Abir Sultan/ EPA

An Israeli man stands in the Hall of Remembrances in the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial complex in Jerusalem, as Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday.

TEL AVIV, Israel - Israel honored the 6 million Jews killed in World War II during the annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration on Monday, with people standing to attention as sirens rang out across the country. 

One organization is dedicated to helping those who survived Germany’s killing machine, many of whom live alone and in poverty.

“We hear every year that survivors don’t have enough food,” said Jay Shultz, 37, the founder of Adopt-A-Safta, which means “adopt-a-grandmother” in Hebrew.

“They can’t pay their electricity bills and their number-one complaint is simple loneliness,” said Shultz.

Indeed, many Holocaust survivors have no living relatives, and, according to a 2012 report by the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel, one-in-four live below the poverty line.

Shultz was inspired to start Adopt-A-Safta after he found out that he had a great aunt living in Haifa, northern Israel, soon after arriving in Israel seven years ago.  The not-for-profit pairs young professional Israelis with lonely Holocaust survivors.  

“(She) was a Holocaust survivor like my grandparents,” said Shultz, who is also the head of an organization the helps Jews who move to Israel to stay in the country. “She was very lonely with no family here.”

Courtesy of Jay Shultz

Jay Shultz, right, founder of Adopt-A-Safta, poses with his mother, Sabina Shultz, left, and Csilla Dunklemen, Jay's adopted grandmother, who was the inspiration for the Adopt-A-Safta organization, in Haifa.

He called his aunt, Csilla Dunkelmen, and they adopted each other.  They usually didn’t do anything very special – a short talk on the telephone, a coffee date, a walk in the park or a visit to a movie theater.

“This new relationship gave me so much more than it gave her,” Shultz said.  “Knowing I had some family connection here, someone to call and hear me out was phenomenal.”

The organization, which has introduced around 300 volunteers with the same number of survivors, is in a race against time – 35 Holocaust survivors pass away every day, according to the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims. Dunkelmen, the inspiration for the organization, died two years ago.

So Shultz aims to continue connecting as many volunteers with survivors as possible, for as long as possible.

“This connection gives survivors family that they didn’t have before, it gives them a lifeline to the world,” Shultz said.

Related:

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Roni Schutzer / AP

Paramedics treat a runner suffering from heat In Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday. An Israeli soldier died of a heat stroke after completing the half-marathon, prompting Israel's minister of public security to criticize organizers for allowing the race to take place during a heat wave.

A man in his 30s died and four people were put in medically induced comas on Friday after suffering heat stroke and dehydration while running a half-marathon in Israel.

The race was run in temperatures that climbed from the 70s at the 5:45 a.m. (11:45 p.m. Thursday ET) start but approached 90 degrees in less than two hours.

City officials and organizers of the Tel Aviv Gillette Marathon last week decided to postpone the full race until March 22 because the forecast called for temperatures approaching 100 degrees. The starting time of Friday's half-marathon was moved 30 minutes earlier.

Medical personnel said 60 people were tended to by ambulances and 30 were taken to hospitals. Twelve people were listed in critical condition early Friday, with four in medically induced comas, but the number in critical condition had dropped to two by Friday afternoon.

Paul Goldman, an NBC News producer and editor in Tel Aviv, ran the race and said he had no difficulties and was unaware of any problems until he had finished in 1 hour and 42 minutes. Many of those who collapsed were further back in the field, he said.

"After the race, when we finished and went to get water, the ambulances started arriving," Goldman said. "Then I started hearing more sirens. Here in Israel when you hear sirens, you can identify when it’s just one siren or whether it’s an incident. You could tell something was going on."

While Goldman said he was personally unaffected by the temperatures, he added that "everyone complained that it was very dry."

"I felt it was very dry from the start," he said. "You feel it in the lips and the mouth."

City officials held meetings before Friday's race and allowed it to go ahead after consultations with "the highest-ranking medical professionals," Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement.

"We will investigate and examine the event thoroughly and we will reach conclusions and learn the necessary lessons," he added. "We will also cooperate fully with any investigation that will occur regarding this matter."

The mayor noted that the race was run "under decent weather, according to all of the official opinions."

