Israel Active

Open House Tel Aviv (May 18-20) offered more than 180 tours, meetings and talks at public buildings, private homes, and public spaces throughout the city. They included the Yitzhak Sadeh Park urban renewal project, Bloomfield Stadium, the French Ambassador’s residence, and the Islamic Court of Justice.

Israel is to restore and develop the archeological park of Sebastia (Shomron) which was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in 879 BCE (see Kings 1, ch 16 v 23-25).

Israel’s Inbar Lanir on Friday won the women’s 78kg gold medal at the World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. She dedicated her win to the Israelis forced into bomb shelters this week due to the rocket fire from Gaza. See Hatikvah played in a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel’s Noa Kirel succeeded in reaching the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool with a dynamic performance in the semi-final of Israel’s entry “Unicorn”. She is now the 6th favorite to win. “Unicorn” was written by Doron Medalie, who also wrote Netta Barzilai’s 2018 winner “Toy”.

From war epics and comedy, action-filled adventures to family dramas, there are plenty of amazing Israeli TV shows and films. Here is Israel21c’s top 10.

Israel gave free entry to dozens of museums to mark International Museum Day 2023. It was a great opportunity for children who also had a holiday from school to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer.

The new Red Bus City Tour offers narrated sightseeing tours of Jerusalem in a choice of 29 languages. The 90-min tour visits the Old City, Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Or 2.5 hours to City Hall, Sacher Park, Knesset, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, National Library, Mount Herzl and more.

FIFA - the top governing body in the world of soccer – has awarded $30,000 to Israeli non-profit “The Equalizer” (see previously) for its 3 soccer programs. FIFA has also renewed its support for the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation’s sports program (see previously).

The desert city of Arad has changed since the article’s author first visited in 1989. Its coffee bars, healthy environment, wellness therapy, art studios, wineries, brewery, restaurants, hiking trails, hotels and glamping sites provide plenty to interest tourists and visiting Israelis.  Search “Travel Arad Israel” for more.

Israeli writer Iddo Gefen has won the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his short-story collection, “Jerusalem Beach.” Iddo is a cognitive psychology doctoral student at Columbia University. His book is a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel - some to become movies.