May 25, 2018

The Slyvan Adams Velodrome hopes to turn Tel Aviv into a cycling paradise By: C4i

- Photo by Guy Yehiel/Tel Aviv Municipality

When you think of great countries for cycling, what do you picture? Do you think of the quaint European towns like Copenhagen or Amsterdam where bicycling is a daily way of life? Or maybe you think of long distance races like the Tour De France or the Athens-Savannah marathon through Georgia, where athleticism and stamina are key.

One man, Sylvan Adams, wants to bring both ideas to Tel Aviv and make it the premier bicycling capital of the world. This might surprise anyone who has been to Tel Aviv and knows it as a city of automobiles and crowded, hot streets - but the change is already underway.

Adams, a real estate mogul from Montreal who immigrated to Israel in 2016, takes cycling seriously. As a two time world outdoor cycling champion who has been cycling competitively for more than 20 years, it is a subject near and dear to his heart. But his passion for the sport is only one reason he wants to bring a cycling revolution to Tel Aviv. The main reason is cultural. Adams wants to see a transformed Tel Aviv that is free from the congestion and exhausting commutes the city has become known for.

Tel Aviv has a traffic problem. With large neighbourhoods and satellite communities separated by an overtaxed network of highways, even relatively short commutes can stretch to hours of driving each day depending on conditions. When they finally reach their destination, drivers need to fight over the increasingly scarce (and expensive) parking options in the city. While all of this is frustrating for commuters who just want to make it into work on time, it is also ruinous to the environment. Each and every vehicle stuck in a traffic jam or circling the block looking for a parking spot is just another exhaust pipe pumping out smog and creating fumes that threatens to choke the skyline.

But, Adams is betting a developed cycling network could alleviate many of these problems. He envisions a modern Tel Aviv that embraces both cars and bicycles, taking the burden off the motorways, reducing pollution in the city, and putting more people on the street to browse the city's amazing street kiosks and shops. A greener, friendlier Tel Aviv if you will.

"Amsterdam was a congested, car-centred city until the 1960s, when a deliberate plan was made by visionaries to transform it into a bike paradise,” Adams told the Canadian Jewish News in 2016, explaining how a city can't just leave the development of a bike culture to chance, it has to build it. This is the logic behind both the Israeli Cycling Academy, an organization dedicated to developing the sport of cycling in Israel. While working to develop cycling teams and events, the Academy's most ambitious project is far and away the Sylvan Adams Velodrome.

Massive in scale, the velodrome, under construction right now, will be the most sophisticated indoor cycling arena in the Middle East. Built to Olympic specifications, the arena features a track over 250 meters in circumference. The wooden track has steeply sloped sides that go up to a dizzying 45 degrees. When professional cyclists hit these sloped turns at speed, they look more like they are flying than riding! The facility will also include robust training facilities and publicly accessible resources. The idea is to both build up the Israeli Cycling Academy and team, as well as promote interest in the sport among the public.

Just last month, professionals put the new track through its paces when veteran cyclists peddled their way across it during an official ceremony commemorating the arena. Built to hold hundreds of spectators, Adams hopes that the Veledrome will be fully constructed and ready to host the 2021 World Junior Championships for track cycling. After that, he, along with the ICA, hope to make the arena the number one location in the area for cycling enthusiasts.

It might be easy to write the Velodrome off as a purely symbolic gesture towards a cycling Tel Aviv, but Adams thinks otherwise. Citing the success Britain achieved in 2002, when the country invested in a number of velodromes to support the Commonwealth Games. Those facilities and the major press surrounding the events inspired an entire generation of cyclists in the UK, helping to shape future city policy and design to encourage cycling. To Adams and his fellows in the ICA, the velodrome is just the start of Tel Aviv's future on two wheels.

[Comment]

May 21, 2018

Celebrating Israeli Icons: Chaim Topol By: C4i

Over the past few years, we've grown accustomed to seeing Israeli faces on the big screen. But before actresses such as Gal Gadot and Natalie Portman captured our hearts, one man blazed a trail for Israeli performers world wide – Chaim Topol.

