A new guy came to the neighborhood
Yahala Lahmish and Eyal Habib recently performed this traditional Moroccan song with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra. Yahala is the daughter of our friend Leonie and the whole show is available to order.
Another gold for Israeli gymnast
Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat struck gold at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Munich, despite having an injured foot. It was Artem’s third gold medal in international competition. He previously won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
Maccabi Haifa qualify for soccer’s Champions League
Maccabi Haifa FC has reached the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2009. In their final qualifying match they defeated Red Star Belgrade 6-5 on aggregate. The win also earns the Israeli team at least Euro 26 million.
Scholarships for athletes
Tel Aviv University has launched a new annual scholarship for student-athletes. The International Sports Scholarship Fund will provide full degree support for talented athletes of all nationalities between the ages of 17-30, to study in any of TAU International’s nearly two dozen English-taught programs.
No summer ending in Jerusalem
31 Aug is the official end of summer and start of Israel’s new school year, but there is still much to see on Jerusalem Streets. Sultan’s Pool concerts, Israel Comedy Festival, Theater music, VR shows, Cocktail Festival, Wine Festival, BAFTA award event, and Sefer Torah procession.
Israel wins European team marathon
Israel won gold in the men’s team marathon event at the European Athletics Championships in Munich. Israel’s Marhu Teferi and Gashau Ayale won silver and bronze respectively in the individual competition. Israel’s fastest three runners had the best combined time.
Another gold for Anastasia
Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko (see previously) successfully defended her title, winning the gold medal in the 200m Individual Medley at the European Championships in Rome. She previously won the event in 2021 in Budapest.
Another friendly Iranian Judoka
Iranian judoka Alireza Bahranifard made friends with Israeli judoka Sagi Muki. Like fellow Iranian Judoka Saeid Mollaei (who now competes for Azerbaijan), Alireza has now emigrated from Iran and currently resides in Germany.
Jerusalem under the Sturgeon Moon
“Sturgeon” - the last supermoon of 2022 - gave rise to several cultural events in Israel’s capital. Free klezmer shows, Shakespeare in the rough, and Parties in the Park. And see the new Vietnamese Ambassador present his credentials to the Israeli President in national costume.
The story of “Hawkeye”
Fascinating article and autobiography about Israel’s Giora Epstein (Even). He retired from the Israel Air Force at the age of 59 and then worked for 20 years as an El Al pilot. He is officially the world’s most prolific modern fighter pilot and was promoted to Brigadier General at the age of 80.