Israeli's Ship Medical Supplies To Kenya

With the riots still raging throughout certain sections of Kenya, Israel has shipped tons of medical equipment to help out those who are suffering.

(Israel National News) Foreign Ministry officials reported Monday that Israel had sent a planeload of aid to Kenya. The aid package includes three tons of medical equipment. Kenyan hospitals have faced shortages due to the large number of people wounded in recent riots.

Hopefully Kenya's leaders will be able to find a way to end the violence that has torn apart this once peaceful country. Until then Israel would probably be willing to send more medical supplies to the nation as needed, in an attempt to help Kenya's hospitals cope with those affected by the strife.

New Jewish School To Be Built In Ethiopia

(Image: Falash Mura children learning Hebrew in the Gondar compound, Credit: Uriel Heilman of JTA.org)

With the Israeli government winding down the Aliyah of Ethiopian Jews, a new organization called the United Jewish Communities federation (or UJC) is raising money to construct a Jewish school in the city of Gondar, Ethiopia.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The school project is being undertaken by the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ), which funds aid operations in Ethiopia for the Falash Mura -- Ethiopians who claim links to descendents of Jews either by lineage or by marriage -- and has campaigned

"We're happy to have raised this issue, convened the federations and facilitated their support of this project," said Jim Lodge, UJC's vice president for Israel and overseas affairs. "Much of that money has been offered by federations, and we're in the process of getting that money to NACOEJ."

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the group has raised $350,000 to construct the school, which should help out Ethiopian Jews unable to make Aliyah to Israel.

Ethiopian Jews have been seeking ways to visit their homeland after centuries of exile. Hopefully the school will aid those left behind in the nation, as well as help improve their lives economically, if not spiritually.

Israeli Doctors Helping Kenyan Kids

After previously helping out Iraqi children, it looks as if the Israeli Save A Child's Heart (or SACH) is once again helping out kids in need--this time in Kenya.

(Israel National News) The Israeli Save a Child's Heart (SACH) organization welcomed its first group of Kenyan children with heart conditions to be operated upon in Israel Wednesday. [...]

The three young Kenyan boys, Samuel (7 years old), Hastings (1 year old), and Winfred (1 year old), were accompanied by two of their mothers.

The kids arrived in Israel Wednesday, although there is no word on whether or not the Kenyan children have had surgery yet (at least on the SACH website).

The kids (according to Israel National News) will receive their operation at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, and future updates regarding their condition will be posted here.

Update (12/14): Inserted link in first paragraph.

Darfur Refugees Welcomed By Jewish-Arab Soccor Players

(Image Credit: Israel 21^st Century)

After fleeing their native region in Darfur for the holy land, many Sudanese refugee's have been enjoying life in Israel, with some being granted citizenship.

While the fate of many have yet to be decided, one Israeli-Arab team took it upon themselves to make sure that these people feel welcome.

(Israel 21^st Century) Bashar was one of 50 political refugees from war-torn Darfur who was invited to the game as a goodwill gesture by the Mevasseret team, a uniquely mixed Jewish-Arab group from Mevasseret Zion and Abu Gosh, both communities on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The club's president, Alon Liel, said that including the refugees fit into the team's larger concept of promoting coexistence in Israel. [...]

Bashar, who escaped to Israel alone two years ago, now awaits word as to whether he will be among those permitted to stay. But he was all smiles as he greeted and thanked Liel for the invitation to the game in perfect spoken Hebrew.

"They are letting us feel not just like refugees, but as part of a sport. They are saying we are with you, and it's not just about politics," Bashar told ISRAEL21c.

Once the conflict in the region is resolved, hopefully many of these refugees will be able to travel back to their homeland in peace. Until that day, Israel will be stuffing their bellies with Falafels as they enjoy their "second" home.

Note: The event was organized by the New Israel Fund, which is an organization whose goal is to promote social justice throughout the Jewish state.

