Beyonce invites released hostage to concert
US superstar Beyonce has offered an open invitation to Emily Hand, the 9-year-old Irish-Israeli girl recently freed from Hamas captivity. Emily adores Beyonce who heard that Emily’s father had promised to take his daughter to a Beyonce concert anywhere in the world.
Taekwondo gold medal
Israeli (and World) Taekwondo fighter Asaf Yasur won a gold medal at the final (para) grand prix event of the year in Manchester. Asaf lost his hands in an accident when he was 12.
A ball in the net is a good response
A massive crowd of pro-Palestinian supporters shouted abuse at the Israeli national soccer team during their UEFA Conference League match. It only motivated the Israelis who won the game 2-1 and now advance to the knockout stage of the competition.
Jerusalem Biennale embarks on world tour
The 6th Jerusalem Biennale (see previously) was all but ready to open in Israel’s capital when war broke out. Now the 35 exhibitions featuring 200 artists will be showcased in the countries where the artists originated, including New York, Buenos Aires, and Italy.
The unity of purpose
The previous newsletter contained a review of “The Genius of Israel” by Saul Singer and Dan Senor. Here now is an interview with co-author Saul Singer. His message is that Israelis are satisfied with life, rather than happy, and much more together than before the war. Hope my wife buys me the book!
World Illustration award winners
In the 2023 World Illustration Awards competition of the Association of Illustrators, Israel’s Orit Bergman and Anat Warshavsky were overall professional winners and first in the Site-Specific category. Israel’s Stav Assis won a new talent award. Only 20 of the 5,000 illustrators won prizes.
Women’s soccer success
Israeli Arab Marian Awad scored the opening goal in Israel’s 2-0 win against . Israel beat Armenia 4-0 in the Women’s Nations League (see the goals). Israel’s U17 women’s team defeated 7-0, and 2-0 in the 2024 Euro qualifiers.
Silent protest
Europe’s soccer ruling body UEFA distastefully refused to allow the Israeli and Polish teams to observe a moment’s silence for the victims of Oct 7 before their Under-21 European Championship match. So, when the referee blew his whistle to start the game, nobody moved! Very moving for the rest of us, though.
Martial artists
Israel’s Jujitsu team won 12 medals at the European championships in Croatia - more than any other team. And at the World kickboxing championships, Druze-Israeli Monia Heno won a silver medal.
Seeds of Hope
KKL-JNF is offering a relaxing, meaningful nature activity for young members of communities in the Golan that have not been evacuated. In its “Seeds of Hope” initiative, volunteers sort rare seeds stored in the Shamir Research Institute for Science, and plant them nearby. Some 60 schools have enrolled.