Beersheba, officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most populous Israeli city with a population of 214,162, and the second-largest city in area, with a total area of 117,500 dunams.
Mahal, more often spelled Machal, refers to the group of overseas volunteers who fought alongside Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Some 4,000 volunteers, mostly Jews but also non-Jews, arrived from all over the world. Mahal is an acronym of מתנדבי חוץ לארץ.
The 97th Netzah Yehuda Battalion, previously known as Nahal Haredi is a controversial battalion in the Kfir Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces. The purpose of the unit is to allow Haredi Jewish men to serve as combat soldiers in the Israeli military by creating an atmosphere conducive to their religious convictions in the strict observance of Halakha.
Nefesh B'Nefesh, or Jewish Souls United, is a nonprofit organization, promotes, encourages and facilitates aliyah from the United States and Canada.
Yochanan Vollach is an Israeli former footballer. He was a member of the Israel national team that competed at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the Israeli Football Hall of Fame.
Otniel is an Orthodox Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the southern Judaean Mountains, south of Hebron, it falls under the jurisdiction of Har Hevron Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 1,041.
The HESEG Foundation is an organization created by Canadian CEOs Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman in 2005 to provide free tuition to former lone soldiers who serve in Israel's military under Israel Defense Forces.
Michael Levin was an American-Israeli soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who was killed in action in the Second Lebanon War.
Majdi Halabi, alternatively Majdy Halabi or Majdi Halaby, was an Israeli Druze soldier from the village of Daliyat al-Karmel, located on the slopes of Mount Carmel, who disappeared on duty near Haifa in May 2005.
Garin Tzabar is a program that facilitates service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and provides a support system for Israelis and Diaspora Jews who do not have parents in Israel. Soldiers who do not have at least one parent living in Israel are called "Lone Soldiers". The Garin Tzabar members are Jewish young adults and sons and daughters of Israelis living abroad, who wish to make Israel their home and serve a meaningful service in the IDF as Lone Soldiers. Upon their Aliyah, the group is adopted by an Israel community and live there for three months during which they study Hebrew and navigate the necessary bureaucratic and military processes that are required before their imminent draft. Upon enlistment, participants are required to remain on their respective Kibbutz for at least a year. In addition to Garin Tzabar staff, soldiers and educators from the IDF and teachers from the Ministry of Education assist with the transition.
Michael Sfard is an Israeli lawyer and political activist specializing in international human rights law and the laws of war. He has served as counsel in various cases on these topics in Israel. Sfard has represented a variety of Israeli and Palestinian human rights and peace organizations, movements and activists at the Israeli Supreme Court.
A lone soldier is a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who does not have support in Israel, either because they do not have immediate family in Israel or they are estranged from their family in Israel. Lone soldiers serve in regular IDF units, including combat units, and receive special entitlements from the IDF, Israeli government ministries, and charity organizations, such as increased salaries, housing assistance, and additional leave. As of June 2022, there were approximately 7,000 lone soldiers from over 60 countries.
The Negev Museum of Art is an art museum in the Old City of Be'er Sheva, Israel. The building is the former Governor's Mansion, built in 1906 by the Ottomans as part of government edifices that include the Seraya and the local mosque.
B'Tselem is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, combat any denial of the existence of such violations, and help to create a human rights culture in Israel. It is currently headed by Yuli Novak, who took over in June 2023 from Hagai El-Ad, who had served as its director-general since May 2014. B'Tselem also maintains a presence in Washington, D.C., where it is known as B'Tselem USA. The organization has provoked sharp reactions within Israel, ranging from harsh criticism to strong praise.
Im Tirtzu is a Zionist non-governmental organization based in Israel. Its name is derived from an epigraph appended to the frontispiece of Theodor Herzl's novel Altneuland, 'if you wish it, it is no fairy-tale,' rendered into modern Hebrew in Nahum Sokolow's translation in 1903, as Im tirtzu ein zo agadah.
BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change is a Jewish non-profit organization and educational institution that offers pluralistic programs and forums for adults and young adults seeking to explore their Jewish roots. It was founded in 1996, and has centers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beer Sheva, Israel. BINA means "wisdom" in Hebrew and is an acronym for "A Home for the Creation of Our Nation's Souls", a phrase coined by Hebrew poet Chaim Nachman Bialik.
David Ha'ivri is an Israeli and an independent political strategist, who focuses on foreign relations, he has worked closely with Christian Zionists and leading politicians in Washington DC. He emigrated as a child with his family from the United States to Israel at the age of 11, completed high school, and served in the IDF. Ha'ivri is an Orthodox Jew, and lives with his wife and eight children in Kfar Tapuach in the West Bank. He is a religious Zionist leader, writer, and speaker. In November 2018 Ha'ivri was elected to the Shomron Regional Municipal council and in May 2021 he was elected as Second to the Chairman of the Council.
Yashar LaChayal is an Israeli non-profit organization established in 2006 that provides soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces with toiletries, relaxation corners, warm jackets, free food and beverages and other creature comforts.
Am Yisrael Foundation is a Tel Aviv and New York–based foundation and umbrella nonprofit organization for a variety of initiatives that promote Zionist engagement among Jewish young adults residing in Israel, including providing leadership platforms for young Jews who have made Aliyah, or are contemplating immigration to Israel.
Yehiel Gozal, is a former Israeli brigadier general and the chairman of the Paratroops Heritage Association. Gozal served in various commanding positions in the Paratroopers Brigade and as commander of the 500th Armor Brigade, as chief of the Southern Command in the rank of Brigadier General, he also served as the IDF Defense Attaché in France and was national director CEO of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) organization in the United States and Panama.
Israel