Israel Active

Israel’s Eurovision 2026 singer Noam Bettan wrapped himself in tefillin (philatelies) and prayed before his Eurovision performance. Noam came second to Bulgaria in the final competition singing “Michelle”. It was a great result as Israel does not need the trouble and expense of hosting next year’s event.

Israeli rhythmic gymnastics team won gold at the World Cup in the all-around competition and the five-balls routine in Baku, Azerbaijan. Daniela Munits won gold medals in both the Cross Battle competition and the clubs final. The Israelis also won a silver medal and two golds.

More than 1,000 residents attended the Ishay Ribo concert that opened the Talmidim Amphitheater, a new venue in the Binyamin Region. Tickets were sold out within two hours. The venue is planned to be expanded to accommodate up to 3,000 spectators.

Star attraction at the the 61st Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition was the installation by Israeli artist Belu-Simion Fainaru. “Rose of Nothingness” includes drip irrigation, mezuzahs, and locks engraved with the commandment “Love thy neighbor as thyself”.

Israeli gymnasts Artem Dolgopyat won gold and Noam Berkovich, bronze in the Men’s Floor Exercise competition, sharing  the podium at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Osijek, Croatia.

Israel’s Guy Gutman won gold at the Senior European Cup Judo event in Croatia. Gutman delivered an impressive performance on the mat and clinched the gold with an ippon against Croatia’s Dani Klačar in the final.

Deni Avdija became the first Israeli player to reach the NBA playoffs, scoring 41 points - including a three-point play with 16.1 seconds remaining - as his Portland Trail Blazers rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Phoenix Suns 114-110 in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament.  

A year ago, Israel’s Daniel Peretz joined Southampton – a team struggling in the second tier of English soccer. His goalkeeping performance has rocketed Southampton into a promotion contender and helped defeat Premier division Arsenal to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

At  the FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup, held in Puurs, Belgium, Israeli gymnasts Shiraz Sokolowski and Ronnie Cohen won the gold medal in the Women’s Pair. Uri Dekel, Ronnie Rothman and Ard Avir Deutsch won silver in the Men’s Group/Trio.

Israel’s Under 17 soccer team continued its 100% success in the UEFA League B group B1 matches. After defeating Estonia 2-0, they beat England 3-1. They then went on to beat Faroe Islands 4-0 to qualify for the U19 tournament League A in 2027/28.