Israeli NGO sends 3,800 oxygen concentrators to India

(Photo By: SmartAID)

By: Naama Barak - June 17, 2021

As India continues to battle with Covid-19, Israeli aid organization SmartAID is distributing some 3,800 oxygen concentrators to medical facilities across the subcontinent that are overwhelmed by the high rates of infection and disease.

India, which has seen the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world, is still facing thousands of deaths from the pandemic each day and more than a million active cases of the disease.

SmartAID’s Israeli and international staff, together with the Ted Arison Family Foundation, DHL, the Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and Indian logistics company Blue Dart, are providing the oxygen concentrators to dozens of rural medical clinics, hospitals and community-based health centers.

In addition, SmartAID is working with local grassroots organizations to register online tens of thousands of families livening in remote villages and towns for vaccination.

Read More: Israel21c

Meet the Orthodox mom competing on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

(Photo by: Yoffe via JTA)

By: Jacqueline Roderick - June 17, 2021

If you’re in need of inspiration today, look no further than Orthodox mom of four Liba Yoffe, who is competing in the current season of “American Ninja Warrior.”

Yoffe, 35, is the apparently first Orthodox Jewish woman to participate in the popular fitness competition — now in its 13th season on NBC — which pushes its athletic contestants to their limits with incredibly difficult obstacle courses.

While many athletes apply to be on the show, Yoffe is clearly an exceptional case. Her audition video stands out as a testament to her strength — and we don’t just mean the physical kind. (Although it must be said: Yoffe may be just 4 feet, 11 inches tall, but she is incredibly, amazingly, strong and fit!) Yoffe also draws an incredible amount of strength from her deep love of and respect for Orthodox Jewish tradition.

Read More: Times of Israel

First deaf MK sworn in to Knesset, 13 new legislators join parliament

(Photo by: Courtesy)

By: Gil Hoffman - June 16, 2021

Shirley Pinto of Yamina was sworn in as a Knesset member on Wednesday morning, becoming the first deaf member of the Israeli parliament.

Pinto's party leader, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, made a point of attending the swearing in of Pinto. She was immediately embraced by many MKs after she took the oath.

"This is one of the most exciting for me personally and for the State of Israel," Bennett said. "Shirley proves with her actions that anything is possible."

The Ruderman Family Foundation, where Shirley used to work, praised her becoming an MK.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

McDonald’s to start serving falafel, kebab meals… in pita

(Photo By: McDonalds)

By: TOI Staff - June 10, 2021

Catering to the local population, McDonald’s announced Thursday that for the first time in Israel — or anywhere else in the world — its local branches will sell a selection of fast food dishes in pita bread.

The McKebab and McFalafel — which will both include tahini, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles — will become regulars on the new menu from next month. A crispy chicken serving will also be available in pita bread.

Those hoping to taste a burger in a pita will be disappointed, however. That particular combination will not be offered.

Read More: Times of Israel

Nikki Haley: ‘Israelis deserve to be safe in their homes’

(Photo Credit: Oren Cohen)

By: Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman - June 13, 2021

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley spent Sunday in southern Israel, where she witnessed first hand the destruction caused from the recent Hamas war.

“Israelis have a right to defend themselves,” she said during a visit to one Ashkelon home. “We will make sure we are loud about what the root cause of this [war] is. Israelis deserve to be safe in their homes.”

Haley arrived in the country on Friday, spending Shabbat in Jerusalem, including a visit to the Western Wall.

“No matter the challenges, the people of Israel always celebrate life and thank God for their blessings,” Haley tweeted Saturday with a picture of herself praying at the Kotel. “It’s humbling to join them again in prayer at such a holy place.”

Her trip was organized as a solidarity mission in collaboration with Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest pro-Israel Evangelical group in the United States, under the auspices of founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Israeli student uses Lego to repair Ramat Gan wall damaged by Hamas rocket

(Photo By: Raz Sror)

By: Amy Sprio - June 6, 2021

Israeli architecture student Raz Sror, 24, was looking for a project to fulfill a homework assignment.