Bikers Raise Over $2 Million To Benefit Hospital

(Image Credit: Wheels of Love album on Fotki.com)

A hospital in Jerusalem was able to raise over $2 million thanks in part to bikers participating in the Wheels of Love charity ride.

(Israel National News) 610 bikers raised over $2.3 million for the Alyn Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation Hospital over the past week as part of the annual "Wheels of Love" bike-a-thon. Bikers rode from Tiberias to Jerusalem. Each rider was given one patient's profile and photograph as motivation, and met "their" patient in a closing ceremony at the hospital.

The hospital was founded by Dr. Henry Keller, and treats not only those suffering from "neuro-muscular diseases, cerebral palsy, spina bifida," but also victims of car accidents and terrorism as well.

The purpose of Alyn Hospital is to help children with physical disabilities. The hospital is a charity that is privately funded by generous donors from around the world and (as in this case) Israel itself.

Note: More information on how you can help out this hospital can be found over here.

Israel To Moldova: Aid Is On The Way

(Image Credit: Greenwich Meantime)

Moldova, a nation located next to Romania and Ukraine, has recently been experiencing a severe drought.

In order to help their European friend survive throughout this trying time, Israel has decided to help out Moldova by donating medical supplies.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a special shipment of medical aid to Moldova. The aid package, which included medical equipment and drugs, was transported by the Moldovan airline and received by the central government hospital in Kishinev.

The shipment of special medical aid was dispatched on Tuesday, October 23, at the request of the Moldovan Minister of Health. The request was subsequent to the Moldovan government's publicized request for aid to help combat the severe draught that has afflicted the country.

The aid package was donated by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and by Hadassah-Ein Karem Hospital

Despite being located on a different continent, Israel's generosity towards those suffering knows no bounds, as they have previously helped out what some would consider their mortal enemies.

Hopefully these supplies will help ease the burden of the Moldovan government, as well as demonstrate a side of Israel few often get to hear about in the media.

$8.5 Million Donated To Israel By Christians

In a gesture of solidarity, evangelical Christians from the United States have donated $8.5 million (or approximately 34 million shekels) to help encourage Jews to commit Aliyah (or emigrate) towards Israel.

(Israel National News) An evangelical Christian group led by Rev. John Hagee raised $8.5 million for Israeli causes at a fundraising event earlier this week. Six million dollars will be donated to groups that encourage Jews to make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel, while the rest will be donated to a variety of other causes, including funds to support Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.

Hagee is the founder and national chairman of the Christians United for Israel group, which is an organization seeking to promote Israel politically, financially and spiritually. They are one of the largest political grass roots organizations in the US, and perhaps one of the most influential as well.

This donation will help to send a strong signal to those eager to divide Jerusalem, something Hagee sees as "very unkosher."

Israeli Doctors Heart Iraqi Kids

While it is expected for doctors of any nation to tend to their own citizens with the utmost compassion, these doctors are raising the bar by tending towards Iraqi children suffering from heart disease.

(Israel National News) Israeli doctors screened 40 Iraqi children suffering from heart disease this week - a rare instance of direct cooperation between the Jewish state and Iraq. [...]

Dr. Tzion Houri, director of the pediatric intensive care unit at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, said he thought "ties and friendship" were being built through his work in Jordan with the Iraqi children. "Our only previous exchanges with the Iraqis were the Scud missiles," he said, referring to the missiles Iraq, under former dictator Saddam Hussein, fired on Israel during the 1991 Gulf War.

Israeli doctors seem to be making a pattern of helping Iraqi's lately, even when things must be done in secret.

Hopefully these doctors actions will go a long way towards creating ties between the two lands, as it would be great for Israel to have an Arabian friend in the middle east.

Israel Gives Citizenship Towards Darfur Refugees

With all of the chaos raging in Darfur, Prime Minister Olmert has decided to grant 500 refugees the privilege of being Israeli citizens.

(Israel National News) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Sunday that he has ordered 500 Darfur refugees be given Israeli citizenship and absorption assistance.

