Israel Active

For the first time, Israel will be represented at the UK’s leading music festival. Acollective is a seven-piece band performing punk, folk and electronic jazz. Saz (Sameh Zakout) raps in Arabic, Hebrew and English. Soul singer Ester Rada has been compared to Lauryn Hill and Eryka Badu.

(Thanks to Ted Belman) The Israeli Chess Championships 2013 for men and women are taking place in April in Acre. Of the 32 registered players for the men’s event, no less than 16 are Grandmasters.

It sure does – and the composer of that song, Burt Bacharach, is coming to Israel to perform some of his 70 top 40 hits. There will be some “Magic Moments” at the Zappa Shuni Amphitheater in Binyamina on July 2nd. “Say a little prayer” if you get tickets, but don’t “Walk on by”.

Sonic Vision is an amazing light show, transferring visitors from Tel Aviv into a 360-degree party, through sound, light, and music. It takes place at the Planetarium at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv until April 27. The show lasts around forty minutes.

Here it is – the Fountainheads new video and song for Israel’s 65th birthday.

Ben-Zion David, a traditional Jewish silversmith of Yemenite descent, is one of Israel's best-known filigree jewelers. David learned this intricate craft from his father and grandfather and displays his work in his museum in Old Jaffa.

April in Israel is a month full of events – festivals, concerts, and shows. Along with Israel’s Remembrance Day and Independence Day, concerts by Ravi Coltrane and Shlomo Artzi supplement the Jerusalem Ice Festival, Haifa’s Dali exhibition and the Moroccan Mimouma feast.

(Thanks to Israel21c) When Israelis go on vacation, they no longer have to consign Fido to a kennel. Watch how KelevLand, a one-of-a-kind dog hotel with elite accommodation, gives pooches the best possible treatment – from mineral water on tap, to tummy rubs and acupuncture. Plus DogTV of course.

A 22-member Chinese production company is arriving in April to shoot scenes in Israel for a Chinese epic called “Old Cinderella”. It is expected to be a blockbuster movie thanks to stars such as Zhang Jingchu (“Rush Hour 3”) and director Lu Chuan.

Rihanna, largely acknowledged as the biggest pop star in the world right now, will be performing a concert in Tel Aviv as part of her “Diamonds” world tour. Although not yet officially official, the concert is expected to be on October 22 in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park. Her last Israeli visit was in 2010.