Goldman, who has been running for 15 years, said many runners, particularly Israelis, would not have had an opportunity to train extensively this year in hot weather.

"It was winter until literally a week ago," he said. "Everyone that has trained for the marathon, we were all running in rain conditions and training in pretty cold weather. Suddenly people who were training in the cold were running in the heat. Your body is not used to it."

Related:

Full Israel coverage from NBC News 

Gideon Markowicz / EPA

Zohar Bimro is treated by a medic after winning Friday's half-marathon in Tel Aviv, Israel. One participant died and more than 50 others were injured.

Paul Goldman / NBC News

The new settlement under construction at Rawabi.

RAWABI, West Bank — As gambles go, it hardly gets bigger: A $1 billion dollar bet on peace — or at least a measure of calm — in the West Bank.

Even the founder of Rawabi, the biggest construction project in the history of the Palestinian people, says nobody in his right mind would invest here.

Standing on a wind-swept hilltop overlooking the biblical hills of Judea, a half-hour drive from Ramallah, Bashar Al-Masri points to the Palestinian flags flying atop the giant cranes that are building, with phenomenal speed, the first modern Palestinian town.

"As a teenager, raising the Palestinian flag was enough to be shot and killed," he says, immaculate in a form-hugging, thin-lapelled dark suit and narrow burgundy tie.

"This is a small, symbolic way of how long we came along, and how much we will come along in the future," adds Al-Masri, who as a teenager threw stones at Israeli soldiers.

The largest flag is mounted on a pole facing the Jewish settlement of Atteret, a community of about a hundred families located across a small valley.

The flag is a deliberate statement.

"So that we can show our unfriendly neighbors who were violently against us that we're here, and we're here to stay, and we're not afraid of you, we will remain here," Al-Masri says.

Nation-building
Two-thirds of the investment in this town comes from the government of Qatar’s investment fund, Al-Masri explains. The design, planning and construction are all by Palestinians, with outside help, and what appears to make him proudest of all, he says, there is no input from Israel.

He says there are more than 8,000 families interested in moving in, and the first few hundred apartments will go on the market in March, with the town’s inauguration in May. The cost of the apartments, depending on size and location, is between $75,000 and $140,000.

"This is about nation-building, this is about doing what’s right, this is my contribution that I know the best," says Al-Masri. "The human rights activists have their contribution, the [Palestinian Authority] people are building capacity and building the government, we're all together as the Palestinian people building a state."

There are two main practical problems for the new town. All the water has to be piped in, and there is no obvious source. “We are in this project, putting facts on the ground, and things will have to follow,” is Al-Masri’s answer, hoping for a miracle.

And access. The only road to Rawabi passes through what is known as Area C: that part of the West Bank that is fully controlled by Israel, administratively and militarily. It is a narrow, winding road that the Palestinians can use only with an Israeli permit, which must be renewed each year.

Al-Masri talks of a tunnel through the hills linking Rawabi with Ramallah, barely visible on the horizon. Will that ever happen? "Probably not,” he admits. "It’s a problem."

Paul Goldman / NBC News

The view to Rawabi from the nearby Jewish settlement of Atteret.

On the nearest hill, looking at Rawabi from Atteret, the manager of the Jewish settlement, Noam Aharon, agrees. "They throw stones at us," he says, talking about young Palestinians. "Just last month they smashed my windscreen. Stones can kill. And if they try to kill us, we will kill them."

"What do you think of their new town?"

"It spoils the view. But they can have it — they can do what they want, as long as we can live here in peace. If we can’t, neither can they."

Leap of faith
Building a new town out of this scraggly, dry wilderness — from where on a clear day you can see the towers of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea — is a leap of faith, which al-Al-Masri does not deny.

It is being built against the opposition of many Palestinians who see any peaceful project as a way of affirming the status quo with Israel, of denying the Palestinian struggle.

"Of course I believe, I must believe that there will be peace with Israel, and it’s a matter of time," he says. "The majority of Israeli people, at least 70 percent, want a Palestinian state. So, peace is possible. It just requires the right leaders."  

So what percentage of Palestinians want peace with Israel?

"The vast majority. I'm certain of that."