While he may not be a household name in the West, Chaim Topol paved the way for a generation of Israeli performers to come. The Golden Globe winner has enjoyed a storied career, appearing in works as mainstream as For Your Eyes Only, where he played wingman to Roger Moore's 007, to the campy pulp fringes of Flash Gordon, but these are not the roles he'll be remembered for. No, it is his iconic portrayal of Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof that has immortalized Topol in the ranks of Israeli performers.

Topol began his acting career in an unlikely place - the Israeli army. Joining the IDF at the age of 18, Topol gained recognition for his quick thinking and attentive mind. But along with being commander of his own unit, he also served in the Nahal entertainment troupe. When he wasn't drilling or patrolling, Topol was cutting his performance teeth by entertaining his fellow troops and servicemen. While serving, Topol would hone his stage persona, learning how to read a room, improvise on the fly, and convey emotion effectively from a distance. As a member of the entertainment troupe, Topol didn't always have easy access to scripts or materials to work with, so he learned to make his own. He quickly became proficient as a sketch comedian, envisioning, writing, and performing short scenes with relatively little time for revisions and second guessing. These sketches and small scripts had a kind of authentic "from the gut” feel given their origin, one which resonated with audiences (one of the scripts he wrote while on active duty would later be revived to become the Oscar-nominated film Sallah Shabati). Topol eventually completed his service and left the IDF, but the passion for performance he developed during his time in the army never left him.

Away from the service and looking to strike out on his own as a young man, Topol and a group of friends founded a satirical theater group called the Spring Onion. The vision for the group was for a completely local and home grown take on the theater. He wanted a group that would express what the common men and women of Israel contended with on a daily basis. As such, all the talent for Spring Onion was locally sourced, anyone who wanted to be in the theater had to be a member of his Mishmar David Kibbutz. This was just an early example of Topol's commitment to his roots and people.

Unfortunately, the troupe encountered tragedy with the death of one of its founding members (a personal friend of Topol's) and was disbanded. In the wake of this upset, Topol founded the Haifa Municipal Theater alongside his friend Josef Milo in 1960. Here he would refine his stage persona in multiple roles, including Jean in Enesco's Rhinoceros, and Azdax in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, garnering notoriety and stoking the beginning flickers of fame. The Haifa Municipal Theater endures to this day, a fixture of the community.

In 1961, Topol made his first screen appearance as a supporting character in the mostly forgettable I Like Mike, an Israeli drama/comedy. While it may have been a humble cinematic debut, it didn't take long for him to find bigger and better things including more roles and even US exposure in the years to come. His script for Sallah Shabbati was adapted to a screenplay, with Topol cast as the eponymous lead. The film put him on the map with a Golden Globe and a Golden Bridge Award for Best Actor in the San Francisco Film Festival.

It was in 1966 that Topol made the transition from an actor on the upswing to a legendary performer. This was the year he first adopted the role of Tevye the milkman in an Israeli stage production of Fiddler on the Roof. His performance was instantly hailed as a masterpiece, bringing a humanity and charm to the character all of his own. A massive success at home in Israel, Fiddler also found international success as well, performing at Her Majesty's Theater in London.

It was in London where Norman Jewison saw Topol on stage and knew right then and there that an English speaking film adaptation of Fiddler needed to exist. This is the version of Fiddler most people in North America know, and Topol serves as the very face and heart of the film. At the time, the 34 year old Topol sat in the make-up chair for more than two hours each day of the shoot to transform into the aged and weary Tevye.

Since then, Topol has played the role more than 3,500 times all across the world. From film to Broadway, to Israel and Australia, to London and Japan, he has brought his iconic portrayal to stages big and small. Now 82 years old, it wouldn't take as much make-up to slip back into the role. Despite his age though,Topol still loves to entertain.

