Pups rescued in Negev
Three puppies were found, malnourished and dehydrated, abandoned in a cardboard box filled with rotten tomatoes near the Israeli town of Netivot in the Negev Desert.
They were taken in by a Beersheva couple who gave them a bath, removed more than 250 swollen ticks from their bodies and spruced them up for adoption. The three puppies became viral stars after the story floated on Reddit and Buzzfeed. Apparently Wendy already has been adopted, while Winnie and Willie are still waiting to find a home. — jta
Record-setting Shabbat table
The central Israeli city of Bnei Brak set what is believed to be the world’s longest Shabbat table.
At 197 feet long, the table set with china plates, crystal goblets and silver candlesticks, as well as traditional Shabbat foods, comfortably seats more than 300, Ynet reported.
The municipality, in conjunction with the Bnei Brak–based Coca-Cola company and the haredi Orthodox advertising agency Meimad, set the table in an attempt to set a Guinness record.
The table is also gunning for the world record for the best-set table. — jta
Better moms in Israel?
Israel was ranked as the 25th best country to be a mother, putting the Jewish state in the top 20 percent worldwide.
The Mothers’ Index of the 2013 State of the World’s Mothers prepared by the Save the Children charity ranked 176 countries. The United States was 30th on the list.
The countries were assessed based on maternal health, children’s well-being and women’s educational, economic and political status.
The lifetime risk of maternal death in Israel is one in 5,100 mothers, compared with one in 16 in bottom-ranked Somalia. Mothers in Israel have an average of 15.7 years of schooling and a gross income of $28,930. — jtav