Our year is nearly over, and it is time to take account of personal matters or worldwide events or just what happened in the past year that made us proud or happy as individuals and/or as a nation.
Let us see what is happening around us in terms of Israel, Jews, Jewish life and so on, but today we concentrate only on the positive matters.
I just read something now that made me very happy:
Chabad couple holds UAE’s largest Jewish wedding on Abraham Accords anniversary
Around 1,500 guests, including Emirati royals, take part in the wedding of UAE Chabad emissary Rabbi Levi Duchman; the celebration is considered the largest Jewish event in UAE history.
“Hundreds of Jews from all over the world have gathered in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, ahead of the two-year anniversary of its establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel.”
But the crowds aren’t in town to honor the Abraham Accords — at least not directly.
They attended the celebration on Wednesday during the biggest Jewish wedding in UAE history, which the bride and groom, who are Chabad emissaries living there, scheduled to coincide with the anniversary of the Abraham Accord signing.
About 1,500 people, including dignitaries and Emirati royals as well as rabbis stationed around the world, attended the wedding of Rabbi Levi Duchman, 29, who was born in Brooklyn and has been living in the UAE since 2014, and Lea Hadad of Brussels, 27, according to the media relations department of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
The wedding “is a source of great national pride, as a demonstration and living experience of the Emirates’ longstanding investment in creating a culture of coexistence and religious diversity”. Read a statement to the media about the event.
Click here to see a video of the Emirates people dancing with the Rabbis and the groom:
Go and make yourself happy just watching this, it just proves that we human beings should never ever give up on our fellow men and women, and remember that enemies can become friends, it just takes time and effort.
Some other beautiful positive stuff is happening all over Israel, and it warms the heart and spreads all over the world, let us just name a few.
Israel’s female Minister, Meirav Cohen, is promoting a lot of social agendas to make the life of so many people better and in the past year of the existence of the government and since she became the minister, she managed to achieve a lot, and let us just name a few:
- Raising the Supplementary income of older people in need to 70% of the minimum salary
- 1 billion NIS package of benefits for Holocaust survivors, all this money is additional money that come from Germany to support this cause, on top of what the Germans are already paying for years. Mrs. Meirav Cohen the Minister who worked on this subject with her team and it finally came to fruition. On a personal level each survivor who needs physical assistant from now on will receive an extra NIS 1,200, every month, and that’s a big help.
- 90 million NIS for the LGBTQ community to be delivered to good causes.
- A five-year plan to develop Arab society and reduce disparities in the amount of NIS 30 billion.
- A national program to prevent loneliness in the third age with an allocated budget of NIS 100 million.
- A call for the prevention of domestic violence implemented by counselors for the advancement of family status
Mrs. Cohen acts quietly and performs very big miracles for Israeli Society and in a lot of people’s lives.
May G_D bless her and let her continue her blessed work. Thank you, Mrs. Minister.
On the Ukrainian front, throughout the year, Israel sent equipment and food as well as mobile hospitals, doctors, supply, and much more to assist the Ukrainian people wherever we could.
Israel always tries and helps in any disaster or war zones. Whether it’s Ukraine or even Syrian refugees, we are there with tents, blankets, Hospitals and everything else that is needed, and that we can supply.
In Ukraine we also assisted to find people and bring them to their families in Israel or even just get them to a place of refuge.
Israel is a small country that has only around 9 million people, but its strength and generosity are immense. When I say strength, I don’t mean only military and soldiers, I mean its people, and their contribution to the world in many different areas.
Israelis are freedom seekers who want to be happy and productive, help each other and if possible, help the world when needed.
Since 1959, Israeli doctors have been offering eye camps to treat ocular diseases to people throughout the developing world.
In 1970 Israel started opening its doors to the world's refugees. It has saved non-Jewish people in distress and those seeking refuge from countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, Bosnia, Kosovo, Eritrea, and Sudan.
Since 1995 Israeli doctors acting through Save a Child's Heart has been giving kids from around the world, including from the Palestinian Authority (PA), Iraq, Jordan, and other Arab nations free life-saving heart operations. Since the organization first started 2,300 children have been treated, and almost half are from the PA, Jordan, and Iraq.
Israel has a long-standing tradition of extending aid to alleviate hunger, disease, and poverty, as well as in the wake of natural disasters and terrorist attacks beyond its borders.
In Israel itself and I know that in other Jewish communities worldwide efforts are being made to deliver food to families in need for the high holidays, no person in the world should be left alone and without food to celebrate the holidays, fish and chickens and vegetables and fruits as well as cakes and even gifts and clothing for the kids.
So yes we maybe are always fighting for our lives and our security in the state of Israel, and those are the pictures and stories that the world knows, but there is this beautiful side of Israel, the humanitarian, generous, loving, and caring side, and this side is not talked about.
Unfortunately, many stories don’t get covered by mainstream media, as an example of Israeli Doctors and aids that went to the border between Jordan and Syria to assist the Syrian refugees from war-torn Syria.
They don’t tell the stories of the people and children wounded from the war being saved in Israeli hospitals, and so many other great human stories.
In Israel itself there are so many assisting organizations for people in need, as we know those organizations are never enough, and they do whatever they can on all fronts, whether its women who need shelter with their children from an abusive husband or Older Holocaust survivors who are alone in this world and need a comforting hand and someone to care for them, to children from high-risk environments. Or helping children with hearing deficiencies, and children who need assistance in schoolwork.
So, you see, there are still a lot of good people and great hope for a great future for this world.
May next year be full of good deeds and good results for everyone and anyone, may the new year bring everyone joy and peace, and may the world have a peaceful and hopeful year.
May this be the year that the world is blessed with a lot more happiness, joy, prosperity, peace, hope, and lots of health for all.
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu
