Israel Active

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.

  (UK)   (Eylon Levy, Citizen Spokesman’s Office)

Great to see and share the support for Israel from friends in the UK. Here is a video of supporters from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, who conduct a weekly vigil to publicize the plight of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. In this video they unfurled a giant yellow ribbon as a symbol of hope.

Kibbutz Be’eri’s children may be displaced, but that didn’t prevent them starting the new school year with Be’eri’s flag ceremony held since 1952. Flag standards were rescued from a wrecked storeroom. Volunteers, including a Bedouin woman, cleaned and repaired the flags for the children to parade.

Israeli NGO Kolot has launched the “Restart” program, a transformative initiative dedicated to revitalizing communities in Israel’s Gaza envelope region. Initiatives include business development, educational outreach, tourism, welfare, community building and the arts.