After reading about a building in Ramat Gan that was damaged by rocket fire during the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, he set out to repair the holes — with Lego bricks.

“I had an idea for a cute initiative for the children of the building and the area who see all the holes and damages in the perimeter of the building,” he wrote on Facebook. “We can fill them in with Lego and bring a smile to the faces of everyone who passes by.”

Sror, who is studying at the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, told Channel 12 news that he bought and received Lego bricks from friends to complete the homework assignment, which was titled “The Imperfection of the Whole.”

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli Startups Smash Funding Records, Reel In $10.5B In Just Six Months

(Photo By: Start-up Nation Central)

By: Viva Sarah Press - June 10, 2021

Israel’s innovation technology sector broke another capital funding record this week and has now topped $10.5 billion since the start of the year – the same amount raised in all of 2020, according to Start-Up Nation Finder. This is the second major report to highlight 2021’s sizzling cash flow for blue-and-white startups in recent weeks.

“The market is clearly ‘red hot’ with a lot of money flowing into early and late-stage companies, some of which with valuations that don’t always make sense. Companies that raise now should manage their cash in a clever way, balancing between the desire to ‘push forward’ and gain a competitive edge while keeping some for a rainy day,” Lior Handelsman, General Partner at Grove Ventures, tells NoCamels.

Funding seems to be pouring into local startups especially in cybersecurity, fintech, and enterprise sectors, with companies in these spaces hauling in $6.2 billion or 60 percent of all investments.

Read More: NoCamels

7,000-year-old seal impression marks prehistoric site as early trade hub

(Photo By: V. Naikhin/Hebrew University

By: Amanda Borschel-Dan - June 10, 2021

The ancient Beit She’an Valley village of Tel Tsaf may have been a prehistoric commercial mecca, according to a recent article published in the journal Levant.

Alongside mounting evidence of organized large-scale agricultural production, a tiny 7,000-year-old blob of clay with geometric patterns — the earliest impressed sealing discovered in the region — is giving academics new insight into what may have been one of the earliest trade hubs and administration centers in the southern Levant.

According to Hebrew University Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the sealing was used on a grain silo door or a commodities sack or vessel much in the manner of a hair placed on a doorjamb — to catch trespassers.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli, Palestinian youth attend joint hi-tech seminar in southern Israel

(Photo By: Courtesy)

By: Jerusalem Post Staff - June 10, 2021

A ceremony for the Israeli and Palestinian participants of a Tech2Peace hi-tech seminar was attended by several officials including the Swiss Ambassador to Israel, Jean-Daniel Ruch, who met and greeted the participants.

The seminar gives Israelis and Palestinians who have an interest in the world of hi-tech the opportunity to learn new skills while also learning to understand each other and promote positive dialogue.

The ceremony was attended by officials from Google and Microsoft in addition to the Ruch, and was held in the Arava in the south of Israel.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Israeli Marine Conservationist Names National Geographic ‘Emerging Explorer’

(Photo By: University of Haifa)

By: Simona Shemer - June 7, 2021

An Israeli marine conservationist was named as one of 15 global changemakers to make up the National Geographic Society’s 2021 Emerging Explorer Cohort, a list of top researchers selected by the prestigious National Geographic because they are “changing the world one idea at a time.”

Dr. Aviad Scheinen is the head of the University of Haifa’s Marine Apex Predator Lab at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station and is the Apex Predators Principal Investigator at the Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences. He has spent 20 years specializing in conservation, behavioral science, and long-term ecological research of coastal dolphins, sharks, rays, and bluefin tunas.

Scheinin leads the first long-term ecological research project on coastal dolphins in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS), with the achievement of having the Israeli coastal waters declared as an Important Marine Mammal Area for bottlenose and common dolphins.

