A recently published poll by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reveals that the majority of Israelis are very pleased with their lives.
• Eighty-eight percent of Israelis are content with their lives; 52.3 percent believe their lives will improve in the near future.
• Almost 60 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with their current financial state; 44.7 percent believe their financial state will improve.
• Ninety percent stated they were happy with their marital life.
• Eighty-six percent stated they were pleased with their dwellings; 38 percent were “very satisfied.” Pollsters questioned 7,000 Israeli citizens over the age of 20 in 2011 to come to the above-results. One Israeli, Roi, 27, said he concurred with these findings.
“It’s fun to live in Israel. Things here will only get better,” he said.
Jerusalemite Dafna, 49, said she also feels strongly about the Jewish state.
“This is the land of the Jews. We don’t need any other place,” she said.
What once was Israel’s largest garbage dump has now been transformed into a spectacular public space three times the size of New York City’s Central Park.
The new Ariel Sharon Park, formerly Hiriya, features spectacular bike and walking paths, gardens, a recreational pond, man-made lakes and streams and a small zoo. It will host concerts, culinary workshops, cultural events, myriad recycling workshops and programs — and it even has a 50,000-seat amphitheater for international concerts.
Using cutting-edge ecological technologies, the park incorporates biological sub-systems to reduce the weight of municipal waste and produces bio-gas to create electricity. They’ve even pioneered a way to keep flowers and trees blooming while protecting them from future contaminants.
The first stage, Menachem Begin Park, recently opened, and the entire park is slated to be finished in 2020.
Those who travel on The Associated’s Family Mission next December will get a behind-the-scenes interactive tour of Ariel Sharon Park. For more information, go to associated.org/family mission.
SodaStream, an Israeli company, recently made its mark on the global market by providing an alternative and environmentally friendly way for consumers to prepare their own carbonated beverages. By releasing carbon dioxide, the company has made it possible to turn tap water into fresh sparkling water and soda at home using reusable bottles. In the past year, SodaStream hit shelves in a big way, in nearly 9,500 stores. The concept of home soda making has long been popular in Europe; however, convincing Americans to invest in this machine hasn’t been a simple sell. Under new a new leader, CEO Daniel Birnbaum, SodaStream was the first Israeli company to purchase ads during the Super Bowl. Through true Israeli chutzpah, SodaStream has introduced not only a new product to the U.S., but also an entirely new category.
SodaStream’s Yonah Lloyd will speak about the company’s achievements on June 2 at Israel65. Celebrate! Tickets and event details available at baltimoreisraelcoalition.org.
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