The gold medallist who came back from the dead
When his helicopter crashed during the Second Lebanon War, doctors did not believe Noam Gershony would survive. But last week he won tennis gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This “must read” story sums up the fighting spirit of Israel’s sporting heroes.
Dates and pomegranates for the New Year
Lovely video from the Veffers of Villa Rimona in Yavne.
Talent in the family
The religious all-women dance company Nehara has been making exciting news in the Israeli press. Nehara was founded by Daniella Bloch, who studied dance at Bat Dor (which was co-founded by my cousin Jeanette Ordman z”l). Details sent to me by newsletter subscriber (and Daniella’s mother) Ilene.
Did aliens land on the Knesset?
(Thanks to Sharon of Real Jerusalem Streets.) The annual Jerusalem Kite festival at the Israel Museum gave much pleasure to residents of Israel’s capital. At one point, people thought we had been visited by extraterrestrials. Mind, if you’ve seen what goes on sometimes in the Knesset ……
Swedish band gets heavy with Israel
The heavy metal band Sabaton is really into Israel. The band toured Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem and met with IDF soldiers guarding the site. The Grammy-nominated band is famous for their 2006 song "Counterstrike," recounting Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War.
From the depths I call to you
Cavers from the cave research unit of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have just returned from exploring Krubera-Voronya in Russia - the deepest cave in the world. They broke records for the deepest that an Israeli has ever reached, plus the longest an Israeli has spent underground. (Not sure if Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai would have disputed the latter!)
Paralympic medals
(Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli swimmers Inbal Pezaro and Itzhak Mamistvalov achieved in the London 2012 Paralympics what no Israeli athlete could in the main Olympics. They won bronze medals - Inbal in the 50-meter and 200-meter freestyle. Izhak beat another Israeli in his 200-meter freestyle final.
The best Hummus
An unusual item – a positive article by the BBC about Israel’s hummus food culture and where to enjoy the best dish.
The world’s best short storyteller
(Thanks to Israel21c) The winner of this year’s International storytelling competition at the Edinburgh fringe was an Israeli. The tale of Shachar Levy’s bar mitzvah beat off finalists from Bulgaria, Canada, Lebanon, South Africa and others. He won a rare 25-year old bottle of scotch whiskey.
Boldly going to Israel
Actor Patrick Stewart has arrived in Israel to star in an Israel film “Hunting Elephants”. He replaces actor John Cleese who had to pull out due to medical reasons. Patrick Stewart starred in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series and the "X-Men" movie series.