Millennials Just Meh About Israel
Millennials don’t find Israel all that interesting, according to a study Bloom Consulting conducted for Vibe Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Millennials ranked Israel 49th in the Best Countries Index, compared to 30th by prior generations. In addition, 84 percent of those surveyed were unaware of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
The study concluded that Israel isn’t properly targeting itself to the young, who see it as a religious country.
“To succeed,” CEO of Vibe Israel Joanna Landau said, “we must join forces around a common vision and develop a consistent message about Israel in the world.”
The survey, which was presented on Feb. 20 to Israeli President Reuben Rivlin, included 4,000 people between the ages of 15 to 55 spread across 12 countries.
Measles Vaccination Approved by Judge
An Israeli judge ruled in favor of a divorced woman who wanted to vaccinate her 12-year-old daughter against measles over the wishes of the father, The Jerusalem Post reported.
The father had argued that “there’s no chance she’ll contract measles” and that his daughter “doesn’t want to [be vaccinated].” The mother has full physical custody of the child.
Judge Yehoram Shaked’s verdict included testimony from Lior Ungar, a Sheba Medical Center doctor who said, “If an amusement park had a roller coaster ride in which one out of 600 children who rode on it would be ejected from the ride and killed, would you allow your child to get on it? That’s measles.”
In November, the Ministry of Health reported that there were 1,334 measles patients in the country.
Israelis Leaving Big Cities for Suburbs, Mid-Sized Towns Across the Country
Residents of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa are leaving to instead live in suburbs and mid-sized towns, according to Central Bureau of Statistics data, JNS.org reported.
In 2017, 23,040 residents left Tel Aviv, while 17,098 residents left. Jerusalem. In Haifa, 9,870 residents left.
Meantime, suburbs and mid-sized towns are experiencing growth, including Ramat Gan, Rosh HaAyin and Hod Hasharon in central Israel; Afula and Hadera in the north; and Ashkelon in the south.
For example, Tel Aviv suburb Ramat Gan took in 9,180 new residents, of which 2,593 are former Tel Avivians. Only 1,632 Ramat Gan residents, however, moved into Tel Aviv.
Rosh HaAyin took in 5,223 new residents, while Ashkelon welcomed 4,270 and Hadera claimed 3,341.
Hungary to Open Trade Office in Israel
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Feb. 19 that his nation will open a trade office in Jerusalem, JTA reported.
Orban was one of several Central European prime ministers meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I just informed the prime minister that the Hungarian government decided to open a trade representation here with diplomatic status,” Orban said. “So we will have an official presence in Jerusalem as well.”
Afterward, Netanyahu said via a statement that Slovakia intends to open an innovation and cultural center in Jerusalem; that dovetails with a Czech Republic announcement about the opening of an honorary consulate called the Czech House in the capital city.
