Israel Active

The annual Hullegeb Israeli-Ethiopian Arts Festival 15-21 Dec will bring a bit of sunshine to a chilly Jerusalem. Hullegeb means “open to everyone/everything” and the festival is dedicated to creations by artists of Ethiopian origin in the fields of dance, music and theater.

I reported previously when legends of Rock Guns ‘N Roses with Axl Rose were last in Israel in 2012. They are returning in the summer (probably July 15) and this time are bringing guitarist Slash with them.

English punk-rock band “The Stranglers” performed some of their classic hits at Tel Aviv’s Charles Bronfman Auditorium on Nov 17, including “Golden Brown” and “No More Heroes”.

The hit Israeli TV series “Fauda” will soon be available for streaming on Netflix, which purchased the rights to it from Israel’s YES satellite TV company. “Fauda” (Arabic for “chaos”) is about a team of Israeli undercover counter-terrorism operatives.

Crossroads Jerusalem has organized a night run on Dec 8 to help fund its critically-needed programs and social services for at-risk, English-speaking youth in Israel. Crossroads supports the homeless, those struggling with drug addiction and social, emotional, and educational difficulties and victims of violence/domestic abuse.

Ben Sahar’s 93rd-minute winner completed an unforgettable comeback for Israeli soccer champions Hapoel Beersheba, securing a 3-2 win at home over Inter Milan to keep their Europa league hopes alive. In September, BeerSheba beat Inter 2-0 at the San Siro stadium.

For the second time in five years, international pop sensation Justin Bieber will be coming to Israel for a performance at Park Hayarkon, Tel Aviv expected to take place in May 2017.

My shortest headline ever?  Rock legends Yes have confirmed that they will perform at the Menora arena in Tel Aviv, on March 7. The concert will feature three of the band’s original lineup - vocalist Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin and legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

Oren Rosenfeld’s film “Hummus!” focuses on the colorful owners of three Israeli hummus restaurants and their personal stories. Jalil Dabit, a Christian Arab from Ramle; Eliyahu Shmueli, a Jew from Yokneam and Suheila al-Hindi, a Muslim Arab from Acre.

Each month, the Temple Mount Sifting Project publishes details of one of the items discovered whilst sifting through the debris that the Muslim Waqf discarded whilst digging under Temple Mount.  October’s find was the leg of an Iron-age figurine (8th – 6th Century BCE).