Read More: NoCamels

12 books to help you understand Israel’s history

(Photo By: Kluger Zoltan/GPO)

By: Naama Barak - June 8, 2021

As Israel made headlines across the world in recent weeks, we at ISRAEL21c noticed people’s growing interest in understanding how things got to where they are, the ins and outs of the country’s history and the matters that influence public opinion.

We therefore put together a list of recommended books that tackle multiple facets of Israel’s fascinating history, ranging from the Holocaust and wars and battles to the most famous city on the planet and breakthrough innovation. Enjoy.

Read More: Israel21c

Combating rising anti-Semitism, leaders cultivate Judeo-Christian values to support Israel

(Photo By: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

By: Josh Hasten - June 2, 2021

With anti-Israel protesters around the world rallying against the Jewish state, a group of rabbis in Israel and North America gathered with leading evangelical pastors and other leaders from the Christian community for a Zoom webinar this past Sunday night to reaffirm their commitment towards working together to stand up for Israel and combat anti-Semitism.

The event was organized by Rabbi Tuly Weisz, founder of Israel365, an organization committed to connecting Christians with the Land of Israel and its people. Other sponsor organizations included the Ohr Torah Stone educational institutions, the Religious Zionists of America World Mizrachi Branch and StandWithUs.

Weisz told the group that while he viewed the past 10 years as the “golden age of Jewish/Christian relations,” he felt some “cracks in the system” following three specific events in recent weeks. Those included the discovery of a family in Jerusalem serving as secret Christian missionaries, along with the findings of a recent study commissioned by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, administered by the Barna Group (as reported by The Times of Israel) indicating that young evangelicals might not be as supportive of Israel as their parents.

Read More: JNS

The Arab dentist drilling coexistence into his hometown

(Photo By: Khalil Bakly)

By: Naama Barak - June 6, 2021

Dr. Khalil Bakly has two dental practices: one in Nazareth, where he treats a mostly Muslim clientele, and one in Netanya, where most of his patients are Jewish.

As such, he was privy to multiple voices and opinions surrounding the conflict that recently engulfed Israel, as violence erupted between Israel and the Gaza Strip and, in some cases, between Israel’s Jewish and Arab communities.

“As you can understand, I experience both worlds and both populations on a daily basis,” he explains. “There’s no doubt that there were extremists on both sides in certain areas that succeeded in inducing a really bad and unpleasant atmosphere. I have no doubt that anyone with a bit of sense can understand that it’s not in anyone’s favor.”

This kind of atmosphere of violence and suspicion is something that Bakly has long been working against in his role as a political and social activist.

Read More: Israel21c

Jewish, Arab actors work together to rebuild theatre burnt in Acre riots

(Photo By: Courtesy)

By: Jerusalem Post Staff - June 1, 2021

Jewish and Arab producers, actors and directors have gotten together to rebuild theatre offices burnt in rioting in Acre during unrest in Israeli mixed cities, as detailed in a press release on Tuesday.

As part of the initiative, theatre staff turned to the public to raise the money needed to renovate the burnt offices, buy new equipment and return the theatre to full operations. The fire caused extensive damage to archives, computers, sound and lighting equipment and other appliances that were stored in the theatre's offices.

The hope of those taking part in the rebuilding effort is to have the theatre open by the Acre Festival taking place on the holiday of Sukkot.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

ADL demands Facebook work harder to combat antisemitic content

(Photo By: Reuters)

By: Jerusalem Post Staff - June 4, 2021

The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter to the Facebook Oversight Board on Wednesday demanding that the company do more to combat antisemitic content on the social media site.

The ADL stressed in the letter that despite years of requests to address the issue, sufficient action still hasn't been taken to remove content and users spreading antisemitism.

"Facebook’s inaction has helped spread hatred of Jews and has contributed to historical high levels of antisemitism in America and antisemitism online and offline across the globe," wrote the ADL.

The organization sent seven examples of public antisemitic posts that violated Facebook's policies, but the company refused to remove the content.

