Israelis crowdfund rescue for elderly, disabled in Ukraine

(Photo: Yossi Zeliger/Flash90

By Naama Barak - March 22, 2022

By now, we’ve gotten used to the images of millions of people fleeing Ukraine as their homes turn to rubble. But what about the people who can’t physically flee, such as the elderly and people with disabilities?

Non-profit Access Israel has decided to spotlight this issue and created a crowdfunding campaign to help extract people with accessibility needs.

“Following requests received at Access Israel since the start of the war in Ukraine, it became clear to us that the issue of accessibility is not properly addressed and that people with disabilities and the elderly are being left behind or suffer further hardships than their fellow refugees because of their disability and lack of accessibility and inclusive thinking,” the organization notes on its crowdfunding page.

“Access Israel is currently finding focused solutions to extraction and evacuation requests that are being received from people with disabilities and the elderly in Ukrainian war zones. The solutions include accessible transfer for all types of disabilities to the safety of neighboring towns and cities.”

Read More: Israel21c

In first, Bennett meets Sissi, MBZ in Egypt amid concerns over Ukraine war

(Photo: Spokesman of the Egyptian Presidency)

By Lazar German - March 22, 2022

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met on Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in the Sinai resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

According to the Egyptian president’s office, the three leaders discussed the consequences of “global developments” — likely referring to the Russia-Ukraine War — on energy, market stability, and food security.

Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, receives about 80 percent of its supply from Russia and Ukraine. With wheat prices rising around the globe in the wake of the conflict, Cairo fixed the price of unsubsidized bread in the country on Monday.

Together, Ukraine and Russia produce around 25% of the world’s wheat. About half of Israel’s supply comes from Ukraine.

Human Rights Watch warned on Monday that the war in Ukraine “risks deepening the world’s food crisis, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Read More: Times of Israel

17 tons of equipment for Israeli field hospital en route to Ukraine

(Photo: Sivan Shahar/Anaba/GPO)

By TOI Staff - March 17, 2022

Seventeen tons of equipment needed to set up an Israeli field hospital in Ukraine were loaded onto a cargo plane of national carrier El Al Thursday, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The cargo will be flown later in the day to Poland and from there sent to the town of Mostyska in western Ukraine, where the hospital, dubbed “Kohav Meir” (“Shining Star”) will be set up.

A delegation of doctors led by David Dagan, chief of the State Hospitals Directorate at the Health Ministry, will fly out Sunday to staff the hospital. The delegation will include doctors and medical staff from across Israel’s health system, the statement said.

The government on Monday approved plans for the Israeli field hospital to be established in war-torn Ukraine, where it will operate for a month.

Read More: Times of Israel

For Israelis, the outpouring of aid to Ukraine is personal

(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

By Abigail Klein Leichman - March 10, 2022

Dr. Albina Rotshtein’s March 6 birthday nearly went unnoticed this year. She was busy caring for Ukrainian refugees at the Polish border as part of NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief’s medical mission from Israel.

Instead she received a miraculous gift: Her parents, her sister and her sister’s two children managed to cross into Poland that day from their endangered home in Ukraine. Overjoyed, she rushed to Krakow to greet them.

Rotshtein’s birthday miracle exemplifies what is exceptional about the outpouring of Israeli aid for Ukrainians since the Russian invasion on February 24.

Although Israelis always rush to help victims of disasters anywhere — Haiti, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, South Sudan, Nepal, Philippines and dozens of other countries — this time it is highly personal.

Personal connections

Not only are roughly half a million Israelis of Ukrainian descent, but about 26,000 Ukrainian nationals live in Israel and an estimated 300,000 Jews reside in Ukraine, like Rotshtein’s family.

And so, while numerous Israeli governmental and non-governmental organizations are helping all Ukrainian refugees pouring into border countries, the world’s only Jewish country has a special role to play.

Read More: Israel21c

Israeli aid worker gives heartbreaking report from Moldova

By Diana Bletter - March 3, 2022

A delegation of 15 physicians, medics and paramedics from Israel’s voluntary emergency response organization, United Hatzalah, was the first international relief organization on the ground in Moldova, aiding about 70,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine.

