Israel Active

A swimmer has discovered a rare cargo of 1,800-year-old marble artifacts on an ancient merchant ship shipwrecked off the coast of Beit Yanai near Netanya. The swimmer was awarded a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.

An Israeli won gold in the Under-57kg men’s category at the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. His name is Ruach Hashem Bichayanu Gordon!  Another Israeli, Maxim Branis, won silver in the Under-67kg category.

Club Méditerranée, also known as Club Med, named Jerusalem, the best destination for a sunny summer vacation worldwide. Israel’s capital city topped the list with an overall score of 74 out of 100.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority reported that, for the first time, a rare Mediterranean monk seal has come ashore onto a beach in central Israel. It has been basking in the warm sunshine for 3 days, with volunteers protecting it until it decides to return to sea.

MSC Musica, weighing 92,409 tons and carrying over 3000 passengers, is the largest ship to sail from Israel this summer. It will depart from Haifa port every Thursday until November, visiting Limassol (Cyprus), Mykonos, Piraeus, and Santorini (Greece), and Kusadasi (Turkey).

Orthodox singer Ishay Ribo will be the first Israeli to star solo at Madison Square Garden. The concert is scheduled for the middle of the Hebrew month of Elul, when Selichot, special penitential prayers, are said in anticipation of the High Holy Days.

Noa Kirel’s ‘Unicorn’ may have finished 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest, but she received ‘maximum points’ from “The Rest of the World” – an additional nonparticipating “country”. It comprised audiences voting for the first time, including both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Open House Tel Aviv (May 18-20) offered more than 180 tours, meetings and talks at public buildings, private homes, and public spaces throughout the city. They included the Yitzhak Sadeh Park urban renewal project, Bloomfield Stadium, the French Ambassador’s residence, and the Islamic Court of Justice.

Israel is to restore and develop the archeological park of Sebastia (Shomron) which was the capital of the Kingdom of Israel in 879 BCE (see Kings 1, ch 16 v 23-25).

Israel’s Inbar Lanir on Friday won the women’s 78kg gold medal at the World Judo Championships in Doha, Qatar. She dedicated her win to the Israelis forced into bomb shelters this week due to the rocket fire from Gaza. See Hatikvah played in a country that has no diplomatic relations with Israel.