Rawabi looks much more like an Israeli middle-class town than a Palestinian city: It will have high-rises, an outside theater to seat 20,000, soccer fields and cinemas and a theater, a swimming pool, a pedestrian precinct in the city center, bars and shopping malls.

All it needs now is people, water and a larger access road.

But the statement the project makes may be as important as the facts on the ground. It says that, between a failed peace process and a possible third intifada, there is a third way: Building Palestine from the bottom up.

Martin Fletcher is the author of "The List", "Breaking News" and "Walking Israel".

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TEL AVIV – The ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, known as Haredim, has a closed and secluded way of life. They look at the secular population with a degree of suspicion and try to manage their own affairs. To that end, rabbis try to deal with cases of violence and sexual misconduct internally – without alerting outside authorities.

That cultural mentality makes it even harder to tackle sensitive subjects like the sexual abuse of children.

Now, for the first time, a book published in Hebrew tackles the growing problem of sexual abuse among children in the ultra-religious community, trying to break the silence in the closed community.

Paul Goldman / NBC News

The cover of Ella Bargai's book that aims to educate ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews about the dangers of child sex abuse,

“Our main goal was to create a dialogue between children and their parents,” Ella Bargai, a secular Jew working at the Intercultural Center for Human Sexuality and Sexual Life near Jerusalem, told NBC News. She joined forces with Nitai Melamed, an Orthodox rabbi, to write a book called, “A Better Safe than Sorry Book.”

Since the Orthodox community is so closed, there are no reliable statistics on the depth of the problem in Israel. In New York’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, the crimes – and the effort to cover them up by prominent members of the community – gained widespread media attention and public condemnation, leading to several arrests this summer.

The book is unique for the Israeli Orthodox community because it encourages both religious children and their parents the importance of talking about the issue. The book’s central message to children is the crucial fact that nobody has the right to touch your private body parts.

Bargai said the main obstacle religious kids have is the fact they just don’t have the vocabulary needed to describe the bad things people can do to them.  For example, Orthodox children are not taught the Hebrew words for sexual organs.

"There is a huge anguish and pain trying to describe sexual abuse to a parent. With the book we try to break this taboo of not talking," Bargai said.

The book is based on American author Sol Gordon's “A Better Safe Than Sorry Book: A Family Guide for Sexual Assault Prevention,” published in 1996.

Paul Goldman / NBC News

A page from the Israel book educating ultra-Orthodox children and parents about sex abuse.

The Israeli version represents a breakthrough because the authors worked closely with religious leaders who understand the importance of establishing a dialogue that can combat sexual abuse.  It is being distributed by religious teachers to parents and their kids in Israel and they are encouraged to read it together.

Its drawings show religious characters in the modest dress they are familiar with – men have beards and sidelocks, while women have their heads covered. There is even a cuddly lamb that Orthodox children can relate to because the lamb is a kosher animal.

On one page a religious man offers candy to a girl who is warned that this kind of behavior is dangerous and that she should be cautious.

"Children are curious," said Bargai, "and the information we provide will help them to protect themselves."

In the book there is an illustration of a girl with the warning caption: "Nobody has any right to touch your body's private areas and you are not supposed to touch those areas on anyone else."

Paul Goldman / NBC News

A page from the new book in Israel aimed at educating children about the dangers of sex abuse.

So far, the book has been well-received in Israel; it sold out of its first printing soon after its publication and will be reissued soon. The book is also available in English.

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KIBBUTZ DAN, Israel -- More than seven decades after being founded based on socialist ideals, an Israeli kibbutz is producing the most capitalist of foods.

Caviar fetching $4000 for a two-pound jar is being shipped more than 5,600 miles away to be served at some of New York's finest restaurants.

The kibbutz movement was born as an alternative way of living based on socialist values. 

Eastern European immigrants formed these agricultural communities with the dream to settle the Holy Land. They had strict rules including communal sleeping for children, communal eating rooms and no personal profit -- meaning everyone is equal.

As Israel developed into the "nation of start-ups," the kibbutz found itself in an existential dilemma. How do you survive with socialist ideals in the digital age? And how do you persuade youngsters to stay and not move to cities?

The answer was simple: Adapt.

Stubbornness, hard work
Yigal Ben Zvi is a member of Kibbutz Dan who decided to take matters into his own hands. With the help of eight workers, he now produces some of the best farmed caviar in the world.

