Israel Active

Israeli-developed sports info app InPlay announced that it would work with UK football club Chelsea to customize content and communities for fans, helping them to engage and access more information about their team.

US actor Michael Douglas is returning to Israel in June to receive the 2015 Genesis Prize, for his contribution to contemporary Jewish culture. Douglas said that he will donate his prize money to projects that promote inclusiveness in the Jewish community.

Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko became the first Israeli woman to win a medal at the European Indoor Championships on Sunday, finishing the triple jump final in third place with a new national record of 14.49 meters. Her next target is August’s World Championships in Beijing, China.

11-year-old jazz pianist Joey Alexander performed at the Red Sea Jazz festival in Eilat. A Christian native of Moslem Indonesia, which has no diplomatic relations with the Jewish State, Joey managed to obtain the three visas necessary to enter Israel.

One of its goals of the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh is to bring Jews back in touch with biblical wildlife, such as lions, leopards, bears, vultures, crocodiles, and hippos. “Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven.” =

The Kishle building adjacent to Jerusalem’s Tower of David shows a unique timeline. Its excavation reveals a treasure trove - layer upon layer of history, back to the First Temple.

One night every year in mid-winter, Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem’s main outdoor market, changes its face. The lanes fill up with diverse crowds: fun-seekers and cultural mavens who take the regular shoppers by surprise.

Gregory Porter, winner of the 2014 Grammy for the best vocal jazz album - Liquid Spirit, makes his Israeli debut in March. Porter is a unique jazz singer who tells stories with his caressing baritone voice and presents an evening of jazz, soul and blues.

248 international chess stars from 33 countries, including 112 grandmasters, enjoyed “the best opening ever” of the 2015 European Chess Championship in Jerusalem. Mind reading magic acts and percussion performances replaced the normal boring speeches.

(Thanks to SDM) About 40 Israeli surfers took part in a night-surfing competition in the Mediterranean Sea off Ashdod, southern Israel. Gil Beach is one of the best places to catch waves in Israel and Ashdod set up special lights there for night surfing several years ago.