Israel Active

The IDF is reopening to the public, Zikim Beach, located near the Gaza border, on Oct. 16, marking the first time the area has been accessible since the start of the war two years ago. The IDF views the opening of the beach as an additional step in the rehabilitation of the area.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Prize has been awarded to the Mossad operatives involved in the “beepers” attack against Hezbollah, and the 12-day Operation Rising Lion war against Iran.

Israelis used to speak about the day when we’d be eating hummus in Damascus as a longed-for era of peace. We’re now eating kosher hummus in Damascus, says Mendy Chitrik, the Safed-born rabbi of Turkey’s Ashkenazi community and the chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.

Israel is the only country in the world where the superfood Mankai (see previously) is grown commercially. So it was vital that the man managing the Mankai at Kibbutz Be’eri returned two days after the Hamas 7 Oct 2023 invasion. Otherwise it might have disappeared from the world.

More about the 3-year initiative to rehabilitate and redesign 32 early childhood educational centers of excellence for ages 3–6 across the Gaza Envelope and northern Israel. (See previously)

After Izhar Shay lost his son on 7 Oct 2023, he launched “Next October” to support early-stage businesses that agree to commemorate one of the approximately 2,000 people, killed on 7 Oct and in the ensuing war, in perpetuity. In two years, the project has enlisted 450 startups.

US President Donald Trump had a tumultuous welcome when he spoke at the Israeli Knesset (parliament). His first words were, “We gather on a day of profound joy, of soaring hope, of renewed faith, and above all, a day to give our deepest thanks to the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Two years after the 7 Oct 2023 Hamas massacre, Kibbutz Be’eri turned its bloodied fields into 139 tons of barley to make single-malt whisky, “Single Be’eri”. It featured at Whisky Live Tel Aviv (Sep 10-11) together with other local whiskies plus “SuperNova”, blended by Israel’s nine distilleries.

Several articles mark the five years since the Abraham Accords were signed on the White House lawns between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and the USA. Despite the current war, international cooperation still continues. Jewish religious events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have been restored.

Jerusalem is busy preparing for future. Construction continues at a pace. Conferences included Living Financially Smarter in Israel, the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference (including discussion on the rise of global antisemitsm), and the Michael Levin Base gala.