Israel Active

Canadian philanthropist Gail Asper is spearheading the building of a $400-million World Jewish Museum (WJM) in Tel Aviv. Its aim is to showcase the achievement of Jewish individuals throughout the ages and is targeted to open in time for Israel’s 75th anniversary.

Lovely 2-minute video featuring Einot Tzukim, Hula valley, Ramon crater, Eilat coral reef, Mount Hermon, Beit Shemesh stalactites cave, Ein Gedi, Yotvata Hai Bar, Gan Hashlosha and the Banias.

Forget about hi-tech dog tags.  The owner of a Siberian husky taught his pet to sing when it heard the theme tune to the Israeli TV sitcom “Shemesh”. It was found in a Bedouin town. When police played the music, the dog began to sing like Pavarotti.  Case solved!

Israel opened its first motor racing track in Eilat in 2011 . Now it is about to open Motor City, in Hatzerim near Beersheva in the Negev - a 2.1-kilometer track that meets FIA standards for Formula 3. It may later be expanded to 4.5 kilometers in order to meet Formula 1 standards.

In advance of Israel’s 70th Anniversary on 18th April, this short video highlights one major news story in each of modern Israel’s exciting 70 years.

I reported previously about the Efendi hotel in Akko (Acre) reconstructed from an abandoned Ottoman palace. The hotel was recently honored in five categories by the US-based TripAdvisor travel site, including being named among the top small hotels in the Middle East.

Israeli judoka Timna Nelson-Levy won gold in the under 57kg event at the Agadir Judo Grand Prix in Morocco. As she stood proudly on the podium to receive her medal, the “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, was played and the Israeli flag was raised.

Two Dead Sea Scrolls will be shown for the first time in an Israel Antiquities Authority exhibition in Denver, Colorado. The six-month exhibit includes 18 other Dead Sea Scrolls, a three-ton stone from the Western Wall, and some 600 artifacts from the Biblical to Bar Kochba periods.

Avi Jorisch recently published his book “Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World”, a fascinating telling of how many Israeli inventions have made the world a better place.

35,000 participated in the Jerusalem Marathon, rated among the top 10 marathons in the world. They included 4,000 people from over 72 different countries. Some 10,000 Jerusalem hotel rooms were filled for the event.