Israel Active

This year’s Dragon Boat Israel Festival on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is raising funds for medical research by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Also on sale are paddles decorated by famous Israeli artists and students at the Hadassah School for Hospitalized Children.

A group of ultra-orthodox boys have exposed a 1400-year-old wine press in the woods near Jerusalem. The press measures 5m by 5m and is carved into the rock.

This video follows last week’s article about using smartphones to capture pictures of your plate of food. It’s becoming a whole new form of entertainment.

Tel Aviv’s unique “Open Restaurants” event is now in its second year. It’s an opportunity for chefs, journalists and just foodies to enjoy behind the scenes tours of over 70 restaurants, meeting Tel Aviv’s most intriguing chefs and taste their finest dishes.

Over 5,000 fans were wooed and soothed by renowned Dionne Warwick’s singular performance at the Menorah Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on 19th May, which left the audience with goose bumps. And she did “Say a little prayer for you”.

Germany is to donate 2.5 million Euros for the preservation and restoration of Tel Aviv’s famous “white city” – a UNESCO World Heritage site. The buildings, built in the German Bauhaus style, were designed mostly by German Jews who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

The Backstreet boys cancelled their planned Israel concert last summer due to the fighting in Gaza, but made good on their promise to return. They performed three shows at the Ra'anana Amphitheatre. All 20,000 tickets for each concert were sold out.

The annual Israel Day free concert takes place on May 31 in Central Park New York. It will feature British rocker Alex Clare, Israel’s Gad Elbaz, Lipa Schmeltzer, Mati Shrika, Avraham Rosenblum and the Shloime Dachs Orchestra and Singers.

After Israeli executive Sarit Fishbaine watched a TV medical soap, she decided to get a second opinion about a lump she was worried about. The decision saved her life. Coincidentally, Sarit is the daughter of Professor Sidney Engelberg – who appears in another article in this newsletter.

Another musical icon is coming to Israel: English alternative rock band Suede, which will perform at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on July 30. This will be the group's fifth performance in Israel; their last performance in the country was in 2011.