The weekend is here and we hope everyone is taking time to enjoy it! The beautiful picture seen above is of Jaffa or Yafo, along Israel’s coast. This week’s news has something for the football/soccer fans, news about a supposed Gaza victim, humanitarian aid to Kenya and the Ethiopians ties to the Jewish State. Remember that the titles of each section are links back to the original articles.
Leila al-Ghandour
Last week many news sites reported that Leila al-Ghandour, a Gazan infant had died during the protests due to tear gas inhalation. This week, Hamas took her name off the list. The infant apparently suffered from heart defects from birth and the actual cause of her death seems to be related to this issue.
The question no one is asking is why would loving parents take their infant child to a protest where burning tires and heavy smoke could affect her tiny lungs and cause stress to a heart that was already struggling? The initial report from the hospital where Leila was taken also seems to confirm that her congenital heart defect was the cause of her death. No mention of tear gas was noted in this document.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspects a guard of honor at the National Palace during his State visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, July 7, 2016. (photo credit- REUTERS:TIKSA NEGERI)
Ethiopian Jews have always had a special link to Israel but Ethiopia’s Ambassador says it goes farther back than many thought. He takes it all the way back to Moses and his wife, “the Cushite”. Cush is believed to be in the region of present day Ethiopia and parts of Sudan. Many biblical scholars also believe Cushites and Ethiopians are a synonymous term. So the strong love and attachment they have for the land of Israel is deeply rooted in their culture.
In modern times, this love is being shown in more practical ways as Ethiopia abstained from voting this past week in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on whether to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged Israeli crimes along the Gaza border during the recent riots there. It marks a turning point for them as previously in 2009, they had supported looking into alleged war crimes during Operation Cast Lead.
“It is good that Ethiopia abstained, because it took a principled position: Israel has the right to live peacefully within its borders,” Tsegay says of last Friday’s vote. “Anything that destabilizes the independence of Israel, Ethiopia opposes – because Israel has the right to live peacefully within its borders.” (jpost.com)
Roman Abramovich, January 2018. (photo credit: Courtesy)
JPost newspaper reported that the Russian Jewish billionaire had landed in Israel this past Thursday in order to complete his immigration process. Apparently, his British work visa had expired and authorities decided not to renew it. One reason could be the heightened tensions between the UK and Russia after a Russian intelligence officer who was a double agent for the UK, was poisoned recently.
Abramovich is already at work building a mansion in Tel Aviv so it seems like he really will be a citizen of Israel. Football fans are still cheering the victory that Chelsea, Abramovich’s team, had in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United.
The philanthropist is also well known for being a generous contributor to many Israeli and Russian Jewish charities and projects. We are sure that he will be at home in Israel.
Ronaldinho celebrates after scoring a goal. (Photo: Mauricio Lima / AFP/Getty Images)
Or Football as it is known everywhere else! The widely popular football star recently went to Israel and launched the Ronaldinho Soccer Academy for kids age 6 to 16. “I see the school as a first-class educational tool that helps in acquiring skills, tools for life, discipline, teamwork and more,” Ronaldinho said at a news conference in Tel Aviv last week. “Israel has a tremendous potential, countless talents and a great love for the game.”
The Academy will have a camp this summer for about 100 children before officially launching this fall. Soccer is a popular sport in the Mediterranean country, which is home to the Israeli Premier League and boasts a national team as well.
Dr. Mercy Nyanchoga from Nairobi, a medical officer at the IRC General Hospital in Kakuma Refugee Camp, flanked by US pediatricians Sabrina Braham and Michelle Sandberg who arrived on an IsraAID mission May 16, 2018. Photo by Tamar Lazarus
Marking its first joint Israeli-American medical specialist mission, Israeli humanitarian aid organization IsraAID arranged for a delegation of American pediatricians to join IsraAID’s ongoing medical program in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. According to IsraAID, Kakuma is one of the world’s oldest and largest refugee camps and is chronically understaffed. Kakuma houses more than 185,000 refugees from countries across the region, including South Sudan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in addition to a host community from the Turkana ethnic group. (israel21c.com)
IsraAID have been working in Kakuma since 2011, supporting the psychological, water and medical needs of refugee and host communities. Their many programs reach out to the children and young adults to provide water technician training as well as specialized support for the area hospitals.
Happy Weekend all!
