Via Dolorosa made entirely accessible in final stage of accessibility project

By Judith Sudilovsky - April 14, 2022

As Israel’s skies finally opened up to tourists six weeks ago for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the final touches were being completed on making the Old City accessible not only to wheelchairs and baby strollers but also to mini-ambulances and mini-garbage trucks, all to improve the quality of life for residents.

After a decade of work and an investment of more than NIS 22 million, the accessibility of the sixth kilometer in the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem was completed just in time for the many visitors expected during the upcoming Easter, Ramadan and Passover holidays.

It took 10 years for the first four kilometers of the Accessible Jerusalem-Old City project to be complete because of the complexity of working within the one square kilometer historical area, where both the city and its walls are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, in which its local residents live their daily lives and to which millions of visitors ascend each year, noted Gura Burger, spokeswoman for the East Jerusalem Development Corporation (PMI) which implemented the program.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Despite the danger, Ukrainian Jews prepare to celebrate Passover in public seders

(Photo: JDC via JTA)

By Cnaan Lipshiz - April 15, 2022

JTA — Between air raid sirens in Odesa, Svetlana Niselevitch, an 84-year-old Ukrainian Jewish Holocaust survivor, has been preparing to join a Passover seder for the first time in her life.

“We didn’t observe Jewish traditions in my family,” Niselevitch, a poet who was born in Kharkiv, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. But she said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, convinced her that “every chance to practice Jewishness is important.”

Niselevitch, who will celebrate Passover at an event organized by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC, is among the thousands of Ukrainian Jews who are preparing to celebrate the Jewish holiday in dozens of group seders both in Ukraine and outside it for Jewish refugees from Russia’s war.

Emergency curfews, supply-chain interruptions and the dangers of war are complicating Ukrainian Jews’ efforts to celebrate Passover, the holiday that celebrates Jewish freedom and security.

Still, the fact that so many Jews are participating demonstrates both the robustness of the worldwide relief effort supporting Ukrainian Jews, and Judaism’s ongoing resilience in a region scarred by the Holocaust and communist suppression of religion.

Read More: Times of Israel

Top 10 Christian sites for an Easter visit to Israel

(Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90

By Abigail Klein Leichman - April 12, 2022

Easter is a very popular time for Christians from around the world to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Israel.

The weather in April is perfect for touring around the churches of the Old City of Jerusalem, dunking in the Jordan River and hiking across the historic Galilee.

In a normal year, Israel sees tens of thousands of Easter pilgrims commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The past two years, of course, this hasn’t been possible. But now tourists are eagerly returning and all the sites are open and ready to receive visitors.

ISRAEL21c asked Israeli tour guide Jacob Firsel, author of Go to Galilee: A Travel Guide for Christian Pilgrims, for suggestions of the most significant places for Catholics and Protestants to explore during an Easter trip to the Holy Land.

Easter Sunday falls on April 17 this year, while the Orthodox Easter is April 24.

Be sure to check out our list of top 10 Christian sites in the Galilee, too.

Read More: Israel21c

Israelis fly to Ethiopia to alleviate humanitarian crisis

(Photo: SID-Israel)

By Abigail Klein Leichman - April 13, 2022

The world has taken little notice of the civil war raging in Ethiopia for the last two years.

This greatly troubles Ethiopian-born Israeli parliamentarian Gadi Yevarkan. This week, he is leading a top-level Israeli medical factfinding mission to his native country.

“It is estimated that over half a million people have died in this war, millions have been displaced from their homes, and over 10 million people are on the verge of starvation (according to a UN report),” Yevarkan posted on Instagram.

“I, like every Israeli, proudly see the humanitarian efforts of healthcare workers and civil society organizations in the context of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and at the same time I am excited that finally, after a lengthy work process, an Israeli delegation … will convey to the world in general and the Ethiopian people in particular, a message of deep friendship between Israel and Ethiopia.”

A couple of months ago, Yevarkan asked Alon Beer, director general of The Society for International Development’s Israel branch (SID-Israel) to organize a roundtable meeting in the Knesset to raise awareness and discuss how Israel could help.

Read More: Israel21c

Arab ENT doctor rushes to treat Tel Aviv terror victims

By Abigail Klein Leichman - April 11, 2022

The Arab chief of head and neck surgery and cancer research at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center has become an unexpected hero amid a rash of deadly terror attacks in Israel – one of them carried out by residents of the city where he lives.

