Israel Active

Israel’s Noa Kirel succeeded in reaching the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool with a dynamic performance in the semi-final of Israel’s entry “Unicorn”. She is now the 6th favorite to win. “Unicorn” was written by Doron Medalie, who also wrote Netta Barzilai’s 2018 winner “Toy”.

From war epics and comedy, action-filled adventures to family dramas, there are plenty of amazing Israeli TV shows and films. Here is Israel21c’s top 10.

Israel gave free entry to dozens of museums to mark International Museum Day 2023. It was a great opportunity for children who also had a holiday from school to celebrate the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer.

The new Red Bus City Tour offers narrated sightseeing tours of Jerusalem in a choice of 29 languages. The 90-min tour visits the Old City, Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Or 2.5 hours to City Hall, Sacher Park, Knesset, Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, National Library, Mount Herzl and more.

FIFA - the top governing body in the world of soccer – has awarded $30,000 to Israeli non-profit “The Equalizer” (see previously) for its 3 soccer programs. FIFA has also renewed its support for the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation’s sports program (see previously).

The desert city of Arad has changed since the article’s author first visited in 1989. Its coffee bars, healthy environment, wellness therapy, art studios, wineries, brewery, restaurants, hiking trails, hotels and glamping sites provide plenty to interest tourists and visiting Israelis.  Search “Travel Arad Israel” for more.

Israeli writer Iddo Gefen has won the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for his short-story collection, “Jerusalem Beach.” Iddo is a cognitive psychology doctoral student at Columbia University. His book is a series of snapshots of contemporary life in Israel - some to become movies.

The fields surrounding Israel’s Hula Lake are currently covered in Pink Lady butterflies enroute from the Arabian peninsula to Europe. Its an intergenerational migration, as the butterflies that arrived from Saudi Arabia lay eggs in Israel that eventually turn into butterflies that continue onto Europe.

Israeli sports-tech company WSC Sports (see previously) won an “AI-ML Curation of Sports Highlights” award at the 74th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards. The awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

With its colors matching the Israeli flag, the common blue butterfly has been voted Israel’s national butterfly. It joins the hoopoe (national bird), the anemone (national flower), the olive (national tree), and the Canaan dog (national dog), as symbols. Tens of thousands of Israeli schoolchildren voted.