TOURISM RENEWAL Israel will open its gates to foreign tourists under a phased timetable starting in May, so long as they have been vaccinated against COVID-19. “Opening the skies for international tourism will truly revive the tourism industry,” said Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen. According to the approved outline, a limited number of groups will start arriving in Israel on May 23, and the number will be gradually increased based on the progress of the program. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry announced that masks were no longer required in open spaces where there are no crowds, starting April 18.
US AID The Biden administration announced on April 7 that it would provide at least $235 million in aid to the Palestinians and resume funding to UNRWA, reversing a decision by the Trump administration. Some $150 million of the total aid will be distributed by UNRWA, the United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees. Israeli Ambassador to the US and UN, Gilad Erdan, criticized the administration for restoring aid to UNRWA, which he said “should not exist in its current form.”
ISRAEL’S POPULATION The proportion of Jews in Israel’s population fell below 74% for the first time, according to data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of Israel’s 73rd Independence Day on April 15. The population now stands at 9.327 million, 73.9% of whom are Jews and 21.1% Arabs, while the rest include non-Arab Christians and others. Since last Independence Day, Israel’s population has grown by 137,000 people, a rise of about 1.5%.
ANTISEMITISM REPORT The significant rise in extremism over the past year could have profound effects on Jewish communities in a post-pandemic world, said Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, upon the release of the Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide 2020 by the Kantor Center at Tel Aviv University. “We have to be prepared that antisemitic conspiracy theories could lead to physical attacks on Jews when lockdowns end,” Kantor said. The report identified 119 anti-Jewish violent incidents in the US in 2020, up from 111 in 2019.
JEWISH GIANT Isi Leibler, the global Jewish leader featured in the cover story of The Jerusalem Report on April 5, 2021, died in Jerusalem on April 13 at the age of 86. A successful businessman in Australia, the Belgian-born Leibler served as president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and in top leadership positions in the World Jewish Congress, was active in the campaign to free Soviet Jewry and played a pivotal role in the establishment of Israel’s diplomatic relations with India and China. At his funeral in Jerusalem, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin described him as “the most exemplary Jewish leader.” Leibler is survived by his wife, Naomi, with whom he moved to Israel in 1999, four children, 17 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
OLDEST JOURNALIST Walter Bingham, 97, a regular contributor to The Jerusalem Report, is officially the world’s oldest journalist. “We are thrilled to inform you that your application for Oldest Journalist has been successful and you are now the Guinness World Records Title Holder!” he was informed in an email sent on April 8 by the Records Management Team. “Congratulations, you are officially amazing!” Bingham, who was born Wolfgang Billig in Karlsruhe, Germany on January 5, 1924, is a Holocaust survivor, decorated World War II veteran, journalist and radio host who made aliyah in 2004 from London.