Knowing that, in any one day, hundreds of visitors will pass their shops, usually on the way to the Kotel (Western Wall), shopkeepers in Jerusalem’s Old City stock as many items as possible to appeal to all religions. Prayer shawls, rugs, crosses and ritual items of every size and description are available, as are religious paintings and carvings, key holders and the like. (photo from Ashernet)
Byline: Edgar Asher
Caesarea’s treasures
An aerial view of part of the Caesarea excavations. (photo by Griffin Aerial, via IAA and Ashernet)
On April 27, the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, Caesarea Development Corporation, Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced cooperation on an unprecedented scale in conserving and making accessible the public buildings of ancient Caesarea in Caesarea National Park, as well as developing and making the settlement’s beaches more accessible. The more than $28 million project will hopefully help attract three million tourists to Caesarea by 2030.
Caesarea has been a vibrant port city since its establishment about 2,030 years ago and throughout the various ensuing periods. The archeological excavations have revealed many remains that range from the time of Herod to the Crusader period. According to IAA director Israel Hasson, “To date, only about six percent of Caesarea’s treasures have been discovered, and magnificent finds on a global scale are buried beneath its sand dunes.”
Yom Hashoah in Israel
Vehicles at a standstill alongside the ancient walls of Jerusalem’s Old City on April 24, as drivers honor the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. At 10 a.m., sirens sounded throughout Israel, and pedestrian and car traffic stopped to remember. (photo from Ashernet)
Planning longest pipeline
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meeting with Noble Energy executives in the Prime Minister’s Office on April 3. (photo from IGPO via Ashernet)
About 20 years ago, natural gas was found off the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Conservative estimates put the reserve at more than 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It was found by U.S. company Noble Energy, which has invested more than $6 billion to develop these natural resources. Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy are now considering how a pipeline could be built by 2025, and they have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the world’s longest under-sea natural gas pipeline. At an estimated cost of about $7 billion, the privately financed pipeline will run for some 2,200 kilometres. Turkey has also indicated an interest in being connected to the pipeline in the future.
Pesach sameach!
During Passover, thousands of Israeli families will be taking advantage of the holiday period to visit some of the many attractions all over the country. One of the busiest will be Ramat Gan Safari Park, which does its own Pesach cleaning, to ensure there is no chametz (unleavened bread) anywhere. The park has ordered five kilograms of matzot for each of the animals that eats breads the rest of the year.
Ma’agan Michael sets sail
(photo from Haifa University via Ashernet)
The replica of the Ma’agan Michael ship took its first voyage on March 17, near where the original vessel was discovered in 1985 by Ami Eshel, a member of Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, some 70 metres from the kibbutz. Organized by the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority, the replica has been built over the past two years, using the same materials and methods as 2,500 years ago. The ship was removed from the water in 1988, and is on display at the university’s Hecht Museum. Most of it had been covered in sand, so the keel, numerous wooden plates, 14 crossbars and the base of the mast were all preserved, offering researchers rare insight into the method used to construct the ship. In addition, a carpenter’s toolbox was found, which sparked the dream of building a replica using the same methods as the original shipwrights. After two year’s work, the project was completed and the replica was taken to Israel Shipyards and then to Kishon Harbour. Prof. Yaacov Kahanov, the leading spirit behind the project, passed away just before the work was finished. (Edgar Asher)
2017 Dan David Prize winners
Author Jamaica Kincaid is among the Dan David Prize winners this year. (photo from TAU via Ashernet)
Tel Aviv University (TAU) has announced the winners of this year’s Dan David Prize, which will be awarded at a ceremony at TAU on May 21. Sometimes referred to as “Israel’s Nobel Prize,” this year’s recipients are Swedish biologist Prof. Svante Pääbo, American geneticist Prof. David Reich, American author Jamaica Kincaid, Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua, American astrophysicists Prof. Neil Gehrels and Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni, and Polish astronomer and astrophysicist Prof. Andrzej Udalski.
The prize is named after the late Dan David, an international businessman and philanthropist.
Born in Romania in 1929, David worked for Romanian TV and later became a press photographer. In 1960, he settled in Israel. A year later, he traveled to Europe. With a loan from a cousin, he won the franchise for the Photo-Me automated photography booths in certain countries, and opened branches in several European countries, as well as in Israel, and eventually took over the company.
In 2000, he founded the Dan David Foundation with a $100 million endowment. The first time the annual prize was awarded was in 2002. David’s aim was to reward those who have made a lasting impact on society and to help young students and entrepreneurs become the leaders and scholars of the future.
David died in London, England, in September 2011.
Goodbye, airport
An Arkia plane lands at Eilat Airport. (photo from Ashernet)
Ever since 1949, Eilat Airport has been an important link between the resort city of Eilat on the Red Sea and the busy central part of Israel. However, it is due to close later this year when the newly constructed Ramon Airport opens some 20 kilometres north of Eilat. The land that the Eilat Airport currently occupies will be used to build a new city centre consisting of hotels, shops and a residential area, as well as a new rail terminal.
Conner’s brief escape
Ramat Gan Safari Park taking Conner back to the zoo. (photo from Ashernet)
Conner, a 17-year-old capuchin monkey from Ramat Gan Safari Park, escaped the park earlier this month and set off on a foray into the outside world. Staff from the zoo scoured the immediate area around the zoo and eventually captured him, unharmed, after about a week. Peanut traps were set all around the area where Conner was thought to be hiding and, sure enough, Conner fell for the bait. None the worse for his adventure, Conner, after being checked by the safari park’s vets, was returned to his enclosure and was last seen telling his fellow capuchins what it is like on the other side of the safari park wall.
Only in Israel?
A leisurely walk through Jerusalem’s Old City will let visitors see many manifestations of political propaganda, packaged in many forms, all sold to the visitor with a smile. Here, a “Free Palestine” T-shirt is offered for sale in the shuk alongside an Israel Defence Forces T-shirt. (photo by Edgar Asher)