Israel Active

The 13th edition of the race featured a record 40,000 participants, including 15,000 IDF soldiers and 1,800 international runners from more than 70 countries. Many runners participated in full IDF uniform, or with Israel flags, and shirts supporting the hostages.

Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov won silver in the ice dance at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei. Judoka Baruch Shmailov won silver at the Tashkent Grand Slam event. And 2nd-placed go-karter Yam Pinto held up a poster at the CEE Rotax Max Championship.

At the Gymnastic International 2024 in Germany, Israel’s Daniella Munits won the gold medal in hoop and bronze with ball. In the juniors’ competition, Israel’s Alona Tal Franco won gold in hoop and clubs, while Meital Sumkin won gold in the ball and the ribbon.

Employees of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel have reported seeing some rare phenomena. Nadav Israeli spotted a white rainbow in the Galilee on Feb 8, and then Amir Balaban noticed a green-antlered Dorcas gazelle in the Negev.  Both have logical explanations, but ..

Israeli archers won 2 individual golds, a team gold and 3 silvers at the European Indoor Archery Championships. Israel’s four young fencers won the Team Cadet European Championships in foil. And gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won silver in the floor exercise at the World Cup event in Germany.

Unseeded Israeli Lina Glushko won both the singles and doubles titles at the WIPHOLD International tennis tournament in Pretoria, South Africa. In the doubles Lina partnered Czechia’s Gabrielle Knutson and upset the number 3 seeds.

Israeli director Guy Nattiv and British actor Helen Mirren received a Dove Award from the Cinema for Peace Foundation for their joint work in the 2023 biopic “Golda,” in which Mirren stars as Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel. Nattiv and Mirren received the awards in Berlin.

Although he retired in 2019 after 50 years of conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (see previously), he has returned as guest conductor for eight concerts.  But be quick – the last one is on March 5.

Israeli American designer Kobi Halperin held his very first own label show for New York Fashion Week. His Fall 2024 collection, entitled “Illumination of Hope,” ended with an instrumental version of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, which translates to “The Hope.”

In the Seville Marathon, Israel’s Gashau Ayale finished third in 2:04.53, breaking the Israeli record and qualified for the Paris Olympics. At the Zagreb Kickboxing European Cup, there were gold medals (again) for Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov and another for Karolina Chorny.