As impressive as his legacy as Tevye is, it is only one of Topol's many contributions to Israeli culture. He's served as a producer on dozens of films, played in numerous series in Israel and beyond, and still appears in other stage shows.

But all of these accomplishments pale next to his charitable works. Since 1967 (just before he became the juggernaut of Israel's entertainment world we know today), he founded Variety Israel, an organization that is dedicated to serving children with special needs. The organization offers assistance and specialized care to families with children with disabilities or developmental challenges, helping children to reach their full potential as healthy and happy individuals while also providing support for their parents. He also founded and acts as chairman for the Jordan River Village, a holiday village for both Jewish and Arab children suffering from life-threatening diseases.

"We treat Muslim, Christian, Arab, Jewish, Sikh and Palestinian children together, just as we do in our hospitals. This is what we do in Israel.”

In recognition of his impact on Israeli culture, the role he has played in popularizing Fiddler and the Israeli experience to people around the globe, and his remarkable charity work, Topol was awarded the Israel Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. In typical fashion, he insisted "Other people deserve it more.” That's statement that is hard to believe.

[Comment]

May 15, 2018

DOZENS OF COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE IN ISRAEL’S CELEBRATIONS OF USA EMBASSY MOVE: By: Colin Wingfield

An event Sunday hosted by Israel's Foreign Ministry for the USA delegation in Israel for the USA Embassy opening in Jerusalem was attended by representatives from Albania, Angola, Austria, Cameroon, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Kenya, Macedonia, Burma, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Serbia, South Sudan, Thailand, Ukraine, Vietnam, Paraguay, Tanzania and Zambia. (Ha'aretz) "This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Zech. 8:23 [Comment]

May 11, 2018

’28 PLANES, 60 MISSILES, 23 KILLED’:By: Colin Wingfield

Israel's strikes on Syria late Wed. 9 May 2018 saw 28 planes take part in raids with a total of around 60 missiles fired, Russia's defense ministry said Thursday. "28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 aircraft were used in the attack, which released around 60 air-to-ground missiles over various parts of Syria. Israel also fired more than 10 tactical ground-to-ground missiles," the ministry said. At least 23 fighters, including five Syrian regime troops and 18 other allied forces, were killed in the attacks, according to the anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based observatory said the regime troops killed in the strikes included an officer, adding that the other casualties included Syrians and foreigners. A Russian deputy foreign minister called for "restraint on all sides" and said Moscow was "concerned" at the escalation.

The Israel's army said it had hit dozens of Iranian military targets around Syria in one of its largest military operations in recent years and its biggest such assault against Iranian targets. The strikes came hours after Israeli PM Netanyahu held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has provided massive military and diplomatic backing to the Assad regime in Syria. The Russian leader called the situation in the Middle East "unfortunately very acute." Israel carried out the raids after around 20 rockets were fired from Syria at its forces in the Golan Heights at around midnight. It blamed the rocket fire on Iran's Al-Quds force, adding that Israel's anti-missile system intercepted four of the projectiles while the rest did not land in its territory. The incident came after weeks of rising tensions and followed USA President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from a key 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Tues. 8 May 2018, a move Israel had long advocated. (Arutz-7) Pray for God to deal swiftly and justly with those who hate Israel and the Jewish People, and who seek to destroy them. [Comment]

May 11, 2018

ISRAEL ATTACKS 50 IRANIAN TARGETS IN SYRIA AFTER IRAN TARGETS ISRAELI BASES:By: Colin Wingfield

After Iranian forces in Syria launched a rocket attack on Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights on Wed. 9 May, 2018, the IDF attacked more than 50 Iranian targets in Syria in "one of the greatest operations of the Israel Air Force in the past decade," IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis said. "It will take the Iranians a long time to rehabilitate." Israel said its targets included weapons storage, logistics sites and intelligence centers used by elite Iranian forces in Syria. It also said it destroyed five Syrian air-defense batteries after coming under heavy fire. It said none of its warplanes were hit. A source in the Israeli security establishment said this attack was the largest carried out by Israel since it signed a disengagement agreement with Syria in May 1974. The Israeli military warned Syria not to respond to its attack. Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Thurs. morning 10 May, 2018 that the IDF had destroyed "nearly all” of Iran’s military infrastructure sites in Syria overnight in response to a rocket barrage on Israel’s north, and warned Tehran that attacks on Israeli territory will be met with "the strongest possible force.” (Ha’aretz/NY Times) [Comment]

