Israel Active

Israeli dancer Yuval Cohen’s performance in a featured role of “Carmen” with the Philadelphia Ballet on Oct. 9 was a full-circle moment. He performed the same ballet in his first featured role with the company two years ago. He keeps in contact with his brothers in the IDF and raises money for Israel.

Israeli-owned Breads Bakery has six sites and a kiosk in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Its founder, Gadi Peleg, has introduced two new babka pies for Thanksgiving: blueberry and cherry cheesecake. Pumpkin pie and apple pie are also available.

Tel Aviv has welcomed a new destination for contemporary art with the opening of The L Gallery on Ahad Ha’Am Street. The inaugural exhibition, “Unfolded,” presents a show by Israeli artist Evgeny Merman, on view through 15 Dec. The L Gallery also has galleries in Monaco, London and New York.

Music fans from 50 countries, including UAE, Morocco, New Zealand, Senegal, US, France, Germany, the UK, Canada, India, South Korea, Taiwan and China, are coming to Israel for the 6-day 2025 Israel Music Showcase Festival. They will enjoy jazz, rock, pop, electronic, and more.

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.