Gold windsurfer & jujitsu judokas
Israeli windsurfer Sharon Kantor on Saturday won a gold medal at the iQFoil World Championships in Lanzarote and qualified for the Paris summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Israelis Guy Borstein and Tommy Buaron won gold medals at the Jujitsu Genoa Open.
Gold skier & kickboxers
Israeli skier Viktor Polinkovsky won the FIS Masters World Cup event (age category 60-64) in Slovenia. Israelis Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov won gold at the WAKO European kickboxing Athens Challenge. 12-year-old Karolina Chorny won the Kick Light European Championship.
6,000 runners in the Dead Sea Marathon
Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz said the Dead Sea marathon “is a symbol of the willpower and the tremendous love of life of the State of Israel and its citizens. The Dead Sea is a wonderful natural phenomenon in the lowest place in the world. From here, you can only go up.”
Hot wheels
Israeli driver Ariel Levi won Round 2 of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe Sport Division. See last few laps. Also (at 3mins 30secs) the Israeli National Anthem Hatikvah.
Swamp cat seen in Hula valley
An Israeli nature conservationist recorded a swamp cat (also known as a jungle cat, reed cat, or jungle lynx) in the Hula valley in Northern Israel. The swamp cat is one of the three remaining species of wildcats in Israel. Israel is the most westerly location for these animals.
Winter sounds festival
Tel Aviv’s Cultural Centre hosts the Winter Sounds music festival in May. Over four days, live music performances will feature the cream of Israeli music, from classical and Mizrahi music to singer-songwriter tributes and jazz.
The evolution of Israeli fashion
One of the upcoming Ezra lectures for English-Speaking Residents in Israel is an interactive journey through the history and future trends of Israeli fashion. Shenkar College graduate Ilan Dotan describes how fashion is connected to every milestone of Israel’s history. Feb 13 at 11am in Raanana.
Israel’s greatest ecological turnaround
The 1950s draining of Lake Hula was a huge environmental mistake. Now, a photo exhibit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the successful reversal of the damage. Agamon Hula’s success serves as inspiration for future conservation projects worldwide. (See live video cameras at 2nd link.)
Hatikvah in Qatar
Israeli fencer Yuval Freilich won the gold medal at the Epee Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar. Amazing to hear the Israeli national anthem in wartime in a country that doesn’t recognize Israel.
A whitewash
The Israel Under-20 National Team was reinstated to the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group A tournament in Bulgaria after being banned for security reasons. The Blue & White team took home the gold medal, winning all five of its matches and has been promoted to Division II Group B.