May 11, 2018

Celebrating Jerusalem DayBy: C4i

Jerusalem Day, or "Yom Yerushalayim,” commemorates Israel's victory during the Six-Day War and the repatronization of Jerusalem. As a holiday established relatively recently in 1968, you may be forgiven for thinking of it as a kind of civic holiday. A sedate day off in the vein of Canada's Family Day, a chance to kick back and enjoy a vaguely patriotic afternoon of daytime TV. But while the holiday may only be 51 years old, it has a massive history behind it that should not, and cannot be ignored.

To understand why Israel celebrates Jerusalem Day with such heartfelt zeal, you have to understand the history of Jerusalem itself. Despite always existing as the heart and home of the Jewish people, Jerusalem has a long history of conquest, domination, and loss stretching back nearly two thousand years.

A truly ancient city, Jerusalem had been the center, the beating heart, of the Jewish people since they could be called a people. Yet despite its tall walls and devoted population, it was conquered in 70 AD by the Romans, setting off centuries of struggle to come. When the Romans took over, the Jewish people were killed and scattered, thrown from their homes virtually overnight. Over the next few decades, the city would be razed, ruined, and rechristened as "Aelia Capitolina," a satellite state of the Romans. The only Jews allowed in the city were slaves, men and women kept in bondage, reduced to cleaning the gutters of their ancestral home.

As time wound on and the Roman Empire transformed into the Byzantine Empire, the name Jerusalem was readopted by rulers eager to lay claim to a larger history they had no right to. But with the adoption of the old name, were the Jews allowed back in? No, of course not. The Byzantine's only wanted the trappings of the ancient city, not its people. The only day of the year Jews were allowed in the city of their forebearers was Tisha B’Av, an annual holiday observing the destruction of the Holy Temple. Any Jewish pilgrims looking to pay their respects were forced to pay handsomely for the pleasure.

And so it went. The Muslims eventually conquered the Byzantines and permitted the Jews to return, only to lose the city during the Crusades, after which the Jews were once again removed by force. The Egyptians would raze the city in 1250 and take over, granting the Jewish population a chance to return. But this period of recuperation and rebuilding would soon face an Ottoman conquest in 1516. This cycle of conquest and turmoil, of brief periods of peace interrupted by violent clashes, continued into the present day, culminating with the British take over of the city during WWI. When the British took control, they promptly divided the city into four ethnic quarters (with little regard to the actual populations living in those areas) and governed the city strictly until they were forced out in 1948. The Jordanians soon took over, violently expelling the Jewish population, burning homes and looting as they pleased.

Even during the post WWII boom in returning Jews to Israel, the city remained out of reach. Jerusalem was named the capital of the reconstituted nation of Israel, but it was divided between Israel and Jordanian control. The Old City, the spiritual heart of the city was kept in a vice-like Jordanian grasp.

It wasn't until the Six-Day War in 1967 when the Old City would be brought back into the fold. During the chaos and confusion of that frantic struggle, the Jordanian forces made a fatal error. With their communications disorganized and poor response to multiple fronts, the Jordan military left the Old City nearly defenseless. Not failing to take advantage of the situation, Israeli forces were able to move in and finally reclaim their home.

For the first time since 1948, Jews could once again walk free in the city and worship at the Western Wall. The conflict closed the book on nearly two thousand years of insecurity and turmoil. Finally, all of Jerusalem was part of Israel and belonged to the Jewish people again.

