Close to 150 young Israelis will volunteer in Jewish communities around the world as emissaries of the Jewish Agency over the coming ahead of the conscription to the Israel Defense Forces.

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The recently high-school graduates get a one-year deferment in their mandatory military service so that they could take part in this program, with the goal of educating people of all ages about Israel and its culture, as well as support the Diaspora during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 18-year-olds will be lending a helping hand in youth groups, schools, and community centers in the United States, Canada, Paraguay, Mexico, South Africa, England, France, Hungary, Italy, and for the first time also in Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and even Monaco.

"These youngsters will bring the Israeli experience to hundreds of thousands of Jewish children and teens, and foster the connection between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry," Jewish Agency Director-General Amira Ahronoviz said.

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This year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is being awarded to ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dr. Yosef Chachnover, former director general of the Foreign Ministry, Education Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday.

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Meshi-Zahav recently lost both his parents to COVID-19, shortly after his brother succumbed to a serious illness.

The prize committee said that Meshi-Zahav was being awarded the lifetime achievement prize "for his exceptional contribution, both in providing help in disaster situations and for his work strengthening unity and bringing people closer together in Israeli society."

Meshi-Zahav has been the head of ZAKA for three decades. Under his leadership, the organization has played a vital role in rescues, saving lives, and identifying remains at scenes of tragedies in Israel and abroad.

"Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is devoting his life to unifying Israel, out of a feeling of devotion and true faith in the need to build bridges and carry on dialogue between all sectors of society as the key to living together in Israel," the prize committee wrote.

In response to the announcement, Meshi-Zahav told Israel Hayom: "I'm going to visit my parents' graves to tell them about the prize, and give them a few moments of joy. The prize isn't mine, it belongs to the thousands of men and women who volunteer with ZAKA who have shown that things can be done differently, and that is possible to make a positive connection with the people of Israel."

The prize committee said it was also recognizing Chachnover's life work, which it said "made a major contribution to the country in a variety of areas: security, economy, law, and foreign relations. Throughout the years of his service, he had a deciding influence in promoting Israel's interests at watershed moments."

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The Knesset's Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee approved new regulations aimed at encouraging aliyah and strengthening Diaspora Jewry's Israel ties, Tuesday.

The reforms will for the first time allow any individual eligible for an immigration visa or certificate according to the Law of Return or participant in a Jewish heritage program such as Masa or Taglit-Birthright to perform national service in Israel.

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According to the new regulations, approved by the Knesset's Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee, national service must be carried out inside Israel and for a minimum of 12 months. The regulations also set out the terms of eligibility for housing and for incorporating work, study, and training while performing national service.

The new regulations are set to go into effect on Sept. 1, when the national-civil service year opens.

According to Reuven Pinsky, who heads the National-Civil Service Authority, "The definition of participation in a heritage program as a sufficient condition for entering the circle of volunteers was aimed at avoiding the Interior Ministry's bureaucratic circles necessary for recognition of eligibility for an immigration certificate."

During the committee's discussions, it was decided that the state would cover any additional expense required by an operating body as a result of its absorption of lone volunteers or at-risk individuals.

After the meeting, Pinsky noted the efforts of Settlement Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, who had promoted the new regulations.

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