“We’re the only ones here,” said Linor Attias, a United Hatzalah emergency situation manager who arrived in Kishinev, the capitol of Moldova, on Sunday afternoon. (Tuesday, a team from Israeli humanitarian aid organization IsraAID arrived in the Moldovan town of Palanca.)

Reached by phone, Attias said there are an estimated 500,000 Ukrainian refugees who’ve fled into Poland, where other international relief organizations are helping them. Moldova is a less-developed country without as many resources, she said.

“Moldovan officials don’t know how to handle a civilian emergency like this but with our experience, we can help.”

The refugees have traveled by foot for days in freezing weather and snow to reach Ukraine’s border, Attias said.

Read More: Israel21c

Israel preparing a field hospital for Ukraine, Health Minister says

(Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Maariv)

By Lava Harkov - March 3, 2022

Israel is preparing to set up a field hospital to help wounded Ukrainians, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Thursday.

“It will be operated by civilians; preparations are underway in the Health Ministry,” Horowitz told Kan Bet. “There are many volunteers, medical professionals and medics who want to go.”

The field hospital will be managed entirely by the Health Ministry and not by the IDF Medical Corps, the minister said.

Read More: Read More

Israel Helps Evacuate Lebanese, Syrian and Egyptian Citizens From Ukraine

(Photo Petr David Josek /AP)

By Sam Sokol and Fadi Amun - February 27, 2022

Israeli diplomats have been assisting Lebanese, Syrian and Egyptian citizens to evacuate from Ukraine, transporting them from the war-torn nation alongside Israeli refugees, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.

A spokesman for the ministry stated that citizens of several regional states, including those currently in a state of war with Israel had boarded a bus organized by Israeli diplomats on the Polish side of the border and that the embassy is also ready to “help Israeli residents from East Jerusalem.”

Read More: Haaretz

Israeli virtual hospital is caring for Ukrainian refugees

By Abigail Klein Leichman - February 28, 2022

Israel’s Sheba Medical Center is spearheading a groundbreaking medical mission that is bringing telemedicine technologies to the aid of refugees.

Sarit Lerner, chief technology officer of Sheba Beyond, the virtual hospital of Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, flew to Moldova Saturday night with an initial delegation of 15 physicians, medics and paramedics from Israeli voluntary emergency response organization United Hatzalah.

After landing in Bucharest, Romania, the team drove seven hours to Kishinev, Moldova, where more than 15,000 refugees from Ukraine already had fled.

Read More: Israel21c

‘A stand against injustice’: Thousands march for Ukraine in Tel Aviv

(Photo: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

By Carrie Keller-Lynn and TOI Staff - February 26, 2022

Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square and Rothschild Boulevard Saturday to protest the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as what they say is Israel’s lackluster response, as the war concluded its third day.

The rally-goers marched toward the Russian embassy building, where police kept them several dozen meters away from the mission.

Vyacheslav Feldman, founder of protest organization Israeli Friends of Ukraine, told The Times of Israel that the demonstration’s first priority was to “stop the war,” and the second was for the Israeli government to take a more active role.

“We’re asking the Israeli government to take a clearer step,” he said. “We want Israel to take a side.”

“Humanitarian assistance is nice, but what Ukraine needs is defensive weapons.”

As Russia attacks Ukraine, Israel has avoided taking a stance aligned too closely with either side. This is believed to be at least partly due to its need to work with the Russian military presence in neighboring Syria.

Read More: Times of Israel

‘Head west’: Jerusalem advises thousands of Israelis in Ukraine to exit via Poland

(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

By Stuart Winer and TOI Staff - February 24, 2022

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday advised Israelis still in Ukraine to head to the west of the country, away from Russia’s military assault on the country, and to leave through neighboring Poland.

The ministry instructed Israeli citizens to heed safety instructions from Ukrainian authorities.

Several thousand Israeli citizens are estimated to be in Ukraine, which overnight Wednesday was rocked by explosions as Russia unleashed a long-feared campaign.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli leaders discuss Russian invasion implications, prepare to help Ukraine Jews

(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

By Judah Ari Gross and Lazar Berman - February 24, 2022

Top Israeli officials met on Thursday to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, deciding to persist in its efforts to get Israeli citizens out of the area and to prepare to send aid to Kyiv.

The meeting was led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and attended by Defense Minister Benny Gantz; Foreign Minister Yair Lapid; the IDF chief of staff; the national security adviser; and other top defense and diplomatic officials.