Today, that momentous event is honored every year on the 28th day of the month of Iyyar in the Hebrew calendar (that is May 12th this year). The day is marked with by both religious ceremonial prayer in synagogues, and civic recognition from the mayor of Jerusalem who leads an annual ceremony remembering those lost in the Six-Day War. Celebrations include a winding street parade that represent the unification of Jerusalem as a complete city, complete with vendors, special costumes, and youth participation. Of course there are also typical holiday celebrations such as parties filled with song and dance and special family meals recognizing the day.

The nation of Israel was reborn in 1948, but it wasn't whole until 1967. Jerusalem Day serves not just as a celebration of that date, but as a celebration of all that Israel has endured and overcome to arrive at that happy day.

[Comment]

May 9, 2018

NETANYAHU APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘BRAVE DECISION’ TO PULL OUT OF IRAN DEAL: By: Colin Wingfield

Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu praised USA President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday night, 8 May 2018. "President Trump's decision is a courageous decision and a right decision," said Netanyahu. "The people of Israel greatly appreciate this decision. If the agreement had been maintained, it would have allowed Iran enough material to develop a full arsenal of bombs," Netanyahu added. Trump announced that the USA was withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear agreement and reinstating sanctions on Iran during a White House press conference Tuesday. He cited the deal's sunset clause, inadequate inspection provisions, and failure to deal with Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for terrorism in his decision. The president also cited PM Neyanyahu's presentation of Iran's nuclear archive last week as proof that Iran cannot be trusted to abide by its commitments under the JCPOA or to abandon its desire to develop nuclear weapons. Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin added that "The decision made by the president of the United States constitutes a significant step in ensuring the security of the State of Israel, the security of the region and the security of the entire free world. Along with the nuclear threat, we do not forget for a moment the arms race that Iran is leading on our borders and we follow the developments closely and responsibly, in order to protect the security of our citizens. The threat of Iranian consolidation is not placed at the door of the State of Israel alone, and therefore international pressure is necessary to combat this danger." (Arutz-7/J.Post) [Comment]

May 9, 2018

TRUMP WITHDRAWS FROM IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: By: Colin Wingfield

USA President Donald Trump announced on Tues. 8 May 2018 that the USA is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The President made the announcement during a press conference at the White House. Trump called the 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) an "embarrassment" that should never have been reached. "After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond." Trump criticized the JCPOA's sunset provisions. "The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal's sunset provisions are totally unacceptable." He also stated that that deal's inspection provisions are too weak and that it failed to constrain Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism. Trump cited Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu's presentation of Iran's nuclear archive last week as proof that Iran cannot be trusted to abide by its commitments under the JCPOA or to abandon its desire to develop nuclear weapons. He said that the USA would reinstate sanctions on Iran. "We will be instituting the highest level of nuclear sanctions. We will not allow American citizens to be threatened with destruction, and we will not allow a regime that chants 'death to America' to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth." (Arutz-7) Bravo Trump! [Comment]

May 7, 2018

Don't overcomplicate your walk with GodBy: C4i

Being a Christian isn't always simple. Life for anyone in the modern age is confusing and chaotic, but for Christians who have dedicated themselves to a higher purpose, who truly wish to lead their lives as a servant of Christ, it can be downright bewildering at times. Who should you be? What does God want for you? How do you know if you're following His will or not? These are the kinds of questions that can play on you're mind late at night, filling you with doubt and uncertainty. As much as we search for direction, the path we should be on isn't always clear.

It's not enough to just dismiss those kinds of thoughts. The fact is, they are legitimate worries, and your not alone. Every Christian occasionally grapples with these thoughts. But, there does come a time when introspection and reflection can turn into self-sabotage, a kind of critical over-thinking. While it's true that God's will isn't always clear, that doesn't mean it is some inscrutable riddle either. The Lord doesn't want you to live your life like it was some nightmarish multiple choice exam with thousands of possible "wrong” answers you have to avoid. If you find yourself constantly in want of direction, you might be missing the forest for the trees.

