Israel Active

The “Queen of Pop” is giving Israeli fans an extra opportunity to see her, with performances at Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan stadium now on 29th and 31st May.

Legendary rock bands Guns & Roses and Jethro Tull will be performing in Israel later this year. Guns & Roses are scheduled to perform at Yarkon Park on July 3rd, whilst Jethro Tull will be doing three gigs between Sept 6th to Sept 8th in Jerusalem, Haifa and Raanana.

Israeli computer game company Funtactix was started due to the vision of JVP founder Erel Margalit and developed a game to accompany the fourth “Mission Impossible” movie. Funtactix has now also designed and developed the official online game for the smash hit movie “The Hunger Games”.

The Jerusalem Marathon invoked several Biblical phrases in the mind of Rabbi Tuly Weisz – one of the runners. He was overjoyed to see “the streets of the city filled” (Zechariah 8:5) with 15,000 runners from all over the world and recalled more of Zechariah’s prophecies before he completed the race.

Runners who still have energy after the Jerusalem Marathon raced over to Israel’s “city that never stops” for the Tel Aviv Gillette Marathon. More than 35,000 were expected to take part.

Lee Korzits won the women's RS:X title at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Cadiz, Spain. It is the third time Korzits has won the world championship and it secures her an automatic place in the 2012 London Olympics.

Don’t miss any opportunity to see “Israel Inside – How a small nation makes a big difference” that tells of the homecoming of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar - former Harvard professor, who examines the core character strengths that have enabled Israelis to overcome challenges and turn a desert into a flourishing nation. It was showing in Jerusalem recently.

Thanks to Janglo, here is a very useful guide to what’s happening during the Passover festival season. It includes Jerusalem scavenger hunts, Dead Sea Music festival, Holon Theatre Song festival, Haifa Children’s Theatre festival, Ein Gev Music festival and sculpting in Maalot.

Around 1500 athletes shrugged off rain and wind to compete in Jerusalem’s second international marathon. David Toniok, 27, from Kenya, won the race in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 52 seconds — beating last year’s win by fellow countryman Raymond Kipkoech by nearly seven minutes.

(thanks to Avi and Janglo) Tel Aviv has never been short of what to see and do in the field of art and culture, but 2012 is officially Tel Aviv Art Year – so expect a deluge of amazing things to catch throughout the year! Click here for some of the highlights.