“During the meeting, they reviewed all of the ramifications of the crisis in different areas (diplomatic, financial and security),” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Read More: Times of Israel

75 new immigrants arrive in Israel from war-torn Ukraine

(Photo: The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews)

By JNS - February 21, 2022

“Everyone is just talking about the war,” said Yana Koblenko from Ukraine, who arrived in Israel on Sunday with a plane of 74 other new immigrants. “Until the last minute, I was worried the flight would be canceled.”

The Koblenko family—Yana, her husband Yevgeny and their young daughter—had been longing to come to Israel for some time. The rest of Yana’s family, including her parents, had made aliyah just before the pandemic.

“It’s scary in Ukraine right now,” Yana said as she arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport. “We are very happy to have the opportunity to live in Israel.”

The aliyah flight was brought to Israel through the joint efforts of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Israel’s Immigration and Absorption Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel. The effort was funded by the Fellowship, which raises money primarily from Christian supporters of Israel from around the world.

Read More: JNS

Israeli aid experts reach typhoon-hit Philippines

(Photo: Jeriel Nunez)

By Abigail Klein Leichman - February 22, 2022

“We have already seen countless examples of both extreme loss and incredible resilience.” Molly Bernstein, IsraAID’s Head of Mission in the Philippines

Two months after December’s Super Typhoon Odette (known internationally as Rai) that affected the lives of more than 10 million Filipinos and damaged or destroyed 1.9 million homes, 133,000 people are still displaced from their homes and children are still unable to go to school.

The Covid-19 situation initially made the Philippines off-limits to foreign visitors. So Israeli non-governmental humanitarian aid organization IsraAID assembled a team of three local volunteers, including former IsraAID staff members, to bring urgent aid to communities in need.

As of last week, Israeli IsraAID team members were able to enter the country, bringing an additional five experts to assist in the continuing relief work.

Read More: Israel21c

Starting March 1, all tourists welcomed back to Israel

By Abigail Klein Leichman - February 21, 2022

After nearly two years of tight restrictions on travel to Israel, the government announced that as of March 1 foreign residents will be allowed into Israel regardless of whether they are vaccinated against Covid-19. This means young children can once again visit Israel.

Every incoming foreign traveler will be required to get a PCR test before takeoff and after landing. Only those with a negative result before takeoff will be permitted to proceed to Israel.

Israeli citizens will no longer have to undergo an antigen test before leaving the country. They will be required only to take a PCR test at Ben-Gurion International Airport upon arriving back home.

Read More: Israel21c

Muslim man, Mizrahi woman picked to serve as Supreme Court justices, both firsts

(Photo: Judicial Authority, Tomer Jacobson)

By TOI Staff - February 21, 2022

The Judicial Appointments Committee on Monday appointed four new Supreme Court justices, among them the court’s first Muslim and first Mizrahi woman.

The four new justices appointed to the 15-member court are Judge Ruth Ronnen, Judge Khaled Kabub, Judge Gila Kanfi-Steinitz and attorney Yechiel Kasher.

“The four new justices elected to the Supreme Court are excellent,” Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said following the announcement of their appointments.

“They were selected according to the three criteria I set: excellence, balance and diversity. A variety of opinions, genders and ethnic backgrounds,” he continued. “I am responsible for this vital system. I have not received and will not receive grades or dictates from extremist or opposition parties.

“Most people understand that the justice system needs repair and not destruction, and appreciate the commitment to preserving Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”

Read More: Times of Israel

Antisemitism in 2022 is rising at a rate unprecedented since the 1930s - opinion

(Photo: CST)

By Brenda Katten - February 17, 2022

February 14 marked 126 years since the publication of Theodor Herzl’s book Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State). Herzl firmly believed the creation of a Jewish homeland would eliminate antisemitism; it was his solution to the Jewish question. He wrote, “I think Jews will always have sufficient enemies, such as every nation but, once in their own land, it will no longer be possible for them to scatter all over the world.”

While Herzl was right in recognizing the need for a Jewish state, he was wrong in his assumption that it would end antisemitism or that Jews would no longer be scattered all over the world.

Antisemitism has never halted either before or after the rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948. There appeared a hiatus on antisemitism for a period following World War II primarily due to a sense of, justifiable, guilt felt by many countries which had closed their gates to Jews seeking refuge from Hitler’s Germany.