What if the path you walk is less about specific direction, and more about how you take that walk?

Consider 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This is sage advice for anyone who feels lost in their walk with Christ. Not that it isn't giving anyone a specific direction - it's not a command to do more of one behavior or less of another. Instead it is guidance on how you should go about making decisions and living your life. It's a call towards a kind of living and decision making that is less focused on critiquing specific choices, but more about the spirit in which you make those choices. Yes, there are still good and bad choices, but as long as you are doing things for the glory of God and keeping Him in mind at all times, you can't go too wrong.

This is some powerful advice for the wayward soul. If you're unsure about the direction your life is going, simplify. Concentrate on brass tacks. Do what you love and what feels right and do it joyfully in glory to God - that is the best way to find the path he wants for you. No matter where you are in your life, what kind of decisions you find yourself facing, or what crossroads you come to, you'll always know what you should do because you'll know in your heart what glorifies God and what doesn't.

Your walk with Christ will never come with a map, but that doesn't mean you're lost. Think of "do it all for the glory of God” as kind of magnetic North, a fixed point of reference for your spiritual compass. It won't tell you what specific street to go down, but with that bit of guidance, you'll always be able to find your way when you need to.

Instead of constantly questioning yourself or God's will, take a step back. Worry less about the details and more about living a life that glorifies God.

[Comment]

May 4, 2018

ABBAS REWRITES JEWISH AND ZIONIST HISTORY: By: Colin Wingfield

PA President Mahmoud Abbas told the Palestinian National Council in Ramallah on 31 April 2018 that the Jews in Europe were massacred because of their social behavior related to money-lending. "From the 11th century until the Holocaust that took place in Germany, the Jews were subjected to a massacre every 10 to 15 years. But why did this happen? The Jewish issue that was widespread in all European countries was not because of their religion, but rather their social behavior related to usury and banks." Abbas cited a theory that Ashkenazi Jews hail from the Khazar Kingdom in southern Russia and "they have no relationship to Semitic culture, Abraham, Jacob and others." Moreover, he reiterated that Israel is "a colonial project. The story of building a national home didn't come from the Jews, but rather the colonial states."

Israel’s PM Netanyahu accused the Palestinian president of anti-Semitism after Abbas suggested Jews were to blame for the Holocaust. Israel's foreign ministry on 2 May 2018 charged him with fueling "religious and nationalist hatred against the Jewish people and Israel.” Netanyahu added, "It would appear that, once a Holocaust denier, always a Holocaust denier. I call upon the international community to condemn the grave anti-Semitism of Abu Mazen (Abbas), which should have long since passed from this world.” (UK Daily Mail/Times of Israel) Pray that Mahmoud Abbas will be removed from his office as Palestinian Authority President and replaced with someone in his right mind with a true vision to work with Israel towards peace and co-operation. [Comment]

< Previous Next >

The Slyvan Adams Velodrome hopes to turn Tel Aviv into a cycling paradise By: C4i

Celebrating Israeli Icons: Chaim Topol By: C4i

DOZENS OF COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE IN ISRAEL’S CELEBRATIONS OF USA EMBASSY MOVE: By: Colin Wingfield

’28 PLANES, 60 MISSILES, 23 KILLED’:By: Colin Wingfield

ISRAEL ATTACKS 50 IRANIAN TARGETS IN SYRIA AFTER IRAN TARGETS ISRAELI BASES:By: Colin Wingfield

Celebrating Jerusalem DayBy: C4i

NETANYAHU APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘BRAVE DECISION’ TO PULL OUT OF IRAN DEAL: By: Colin Wingfield

TRUMP WITHDRAWS FROM IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: By: Colin Wingfield

Don't overcomplicate your walk with GodBy: C4i

ABBAS REWRITES JEWISH AND ZIONIST HISTORY: By: Colin Wingfield

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