Ronen Zvulun / Reuters

A sturgeon is thrown into a bucket before it is examined by a biologist at a the firsh farm at Kibbutz Dan in northern Israel on May 14.

It's a mix of stubbornness and hard work that helped Ben Zvi thrive.

Two decades ago, Ben Zvi was raising goldfish when he looked for a new way to develop the kibbutz business.

Overfishing in the the Caspian and Black Seas then brought the sturgeon to the brink of extinction, which resulted in a U.N. ban on fishing there.

Ben Zvi stepped in to fill the vacuum, importing the sturgeon to Israel and starting to raise them. Kibbutz Dan now boasts more than 60,000 sturgeon and produces about 6,000 pounds of caviar annually.

"The good chefs in New York are saying that our caviar -- Karat Caviar -- is the best in the world -- and we believe them," he told NBC News.

However, Ben Zvi can't speak from personal experience. Kibbutz members can't enjoy the caviar because it's not kosher.

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Baz Ratner / Reuters

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks behind Israeli soldiers at the entrance to a recruiting office in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

TEL AVIV – The Israeli Army is at the center of the latest debate between left and right-wing politicians that threatens to tear apart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. 

Service in the Israel Defense Forces is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, including women. There are two groups that have traditionally been exempted: ultra-Orthodox religious Jews and Arab-Israelis.

But after years of debate, those exemptions from service are now being questioned, leading to a political minefield for Netanyahu and his government.

Historic opportunity?  
When Israel established itself as a religious state, the first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion made a deal with country’s ultra-religious Jews. Upon reaching the age of 18, religious Jews could declare they wanted to study the Bible at Yeshiva schools, and in return Israel would not draft them into the army. When Ben Gurion agreed to this political deal in 1948 there were about 400 religious Jews at stake, now the number has risen to about 60,000.

This agreement has torn Israeli society ever since. It has been a bitter point between those who feel they are contributing to the country by serving in the army for three years and those who are perceived as dodging hard work for the comfort of studying at Yeshiva schools.

Netanyahu recently managed to consolidate his political power in Israel – adding the centrist Kadima political party to his government, and making it one of the strongest political coalitions in Israel’s history with 94 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s legislature.

So there has been political pressure for the government to take on the controversial draft issue. Many secular Israelis see the strength of Netanyahu’s coalition as a historic opportunity to change the long-standing agreement with the ultra-religious Jews and come up with some kind of agreement where they can be enlisted into the Army or some other form of non-military national service.

Committee rendered powerless
Netanyahu himself appointed a committee to try to resolve the thorny issue – only to dissolve it on Monday of this week – days before it was supposed to release its findings. The move sent political shockwaves through the house of parliament. 

Baz Ratner / Reuters

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men attend a protest against a new conscription law that might force ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve in the army, in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood, June 25, 2012.

For the past month, Kadima party member Yohanan Plesner has taken on the role of trying to create a new groundbreaking structure that would ease the burden off of the civilians who serve in the army and find a way to enlist the ultra-religious, as well as Arab-Israelis.

Plesner held a press conference to announce the panel’s findings anyway – despite the fact that the committee had already been disbanded by Netanyahu – rendering it toothless.  

The 90-page interim report “can lead to a fundamental change in Israeli society by creating a new social treaty that will see more sectors of the society shoulder the burden of service,” a summary of the report stated.    

The Plesner committee suggested a universal draft for all Israeli citizens and suggested inflicting economic sanctions against Yeshiva schools that refuse to send their students into the army.

See a summary of the report’s findings from YNetnews.com   

‘A national mutiny’
Religious leaders, like Rabbi Azienshtien, expressed anger at the proposal. "Plesner doesn’t understand our world, his decisions have no practicality,” said Azienshtien. “Not one Yeshiva student that wants to continue studying will be drafted against his will. If he has to go to jail, he will go to jail. There will be a national mutiny.”

Azienshtien wasn’t the only one mentioning the word mutiny.

Another recommendation by the Plesner committee was to apply universal service to the 1.4 million Arab-Israeli citizens living in Israel who make up about one-fifth of the population.

