Israel Active

Over 50,000 runners participated in the Tel Aviv Marathon on Friday, making it the largest in the nation's history. Five of the runners were brought to the medical tent for heatstroke. They were immediately treated with ice baths to lower body temperature.

In the pre-match weigh-in, Turkey’s Ali Koyuncu illegally kicked Israeli Thai boxer Ahavat Hashem Gordon. In the actual contest, in Lithuania, Gordon won in two rounds. In the second link, see him visiting wounded IDF soldiers at Belev Echad. Ahavat’s brother is Ruach (see previously).

Legendary band Smash Mouth, known for the hits “Walking on the Sun”, “All Star” and “I’m a Believer,” delivered a surprise performance at a Tel Aviv club as part of a blind concert initiative where attendees had no idea who would take the stage.

Noam Bettan, Israel’s contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Austria, has revealed his new song titled “Michelle,” which will be sung in Hebrew, English, and French.

The upcoming series, “Unconditional”, was sold by Keshet International before its Israeli premiere and will be available on Apple TV to its 45 million subscribers worldwide. According to Keshet, the deal is one of the biggest in its history for an original series.

97-year-old artist Yaacov Agam is the recipient of the Israel Prize in the field of plastic arts, painting, sculpture and photography for 2026. His seven decades of plastic art, kinetic art, and op art includes the "Fire and Water" fountain in Dizengoff Square.

Deni Avdija has made history, becoming first-ever Israeli selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game. The achievement is one more accolade for Avdija during a breakout season, in which he’s averaging over 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. This is his sixth season in the league.

Israel’s Izhak Ashpiz was named “Prince of Tibilsi” when the 18-year-old dominated the Under 60kg Men’s Grand Slam Judo event in the capital of Georgia. Ranked officially number 14, he displayed a masterclass in varied execution to exploit weaknesses in each opponent. Next the Olympics.

Israeli beer expert Doug Greener takes the lid off several new Israeli beers that add to the culture and flavor of the country.  Best wait until after Passover.

The Knesset’s 60th annual Tu B’Shevat celebration, featured an exhibition tracing Jewish leadership institutions from the Great Assembly and Sanhedrin to the modern Israeli parliament. It included a recently unearthed stone vessel used by Galilean Jews 1,800 years ago.