Israel Active

Jonny Steel, VP Marketing at Israel’s Payoneer, shares insights after reading “Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai” by Matti Friedman. The Canadian Jewish singer / songwriter Leonard Cohen was transformed by his experiences in Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

17-year-old Nevo Abutbul is one of the world’s youngest professional mentalists. He has already performed on US TV. He is about to be drafted into the army as the IDF’s first mentalist. Israel’s enemies should surrender now!

50 Israeli athletes are competing in the World Games in Birmingham Alabama. 16-year-old Daria Atamanov scooped two golds and a silver in the rhythmic gymnastics, as Israel finished top of the table in the event. Meanwhile Israeli kickboxer Shir Cohen is in the final of the under-52kg category.

The 21st “Jewish Olympics” began with 10,000 athletes from 80 countries who will be competing in 42 events all over Israel. In Netanya we met a team from Chile and a member of the over-55’s US tennis team. US President Joe Biden was a special guest at the opening ceremony.

Israel’s 23-member team “Chopskick” from Modi’in won a gold medal in the 62-nation, 120,000-competitors, Dance World Cup in San Sebastian, Spain. Their performance “Zombieland” won the Hip-hop Commercial Mega Crew category. Israeli teams won 18 medals at the event.

Pamela Levene remembers the pranks Israeli children played with the Israeli seeds featured in last week’s newsletter. Placed on the trouser leg, the seed, stimulated by sweat, would then "walk" upwards, causing great discomfort. The victims had to drop their trousers to remove them!

Events on the NbN calendar for July include an oasis hike, magic at Center Stage, an Orchestral concert, a guided tour of design art, and a nocturnal hike in the Carmel Forest.

Check out some of the activities for kids in Israel at this site. Make candy, paint pottery, transform tree bark into paper, learn about biblical animals, make bread as they did in Temple times, have fun in Maale Adumim, and more.

Israel sells more scripted TV shows around the world than any other country besides the United Kingdom. Even more than the US. According to Dafna Prenner’s of Israel’s Artza Productions and producer of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, it’s because Jews have much to tell.

Australia’s Simon Clark, who cycles for Israel-Premier Tech, won the fifth stage of the Tour de France, the first-ever win for the Israeli team at the competition. "Israel is on the map at unbelievable levels today," said team owner and philanthropist Sylvan Adams.