At 9:30 pm on April 7, Dr. Nidal Muhanna was driving his family home to Umm al-Fahm – an Arab Israeli city in the Haifa district — when he received a phone call from Prof. Ronni Gamzu, CEO of the medical center.

Gamzu told Muhanna that 10 victims of a terror attack on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street had been rushed to the hospital. One of them urgently needed the expertise of an ear-nose-throat specialist and he asked Muhanna to send a colleague as soon as possible.

Read More: Israel21c

15 glorious hikes in the footsteps of the Bible

By Brian Blum - April 11, 2022

Israel has amazing scenery and some beautiful nature treks, but here in the Holy Land, hiking frequently intersects with history.

Where did the prophets walk? Can you visit King Solomon’s palace? How about following in the footsteps of Jesus? Where did David meet Goliath?

ISRAEL21c is happy to present to you 15 fascinating hikes inspired by both Jewish and Christian Scriptures so that you can imbibe biblical history while flexing your muscles.

David vs. Goliath in the Elah Valley

The future King David defeated the Philistine giant Goliath in the Elah (Ella) Valley, according to the book of Samuel. Now you can visit where it happened by hiking between the ruins of the ancient villages of Azekah and Shaaraim, in the outskirts of Beit Shemesh.

The climb to Azekah, accessible via Britannia Park, is lined by plaques with biblical verses. Choose the long (10km) or shorter (5km) trail.

As long as you’re in the Elah Valley, don’t miss Givat HaTermosim (Lupine Hill, aka Tel Socho) where for a few weeks in the spring, purple lupines blossom in the tens of thousands. Perhaps if Goliath had noticed the flowers, he might have laid down his armor?

Read More: Israel21c

Barak Lufan, 35, dies of wounds from Tel Aviv terror attack, bringing toll to 3

By TOI Staff - April 8, 2022

Barak Lufan, a 35-year-old father of three, died on Friday from wounds sustained in the previous night’s terror attack in Tel Aviv, bringing the shooting’s death toll to three.

Lufan was one of several people who was seriously injured in the Thursday night attack, and succumbed on Friday evening at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, the hospital said.

The attack on the Ilka bar on Dizengoff Street injured over 10 other people. The terrorist, 28-year-old Jenin resident Ra’ad Hazem, was shot dead after being discovered by security forces early Friday following a massive manhunt overnight.

Lufan was a resident of the central city of Givat Shmuel and grew up in Kibbutz Ginosar in northern Israel. He was a coach on Israel’s Paralympic team and the head coach of the Israeli national kayak team.

“Our beloved Barak, the grandson of the founders of Kibbutz Ginosar, an exemplary husband and father, an athlete with every fiber of his being, a member of the Olympic kayaking team staff, and an educator of the future generation in the field, has left us prematurely,” his family said in a statement.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli medical team heads to Haiti to treat burn victims

(Photo: Sheba Medical Center)

By Abigail Klein Leichman - April 7, 2022

On December 14, 2021, a fuel tank truck crashed in the Samari neighborhood of Cap-Haïtien in northern Haiti. It then exploded, killing more than 65 people and burning dozens of others when residents rushed to collect the leaking gas, a commodity in severely short supply.

Hospitals in Haiti are still overwhelmed with the wounded. This week, expert medical help arrived from Israel – some coming directly from serving in Israel’s field hospital in Ukraine.

Prof. Josef Haik, director of Israel’s National Burn Center at Sheba Medical Center, is leading the mission in cooperation with the US-based Burn Advocates Network (BAN).

“Unfortunately a few months ago they had a big fire disaster and they still have injured patients that we need to treat,” Haik said as he departed on April 3.

“We’re going to do as many surgeries as we can to try and help their wounds. We will [also] bring equipment they are lacking and teach them how to use it and leave it there so they can continue rehabilitating Haiti.”

Read More: Israel21c

New York Jewish leaders urge ‘concrete action’ after string of anti-Semitic attacks

(Photo: Twitter/NYPD Crime Stoppers)

By Faygie Holt - April 4, 2022

Jewish New Yorkers are demanding action after two anti-Semitic acts occurred this past weekend, one caught on video and the other involving an attempted attack with weapons on six teenage boys.

“We are horrified once again by a targeted anti-Semitic attack against those in traditional Jewish clothing,” Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, director of government relations for the Agudath Israel of America, told JNS. “The fact that such attacks have become almost routine and expected is sad. The time for words has long passed; concrete action needs to be taken.”

In the first incident, a Chassidic man who was walking in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, N.Y.—home to the Satmar community—was beaten by a gang of men. The attack was caught on camera and went viral.