Raja Agbrya, a member of the High Arab Follow Committee, expressed outrage at the suggestion, too.  "We totally reject this proposal. Even if this law will be implemented, we will disagree and we threaten to carry out a national mutiny."

The Arab-Israeli community claims they are treated as second-class citizens in Israel, so why should they give back.

The Plesner committee’s argument is that the move would “pave the way for the Arab sector's better integration in Israel's social and political fabric.”
 
The ultra-religious Jews who are furious about the idea of any change to their status argue that drafting 60,000 new recruits would impose logistic, as well as ethical problems.

Since it is against ultra- Orthodox belief to be close to women, other than their wives, how would the religious men serve alongside female soldiers? Another issue they bring up is how would the army accommodate their dietary needs and supply them with the special kind of kosher food they require?

Photo Blog: Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest Israel military draft

Political will?
However, since Netanyahu dissolved the Plesner Committee already – any changes the group suggested seem moot for the meantime.  

But, the prime minister has not escaped coming under fire for caving to pressure from religious parties. Now his powerful coalition is threatening to dissolve itself. Kadima party leader, Shaul Mofaz, vowed to leave the coalition if no solution is found to the problem.

Plesner concluded his press conference by saying, "We do not wish to trample on any sector's rights. We aim to foster a historic change and create a more cohesive, united society."

The question now is whether or not Israel’s politicians will have the political might to make the changes. 

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JERUSALEM – It was in August 2011 when the Goldstein family decided it was time to give up what America had to offer and move their life more than 5,500 miles away to Israel.

A special NBC News series: What The World Thinks of U.S. Click here for more information

Aviva and Seth Goldstein left their families and a fantastic life in the Bronx for what is perceived by many as a country torn by war and conflict.

One year after their move you couldn't find a happier and more enthusiastic family in Jerusalem. Aviva's huge and warm smile doesn’t vanish from her face as she juggles a move to a new apartment and raising three girls: Aliana, 7, Tahila, 5, and Liba, 3.

For Aviva and Seth coming to Israel wasn’t about finding a greener pasture somewhere else  –  but as Jews they felt like not coming to the Holy Land was like standing on the sidelines of history. It was always a place that just called to them, where they dreamed of living.

As the Goldstein family lay down a nice picnic spread near the old Jerusalem railway tracks, an area dubbed as the Israeli version of New York City's High Line, I asked Aviva and Seth what America represents for them and what role America has in the world today.

---

"The first thing that would come to mind when you think of America is liberty and freedom," Seth said. "I don’t think the U.S. has retreated from that identity and I don't think it lost a piece of that identity. I think it stands for freedom and democracy [now] as much as ever.”

NBC News

Aviva and Seth Goldstein with their three daughters in Jerusalem.

"For me," Aviva said, "America is also freedom and liberty. But I think that there is a big piece of America that’s comfort, with liberty and security, and that there is mobility within that.”

'Economic opportunity'
Both Aviva and Seth have had careers in education, but at this point Aviva described herself as a "full time mom," while Seth works at the Shalem Center, a research institute in Jerusalem.  

"I think America stands for economic opportunity as well,” Seth said. "Also for all sorts of religious opportunities, that go hand-in- hand with freedom. It really is a place that you can grow in all sorts of uninhibited ways and be successful in all sorts of remarkable ways.”

How did they think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan changed America?

"I think it stretched America's finances and it reminded the world that America stands for something more than just isolating itself in a bubble, but that it has a responsibility to the rest of the world," Seth said. "The extent that America was involved in it is a reflection of its sense of responsibility to other nations, to other people, to humanity."

NBC News speaks with citizens from around the globe, asking the question, 'What Does America Mean to You?'

Aviva also believed the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan was a positive thing.  "I think that as Jews, who always had an interest in Israeli world politics, I think it was easier for us to see the evil," said Aviva.  "I think we’re used to being stuck with really bad neighbors,  so on some level it was good that America was involved."

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As for their three girls, Aviva said the move has just caused them all to flourish,  even though they miss their grandparents. "Thank God for iPads," Aviva said. She was referring to the fact they can see and talk to their family back in the U.S. almost for free using the device and the Internet.

