TWO SPORTING EVENTS AT THE DEAD SEA

15 November 2009

TWO SPORTING EVENTS AT THE DEAD SEA
TOUR DE DEAD SEA 28 NOVEMBER 2009
VEOLIA DESERT CHALLENGE 5 DECEMBER 2009

The annual Tour de Dead Sea, a cycle race along the contours of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, will take place on Saturday 28 November during a weekend of activities for the cyclists and their families. The cycle race, which is organized by the Tamar and Megillot Regional Councils, is designed to raise awareness about the Dead Sea and its unique environment. Cyclists can choose between three different routes, all of which promise spectacular desert scenery:

· A 12 kilometer family route suitable for children aged 6 and over on a flat route along the promenade liking the hotels in the Ein Bokek area.
· A 60 kilometer route for road and off-road cyclists with police escort, refreshment stops and rescue vehicles.
· A 100 kilometer route for experienced cyclists including steep climbs up Metzoke Dragot.

The races begin from the solarium in the Ein Bokek hotel areas in the southern part of the Dead Sea, with a free family happening that includes ecological activities related to the Dead Sea, arts and crafts corners, refreshments, music and more.

The annual Veolia Desert Challenge will take place on Saturday 5 December 2009, with several challenging events.
· a night race through the desert scenery lit by the full moon on the night between 4 and 5 December(choose between a 12,20 or 30 kilometer course)
· a mountain bike race (27,40 or 75 kilometer course)
· The Ultimate Challenge; the longest and most challenging duathlon in Israel (running and cycling)
· Challenge Cycle Race – a non-competitive 24 kilometer course through Nahal Pratzim and Sodom
· A sporting festival for all the family from 09:30 at the Ein Bokek solarium with free activities, exhibitions etc. Free entrance

Registration for the above is available online at http://www.ezharim.co.il/ (Hebrew only) or on the day of the race itself.

The Dead Sea is one of 28 finalists (selected from over 400 candidates) for the online competition, New 7 Wonders of Nature. The lowest place on earth will compete through 2011 for the hearts and votes of over a billion people from around the world, against 27 other sites including, among others, the River Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, the Grand Canyon and the Maldives. Vote for the Dead Sea as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature at http://www.new7wonders.com/

MUSICAL WINTER CONCERTS IN ABU GHOSH,SATURDAYS AT NOON FROM NOVEMBER – MARCH

November 16, 2009

MUSICAL WINTER CONCERTS IN ABU GHOSH,
SATURDAYS AT NOON FROM NOVEMBER – MARCH

The enchanting hillside village of Abu Ghosh, a short ride from Jerusalem, is known for its Vocal Music Festival held every Succot. The perfect acoustics in the village churches will once again come to the fore with the annual Musical Winter concert series.

This series presents seven concerts featuring works by, among others, Bach, Purcell and Schubert, as well as a homage to 1960s protest singers Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. such as the series of Bach Cantatas performed by the Israeli Bach Soloists. The concerts all take place at noon on a Saturday at the Kiryat Ye'arim Church overlooking the picturesque village.

The opening concert of the series, which takes place at noon on Saturday, 28.11.09, is a homage to the 1960s protest singers Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Other concerts are as follows:
19.12.09: Handel's Messiah
26.12.09: Good Tidings – a special Christmas concert featuring works by Purcell and Bach
2.1.10: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Rossini and Christmas Songs with Bells
30.1.10: Fountain of Joy" - featuring cantatas by J.S. Bach and the Motet "Jesu meine Freude"
27.2.10: Schubert: Mass in G major and Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio
20.3.10: The Crying Mother - an Easter program featuring Bach's Cantata 166 and Stabat Mater by Pergolesi

Advance ticket purchase: 972 3-6045000 or 972 2 -6237000/6222333

The village of Abu Ghosh has important Christian connections. Beginning in the twelfth century, Christians began to identify Abu Ghosh as Emmaus, where Jesus appeared after the Resurrection (Luke 24:12-31). They imagined an old caravansary they found by the village spring as the destination of the disciples as they walked along the road “about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:13). The village’s impressive Crusader church, in a tranquil garden setting, is built over that spring. Its walls are adorned with paintings of New Testament figures – some of the oldest medieval frescos in the world. Abu Ghosh has also been identified as Kiriath Jearim, where the Ark of the Covenant was brought after Philistine captivity (1 Sam. 6:21); a church on the hill with a panoramic view marks that spot.