John, my late husband, and his family were living in Bamberg, Germany in the 1930s when Hitler rose to power. His father was the rabbi of the community; all, except for his grandmother, received visas to enter the US (it is suspected that she was refused a visa because of her age). There was one problem with the visas: the date of entry to the US was November 1940.

The family was fortunate because John’s grandfather, an eminent rabbi in Hungary, was a friend of then-British Chief Rabbi Dr. Joseph Hertz, who was able to arrange temporary visas for the family to enter the UK and take up residence until November 1940. War broke out shortly after their arrival, which meant they finally made Britain their home.

Tragically, there were far too many unable to find refuge, since numerous countries upheld quota systems. Their lives ended horrifically in the gas chambers. Grandma Katten’s days ended in Theresienstadt.

The Holocaust, a genocide not to be compared to any other in its death toll and ferocity, was responsible for the virtual annihilation of European Jewry. In 1933, just prior to the rise of Hitler, European Jewry numbered approximately 9.4 million, virtually 60% of the world’s Jewish population. In 2021, European Jewry numbered 1.4 million.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Where did the ancient Israelites encounter God?

(Photo: Aaron Lipkin - Lipkin Tours Agency)

By Rivkah Lambert Adler - February 15, 2022

The two Holy Temples in Jerusalem stood for more than 800 years combined. But where did the Israelites worship God and receive prophecy before Solomon’s Temple was built?

A new online course, hosted by Aaron Lipkin of Lipkin Tours, will be examining that very question.

Five Christian and Jewish Bible and archaeology scholars will each present one of the sites that the Bible tells us was a place where the ancient Israelites encountered God.

The course, created especially for English-speaking Evangelical Christians, addresses the question of where God’s presence was found before Jerusalem became the center of worship and prophecy in the time of King Solomon.

Lipkin identified five sites (Gilgal, Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, Shiloh, Bethel and Dan) that bring together ancient Israelite worship, prophetic revelation and archeology. Each of these sites were places where the ancient Israelites connected to God or where God approached the Biblical prophets. According to Lipkin, they are “places of the Divine and reality meeting together.”

Read More: Jerusalem Post

In First, Israeli Scientists Engineer Spinal Cord Implants to Treat Paralysis

By Emily Jones - February 8, 2022

JERUSALEM, Israel – For the first time in history, Israeli scientists have engineered spinal cord implants that could potentially be used one day to treat paralyzed patients.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology extracted fat tissue used genetic engineering to transform it into stem cells. These stem cells were then used to build 3D models of spinal cord tissue that could be implanted into animal models in the laboratory.

“Our technology is based on taking a small biopsy of belly fat tissue from the patient. This tissue, like all tissues in our body, consists of cells together with an extracellular matrix (comprising substances like collagens and sugars). After separating the cells from the extracellular matrix we used genetic engineering to reprogram the cells, reverting them to a state that resembles embryonic stem cells – namely cells capable of becoming any type of cell in the body,” Prof. Tal Dvir said in a statement.

Read More: CBN

Antisemitic hate crimes in NYC up by nearly 300% in January comparison - report

By Jerusalem Post Staff - February 8, 2022

Antisemitic hate crimes in New York City almost quadrupled in January 2022 compared to the same month last year, US media outlets reported, citing NYPD crime statistics.

Throughout the month of January, 15 different antisemitic incidents were reported. This is a stark contrast with January 2021, which only saw four incidents reported.

But as January ended, antisemitic incidents did not, with more happening in the city at the beginning of February.

Over the weekend, a school bus for a yeshiva in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with visible Yiddish writing was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, including the use of the Nazi swastika.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Israeli study offers strongest proof yet of vitamin D’s power to fight COVID

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

By Nathan Jeffay - February 3, 2022

Israel scientists say they have gathered the most convincing evidence to date that increased vitamin D levels can help COVID-19 patients reduce the risk of serious illness or death.

Researchers from Bar Ilan University and the Galilee Medical Center say that the vitamin has such a strong impact on disease severity that they can predict how people would fare if infected based on nothing more than their ages and vitamin D levels.

Lacking vitamin D significantly increases danger levels, they concluded in newly peer-reviewed research published Thursday in the journal PLOS One.

Read More: Times of Israel