Iron Man Israel attracts 3,000+ competitors
More than 1200 Israeli and international athletes competed in the IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Championship – a 2.3-mile Sea of Galilee swim, a 111-mile bike ride and a 26-mile run. 1,860 competed in a shorter event. Philanthropist Sylvan Adams brought IRONMAN to Israel.
Rugby victory
Tel Aviv Heat, Israel’s first professional rugby union team, defeated UK’s Saracens 29-26 in a friendly match at the Saracens’ home stadium. Saracens are former European champions.
Sony Music tunes in to Israel
Sony Music has entered the Israeli music market in partnership with Canadian-Israeli musician management company and record label ONEWA. Their venture aims to develop artists from Israel with international appeal and launch them into the global mainstream music scene.
The music of Judah Maccabee
If you can get to Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem on Dec 15 you can hear the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra give a pre-Hannukah performance of movements from Judas Maccabaeus by Handel, alongside commentary in English by Prof. Isaiah Gafni.
Israel Philharmonic plays Carnegie Hall
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) just completed its first tour in three years under Maestro Lahav Shani - the first native Israeli to lead the IPO. The 14 Nov performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall rounded off a tour that included Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Palo Alto.
Jerusalem hosts World Chess Championship
12 top international teams, including Israel (with its female captain) compete for the World Chess Team Championship in Jerusalem this week. The teams are Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, South Africa, China, Spain, France, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States.
First direct flight from Israel to Qatar
The first aircraft to fly between Israel and Qatar took 180 Israeli and Palestinian Arab soccer fans to the World Cup. Qatar refused to allow Israeli airplanes to make the trip, but they overlooked that Cyprus-based TUS Airways is a subsidiary of Israel’s Knafaim Holdings Ltd.
Photo Is:rael
Tel Aviv’s 10th International Photography Festival (23 Nov – 3 Dec) features 70 photography exhibitions, plus dance, performances, video art, music and more. The theme of this year’s festival is “Action”.
Thousands of pelicans visit Israel
Thousands of white pelicans have arrived in Israel on their annual trek to their winter quarters in Africa. About 50,000 pelicans migrate through Israel from mid-Aug to Nov, before flying into the Sinai desert and further down the Nile to their winter ponds.
Sisterhood on skateboards
When two Israeli friends found that there were so few women represented in the skateboarding world, they decided to do something to change that. Paola Ruiloba and Maayan Levi founded the Jerusalem Skater Girls (JSG). These Israelis from all backgrounds are now taking the skater world by storm.