Israel Active

Israeli marathon runner Avi Solomon was born in Ethiopia. He suffered from glaucoma and went blind, aged only 14. Despite (or because of) many personal tragedies, he took up running and helps raise his seven children. He came 62nd of 12,000 in November’s Abu Dhabi marathon.

The trailer for Season 4 of the hit Israeli TV series Fauda has just been released. The series is planned to air on Yes and Netflix in mid-2022. “Fauda,” means “chaos” in Arabic, and is an international hit, including among audiences in Arab countries.

One of the first new laws of the State of Israel was to ban hunting. This saved the Nubian ibex, which is native to the Middle East and mentioned in the Bible. There are now some 1,200 to 1,400 ibex and numbers are growing. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority works to ensure their continued protection.

The Israel Philharmonic celebrates 85 years with this unique virtual event. It includes never-before seen archive material with musical legends Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, and Isaac Stern and much more.

A salad with 99 ingredients (not including spices) broke the Israeli record at the 12th annual Israel Agriculture Summit. The Noi HaSadeh food chain provided the fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and herbs for the salad, displaying the strength of Israeli agriculture from the Galilee to the Negev.

18-year-old Gal Zuckerman won a gold medal in kiteboarding event at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Oman. She came first in every one of the competition’s 18 rounds. The Omani organizers treated the Israelis very well, but failed to play the Israeli anthem or raise its flag.

With the recent heavy precipitation from the Carmel Storm, sufficient snow (25cm) landed on Mount Hermon to enable the resort to be opened to Israeli skiers and sledding. In the first four hours of the site’s opening on Thursday, some 2,000 visitors arrived. And this week is the resort’s 50th anniversary.

Ex-pro American Israeli basketball player Tamir Goodman (“the Jewish Jordan”) has launched “Aviv” – a new sports-equipment innovation company. Its basketball nets dry the basketball from sweat and disinfects its surface every time the ball goes through the hoop.

Jacob Richman has created a website with links to dozens of regularly updated podcasts of Israeli news, technology, culture, entertainment and more. Visit

January events at Israel’s only dedicated theater for English speakers include 8th Jan Broadway with a Twist; 12th Jan Fun Innovation; 31st Jan Sorcerer’s Night.