Israel Active

On 28 Aug, residents of Petah Tikva, central Israel, enjoyed an evening of unique desserts. 65 sweet stalls served French crepe, pavlova, eclairs, crepe cake, cheesecake, Dubai cake, alfajores, tiramisu and more. With entertainment from Meni Mamtara, Eden Ben Zaken and Rinat Bar.

Israel’s Guy Sasson with Dutch partner Niels Vink won the US Open wheelchair doubles title at Flushing Meadows. They beat their Chilean and Argentine opponents 6-1, 6-1.

Omer Vered Vilenchik 18, won the ILCA World Youth (Under 19) Championships in Dublin Bay. Omer finished 10th in the U21 competition.

Israel’s Anat Lelior (see previously) won gold and Ido Hajaj silver in the women’s and men’s competitions respectively at the ABANCA Pantin Classic Galicia Pro surfing event in Spain. The Pantin Pro is a prestigious stop on the World Surfing Championship Tour.

The manuscript of the original lyrics to “Al Kol Eleh” (On All of These), one of Naomi Shemer’s most enduring songs, was gifted last week by her family to the National Library of Israel. It is often sung to emphasize that we should be strong enough to endure bad events as well as enjoy the good ones.

Israel beat Iceland 83-71 in Katowice, Poland, to open its 2025 EuroBasket campaign. Then, after a narrow loss to Poland, Israel beat France 82-69. Finally, they beat Belgium 92-89 to advance to the last 16 for the first time in a decade. Watch the pre-tournament concert to see what inspired them.   (must see!)

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.