"We request that the Oversight Board put a stop to the implicit promotion of antisemitism on Facebook by overruling Facebook’s decisions to permit such content to flourish," wrote the ADL.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Tel Aviv skyscraper wins international design award

(Photo By: Ron Arad Associates)

By: Abigail Klein Leichman - June 3, 2021

The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat chose Tel Aviv’s two-year-old ToHa skyscraper as the overall winner in the office building category of its 18th annual awards program.

ToHa is located at the intersection of Derech Hashalom, Yigal Allon and Totzeret Haaretz streets (ToHa comes from the latter street name, which translates to Product of Israel).

Tower 1 of two planned towers, completed in early 2019, has 28 floors and is designed in the shape of an iceberg by Israeli native artist/architect Ron Arad of London, working with the local architect Avner Yashar.

Read More: Israel21c

Tel Aviv University, UAE to set up joint initiative for water research

(Photo Courtesy: Watergen)

By: Shoshanna Solomon - June 3, 2021

In what is being hailed as a first-of-a-kind agreement, Tel Aviv University and an unnamed university in the UAE have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a joint Israeli-Emirati Water Research Institute.

The institute will have researchers focusing on finding water resources and solutions for desert areas and will also enable student and faculty exchange programs, Prof. Milette Shamir, VP for international affairs at Tel Aviv University, said in a phone interview.

This is a first agreement between Tel Aviv University and an entity in the UAE, she said, calling it significant in scope and in content.

Read More: Times of Israel

Dead Sea Scrolls: 2,000 years ago Jews used biblical ‘paperbacks’

(Photo By: Reuters/Baz Ratner)

By: Rossella Tercatin - May 20, 2021

Some 2,000 years ago, Jews used formal beautifully written biblical manuscripts for public reading, but also informal and sloppily written biblical texts for personal use, new research on the Dead Sea Scrolls has shown.

In addition, some of the scrolls might be more ancient than previously thought, suggesting that the current canonical form of the Book of Psalms might date earlier than previously believed.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a corpus of some 25,000 fragments unearthed in caves on the shores of the Dead Sea in the 1940s and 1950s. The artifacts include some of the most ancient manuscripts of the Bible, other religious texts that were not accepted in the canon and nonreligious writings.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Ashkelon park renovation to unveil Israel’s largest Roman basilica to public

(Photo By: Yaniv Cohen/Nature and Parks Authority)

By: Times of Israel Staff - May 31, 2021

The Tel Ashkelon National Park in southern Israel is undergoing a large-scale renovation project that will open up previously unseen parts of the heritage site, including a recently excavated 2,000-year-old Roman basilica, the largest one ever found in the country, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday.

The massive basilica, with its hundreds of ornately carved imported marble columns and statues, was originally discovered in the 1920s, but only fully excavated in recent years, with two major digs taking place between 2008 and 2012 and again in 2016-2018.

Now, archeologists are planning to try and restore parts of the edifice that were destroyed in an earthquake in 363 CE, including erecting sculptures and marble columns found in excavations at the site in a bid to give visitors a sense of the splendor of the building that formed the heart of Roman-era Ashkelon, when it was a bustling seaport.

Read More: Times of Israel

Secretary of State Blinkin: Anti-Semitism Is on the Rise and We’re Determined to Deal with It

(Photo: Courtesy of Department of State)

By: Yonit Levy of Channel 12 - May 25, 2021

"Anti-Semitism's been on the rise in the United States and around the world for the last several years. And we know this from history. It's the canary in the coal mine because it's almost inevitable that when you see anti-Semitism erupt and emerge, hatred directed at other groups almost is sure to follow. And we're seeing that in the United States now with hatred directed, for example, at Asian Americans."

"Things are happening that we have to address. Because if it's allowed to fester, if it's allowed to grow, if it's allowed to go even further with impunity, you wind up having a conflagration that affects a lot of people. So we're taking this very, very seriously....We're determined to deal with that and put it to an end."  (U.S. State Department)

Read More: Department of State Press Release