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.
Two of the best restaurants in the world
53 of the top chefs in the world have chosen two Israeli restaurants for Newsweek Magazine's list of the 101 Best Places in the World to Eat. Tel Aviv’s Abraxas North and Habasta were two of only three restaurants in the Middle East to be included.
The Israel trail – one of the World’s “Epic Trails”
National Geographic has included the Israel National Trail in its list of the best 20 of the World’s Best Hikes. No other trail covers the land of the Bible.
Formula One racing in Jerusalem?
Apparently Mayor Nir Barkat of Jerusalem is working on a plan to bring Formula 1 to Israel’s capital city. A proposed track would pass through the heart of the modern city of Jerusalem – with the start and finish line near the walls of the Old City.
Israeli wins Olympic medal
Israel’s David Blatt coached the Russian basketball team to an 81-77 victory over Argentina to clinch the bronze medal at the London Olympics. Blatt dedicated his accomplishment to Israeli sports saying, “Above all else, I can say today that part of this medal is for Israeli sports. I'm mainly a product of Israeli sports and I give this medal as a gift to everyone in Israel."