Israel Active

In the  UEFA Champions League soccer qualifying play-off, two Israelis, Ofri Arad and Dan Glazer helped Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty beat Scotland’s Celtic FC. Glazer scored a penalty.  Last year Israeli winger Liel Abada left the club after suffering prolonged abuse from Celtic fans.

Israel’s Daniel Bluman riding Corbie V.V. won the $340,000 CSI5* Major League Show Jumping Kubota Grand Prix of Toronto. His team Maccabi United also won $50,000 and is now top of the Season 5 league. Maccabi United also won the $312,500 Cabana Coast Team event the previous day.

After years of speculation, Israeli-born NBA forward TJ Leaf has fulfilled his lifelong dream of joining Maccabi Tel Aviv. 10 years ago, Leaf led Israel’s Under-18 national team to a silver medal in the Division B European Championship, where he was also named Most Valuable Player.

Sara Elijah’s first full solo release, “Young Strong Lungs” is an album of emotion translated into art. Sara’s parents founded Shalva, Israel’s groundbreaking initiative for individuals with disabilities. Her transition from the Shalva Band to solo artist is well worth listening to.

After being canceled in 2024 due to budget constraints and postponed from its original June 2025 date because of security concerns, Tel Aviv's beloved White Night festival made its highly anticipated return on 28th Aug. It transforms Israel's cultural capital into an all-night arts playground.

A rare honey badger was captured on video for the first time on Mount Dov in the Hermon region, using a thermal imaging camera. It confronted and chased off another animal, probably a jackal, without fear.  IDF soldiers nearby were impressed by how it stood up to its much larger enemy!

Archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old Samaritan estate in Kafr Qasim, featuring ornate mosaics, olive presses, and a purification bath that reveal both the prosperity and resilience of the community from the Roman to Byzantine periods.

The Sataf Forest in the Jerusalem Hills dates back thousands of years, with two natural springs and some one million visitors a year. It has just opened a $4.5 million environmentally friendly visitor center, with a French patisserie, thanks to Jewish and non-Jewish Swiss Friends of KKL-JNF.

Israel’s Adva Cohen won the Women's 3000 Meters Steeplechase race at the Balkan Championships in Greece. Israel’s Roan Halabi-Kablan won the bronze. Omri Shiff won silver in the Men’s 400 meters hurdles.

Congratulations to Israel’s men for winning the Acrobatic Gymnastics gold medal at the World Games in Chengdu.