorders, including soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Israel has the highest percentage of youth in the OECD. It spends 6.1% of GDP on education (4.9% OECD average). Most Israeli 3-5 year-olds are enrolled in a preschool and over half of under-3s attend a daycare facility (e.g. kindergarten) – one of the highest rates in OECD.

Fawzia Amin Sido, a Yazidi girl abducted by ISIS in Iraq at age 11 and later sold to a Gazan and held captive by Hamas, has been freed by Israeli forces. And after a complex, months-long operation involving the US and others, she was reunited with her family in Iraq.

A Torah scroll, written in part by families who lost loved ones on Oct 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, was dedicated at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where it will be housed. It conveys and strengthens the message and spiritual symbol of Jewish unity and shared values.

Positive recent events in Jerusalem include KKL-JNF’s “Uniting for the Future” solidarity mission, Jerusalem Design Week “The Ark”, fairs to support Israeli businesses, the book launch for “Az Nashir – We Will Sing Again”, and late night Selichot prayers.

On Oct 9 1974, Oskar Schindler passed away. He saved some 1,200 Jews from the Nazis and was immortalized in the movie “Schindler’s List”. Recognized as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations”, he is buried on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. A timely reminder of moral clarity.

Customers at an all-night grocery store in Tel Aviv put on a laudable show of honesty after the one member of staff became unwell and left the store unattended. Customers took over running the cash register to pay for items that were purchased. They even worked out how to pay with credit cards.

Construction in Jerusalem has revealed 8th century evidence of the assault on the Kingdom of Judah by Sennacherib of Assyria. Although King Hezekiah survived, his administrative structure didn’t. Among the relics are hundreds of storage jars handles with their owner’s seal.