Olmert added, however, that other African refugees, who continue to attempt to enter Israel from Egypt, will be turned away. Fifty such Africans were transported back to Egypt Saturday night.

This is great news for those suffering from the tragedy that is happening in that region of the world, although hopefully Olmert can display the same amount of grace to the Jews in Ethiopia as he has to these refugees.

Adelson To Donate $60 Million To Taglit-Birthright Israel

(Image: Sheldon Adelson, Credit: Paul Yeung / Reuters file via MSNBC)

It looks like American Jews desiring to see the holy land (but unable to because of lack of cash) will be able to visit the promise land thanks in part to an American billionaire, Sheldon Adelson.

(Ha'aretz) The billionaire's contribution has already enabled Taglit to double the number of participants for this year, to 25,000. The cost per participant is estimated at $2,500.

From the President's Residence, Adelson went on to speak at Taglit's "mega-event," the project's annual ceremony in the capital. The American businessman, whose fortune is estimated at $27 billion, told the crowd that growing up in a poor Boston family, he had had to depend on charity from Jewish philanthropists to go to summer camp.

Adelson hopes his donation will enable more American Jews to visit Israel within the same year that they apply, instead of being put on a waiting list.

Although the tours will probably include various holy sites and historical cities, hopefully they will show Israel's modern side as that may convince some of these travelers to make Aliyah.

Update: Corrected Adelson's name (spelling) in image credits.

Update (9/23): Added Ha'aretz source link (which I forgot to put in--I think I am going to stop posting late at night here).

Israeli Tech To Charities: A New Way To Raise Funds

(Image: Children from the Yuvalim project, which received funds from Tmura. Credit: Israel 21^st Century)


Although many nations have various types of charitable organizations, most (if not many) of these not-for-profit businesses raise most of their funds by asking generous people to donate.

Well it seems as if one Israeli organization has decided to expand those options by having tech companies pledge a percentage of their equity to help the needy.

(Israel 21^st Century) The concept is simple, elegant and unique - high-tech start-ups make pledges to Tmura to help the causes of youth and education in Israel. Early-stage startups usually donate 0.5% of their equity, while more developed companies contribute 0.1-0.5%. If the company succeeds, Tmura sells its share allocation and donates the proceeds to approved charities.

According to Lipner, although the organization's immediate goal is to encourage Israeli philanthropy, its long-term aim is to generate a ripple effect of social improvement. So, far the results have been more like a tidal wave. In its first five years, Tmura has donated a total of nearly $2 million to 18 non-profit organizations (NPOs).

That's fairly impressive, not to mention a smart way for corporations to give back to their communities. Hopefully this kind of spirit will spread beyond the hi-tech arena's and inspire businesses in other industries to do the same.

Sudanese Refugee Enjoying Life In Israel

While the world debates how to intervene in the situation in Darfur, it looks as if Muslim refugees have found an unusual sanctuary in an unlikely nation--Israel.

(Baltimore Sun) Five years after he fled his Darfur village, and after jail spells in three countries, Ibrahim has found refuge in an unlikely place: a kibbutz in Israel.

The young Muslim is one of about 440 Sudanese refugees working in Israeli hotels and on farms while the government seeks to place them in a third country. [...]

Ibrahim said he feels isolated, because he speaks only Arabic and can't communicate with his kibbutz employers. But he does feel safe.

"Israel is nice," he said. "No one will hit you in the street or yell at you. I had to come all this way before I could find someone to treat me this way."

Despite the fact that Ibrahim official comes from what Israel regards as an "enemy nation," the Israeli government has extended hospitality towards refugees like Ibrahim, as they hash out details on where his future home will be.

Israel is currently attempting to find ways to relocate these people abroad (in Europe of all places) although the Sudanese refugees may be better off remaining in the Jewish state--at least until things calm down in Africa.

Free Laptops For Jerusalem Kids

It looks as if more of our future world leaders will have some much needed exposure to a tool most westerners already take for granted.

