The years 1954-1959 were the height of strategic relations between France and Israel. Not unlike today, the United States would not supply certain arms to the newly established Jewish state. But France was willing to sell Israel high-quality weapons, including Mirage jet fighters. This helped shift the balance of Mideast power toward Israel. Shimon Peres – at the time, the youngest-ever director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Defense – handled the rapprochement.
“October Rain” – Israel’s original entry for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest – was rejected for being political. Lyrics such as “They were all good children, each one of them” were considered references to the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The approved entry “Hurricane” retains some of the original lyrics. Performer Eden Golan skipped Eurovision’s opening to attend a Holocaust remembrance event organized by Malmö’s Jewish community.
Bamba, the ubiquitous peanut-flavored Israeli snack, led researchers to a potentially life-saving discovery. In tests, exposing babies to peanut butter or Bamba during their first year helped prevent peanut allergies by as much as 81 percent. Introduced in the 1960s, Bamba contains 50% peanuts. Osem makes the vitamin-enriched puffs in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat.
Since it began competing in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973, Israel has won four times: 1978 – “A-Ba-Ni-Bi” performed by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta; 1979 – “Hallelujah” performed by Milk and Honey; 1998 – “Diva” performed by Dana International; 2018 – “Toy” performed by Netta Barzilai. It has hosted the musical extravaganza twice in Jerusalem and once in Tel Aviv.
Israel does not glorify victims, nor promise reward for self-sacrifice. Instead, Israelis remember with honor those who have fallen, whether at the hands of historic oppressors or in defense of the world’s sole Jewish country. In January 2024, there were ~245,000 Holocaust survivors alive, nearly half in Israel. This Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial day) Israel will commemorate the 6 million Jews murdered along with the heroism of survivors and rescuers.
Israelis love kids! With an average of 3 children per woman, Israel has the highest fertility rate among the 38 countries in the OECD, where the average is 1.58 children.
Israel-South Africa relations have not always been rocky. In 1948, South Africa was the seventh nation to give de facto recognition the new State of Israel. The Israeli city Ashkelon was originally designed, financed, and built by South African Jewry, who managed it from 1949 to 1959. Started to house new immigrants and refugees from around the world, Ashkelon merged with Migdal Gad in 1955.
Although a tiny country, Israel is often one of the first to respond to natural and man-made disasters. Israel has provided support such as water provision, shelter, technical and medical know-how to more than 60 countries including: USA, Kenya, Ukraine, Malawi, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, Haiti, Indonesia, Nepal, Japan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Albania, Philippines, Germany, India, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Guatemala, and South Africa.
The Mount of Olives (Har Hazaitim) cemetery, with 70,000-150,000 graves, dates back 3,000 years and is still in use today. Sections overlook Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Notable people buried there include Shebna (a First Temple royal steward mentioned in the Book of Isaiah), Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (father of modern Hebrew), Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, as well as Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg (Chabad emissaries killed in a 2008 terror attack in Mumbai).