350 RARE PIECES OF MARBLE FROM THE CRUSADER PERIOD (13TH CENTURY) UNCOVERED IN ACRE

3 November 2009

350 RARE PIECES OF MARBLE FROM THE CRUSADER PERIOD (13TH CENTURY) UNCOVERED IN ACRE


In an excavation recently conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) 100 meters north of the Old City wall of Acre, a unique find was discovered from the Crusader period (the thirteenth century CE) – a hoard of 350 marble items that had been collected from destroyed buildings.

According to Dr. Edna Stern, excavation director on behalf of the IAA, “We have here a unique find, the likes of which have never been discovered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the Crusader period (the capital of which was Acre). During the archaeological excavations, we came upon a cellar that was sealed by collapse comprised of building stones and charred beams. Beneath the cellar floor a hoard of about 350 marble items and colored stones was discovered, including two broken marble tombstones with Latin inscriptions, flat marble slabs and marble tiles of various sizes and colors, as well as a large stone cross and a large fragment of porphyry (a rare precious purple stone, which has been the color of royalty from Roman times). The quality of the marble is excellent and it was undoubtedly imported from abroad.”

Dr. Stern added, “Everyone knows that Crusader Acre was an important center for international trade and the marble hoard reflects the magnificent buildings that were erected here but have not survived, as well as also the commerce and the wealth of its residents. Just as there is a trend today to incorporate wooden doors from India or roof tiles from old buildings in Italy in modern villas, at that time they used to integrate ancient architectural items from the Roman and Byzantine periods in their construction. And just like today, people at that time also yearned for the classic and the exotic. We know from written sources that they bought and sold such stones, which were exceptionally valuable, to be reused in buildings. We can assume that the owner of the hoard, whether he was a merchant or he collected the stones for his own construction, was aware of impending danger and therefore buried the valuable stones until such time as the tension abated.”

According to Stern, it can be reasonably assumed that the collapse that was found above the hoard is evidence of the building’s destruction in 1291 CE, when Crusader Acre was conquered and devastated by the Mamluks. The marble hoard was removed from the field and transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority for further study.
Visitors to Acre, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, can visit the excavated underground buildings from the Crusader and Ottoman periods, including the Al Jazar Mosque, the buildings of the Order of Saint John, Khan Al Omdan, the Turkish Baths, the Bahai Temple and much more, as well as enjoy the cultural meeting point of East and West in the old city’s market and alleyways.

Imax 3D in Eilat

Shalom to all,

Imax 3D in Eilat translated the movie “Hunted Castle” to English.

You can watch the movie every day at 22:00 (except Fridays).

JAZZ GLOBUS 2009 The 6th International Jazz Festival in Jerusalem,

November 4, 2009


JAZZ GLOBUS 2009
The 6th International Jazz Festival in Jerusalem,
25 November – 2 December


The sixth Jazz Globus Festival 2009 will take place from November 25 through December 2 in Jerusalem, with more than 120 musicians and 22 ensembles from Israel and overseas participating in the festival's seven concerts. Concerts will take place at the Harmony Hall in the Jerusalem Cultural Center, located in the center of the city, near the pedestrian area of Nahalat Shiva Street.

International jazz musicians playing at the festival alongside Israeli musicians include the legendary Russian jazz guitarist Alexei Kuznetsov; a duet from the Czech Republic named DoMa; Russian jazz German trumpeter Igor Shirokov; the renowned Russian jazz ensemble Round Band led by saxophonist Alexei Kruglov and celebrated Italian pianist Tony Pancello who will appear for the first time in the Jazz Globus festival.