(Israel National News) 70 Jerusalem children received a free computer this week as part of the "A Computer for Every Child" project. The children, in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, first finished a 60-hour introductory course on computer use.

The "A Computer for Every Child" project gives computers, basic computer training, and Internet connection to children whose families cannot afford to buy the technology for them.

This is a great idea although I wonder whether or not those laptops are wifi capable as that would allow the kids to get online? (with parental permission of course!)

Several corporations seem to have endorsed this project (including Microsoft) and for those of you who are curious, you can find more information regarding the project over here.

Tibetan's Learn From Israeli Green Thumbs

(Image: Tsering Dolma working in the Arava farming settlement, Credit: Israel 21^st Century)


Farmers originally from the nation of Tibet are getting a chance to learn from some of the world's greatest minds in the agricultural field in Tel Aviv.

Although exiled in India (do to political situations), these farmers hope to share the knowledge they learn back at home, and improve life from their corner of the planet.

(Israel 21^st Century) Dolma is part of a group of 50 Tibetans who have come to Israel for a year to learn agricultural techniques from Israeli farmers. At the end of their tenure, they'll return to their homes-in-exile in India and pass along the information to fellow Tibetan community members. [...]

"Israel is a known leader in agriculture and agriculture technology. Even countries that don't have diplomatic ties with Israel send envoys to learn from our farmers. So this group is a natural extension of what Israel does well," TIFTP spokesperson Ran Natanzon told ISRAEL21c.

Israel has already trained 300 Tibetans, who believe that the agriculture industry will be critical towards their nation's survival once Tibet is liberated.

Note: This program would not have been possible if it were not for the efforts of The Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People and Israel's Forum for International Humanitarian Aid.

Holocaust Hero Saved 2500 Jewish Children

(Image: Irena Sendler being awarded with the Order of Smile in Poland, Credit: AP via Jerusalem Post)

During one of the greatest tragedies of history, a brave polish woman decided to risk death and torture in order to save as many Jewish kids as possible.

Despite her heroism many decades ago, it seems as if the world (not to mention the many survivors) are now seeking to contact this woman who has affected so many lives.

(Jerusalem Post) The pilgrims keep coming, seeking out the fragile 97-year-old woman in black in her tiny nursing home room filled with pictures and flowers.

The attention tires Irena Sendler sometimes. She never sought credit for smuggling 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto anyway. Not for risking execution to save other people's children, or holding out under torture by the Nazis, or enduring decades as a nonperson under the communist regime that followed. [...]

"I'm very tired - it's too much for me," Sendler said recently of the incessant visits, during a brief meeting with an Associated Press reporter. And giving a little laugh, she added a bit sadly: "I feel my age."

This woman did a lot of work insuring that these kids survived! She not only smuggled the children under the noses of the Nazi's, but gave them fake names in order to help them evade detection.

She also made sure that the children's real names remained with them, so that they would never lose their Jewish identity. One of the children (who is now an adult herself) calls this woman "my Polish mother" and Sendler has even been nominated for a Nobel Peace prize by her country.

Although I could go on about this womans courage, the Jerusalem Post has written an excellent article highlighting how she smuggled the children away from danger, as well as what happened when the Nazi's caught her.

So stop reading this blog, and read the rest of her story.

Jews And Arabs Make Flag Out Of Corkscrews

(Image: The flag of 64,000 corkscrews on Akko's City Hal, Credit: Vadim Daniel, via Ynet)

I have been meaning to post this story for a while, but here is some more great news of Israeli's and Arabs working together--an item you may not see on CNN.

(Ynet News) In honor of Independence Day, Akko's municipal youth council initiated a project which will bring the city's Arab and Jewish communities together. After long months of planning and preparation, a huge flag – made of 64,000 corks – now hangs on the walls of City Hall. [...]

"The best part was to see the cooperation between Jews Arabs, youths and elderly, secular and religious from all over the city. We had five-year old children and 90-year old adults tie the corks together," he said.

