Israel Active

There were many positive signs on the streets of Jerusalem last week. See Sharon’s photos of the parade lion, the welcome sign at Navon station, the new Nano Science building, new displays and events at the ANU, ads for summer events, graduations, weddings, and music.

The Israel PremierTech cycling team has made a reasonable start to the 2024 Tour de France race. Hugo Houle was ninth on Stage 2 and Pascal Ackermann sprinted to sixth on Stage 5.  The IPT team is in 14th place overall. Derek Gee is the highest IPT individual at 21st of the 174 riders.

Israel’s Assaf Lowengart smacked a three-run home run in his first baseball match for New York Boulders at their home stadium. He helped his team to an 11-1 win against the New Jersey Jackals. After Oct 7, Assaf worked as a volunteer agricultural laborer on a kibbutz.

Israel’s 2018 Eurovision winner Netta Barzilai has released her debut Hebrew album “It’s All on Me”. The video features the title track – set in an Israeli outdoor market.

Israeli actress Shira Haas received the Jury Prize for her role in the TV drama “Night Therapy” at the 63rd Monte Carlo International Television Festival.

The exhibition "Protecting the World: Israeli CyberSecurity Technologies" at the CyberWeek conference in Tel Aviv, featured 25 Israeli cyber technologies, each represented by a rare lock, some are over 2,000 years old.  Cyberweek was attended by 9,000 attendees from more than 80 countries.

Audiences at Jerry Seinfeld standup shows probably look forward to the way he handles anti-Israel protestors. He got laughter and applause for quips such as “It’s a comedy show, you moron. Get out of here.” and “tell who’s ever running your organization, ‘We just gave more money to a Jew.’”

Israel won gold and silver in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade. Anastasia Gorbenko took first place – her 4th gold at the event. Teammate Lea Polonsky, 22, was 2nd and qualified for the Olympics. Israel was 8th in the medal table.

The car that Israel’s top NASCAR racer Alon Day will drive on July 6 will display “Chai” (Hebrew for “Life”) and feature a striking blue-and-white wrap. For promotional events, his car is inlaid with a Star of David and the phrase “Bring them home”, but NASCAR regulations prohibit religious symbols.

The Israel-Premier Tech cycling team is preparing for its fifth Tour de France competition beginning this weekend. The team won three stages in previous events. Team owner Sylvan Adams presented Israel’s President Herzog with a team jersey that will proudly display “Israel” to the billions watching the race.