Hi Reader,
Happy February, and Happy Tu B’Shvat. If you’re new here—welcome to the Israel Good News Only Newsletter. And if you’ve been here from the start, I’m really glad you’re still with me.
Over the past year, I’ve crisscrossed Israel—from the Gaza Envelope to the Galilee—meeting families forever changed by this war, and witnessing both unbearable loss and extraordinary kindness. I loved Israel before October 7, but since then, my connection to this land has deepened beyond words—and I felt compelled to turn that feeling into action.
Alongside running IGNO, I’ve been studying to become a licensed tour guide, learning this land from the ground beneath our feet to the stories that shaped us—from Abraham until today. Last week, I sat for the intense nationwide Ministry of Tourism exam (fingers crossed 🤞), and after a short pause, I’m officially back—out in the field, exploring, learning, and sharing it all with you.
January brought with it moments that will stay with us for a long time. Chief among them was the return of Rani Gvili hy”d, the final hostage from Gaza, who was brought home whole, in his police officer’s uniform, to his family and to Israel, to receive a proper burial.
The IDF and the Israeli government kept their promise to the people of Israel: to bring every last one home. After months of prayer, lighting candles, and baking challah with hope, many of us could finally stop and say it - they’re all home. 🎗️
We're So Glad You're Home Rani!
Living in Israel often means holding multiple realities at once. That tension has defined the past two years, though in many ways it’s always been part of life here.
There is the beauty of this land—the light, the weather, the feeling of being alive here when other places are frozen over. There are the people, whose resilience and quiet kindness can feel almost superhuman. And alongside all of that, there is the ever-present threat of war: the possibility of escalation with Iran, the sudden phone alerts, the familiar rush to bomb shelters with family, friends, strangers - whoever happens to be nearby, wherever you are.
Today we smiled into the unseasonable sunshine, and even some ventured to the beach to soak up the UV rays. At the same time, the headlines of international arms and defense systems entering our region have continued, and the IAF fighter jets and helicopters are active again in the skies above us after a relatively quiet few weeks.
The lesson we learned as a nation is one we have always lived by: we must keep living, we must go on. And now, after the final hostage has returned from Gaza, Israelis can finally begin to heal and rebuild, no longer trapped indefinitely in October 7.
From here, I’ll let the moments speak for themselves.
Below are the photos and videos we shared in our WhatsApp groups over the past few weeks—small flashes of light, strength, and normalcy. Enjoy the highlights, and keep sending the good news my way. What makes you smile will always make someone else smile too.
Significant archaeological project completed this week:
✨ FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2,000 YEARS ✨
Unbelievable!!! Just in time for Mashiach!
Step where history lives. Jerusalem’s ancient Pilgrims Road (Derech Olei Regalim) is now open to the public — allowing visitors to walk the very stone steps once climbed by our ancestors on their way to the Beit HaMikdash during the Second Temple period.
Unearthed through years of excavations by the City of David and the Israel Antiquities Authority, this awe-inspiring path is one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Israel!