"Coming here is the fulfillment of a dream," Aviva explained. "I remember when we were dating 10 years ago, walking the streets of Manhattan fantasying about raising our unborn children in Jerusalem and now it's our reality. It's nothing short of a miracle."

This story is part of a series by msnbc.com and NBC News "What the World Thinks of US". The series aims to check the pulse on current perceptions of America's global stature during the election year and ahead of our annual Independence Day.

Share your thoughts about this story and our series on Twitter using #AmericaMeans 

Stories in the series: 

How I see America, from a former Gitmo prisoner

Bye, bye, GI: Deep impact for many Germans as US troops downsize

Post-revolution Egypt to US: Stay out 

Iran's dentist to the stars offers views on US

For many Pakistanis, 'USA' means 'drones' 

One man's mission: Promote Chinese patriotism in the face of Western onslaught

In South Africa: 'My head says China is number one, my heart says America'

Not all Thais are Gaga about America

Family moves from the Bronx to Jerusalem, but US remains land of 'liberty and freedom'

Palestinian: US supports 'an apartheid system that is suffocating us' 

Afghans are 'no different from any American

NEOT HAKIKAR, Israel -- The usually sleepy border between Israel and Jordan is being disturbed by the sounds of explosions. At the lowest place on earth south of the Dead Sea, Israel has started a huge project to clear 7,000 M-35 anti-personnel mines.

Neot Hakikar is an agricultural zone situated near the border with Jordan. It is receiving a facelift with the help of the "Mine Wolf" -- a specialized mine-clearing vehicle. Its spinning drum has metal teeth that turn up the ground and destroy any mines in its path.

The mines were planted by the Israeli Army in 1968 in a bid to stop Jordanian soldiers from crossing the border. Israel now wants to grow organic peppers on the land.

 "Our goal is to ... release the land in order to give it back to the people," said Michael Hyman of the Israel National Mine Authority.

The sight of these mines blowing up one-by-one provides a sad reminder of a friend who took his family on a trip to the Golan Heights last year. The Golan is known for its beauty but also for the high number of mines left during the 1973 war between the Israel and Syria. My friend's 11-year-old son was playing in the snow when he stepped on a land mine. It exploded and the boy lost one of his legs.

The demining operation is the first of its kind in Israel and follows a new law passed by the country's parliament. Authorities aim to clear some 32,500 acres of land and an estimated 700,000 mines. 

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Lior Mizrahi / EPA

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to place a wreath during the annual Memorial Day ceremony commemorating fallen soldiers at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

TEL AVIV, Israel – This week Israel is celebrating its 64th birthday, but before the fireworks and parties, Israelis mourn their fallen soldiers.

The ceremonies commemorating the 22,993 soldiers and civilians Israel says have been killed since 1860, when Jews began moving back to the area, started on Tuesday evening. A one minute siren rang out across the country so people would stop all their activities and observe a moment of silence.

The Israeli Army radio found an interesting way to remember some of the fallen, especially the ones who wrote letters and poems. The project is called “Soon We Will Become A Song” and it includes famous singers singing lyrics written by soldiers who have died. The song lyrics are based on writing found in soldiers’ belongings after they were killed.

Ofira Rotem is well acquainted with sorrow and grief.  She served 10 years in the Israeli Army in a unit that was in charge of notifying families that their loved one had been killed during military duty.

In November 1997 her son, Oren, enlisted in the army. Ofira told the army radio this week that she didn’t want to say goodbye to him on the day he enlisted since she would cry and didn’t want to embarrass him.  She said Oren replied, “You're going to come and embarrass me, it's O.K. with me. You're allowed to cry."

Nir Elias / Reuters

Israelis embrace in front of a memorial engraved with names of fallen soldiers from the armoured corps after a ceremony marking Memorial Day in Latrun near Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Two years later, Oren died in an accident while he was still in the service. So this time, friends and officers who had worked Ofira were knocking on her own door with the worst news ever.

Ofira described how she got the news. “It was 9 o'clock in the evening and we were about to go to the cinema. I heard the doorbell and opened the door seeing Moshiko, my commander, standing there. I asked him if it was my son, Oren, and he just nodded."

Ofira says she decided right there and then to cling onto life and bring new life to this world.

