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The Coca-Cola Company, one of the biggest sponsors of the Olympics, has a new ad for the occasion designed by Eric Lerner, a graduate of the prestigious Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Lerner’s ad, available on YouTube, combines animation and live action to show birds building a nest resembling the Olympic Stadium. More details about Lerner and the ad are on Ynet.
With the Olympics starting this week, watch for our continuing coverage of the goings-on!

Soccer for Peace is holding a tournament on the longest day of the year, Saturday, June 21, 2008, to promote peace in the Middle East. The tournament, at Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers and the nearby Chelsea Waterside Park,supports an overnight soccer camp and year-long program for Arab and Jewish youth.
This summer marks the 4th consecutive year that Soccer for Peace will hold its overnight camp in Israel. Participants represent Arab and Jewish communities in equal number and are brought together for a program premised upon: (1) intensive soccer training, (2) facilitated dialogue workshops, and (3) social excursions and activities. The participants are subsequently enrolled in a year-long program and thus reunite 3-4 times per week for a similar mix of programming. They return to camp the following summer, and again to the year-long program, continuing in this cycle from ages 10 to 16.
“Soccer is the world’s game and we believe it presents both a metaphor and a vehicle for peace,” said Soccer for Peace Founder Ori Winitzer. “I am touched that we have such great support here in the U.S., which enables our programs abroad.”

While it may not seem so intuitive, competitive sports really are a good way to help people meet. By working together cooperatively, the Jewish and Arab kids in this soccer match represent an innovative approach to building social cohesion through something we can all relate to. GOAL!!

Julius “Dr. J” Erving took some time on his tour of Israel to visit the Western Wall. He is visiting with basketball legends Rick Barry, Earl Monroe, and Dominique Wilkins on an NBA Goodwill tour sponsored by Migdal Ohr. JPost has the full coverage of their visit, including a meeting with President Peres.

Last night (29 May), the New York Mets hosted a special celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday. The event featured Israeli music and dancing and the Mets’ new #60, Consul General Asaf Shariv, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

As we reported in an earlier post, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts has just opened an exhibition on Maccabi Tel Aviv and basketball in Israel. Here are some of the pictures taken at the opening event along with coverage from JPost. The exhibit will be up through the end of the year.
Kudos to the New England Consulate for their hard work on this project.

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.

To celebrate Israel@60, we’re taking the party to the big leagues. The New York Mets are hosting a special evening at Shea Stadium on 29 May that will feature Israeli entertainment, dancing, and other surprises as well as, of course, baseball.

For more information and a ticket order form, click here.

A positive sports update from ESPN:

When it comes to the Israeli delegation of tennis players, they are small in number but strong in loyalty and determination, most especially for their homeland.

For the three Israeli athletes — recent Australian Open doubles champions Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, and top 20-ranked Shahar Peer — fulfilling their naturally appointed role as Israeli world ambassadors is all pleasure and never a burden.

It has become the norm that wherever the ATP or WTA tours might be on a given week, the Israeli players will receive enthusiastic support from the local Jewish community.

On the eve of this week’s Sony Ericsson Open, which got under way Wednesday, the three prominent Israelis gathered to take part in a special ceremony to honor their achievements at Beth David Congregation, a conservative temple located in the heart of Miami.

Erlich and Ram became the first Israelis to win a Grand Slam doubles title with their success Down Under, although it should be mentioned that Ram had previously reeled in two mixed-doubles trophies at majors. As for Peer, she recently made history by becoming the first Israeli player to compete in an Arab country when she played the Doha, Qatar, tournament in February, reaching the quarterfinals.

Despite getting a cool reception earlier this month during Fed Cup competition, Maria Sharapova, among the top women’s tennis players, just bought a house in Netanya. We don’t see her joining the Israeli team any time soon, but hey, one never knows.
Here’s the Haaretz take on the situation.