Israel Active

The events being held for Israel Space Week at the end of Jan include the Bloomfield Science museum Jerusalem marking 50 years of the first Moon landing. Visitors to Netanya Planetanya can pretend to be astronauts and the Israeli Space Agency hosts the 15th Ilan Ramon International conference

17-year-old Israeli Noa Szollos made history by winning two skiing medals at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland. She won silver in the Alpine Combined and bronze in the Super G, to gain Israel’s first ever winter games medals for either youth or adult Olympics.

Microsoft has hired celebrity TV chef Haim Cohen to oversee six dining areas available to employees in its new campus in the central Israeli town of Herzliya. Cohen owns two Tel Aviv restaurants and is currently a judge on the Israeli TV version of MasterChef.

The Six Senses Shaharut hotel in Israel’s Negev desert has been recommended by CNN as well as the UK’s Times as one of the top new lodges to stay at in 2020. “The perfect destination for the intrepid luxury traveler” only opens later this year.

A new exhibition “From Sheba to Jerusalem" at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, displays the history and culture of the (now non-existent) Jews of Yemen and South Arabia. They traded with the land of Israel and in the 4th century CE became subjects of the “Jewish Kingdom of Himyar”.

The first episode of the third season of the Israeli hit drama “Fauda” was viewed by about 1 million Israelis. The TV series, about an IDF commando unit, is in Hebrew and Arabic. Netflix aired its first two seasons with English subtitles. The third season will be shown on Netflix during 2020.

The sixth Nightlight Festival comes to South Tel Aviv’s Neve Sha’anan on Jan 16 and 18. The free event brings dance performances, music and food to parks, streets, urban spaces and stores of the neighborhood, where Israelis, African migrants and foreign workers live.

“Van Gogh Alive,” which bills itself as “the world’s most visited multimedia exhibition experience,” is coming to Herzliya arena from Jan 16 to Apr 18. Artificial Intelligence and multi-sensory projection technology will take visitors on a journey through Vincent van Gogh’s life and work.

The charity MyIsrael is hosting an evening with mentalist Lior Suchard on Mon 10 Feb at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv. Myisrael connects donors with 18 inspirational causes in Israel. You can choose which to support and 100% of your money goes directly to helping people in need.

This month’s events include The Batsheva Dance Company performing Ohad Nahrin’s “Venezuela” in Tel Aviv; the Eilat Chamber Music festival and the Israman Triathlon.