Many of the Israeli musicians participating in the festival are well-known on the international jazz scene, including Michal Cohen, Robert Anchipolovsky, Yuval Tabachnik, Ivri Boruchov and Dmitry Grodsky.

Further information on the program: http://www.jazzglobus.com/.
Tickets available before the concerts at the venue, price 60 NIS.

THE JERUSALEM INTERNATIONAL OUD FESTIVAL

18 October 2009

THE JERUSALEM INTERNATIONAL OUD FESTIVAL
CELEBRATES A DECADE
12-26 NOVEMBER 2009

The Jerusalem International Oud Festival, organized by the city’s Confederation House under the artistic direction of Effie Benaya, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with performances taking place in Jerusalem from 12-26 November and in Nazareth from 24-27 November. The festival draws artists and composers from all musical genres from Israel and overseas, making the distinct Mediterranean sounds of the oud accessible to a wide audience. Stars of Israeli, Jewish and Arab ethnic music appear alongside guest musicians from India, France and Mediterranean countries presenting a variety of musical heritages: religious and secular, Armenian and Byzantine, Gypsy and Babylonian, ancient and modern.
The festival continues the tradition of musical tributes to the poets of the Golden Age of Spain and the great artists of the Arab world, as well as presenting, for the first time, a unique aspect of Syrian musical tradition, alongside Greek, Turkish and other musical styles. Musical instruments featured in the concerts include the oud, zurna, duduk, trumpet, bass, violins, viola, cello, jumbush, clarinet, recorder, dahul, nai and energetic percussion.

The festival opens with a world premier entitled Who Knows One performed by the band Tractor’s Revenge in a tribute to the Spanish poet and Rabbi Yehuda Moshe Ibn Ezra, regarded as one of the literary giants of the Golden Age in Spain. Other concerts include Sounds from Syria, a tribute to Sabah Fakhri, performed by the Tarshiha Orchestra for Arabic Music; This Was What He Originally Intended..., unknown Piyyutim of Hebrew poet Rabbi Israel Najara; Debka Fantasy, an Israeli musical fantasy of the early days of Jewish settlement blending Eastern and Western music; Ad Adei Ad, a work composed specially for the festival based upon texts from Sefer ha-Yetzira, one of the foundations of Kabbalistic thought; a unique Encounter between Three Oud Players, Taiseer Elias, Ara Dinkjian and Yurdal Tokcan; and Iraq'n'Roll, which brings together two Israeli artists Yair Dalal and Dudu Tasa. There will be a concert by an Indian vocalist, Sudha Ragunathan, and another in tribute to three great Arab vocalists

The concert venues include the Confederation House, the Jerusalem Theater, the Gerard Behar Center, Beit Avihai and the Shimson Center-Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem and four concerts in Nazareth.

Information in English about the concerts and ticket sales: http://www.confederationhouse.org/

GUITAR GEMS 2009

22 October 2009


GUITAR GEMS 2009
4TH INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL AND COMPETITION, NETANYA 25-29.10.09

Guitar Gems 2009, the 4th International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition, will take place this year in Netanya from 25-29 October 2009. The festival, organized by the Netanya Municipality and the city’s concert hall under the artistic direction of renowned classical guitarist Alexei Belousov, hosts leading classical guitarists from Israel and around the world.

The opening concert, which will take place in the Netanya Concert Hall on Sunday 25 October at 20:00, with four guitar concertos played domino style – from one soloist to four – and the backing of the Beer Sheba Symphony Orchestra. The evening will feature the world premiere of a guitar concerto composed by Israeli guitarist Daniel Akiva.

The festival will also include other guitar concerts, a flamenco concert complete with the Remangar flamenco dancers, master classes etc. Rare and priceless guitars will be on display, including 27 string guitars from the Renaissance period.

The closing concert, on 29 October at 20:00, features the Israeli gypsy jazz trio Swing de Gitanes and Hunarian guitarist Antal Pusztai.

In addition, an international and a youth international guitar competition will take place during the festival.

Tickets to the concerts available from the Netanya Concert Hall (Heichal Hatarbut) at 972 9 8308811.

http://www.guitar-gems.co.il/