Celebrity Salute to Israel in Times Square

This month, Hollywood’s best and brightest will be saluting Israel in celebration of its 60th Anniversary, in a project initiated by the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Nancy Spielberg (sister of famous director, Steven). Their personalized video greetings, wishing Israel a “Happy Birthday!” are being broadcast on both the Nasdaq and Reuters electronic billboards in Times Square (43rd St. and Broadway).

The A-list celebrities include: Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Brooke Shields, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Ashton Kutcher, Michael Douglas, Dakota Fanning, and many more. Not to mention, New York’s very own Donald Trump, who also joined the lineup.

The celebrity greetings will air throughout May, every hour at approximately 15 minutes and 45 minutes after the hour. Next time you’re in Times Square, look up!

You can read more about the videos on JPost. To see the visuals, watch this CBS-TV report.

Basketball Hall of Fame Welcomes Israeli Superstars

Here’s your chance to meet the top-ranked player who turned down a spot in the NBA draft to join the fledgling Maccabi Tel Aviv Team — and hear his story.

“Hoop it Up for Israel! Celebrate Israel’s 60th Birthday” fills the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA on Sunday, May 18 from 12:00 – 4:00 PM. In the spotlight will be the legendary Tal Brody, along with fellow Maccabi great Mickey Berkowitz and Shimon Mizrahi who, as Chairman of Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club, was ranked by Time as one of the world’s 50 most important sports executives.

Not only will fans get to hear from these consummate athletes who have played such dramatic roles in the history of both basketball and Israel at a 2:30PM presentation, they’ll also have the opportunity to shoot hoops on Center Court at the Hall of Fame, enjoy a day of family entertainment, authentic kosher Israeli food and heavily discounted admission to the Hall of Fame.

A BONUS: Witnessing the unveiling of the new Hall of Fame exhibit, “Putting Israel on the Map; the Macabbi Tel Aviv Story,” boasting historic footage, European Cups, team jerseys, photos documenting the Cold War-defying Maccabi Team and more. The exhibit, remaining up until September, promises to attract countless Berkshires summer tourists.

At only 2½ hours from New York City and 1½ from Boston, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame draws fans from across the East Coast.

Tickets for this special day cost $6 for adults and $3 for kids 15 and under (4 and under are free) at the door on Sunday, May 18 ONLY. In honor of Israel’s birthday, this price admits visitors to not only the event and the new exhibit, but to the entire Basketball Hall of Fame (usually costing $16.99 for adults and $11.99 for kids).

“Hoop it Up for Israel!” is sponsored by the Anna P. Housen Israel Desk of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts with additional support from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and individual donors.

For more information, call the Federation at (413) 737-4313 or visit www.jewishwesternmass.org.

Note: Advance tickets ($5 adults, $3 kids 5-15) are available at the Springfield JCC, the Yiddish Book Center Bookstore in Amherst or by calling 413.231.5513 at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

NY Loves Israel!!

As yesterday was the big day to celebrate Israel@60 (it was Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day), the place to be was Washington Square Park for the Cool Israel Party.
Hundreds of people showed up to dance, enjoy Israeli music, and say “Happy Birthday” to an absolutely amazing country.
For more event pictures, see the Consulate on Facebook.

Israel–The People and Places

Thanks to Israel21 for this great tour of Israel and her diverse population (with Yael Naim’s great soundtrack as an added bonus!).

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2008: Bar Refaeli

Israeli model Bar Rafaeli (often spotted around the world with her on-and-off-again boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio) strikes a pose for this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Check out her video and hear what she has to say about her native Israel!

Israel: A Human Mosaic

The State of Israel has taken in more than 3 million people from over 30 countries in the 60 years since independence. They have come together to form a cohesive society with elements representing diverse cultures from the four corners of the globe.
And now, people are beginning to take notice. In this article from Haaretz, the French Minister for Urban Affairs reflects on her experiences in Israel among the multiethnic Israeli population.

The Secret of the Israeli Mosaic

By Alexander Yakobson

Fadela Amara, the French minister for urban affairs, was asked by Haaretz Magazine in an interview, “What did you think of Israel?” Amara, the daughter of Berber immigrants from Algeria and a well-known advocate of women’s and Muslim immigrants’ rights who has come out against radical Islam, said: “I felt very comfortable [in Israel]. I wasn’t the object of special stares, as often happens toward foreigners. I didn’t feel any racism, though I’m certain it exists. You have all the colors there so it’s become almost natural to see white, yellow, brown. … Here in France, I get looks. To the French, I’m not very ‘French.’ We’re living here under a dominant culture. When your name is Francois and you’re white with blue eyes, it’s one thing. But when your name is Fatima and you’ve got a little color, the look you get is different. In Israel, because of the variety of people, I didn’t feel that.”
Continue reading Israel: A Human Mosaic…

Darfur Refugees Find Sanctuary in the Jewish State

An update on the Darfur refugees who have found sanctuary in the Jewish State…

From Seth Freedman of the Guardian:

An unlikely refuge

Hundreds of Muslims who have fled Darfur are rebuilding their lives in Israel

“Even though we’re Muslim, the Islamic world has done nothing to protect us”, said Yassin, a refugee whose tortured flight from Darfur finally brought him to Israel three years ago. He was one of the first Darfurians to make it into Israel across the border from Egypt, and has dedicated his life to helping hundreds of his fellow countrymen who have made the same perilous journey.

Yassin, a genial 30-year-old former architect, is now director of Bnei Darfur [Sons of Darfur], an organisation which assists Sudanese refugees to integrate into Israeli society, and which last week was finally granted non-profit status by the Israeli government. Sitting in his office in downtown Tel Aviv, Yassin painted a harrowing picture of the way in which Darfurian refugees are mistreated by the uncaring and unsympathetic authorities in Egypt, which is the first port of call of many fleeing the violence in Sudan.

Darfuri children are scared to set foot outside in Egypt for fear of attack, Yassin said, citing the slaying of dozens of refugees after a protest outside the UNHCR headquarters in 2005. “It’s not that Egypt doesn’t look after refugees in general,” he said, “after all, they treat the Somalians very well. However, when it comes to us, they are different. It’s racism [that motivates the Egyptian mistreatment].”

Continue reading Darfur Refugees Find Sanctuary in the Jewish State…

Did You Know?

Delta Launches New Service to Tel Aviv

Just in time for the hot tourism season, Delta Airlines launched its new daily service between Tel Aviv and New York this week. The airline says this new route will add 100,000 seats annually to accommodate for the tourism boom from last year. Israeli airliner El Al also plans to increase its number of weekly flights, creating some healthy competition in the skies. Fly on!

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