By COMPILEDTAMARA ZIEVESports week in Bat Yam(photo credit: Courtesy)
NORTHSafed’s Ziv Medical Center received six casualties of attacks by a wolf on hikers in the area of Nahal Hazori in the Golan Heights last weekend. A father and his nine-year-old son who were among the casualties said they had been attacked by the wolf, and passersby frightened the animal away by throwing stones at it. All the casualties were examined and immediately received vaccinations against rabies.Four of them had been bitten or scratched, and another was given the vaccination because he had touched his wife’s open wounds. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel said it was searching for the wolf.IAA catches grave robbers red-handedIsrael Antiquities Authority (IAA) officials caught two would-be grave robbers red-handed as they tried to loot an ancient Roman-period burial site in the Galilee on Sunday.According to the Tazpit News Agency, the IAA anti- theft task force officials caught the pair of suspects just before they reached the burial chamber. Task force chief Nir Distelfeld told the news agency that the IAA had “managed to prevent severe desecration and irreversible damage to a beautiful and important catacomb.”The burial chamber was part of a larger set of underground catacombs at a preservation site of ancient Roman and Byzantine ruins in the upper Galilee. The suspects succeeded in digging their way into the main cave, but the task force members stopped them before they could damage or steal any antiquities, Tazpit reported.“On Saturday I received a report of strange activity around the site,” Distelfeld said. “Upon inspection, I concluded that the marks around the cave were compatible with human tampering and clearly not the work of our archeologists. Calling in the Border Police to aid in our operation, we set up an ambush and managed to catch the two grave robbers in the act.”The IAA believes that the catacombs, which had lain undisturbed for more than 1,800 years, belonged to an early Christian sect, indicated by wall markings in the main cave. Distelfeld said the IAA was concerned about the potential loss of rare artifacts, as well as irreparable destruction of ancient art, architecture and history.CENTER
Police arrest taxi driver for distributing counterfeit bills Tel Aviv district police arrested a taxi driver over the weekend for allegedly distributing counterfeit money to his passengers. The 47-year-old suspect was arrested after police searched his home in Moshav Hatzav, where they found and confiscated NIS 75,000 in counterfeit bills.Upon his arrest, the suspect confessed to distributing the bills. Police encourage anyone who may have received a counterfeit bill to step forward.Two dead, two injured in car accident near Kfar Yona Two people were killed and two others were injured – one seriously – in a road accident that took place on Route 57 on Monday morning. Police sealed off the highway near the entrance to Kfar Yona as they cleared the wreckage.Taglit-Birthright ‘Crystal Summer’ participants arrive in Israel The first busloads of Taglit-Birthright Israel began arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport last week for the “Crystal Summer” session, which celebrates the organization’s 15th anniversary. This summer, for the first time, Taglit-Birthright Israel is bringing 1,300 French young adults to Israel to learn about the country and immerse themselves in their heritage.“In the past year, Taglit-Birthright Israel took a strategic position to invest and significantly increase its actions to bring more young Jewish adults to Israel from France and will continue to do so under any circumstances,” said Taglit Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark.Some 500 French young adults also toured Israel with Taglit-Birthright in the winter. Since France has the second-largest Jewish community outside Israel, the program’s stated aim is to provide the younger generation with the values of Judaism and Israel through an experiential trip together with young Israelis in order to return to France with a deeper sense of pride and a clearer understanding of the Jewish people.Taglit-Birthright Israel partners have decided to allocate funds to dramatically increase the number of participants due to the special circumstances and increasing anti-Semitism taking place throughout France, particularly Paris.This summer’s group also includes participants from many other countries, such as the US, the UK, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, the EU, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Switzerland, Mexico, Panama, India, Hungary, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Latvia.Bat Yam residents participate in sports week Thousands of Bat Yam residents participated in lectures, meeting and dozens of sports activities during the fifth annual national sports week last week. Activities were held for people of all ages in various locations throughout the city, such as zumba classes; salsa and capoeira at the youth center; outdoor exercise for the elderly; artistic exercise on the boardwalk; a ping-pong tournament; and a competition involving parents and children run by the netball league Mamanet.Israeli Sports Week is the Sport and Culture Ministry’s largest annual event, which aims to raise awareness and promote an active, healthy lifestyle among Israelis. Throughout the week, hundreds of sports events for the whole family were held in 150 communities across the country.Bat Yam Mayor Yossi Bachar said, “This is the fifth year that Bat Yam is taking part in Israel’s National Sports Week, and I am proud to see the growing response from residents to such events. Throughout the week we held dozens of activities, and residents of all ages found the sport that suited them. I was pleased to welcome the participation of the city’s residents, and I hope we will meet again next year from another healthy communal experience.”SOUTH Police arrest two in connection with stabbing Police arrested two suspects in connection with the attack on a man in his 20s at the end of April near Bat Hadar. On the night of the attack, police received a call and arrived on the scene to find an abandoned vehicle, assault tools and bloodstains. The victim was found on Highway 4, moderately wounded, suffering from stab wounds, cuts and fractures, and was taken to hospital.The two suspects, in their 20s, are residents of Lachish.Their remand was extended, and an indictment was expected to be filed against them. The incident is connected to a conflict among those involved, according to police.Three wounded by rocks thrown at bus from Beersheba Assailants near the Shoket Junction Sunday night threw rocks at a bus traveling from Beersheba to the Beduin town of Kuseifa, leaving three people lightly wounded. They were admitted to Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. Police forces were at the scene to investigate the incident.Sderot recognized for its high rates of IDF enlistmentSderot recently received the news that it had joined a number of respected cities in Israel that are recognized for having the highest number of IDF recruits in the country. In addition, data revealed that Sderot’s rate of enlistment is the highest in the South.Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi remarked that Sderot invests a lot in encouraging meaningful IDF service among the city’s youth. “The latest figures prove what we already knew,” he said. “We have wonderful, quality, giving youth.”The data also showed that the number of IDF recruits from Sderot has increased significantly in recent times. Sderot operates a preparatory center for meaningful service in the IDF, led by Davidi. It is a joint project of the Education Department of the Sderot Municipality, the Beersheba recruitment center, the Defense Ministry’s social security department, high schools and several other entities in the city. The center acts a coordinating body and a center for all municipal activities connected to IDF enlistment. The center exposes its youth to the different options available to them and emphasizes the values of giving, volunteering, Zionism and action for one’s country. In addition, the center works to increase the rate of enlistment in the city and provides guidance and preparation for service out of a desire to increase the number of recruits to combat service and officers’ courses. The center also follows up on cases of soldiers leaving their service in order to reduce such occurrences as much as possible.