Israel Active

Employees of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel have reported seeing some rare phenomena. Nadav Israeli spotted a white rainbow in the Galilee on Feb 8, and then Amir Balaban noticed a green-antlered Dorcas gazelle in the Negev.  Both have logical explanations, but ..

Israeli archers won 2 individual golds, a team gold and 3 silvers at the European Indoor Archery Championships. Israel’s four young fencers won the Team Cadet European Championships in foil. And gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won silver in the floor exercise at the World Cup event in Germany.

Unseeded Israeli Lina Glushko won both the singles and doubles titles at the WIPHOLD International tennis tournament in Pretoria, South Africa. In the doubles Lina partnered Czechia’s Gabrielle Knutson and upset the number 3 seeds.

Israeli director Guy Nattiv and British actor Helen Mirren received a Dove Award from the Cinema for Peace Foundation for their joint work in the 2023 biopic “Golda,” in which Mirren stars as Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel. Nattiv and Mirren received the awards in Berlin.

Although he retired in 2019 after 50 years of conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (see previously), he has returned as guest conductor for eight concerts.  But be quick – the last one is on March 5.

Israeli American designer Kobi Halperin held his very first own label show for New York Fashion Week. His Fall 2024 collection, entitled “Illumination of Hope,” ended with an instrumental version of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, which translates to “The Hope.”

In the Seville Marathon, Israel’s Gashau Ayale finished third in 2:04.53, breaking the Israeli record and qualified for the Paris Olympics. At the Zagreb Kickboxing European Cup, there were gold medals (again) for Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov and another for Karolina Chorny.

Interesting article and interview with Israel’s Alon Day (see previously), winner of NASCAR’s Whelen Euro Series, in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. He talks about his career ambitions, but also about his pro-Israel activism. He singles out the support of Christian Zionists.

Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija scored a game-best and career-high 43 points for his Washington Wizards basketball team. He became the first Wizard to score 40-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in a game since Moses Malone accomplished that feat on Jan. 12, 1987. Despite this, the Wizards lost the game.

Maccabi Haifa beat Gent 2-1 on aggregate to advance to the Europa Conference League round of 16.