Israel Active

After being canceled in 2024 due to budget constraints and postponed from its original June 2025 date because of security concerns, Tel Aviv's beloved White Night festival made its highly anticipated return on 28th Aug. It transforms Israel's cultural capital into an all-night arts playground.

A rare honey badger was captured on video for the first time on Mount Dov in the Hermon region, using a thermal imaging camera. It confronted and chased off another animal, probably a jackal, without fear.  IDF soldiers nearby were impressed by how it stood up to its much larger enemy!

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old Samaritan estate in Kafr Qasim, featuring ornate mosaics, olive presses, and a purification bath that reveal both the prosperity and resilience of the community from the Roman to Byzantine periods.

The Sataf Forest in the Jerusalem Hills dates back thousands of years, with two natural springs and some one million visitors a year. It has just opened a $4.5 million environmentally friendly visitor center, with a French patisserie, thanks to Jewish and non-Jewish Swiss Friends of KKL-JNF.

Israel’s Adva Cohen won the Women's 3000 Meters Steeplechase race at the Balkan Championships in Greece. Israel’s Roan Halabi-Kablan won the bronze. Omri Shiff won silver in the Men’s 400 meters hurdles.

Congratulations to Israel’s men for winning the Acrobatic Gymnastics gold medal at the World Games in Chengdu.

In Jerusalem there were many opportunities for entertaining the children before they started their new school year. Fountains, water slide, International Puppet Festival, train theatre’s X-Mix, Circus in the Forest at the Botanical Gardens, Capital of Youth at Cinema City and more.

Saving Shuli-San, the new Israeli comedy released in theaters on July 17, sold its one millionth ticket on Aug 11. One character, Batsheva, is played by Emma Medding, international model, daughter of a Japanese mother and an Australian father, who grew up in Israel.

Israelis Liana Odikadze and Alexei Korovchenko won the World Open (new series) Latin Adult section of the World Dance Championship in Vietnam. Yaniel Grinevich and Eden Gurfinkel won silver in the Open Youth standard and also bronze in the Open Latin Rising Stars category.

Since the Israel Amputee Football team began operating in 2020, over 70 different players have participated in its activities. Currently, the national team roster includes over 20 active players who train and compete regularly.