Israel Active

Freed hostage Alon Ohel played the piano on Israel’s normally satirical comedy program Eretz Nehederet. But this was not a joking experience – Alon played ‘Under the Sky’ wearing a patch on his right eye due to untreated injuries he sustained on Oct 7 2023. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience.

Israel’s Amit Eshel had two images commended in the prestigious Nature Photographer of the Year competition. One featured arctic wolves on Ellesmere Island, Canada. Amit wanted to dispel irrational views of “hate” for the maligned creatures. (Maybe relevant for human to human behavior.)

The first snow of the season fell on Mount Hermon in the Israeli Golan Heights, signaling the start of winter as storms swept across the country. It ended a record-setting heatwave, with the highest maximum temperatures ever for 1-10 Nov in the country’s hills and along the coastal plain.

After a 3-year gap, the 41st Eilat Sportiada, one of the world's largest grassroots sports events, was described as “the most successful ever.” 10,000 athletes from hundreds of workplaces across Israel participated in the 3-day Games, featuring competitions in a wide range of sports.

A male ostrich ran out of the entrance gate of Ramat Gan Safari Park as it was closing. It went for a stroll in the Tel Aviv area before being brought back to its home. The curious bird was filmed by local residents sprinting through the Ramat Chen neighborhood of Tel Aviv with a police escort.

Just six days after winning a gold medal in the Lima Grand Prix (see previously) Israeli Judoka Raz Hershko won another at the Guadalajara, Mexico Grand Prix.

Israel’s Omri Haviv won a gold medal at the Jiu-jitsu World Championships in Bangkok.

Israel’s Omri Haviv won the gold medal in the men’s 69kg No-Gi category at the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships in Bangkok. Meanwhile, at the Sambo World Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Israel’s Shaked Nisimian won a silver medal in the women’s 72kg category.

Israeli-US singer Omer Adam opened his sold-out concert at the Madison Square Garden in New York City with a special tribute video to the IDF and a video of hostages returning from Gaza. Adam fuses Mizrahi music with Western pop and is one of Israel’s most famous and successful singers.

Israel’s Gesher UK production of Oscar Wilde’s play “Salome” attracted huge audiences to the first ever performance in London’s West End by an Israeli theater company. Anti-Israel UK media panned it, but one unbiased review said it was “easily one of the best shows of the year”.