According to the New York City Police Department, without any “prior words or provocation, the individuals punched and kicked the Chassidic victim about the body, forcing him to the ground.”

The second incident occurred on Saturday evening on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Read More: JNS

Under fire, Christians help rescue Ukrainian Holocaust survivors

(Photo: Yad Ezer L'Haver)

By Rivkah Lambert Adler - April 5, 2022

As the war roars on in Eastern Europe, Christians worldwide are making it possible for Ukrainian and Russian Holocaust survivors to escape to Israel.

This is “the most urgent, massive aliyah operation we’ve ever been involved in,” said David Parsons, vice president and senior spokesman for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), which is helping to coordinate the efforts.

ICEJ, which was founded in 1980, has long partnered with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and Yad Ezra L’Haver (Helping Hand to a Friend) to help Jews make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. ICEJ has helped bring over 165,000 Jews from 45 different countries to Israel.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Earliest mosaic in Israel dedicated to Jesus may soon be sprung from prison

(Photo: Yoli Schwartz/IAA)

By Amanda Borschel-Dan - March 28, 2022

Plans are underway to move Megiddo prison in order to excavate the Israeli church with the earliest mosaic dedicated to Jesus.

In 2004, a Greek inscription “to the God Jesus Christ” was uncovered inside a 3rd-century structure during Israel Antiquities Authority salvage operations ahead of a proposed expansion of the prison in northern Israel.

On Thursday, Israel Prisons Service, Megiddo Regional Council and Israel Antiquities Authority personnel toured the Megiddo Prison in preparation for the prison’s evacuation ahead of renewed excavations at this important early Christian site, according to the IAA’s Hebrew Facebook page. The new excavations may commence in June, according to the post.

Read More: Times of Israel

After years of neglect, ‘rare opportunity’ opens up for Tiberias archaeological gems

(Photo: Michael Bachner/Times of Israel)

By Michael Bachner - April 2, 2022

It is an area of immense historical, archaeological and religious significance to all three monotheistic faiths, referred to by some as the “Caesarea of the Galilee”: where manuscripts of the Bible were written, where the 2,000-year-old Sanhedrin rabbinic council of sages is believed to have compiled the Jerusalem Talmud, where an ancient church, huge Roman theater and one of the world’s oldest mosques are situated, and where Roman leader Herod Antipas built his palace.

But for many years, these sites in ancient Tiberias in northern Israel have largely been lying neglected and in ruins, covered in weeds and garbage and subjected to theft and vandalism, prompting outcry among experts.

The fact that the sites lie within the municipal boundaries of the city of Tiberias has led to national authorities shirking responsibility and trading blame for the neglect, with efforts to change the situation falling short.

Now, though, a volunteer group, led by the Kinneret Institute for Galilean Archaeology, has started cleaning up the sites and is fundraising to continue that work and raise public awareness for the site.

While it is in significantly better shape than a few months ago, archaeologists say that without a long-term solution by the state to transform it into a national park, the site will eventually fall back into disrepair.

A plan of this sort is said to be in the making, with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) claiming there has been a breakthrough that will see the government pass a resolution as early as April establishing a new national park in Tiberias.

Read More: Times of Israel

‘A historic milestone’: Israel and UAE sign free trade agreement

(Photo: Gideon Sharon/GPO)

By Lazar German - April 1, 2022

After five months of negotiations, Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed on Friday a free trade agreement between the two countries, hailed as a “significant and historic milestone.”

On Tuesday, Economy Minister Orna Barbivai met in Jerusalem with Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, for the fourth and final round of talks.

The two signed the agreement at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem on Friday.

Read More: Times of Israel

18 reported bomb threats directed at US JCCs and synagogues in March

By Zvika Klein - March 28, 2022

Since the beginning of March, there have been at least 18 reported bomb threats directed at Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) and synagogues in nine states, according to a report by the Secure Community Network (SCN). In a press release by the Jewish Security organization in the US, it said that it “is actively working with community leaders and law enforcement agencies to address a recent wave of bomb threats against Jewish facilities nationwide.” According to SCN, “this alarming number serves as a reminder that the Jewish community remains a top target for hate crimes in the United States and must continue to foster preparedness and resiliency.”

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Victims of Bnei Brak terror attack: 2 local fathers, Christian Arab cop, 2 Ukranians

By TOI Staff - March 30, 2022

Authorities early Wednesday identified three of the five victims of a deadly terror shooting spree in Bnei Brak the previous night, including two young fathers and a police officer who helped kill the gunman.