On her 47th birthday, Ofira gave birth to twins. "From Oren's death I created the lives of two beautiful babies."

To mark this year’s Memorial Day on Wednesday, Israeli Army radio broadcast a song based on some of Oren’s writings and performed by Miri Masika, a famous Israeli singer.

Paul Goldman / NBC News Producer

A runner enjoys Tel Aviv beach's six-mile long promenade that runs from Old Jaffe to Sde Dov airport.

TEL AVIV – Israel doesn’t usually conjure up images of fun in the sun, but Tel Aviv’s beach front sure does.
 
The white sand beach, which runs about six miles long, from Old Jaffa to the Sde Dov airport in the northern part of the city, must be one of the most beautiful, interesting and bizarre beachfronts in the world.

For starters, it’s a runner's and biker’s paradise with a dedicated path running the length of the beach. It’s a kid-friendly, safe place that allows visitors to enjoy every sea sport imaginable including, kite surfing, wind surfing, surf boarding, kayaking and sailing.

But all the above can be found in most beach front cities around the world. What makes this beachfront so amazing is its unique and bizarre attractions.

One of Tel Aviv's landmark sites is the Gordon swimming pool built in 1956. It just went through a major renovation and is situated right next to the boat marina overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The Olympic-size open air pool has a unique feature – the water is drained daily and then refilled with fresh sea water pumped from one mile deep in the Mediterranean.

Paul Goldman / NBC News

The Gordon Swimming Pool at Tel Aviv's beach was recently renovated for a more modern look. The pool's water is drained and refilled daily from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea.

But the real action happens on the promenade.

How about dozens of men and women dancing the hora, a traditional folk dance where people hold hands and spin in a circle while loud music blasts over loud speakers, every Saturday right.

Not far away from the dancers you can hear a strange popping  sound which gets louder and louder as you get closer. Here men and women are playing Israel's unofficial national sport called “matkot.” The game is similar to beach paddle ball. It involves players hitting a small black ball back and forth with wooden paddles without letting the ball touch the ground. The simple, but adrenaline-pumping sport is as great to watch as to play.  

Paul Goldman / NBC News

A sign outside Tel Aviv's religious beach says, "Welcome to a public authorized separate swimming zone." It lists which days of the week men and women are allowed to swim at this section of beach and asks bathers to "Please keep modesty at the beach."

Continue north and you’ll see something else you are unlikely to find elsewhere. The Hilton beach has a closed off section dedicated for religious men and women who want to swim at the beach separately.

If you ask me, that is sort of contrary to why I go to the beach, but Israel has religious Jews who believe in modesty – so they have separate days for men and women to swim. Women have the beach to themselves on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; men can swim there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

While the beach is beautiful and the long promenade is accessible, clean and safe, my favorite part may be the people watching.

And Near Jaffa, right next to the crushing waves, I spotted two refugees from Sudan. One was sitting on a rock and the other was standing above him holding a razor giving his friend a haircut.

Paul Goldman / NBC News

Two Sudanese refugees take advantage of the scenery of the beach front near Jaffe to get a haircut.

I also saw a father and son holding a long rod with a circle at the end of it.  Turns out they were holding a metal detector in search of valuables left behind by sun seekers.

Never mind the section of Hilton beach marked off just for dogs – and it's hysterical to watch the dogs cooling themselves in the Mediterranean.

And Tel Aviv just launched its own large-scale public bicycle-sharing system, like the one in Paris and other international cities, called Tel-O-Fun. There are 10 bike stations along the beachfront making it very easy and cheap to tour the coastline.   

This past Saturday I ran the Tel Aviv half-marathon which started and finished on the promenade near Jaffa.  The race had an incredible turnout – 25,000 runners came out to enjoy perfect weather in the race which included a full marathon, half marathon and 10K runs. That’s a huge number given the fact that Israel's population is about 8 million, with 400,000 residents in Tel Aviv. 

Paul Goldman / NBC News

Sunset on Tel Aviv's scenic beach.

And I forget to mention another great feature Tel Aviv has to offer: its food. There are dozens of small quaint and independent restaurants and coffee along the shore line. Making the options endless for where to stop to eat or sip your favorite cappuccino.

Here’s to you, Tel Aviv.