Israel Active

Rock legend Queen and new front man Adam Lambert played Tel Aviv's HaYarkon Park in front of 50,000 fans. The concert was a KILLER!  There are many youtube videos of the concert available, but this one (TY Scosash) captured a unique event – Brian May playing Hava Nagila!

Israel21c has produced a compilation of uniquely Israeli things to enjoy at this time of year.  It features apples & honey, migrating birds, hiking, biking, the first rains of the season, perfect sunsets, restful Jewish festivals, and entertaining festivals of culture. Enjoy!

Register now for Israel’s unique Desert Marathon, taking place in Eilat on Nov 18.

Italian actress Sophia Loren is coming to Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium on Nov 25 as part of her one-woman worldwide tour. The 81-year-old Loren will share memories of her Hollywood career and her life in Italy, play clips of her favorite scenes and answer audience questions.

The 20th Icon Festival for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Role-Playing takes place in Tel Aviv on 18-20 October. Guests include British Sci-Fi author Charles Strauss and actor John de Lancie who plays Q in Star Trek.

The annual Tamar Festival (Oct 17-20) near the Dead Sea is one of Israel’s largest music festivals.  It features sunrise concerts on the top of Masada and a free concert at Kibbutz Ein Gedi.  There are also hikes, tours and children’s activities.  

The often overlooked Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Eastern Jerusalem is featuring an exhibit entitled “Ashkelon: A Retrospective 30 Years of the Leon Levy Expedition”. It displays, for the first time, marble statues, coins, jewelry, figurines, and pottery from the 5000-year history of Ashkelon.

Laurent Levy and Eldad Levy (from the tribe of Levy) both had a vision of creating an interactive, state-of-the-art museum in the heart of Jerusalem that would celebrate Jewish music. Five years ago they met and started planning the museum.  Today, it attracts 1000 visitors a month.

2016 is proving a busy year for singer Craig David. In April he performed in Tel Aviv and made his first visit to Jerusalem. Craig’s manager Colin Lester is a board member of the charitable organization Creative Community for Peace that promotes the arts in Israel and counters BDS.

Morrissey, the former front man for British rockers “The Smiths” was in fine form at the sold-out Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv.  He treated his audience to a 90-minute set, described as a “melancholic dream world drenched in nostalgia”.