Yesterday, for the first time ever, the NYC Gay Pride Parade featured a group of Israelis marching under the the slogan “I’m a Proud Israeli.” This group of about 50 gay and straight Israelis came to show its solidarity with the LGBT community in New York. The crowd, estimated at one million, applauded loudly all along the parade route. See the video for the highlights.
Last week also featured the Tel Aviv Gay Parade–check out this YouTube video for more.
For more information about gay rights in Israel, see our previous post.

Photo: Getty Images

these articles.)
But sometimes it’s cool to watch these things in action. So we bring you this video courtesy of Infolive and ynet that covers how to generate solar energy from an on-site interview in the Negev.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Better late than never, as they say.
In the decades since the Beatles last ried to perform in Israel, a lot has happened in rock-and-roll but the British band still has its name recognition. Now, ynet reports, Paul McCartney has OKed a concert in Israel, slated for the end of September. No word yet on exactly where or when, but check out the article to get the inside story.

Photo: Yan Nasonov, Wikimedia Commons
Used under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

The City of Jerusalem has a new and monumental entranceway. Officials today inaugurated a new bridge designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava during a public gala ceremony. Dignitaries from the Mayor of Jerusalem to government ministers were on hand and the crowd was entertained by orchestras, dancers, and other cultural groups.
The bridge is part of the Jerusalem’s new rail system (coming soon) that will evenutally provide rapid public transportation around the city.

Photo: Israel Ministry of Tourism

Recently, we’ve noticed a number of Israeli artists gaining prominence on the American art scene. Of particular note is Sigalit Landau, whose solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York runs through the end of July. Here’s Nextbook’s illuminating interview with a groundbreaking artist.

Gilad Shalit’s (Schalit) book, When the Shark and the Fish First Met, now appears on YouTube to mark two years since he was kidnapped.
The Consulate General of Israel filmed five fifth-grade students from New York reading the story that Shalit wrote when he, too, was eleven years old. “Gilad was a boy our age when he wrote this story; if only we could write something so significant at this age. Today, no one knows where he is and he probably misses his parents,” said one of the students. “If the shark and fish can make peace, why can’t people?”
Click here to download (PDF) information about Shalit and the book.

LabPixies is an Israel-based company dedicated solely to building widgets, those little programs that add flair and fun to your webpage. Thus far, they’ve done work for Google Gadgets and have designed the official New York Times crossword puzzle widget. Thanks to the Washington Post for bringing us this story. Now we’ll just need to make sure we can stay focused on our work amid all the new toys!

We’ve been blogging for some time about all the cool discoveries made in Israel, whether in science, technology or some other field. Now Ads4Israel is using these cool facts in its publicity work. Check out these ads–they’re informative and entertaining as well.

One of the great ways to tour areas in Israel off the beaten path is to stay at “tzimmers,” Israeli cottage bed-and-breakfasts. Join the Washington Post as they search for the perfect tzimmer and read baout a uniquely Israeli brand of hospitality.

For its July 2008 issue, Travel and Leisure magazine set its sights on Tel Aviv and the city’s modern, genteel, and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Look for insider’s peeks at the culinary and cultural scene in this vibrant, exciting place to be. Just don’t let these travel ideas fly under your radar!