Israel Active

(Thanks to Israel21c) You may remember Germany’s late “Paul the Octopus” who was quite good at guessing results in the 2010 World Cup. The star of the 2014 event, however, is Max the red ruffed lemur at Ramat Gan Safari park. He even predicted the demise of Spain.

Israel’s LiveU is responsible for ensuring that broadcasts of most World Cup games get out to the rest of the world. 200 LiveU mini-broadcast boxes are delivering television-quality video of coverage via cellular connections to broadcast centers and the Internet.

Don’t worry; this just refers to photo-shoots of the extreme stunt riders and skaters who were brought to Jerusalem on a “Vibe Israel tour” by Israeli PR organization Kinetis. Thanks also to Zev of Janglo.net

Some 200 people competed in races on the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv to celebrate the Duanwu Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. A crowd of around 1000 Israelis and Chinese, plus the Chinese Ambassador cheered on the 20 colorful boats, each with a crew of 12.

Lady Gaga is bringing her “artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball” to Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon on September 13. She previously performed in Israel in 2009.

The folk-rock music sensation Michael David Rosenberg, better known as “Passenger”, performed in Tel Aviv's Barby Club. His smash hit "Let Her Go," topped 16 international charts and wowed Israelis at an impromptu street concert later on Nahalat Binyamin (see video).

For those that believe Jerusalem to be too far inland, an artificial beach has again been built at the First (Railway) Station. This year there is an 18-meter surfing simulator. Children’s events include kite building, wading pools, musical performances, theatrical shows and crafting.

The last night of this year’s festival was far too popular to appreciate it properly on foot, but luckily I found this beautiful video from The Real Jerusalem Streets.

An Israeli team took first and third place in a medieval knight-fighting tournament in the Austrian town of Hainburg. Israel competed against Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina and Austria and now heads to the World Medieval Fighting Championship in Croatia.

Tens of thousands of visitors (including this newsletter editor) will converge on Jerusalem’s Old City for the capital’s 6th annual International Festival of Light. Featuring 17 acclaimed international light artists, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. June 17-19 – all free of charge.