Israel Active

In the 2025 - 26 season, at least two more Israelis will join Deni Avdija in the National Basketball Association (NBA) league. They are 19-year-old guard Ben Saraf, who grew up in Moshav Gan Yoshia and 21-year-old 7-foot Danny Wolf, born in Glencoe, Illinois – an Israeli U21 star in 2023.

Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv captured the EuroCup championship earning promotion to the 2025–26 EuroLeague. Hapoel beat Gran Canaria, becoming only the second Israeli club ever to lift the EuroCup trophy, joining Hapoel Jerusalem, which won it in 2004.

40,000 runners in the 14th International Jerusalem “Winner” Marathon included elite athletes, IDF soldiers, families, blind & partially-sighted. At the start, ex-hostage Karina Ariev asked them to “dedicate this run to the memory of our heroes who sacrificed their lives so that we could stand here today.” (United Hatzalah video)

JNF-USA’s Galilee Culinary Institute (see previously) is due to be opened on May 7 by Israeli-born, French-educated chef Lior Lev Sercarz. It will bring its new unique program to the upper Galilee and not only to change the landscape of the food industry, but bring life to the food basket of Israel.

A unique Haggadah crafted by American-Israeli artist David Moss four decades ago joins the National Library of Israel’s collection and was on display for Passover. It includes a page of portraits and mirrors that allows the reader to see themselves as having been liberated from slavery.

The newly opened Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem resembles a bridge or a dove with outstretched wings, representing unity, dignity and respect among Jews and people of all faiths. The two temporary exhibitions are (a) on Oct 7 2023, and (b) “Documenting Israel: 75 Years of Vision.”

3-year-old Ziv Nitzan was hiking with her family at Tel Azeka near Beit Shemesh in central Israel, when she unearthed a Canaanite scarab amulet dating back 3,800 years. Tel Azeka is where David fought Goliath, as described in the Book of Samuel I  (17:1).

Marvel and DC comic book artist Michael Netzer is famous for drawing Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, etc. He has lived many lives – US-born to a Druze father and a secret Jewish mother, his journey included a Lebanese village, back to the USA, and Aliyah.  An amazing story.

Archaeologists have dated Egyptian pottery found at Megiddo in Northern Israel to the time of the Biblical battle where Egypt defeated the Judean King Josiah in 609 BCE. The battle was so vital that it was prophesized to become the site of Armageddon – the final battle at the end of days.

Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija scored a season-high 36 points to fuel Portland Trail Blazers to a 128-109 victory over the Denver Nuggets. He became the first Blazers player since Damian Lillard to record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in consecutive wins. Exciting video.