The victims were named as officer Amir Khoury, 32, a Christian Arab; and local residents Yaakov Shalom, 36, and Avishai Yehezkel, 29.

The two other victims were foreign workers from Ukraine who had not been identified by Wednesday afternoon.

Khoury, an Arab Israeli from the northern town of Nof Hagalil, served on the Bnei Brak police station’s motorcyclist responders team.

Khoury was part of a team of two motorcycle officers who caught up with the gunman and killed him, ending the deadly shooting spree.

Read More: Times of Israel

Where are you for Seder? Website pairs Israeli hosts with new Ukrainian immigrants

(Photo: Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

By Judah Ari Gross - March 29, 2022

The government on Monday launched a new initiative to allow Israelis to host new immigrants from Ukraine for the Passover Seder, the ritual meal held at the start of the weeklong festival.

As of this week, over 10,000 people have immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, sparking a bloody conflict that has created a massive refugee crisis in Eastern Europe. Thousands more are expected to arrive before the start of Passover next month.

In an effort to help ease their integration into Israeli society and in response to many offers of assistance from Israeli citizens, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, along with the Jewish People Policy Institute think tank and Army Radio, launched its new initiative, in which Israelis offer to host new immigrants for the Seder meal by filling out an online form (Hebrew).

Read More: Times of Israel

Announcing permanent regional forum, Israel, Arab states laud alliance, decry terror

(Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

By Lazar German and Aaron Boxerman - March 28, 2022

SDE BOKER, Negev Desert — At their historic summit in the Israeli Negev town of Sde Boker on Monday, the top diplomats of Israel, the US and four Arab nations announced that the conference would be the first iteration of a permanent regional forum, as they reaffirmed the importance of growing ties between Israel and the broader Middle East.

The foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates and the US secretary of state all condemned terrorism, a day after an attack in the city of Hadera in which two Border Police officers were shot dead.

The unprecedented gathering was widely seen as an attempt by Israel and its Arab allies to create a front against shared regional foe Iran. Israeli officials told reporters on the scene that the talks centered around creating a “regional security architecture,” among other issues.

Read More: Times of Israel

Archaeologist claims to find oldest Hebrew text in Israel, including the name of God

(Photo: Michael C. Luddeni/Associates for Biblical Research)

By Amanda Borschel-Dan - March 24, 2022

Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling and a team of international scholars held a press conference on Thursday in Houston, Texas, unveiling what he claims is the earliest proto-alphabetic Hebrew text — including the name of God, “YHWH” — ever discovered in ancient Israel. It was found at Mount Ebal, known from Deuteronomy 11:29 as a place of curses.

If the Late Bronze Age (circa 1200 BCE) date is verified, this tiny, 2-centimeter x 2 centimeter folded-lead “curse tablet” may be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever. It would be the first attested use of the name of God in the Land of Israel and would set the clock back on proven Israelite literacy by several centuries — showing that the Israelites were literate when they entered the Holy Land, and therefore could have written the Bible as some of the events it documents took place.

“This is a text you find only every 1,000 years,” Haifa University Prof. Gershon Galil told The Times of Israel on Thursday. Galil helped decipher the hidden internal text of the folded lead tablet based on high-tech scans carried out in Prague at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Read More: Times of Israel

Valentyna Veretska, Ukrainian refugee, wins women’s race at Jerusalem Marathon

(Photo: AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

By TOI Staff - March 25, 2022

A refugee from Ukraine who fled the country along with her daughter won the women’s race in Friday’s Jerusalem Marathon.

Valentyna Veretska, 32, finished the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) race with a time of 2:45:54. Israeli Olympic athlete Ageze Guadie won the men’s race at 2:37:17.

Veretska’s husband is still in Ukraine, fighting against the Russian invasion in the country’s military.

Read More: Times of Israel

Biblical archeology: US tourist discovers ancient jug in Judean Desert

(Photo:: Amir Ganor/Israel Antiquities Authority)

By All Israel News Staff - March 10, 2022

An American tourist accidentally discovered an ancient and well-preserved pottery vessel from the Early Bronze Age in Qumran, which is located in the Judean Desert close to the Dead Sea.

Robbie Brown stumbled upon the ancient find in February as he and a friend decided to climb 328 feet to examine a cave known as Cave 53. The ancient jug is believed to be around 5,000 years old and could potentially be the first discovered complete jug unearthed in the area from this remote time-period.

Brown and his friend alerted Dr. Yuval Baruch from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the Israeli authority responsible for antiquities in Israel.

Read More: Jerusalem Post