Gymnast wins World Cup gold medal
Israeli gymnast Alex Shatilov claimed a gold medal in his final event before the Rio Olympics, finishing in first place in the floor final at the World Challenge Cup competition in Anadia, Portugal.
Helen Mirren sings Israel’s praises again
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren was in Israel to host the Genesis Prize. And she had some more nice things to say about this country of ours.
Jerusalem park to go hi-tech
40-acre Gan Sacher is Jerusalem’s largest public park. Built in 1963, it is to be made safer and greener. The upgrade includes smart lighting, new irrigation, photovoltaic panels, electric bike and smart phone charging stations, park-wide public Wi-Fi and … a coffee shop.
News from Israel
Israel News Talk Radio (INTR) is a new online radio station for Israeli news and talk programming in English. It says it provides an inside voice on what is happening on the ground in Israel and is committed to candid and straightforward reporting of Israeli news, events and current affairs.
Whiskey galore
The third annual Whisky Live Israel show will take place on June 29-30 at the Avigdor Complex Tel Aviv, with more than 250 different whiskies from all around the globe.
LA Dodgers sign up Israeli
The Los Angeles Dodgers is the first Major League Baseball (MLB) team to sign an Israeli citizen to a contract. Pitcher Dean Kremer was drafted by the San Diego Padres last year , but did not sign with them. Kremer played for Israel in the 2014 European Championships.
Israeli wins air rifle bronze
Israel’s Sergey Richter won a bronze medal in the 10-meter air rifle competition at the World Cup event in Baku, Azerbaijan. Iranian Hossein Bagheri, who won the silver medal, didn't show up for the medal ceremony but shook Richter’s hand off camera.
Queen to come to Israel
The first visit to Israel of the rock band Queen will be on Sep 12 at Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon. “This is an amazing opportunity at last to bring Queen music live to thousands of folks who have been devoted to our music for years. Can’t wait,” said original band member, guitarist Brian May.
Heroes of the Jewish People
The new wing at Tel Aviv's Beit Hatfutsot (Diaspora) museum is showing an exhibition for children entitled “Heroes – Trailblazers of the Jewish People”. Its 144 top names include Maimonides, Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Henrietta Szold, Theodor Herzl, Sigmund Freud and Bob Dylan. There is also a separate Dylan exhibition. And the exhibition of miniature synagogues gets a hi-tech makeover.
A good read
“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Hebrew University’s Yuval Noah Harari was included in Bill Gates’ “5 Books to Read This Summer”. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg also included Harari’s book on his widely followed “A Year of Books” blog.