Israel Active

The colorful 1,600-year-old Be’er Shema mosaic includes 55 medallions decorated with scenes of hunting, animals and everyday life. Discovered in a monastery 35 years ago near the border with Gaza it recently underwent conservation, is now on display in the Merhavim Regional Council HQ.

The illustrated Shem Tov Bible, a.k.a. Sefer HaYashar, was written in 1312 in Spain by Rabbi Shem Tov ben Abraham Ibn Gaon. Ibn Gaon took it to Jerusalem and it was sold overseas several times after Ibn Gaon’s death. It is now back in Jerusalem at Israel’s National Library.

Israel’s Yuval Raphael won the global public vote at the Eurovision Song Contest to earn overall second place after the judges only placed her 14th. The truth-loving majority certainly made their voices heard. Thankfully, by coming second, Israel does not have to host the 2026 event.

Israeli-born Robert Shwartzman the first rookie in more than 40 years to secure the top starting position at the iconic Indy 500 race. Shwartzman, who drives for Prema Racing, posted a four-lap average of 232.790 mph. “I’m proud to represent Israel”, he said.

The Malka Brewery in the Western Galilee is one of Israel’s many successful craft beer breweries. At Kibbutz Yehi’am everything was produced naturally; herbs, fruit and clean water from the nearby Ga’aton Springs. In 2018, production moved to a state-of-the-art brewery in the Tefen industrial zone.

Jerusalem’s Israel Museum is celebrating its 60th birthday with eight new exhibits. They include “A Live Conservation Lab”, “Discover the Collections” display, “Israeli Art: The Swing of the Pendulum”, and 60 Years of Exhibition Catalogues. The museum had 855,157 visitors in 2024.

Yuval Raphael magically performed Israel’s entry “New Day Will Rise” in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest and advanced to the final round to compete against 25 other countries. At the time of writing, the competition result is not known.  (Update - she came 2nd overall, winning the global public vote)

St Louis lacrosse star Yael Sabin ranks 8th among all metro-area high school lacrosse players in goals. After graduating this spring, Sabin will travel to Ashkelon, Israel, to play lacrosse for Team Israel during her gap year with Young Judea. She will also work with MDA.

Israeli singing star Ishay Ribo shared news of his son's birth. "With the help of G-d, this morning a son was born to us, sweeter than honey," he wrote. "He is our sixth child, thank G-d." Ishay added: "All the credit goes to my amazing wife, Yael. I am so grateful for you. Thank you, G-d."

Spring is when millions of butterflies take to Israel’s skies and flora. This article features nine of the colorful varieties that call Israel home.