Israel Active

Now in its 32nd year, “The Voice of Music in the Upper Galilee” July 12-16 features dozens of concerts: chamber, orchestral as well as vocal, informal concerts, meetings with artists, movies and open rehearsals. (click on “English”)

The beautiful show that conquered Europe and USA is coming to Israel for the 1st time. The 17 talented Spanish dancers will perform their new show Estampas de Espana in Tel Aviv, Karmiel, Herzliya, Jerusalem and Haifa from July 19-24.

Every day for the past month UK’s Sky TV has been broadcasting this video of slackliner (tightrope walker) Heather Larsen balancing on a stretched wire between the towers of Jerusalem’s Old City.

Israel’s booth at the Buenos Aires Book Fair was awarded a prize for “originality and creativity.”  The booth, almost completely devoid of furniture, included a “factory of laughs” and a “risometer” that measured the power of the visitors’ laughs. Israel won the same prize in 2014.

Israel's Nili Block added the IFMA Muaythai World Championship title to the one she won in kickboxing last year after claiming the gold medal in the under-60-kilogram competition in Jonkoping, Sweden.  Block defeated Irina Chernova of Ukraine in the final. Muaythai is similar to kickboxing.

Concerts in Israel in June include from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Simply Red, Foreigners (“I Want to Know What Love Is”), Alice Cooper and Barry Manilow.

Maor Tiyouri became the 35th Israeli to qualify for the Rio Olympics when she finished the Ottawa marathon in 2:42.22 hours in her first ever competitive marathon.  The Israeli cross-country mountain biking team has been ranked 22 and will compete in the Olympics for the first time.

Israel's Alex Shatilov claimed his sixth career medal at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships yesterday, taking a bronze in the floor exercise in Bern, Switzerland.  Shatilov will participate in his third straight Olympics this summer.

The week long, nighttime Festival of Light in Jerusalem’s Old City featured standalone light installations and several projected onto buildings; illuminated musicians, simulated water fountains and spectacular light shows.

British luxury ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2, flagship of Cunard Line, called at Haifa recently. 345 meters long and 76,000 tons, it is the largest passenger ship to visit the port.