The corkscrews were originally blue, although the youth had to paint many of them white in order to create the Israeli flag. After creating the flag, they took out ten corkscrews in honor of the ten missing Israeli soldiers from the second Lebanon war.

As soon as the soldiers are found, the corkscrews will be added to the flag again.

Dinner Raises Millions For IDF

The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces hosted a fund raising dinner in which $18 million was raised on behalf of soldiers defending Israel.

(Jerusalem Post) Leading the contributions this year was Israeli-American media mogul Haim Saban who pledged $3.2m. Guests at the event included Executive Vice President of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Malcolm Hoenlein, AIPAC President Howard Friedman, President and CEO of Israel Bonds Yehoshua Matza, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel, renowned Israeli performer Dudu Fisher, and American businessman Donald Trump who contributed $250,000. Israel's Consul General in New York Arye Mekel as well as Israel's defense attache to the US Major General Dan Harel were among representatives of the Israeli government at the affair.

You can find more information on who gave what over here. It seems as if this dinner was a great way to kick off the year, as the Friends of IDF were able to raise $46 million in 2006.

With a third of that amount already raised thus far (and it only being April) lets hope the group shatters their record and raises close to $50 million for these brave individuals defending the Jewish state.

Corporate Blessing Reaps A Blessing

There is a scripture in the torah in which God says to Abraham (and his decendants):

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

It seems that The Baran Group is learning that first hand as they are doing their part by investing in the Jewish community, which is having a delightful side affect on their stock.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) Things would be worse at the crowded center, however, if not for the Baran Group, a Negev-based engineering company that runs a number of employee volunteer programs with underprivileged communities throughout Israel.

"We have been working with them for five years," Aiaso said. "It's difficult for me to see Almaya without Baran. Without them we could only just manage, but not do all the things we do. For example, they help us deal with the municipality, easing the bureaucratic process. If I need something, I turn to Baran." [...]

Scop insists that the $295,000 Baran invested in community projects last year sparked a 5 percent jump in the value of its stock.

What makes The Baron Group's contribution unique is their approach to helping out a community. Instead of merely throwing money at the problem (which is fairly irresponsible in my opinion) they work with the community to help shape its future culture.

They in essence share the burden giving the people a sense of accomplishment (which helps the project live on long after the company's checks stop flowing). This also seems to be good for stock holders, as they seem to show appreciation for businesses concerned about a society beyond their bottom line.

Choosing Life Over Terror

(Hat Tip: Jerusalem Newswire)

I probably do not need to go over the feelings many Palestinians have towards Israeli's, but it seems that some Israeli medics responded to an emergency in what some would consider to be enemy territory.

(Jerusalem Post) MDA medics risked their lives Friday and crossed Erez Crossing to the Palestinian side in order to stabilize and evacuate a Palestinian woman who had suffered a heart attack in Gaza.

IDF sources said the MDA medics took a "great risk" by crossing over to the Palestinian side of Erez.

The woman, 31, was evacuated to the crossing by Palestinian medics who had failed to resuscitate her following the heart attack.

There are reports from Jerusalem Newswire that the ambulance went into the city with a military escort, although I have not seen that confirmed by other sources.

Regardless on who accompanied them, this goes to show how much heart Israeli's have not only for their own, but for their perceived enemies as well.

Kazakhstan AIDS Children Receive The Kosher Touch

After a medical accident left some Kazakhstan children infected with a horrible disease, government officials asked their Hebrew friends for help.

(Ynet News) An Israeli medical team from the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem and a social worker from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) left for Kazakhstan on Saturday in order to assist in the treatment of 93 children infected with the HIV virus.

The children were infected after receiving a blood transfusion while being treated for pneumonia.

It is amazing to see Israel continually reach out to a world that doesn't exactly see the kosher state as apart of the world community. Nonetheless Israel seems to continually offer her graces to the world unconditionally, signifying the type of people who live in this tiny country.