Muslim EMS volunteers respond to huge fire while fasting on Ramadan; Education ministry subsidizes English lessons for children; 77,100 Israelis received academic titles from institutions of higher education in 2016-2017, and much more.

By: Michael Ordman

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Israel’s Ramadan Responders

On June 13th, the penultimate day of Ramadan, five Muslim United Hatzalah emergency medical volunteers responded to a huge fire in Umm al-Fahm. Despite fasting, they treated many children who suffered from smoke inhalation and light injuries. United Hatzalah has 400 Muslim volunteers.

https://israelrescue.org/blog/israels-ramadan-responders-fasting-and-saving-lives/

Subsidized English tuition for children

Israel’s Education Ministry and the Association of Community Centers’ Shalem volunteer organization are to provide 4th to 8th-graders with after-school spoken English lessons. Fees will be just NIS 4 ($1.10) an hour, far less than current private tuition fees.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/fourth-to-eighth-graders-to-get-after-school-spoken-english-tuition-for-1-10/

77,100 academic degrees

77,100 Israeli residents received academic titles from institutions of higher education in Israel during the 2016/17 school year – a 1.4% rise compared to the previous year. Israeli Arabs gaining first degrees rose to 11.9% of the population from 11% last year.

http://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/cbs-77-thousand-israelis-received-academic-degrees-in-2017/2018/06/20/

Arabs & Jews celebrate together at SodaStream

Israel’s Sodastream is using its employment model to show that coexistence between Jews and Arabs is possible in the region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH4uT-6Icto

Educating for co-existence

Eran Schwartz, director of Beit Yigal Allon, went on ILTV to explain the purpose and program of his organization based at Kibbutz Ginnosar, by the Kinneret (Sea of the Galilee). It educates Israeli youth in how Jews and its minorities can live together in harmony.

World Day to Combat Desertification

Although 60% of Israel is desert, it is the only country in the world where the desert is receding. Thus, the UN designated Israel an expert in combating desertification -the process by which drought, deforestation, and inappropriate agriculture turns fertile land into desert.

More Israel-Asia Center graduates

I wrote previously (30 July) about some of last year’s graduates from the Israel-Asia Center’s Leaders Fellowship. This recent article features three graduates from the current program. They are from Indonesia (which doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Israel), Vietnam and India.

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-asia-center-honors-asias-future-leaders/

The largest cookie flag

Using 117,000 cookies laid out to form a giant Israeli flag, the Jewish community of Atlanta, Georgia not only shattered a world record, it also raised considerable funds for worthy charities all over Israel. Afterwards, the cookies were donated to local Georgia food banks.

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