Israel Active

Center Stage is Israel’s premier professional English language theater in Raanana. June events include Jokers & Thieves Songtalk (9th); The Shapes of Love (12th); 100 Suspicions (20th) Yohay Sponder (26th); The Gate (30th). Plus, comedy, quizzes, jam sessions, karaoke and more.

Israel’s Eden Alene, whose parents made Aliya from Ethiopia, represented Israel in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Although she didn’t win, her performance of “Set Me Free” included a glass-shattering B6 - the highest note ever sung in Eurovision history.

Israeli Anastasia Gorbenko (17) took nearly 2 secs off the Israeli record in winning the women’s 200-meter individual medley final at the European Aquatics Championship in Budapest. She broke 4 more Israeli records at the event and now looks forward to the Tokyo Olympics.

Israel’s baseball team, Team Israel is busy training and preparing for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. All 24 players have made Aliya and become Israeli citizens. JNF-USA is funding the team, plus the building of baseball fields in Israel to promote “Baseball for all” - Jews and Arabs.

Israel’s Ami Dadaon won 3 gold medals and set two new World records at the European Para Swimming Championships in Portugal. Israel’s Mark Maylar won 4 medals, including a gold while Iyad Shalabi won another gold and Yulia Gordiychuk won a bronze.

Israel’s Cinema City, YES Planet, Lev, and Hot Cinema chains are to resume operations for the first time since March 2020. Vaccinated citizens will be able to attend separate screenings to those for the general public, so that unvaccinated children can attend without Covid testing.

The Western Galilee Now consortium of small businesses has just held its eight Spring Festival, supported by JNF-USA. Its 30 events highlighted the region’s variety of cultural, culinary, art, leisure and nature activities, as well as its geographical richness, history and multiculturalism.

Israel’s Shmuel T. Meyer has been awarded “Best Novella” in the Spring Goncourt Prize - France’s most prestigious literary honor. “Et la guerre est finie … “ (And the War Is Over) is a trilogy set in post-war France, Israel’s War of Independence and New York.

Holon’s Toto Arena is holding the World premiere of an interactive exhibit, “Barca, The Exhibition” from 15 July. Produced by a group of Israeli promoters and supported by the Spanish Embassy in Israel, it simulates a player’s journey from Barcelona soccer club’s youth academy through to its first team.

Israel’s David (“Deddy”) Dayag is an astro-photographer, who captures outer space images of nebulae, galaxies, planets, the sun and more, according to ILTV, from his backyard in Netanya. For some clearer pictures, though, he visits the Negev desert.