Israel Active

Tel Aviv-Yafo’s all-night White Night event features music, theater performances, folk dancing, dance performances, operatic excerpts, classical music, jazz ensembles, rock concerts, video displays, poetry readings, discussions, sports activities, yoga lessons, parades, parties, guided tours and much more.

Behind the scenes at the ancient fortress of Masada in Israel’s Negev desert where the Israel Opera company has been performing Tosca and Carmina Burana in front of an audience of around 6000.

Israel’s Moran Samuel won the gold medal in rowing at the 2015 Paralympic World Rowing Cup in Italy. She also broke the Israeli record.

Israel’s Matan Ben-Cnaan won the £30,000 top prize in the 2015 BP Portrait Awards, currently on exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery. His allegorical portrait “Annabel and Guy” was partly inspired by the biblical story of the Israelite judge Jephthah.

Tel Aviv’s Museum of Art features (until Oct 5) an exhibition of the works of Israeli artist Otte Wallish (1906 – 1977). Wallish designed posters and exhibitions promoting Zionism that culminated in the design of the ceremony and scroll of the Declaration of Independence.

Jerusalem’s Israel Museum is exhibiting the exciting find of over 2,580 solid gold coins that divers retrieved from the sea bed off the coast of Caesarea in Feb 2015. The coins from 9th to 11th Century CE weigh a total of 7.5kg. Some display the Fatimid Caliph that founded the Druze religion.

Ben Lang’s initiative of a day to celebrate the Middle East delicacy falafel began in 2011. Now for the first time, International Falafel Day has spread from Israel to the Arab world.

Since the success of “Hatufim”, American studios or other international channels have acquired virtually every Israeli series (game-show, reality series, drama or comedy). Now a new spy thriller “Kfulim” (False Flag) has won the Public Prize at the French International TV Festival Series Mania.

The Jerusalem Film Fund announced that several long-term animation projects, including a new Walt Disney Studios television series, will be based in Jerusalem, starting immediately. Disney Studios will be working with Israel’s animation company, Snowball Studios.

Israel’s Asaf Goren used Jewish props in his audition for “So you think you can dance” in Los Angeles. All three judges and the audience were most impressed with his “Hebrew Breaking”, with Madonna’s “Isaac” playing in the background. Asaf went straight into the next round.