Israel Active

Filmmakers from Jerusalem’s Ma’aleh School of Television, Film & the Arts won 4 prizes at the International Student Film Festival in Tel Aviv.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Tel Aviv’s 10th annual White Night featured theater, dance, public sing-alongs, operatic arias, classical music, jazz, rock, alternative music, video displays, artists, art sales, storytellers, literature, philosophy, beach volleyball, yoga, folk dancing, ballroom dancing, fashion events, an accessories fair, shopping, street parades, club parties and tours. What, you wanted more?

Israeli chess grandmaster Boris Gelfand took first place in the Tal Memorial international competition in Moscow. Gelfand was undefeated on six points, ahead of the current World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen. The current world champion, Viswanathan Anand came ninth.

The 15th International Student Film Festival, sponsored by Tel Aviv University, is presenting 250 movies at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and other venues around the city.

LA-based comedian Avi Liberman visits Israel twice a year, bringing with him some of America’s best comics. They raise funds for the Koby foundation – formed by the parents of Koby Mandel who was murdered by Arab terrorists in 2001.

A hastily assembled Israeli team beat Hong Kong 3-2 in a shoot-out for third place at the 2013 World Ball Hockey Championships in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. It was Israel’s first appearance at this tournament. Israel also won the Fairplay award.

An amazing video of a Formula 1 Ferrari speeding through Jerusalem in front of 100,000 spectators.

UEFA’s president Michel Platini praised Israel, saying "The stadiums were wonderful and well-organized, the pitches excellent and the atmosphere in the stadiums was great with many families with young children attending. That is exactly the type of tournament that I like to see". It was the most important international sporting event to be held in the Jewish state since the 1968 Paralympics.

US hasbara organization America’s Voices in Israel brought five major names in Latin media to Israel. Among them was Don Francisco, the Chilean host of Univision’s “Sábado Gigante,” the longest-running entertainment program in history. Francisco, born Mario Kreutzberger, is Jewish.

On the streets of Jerusalem 100,000 spectators - Muslims, Christians and Orthodox Jews – cheered as the roaring state-of the art Formula 1 racecars sped by. There was not one incident of violence. Elizabeth Awwad, of east Jerusalem, said “I am Muslim and they are Jewish, and we are together.”