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- Written by Silvia Golan David Wiseman Gabriel Hayon,
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office featured at HUJI Asia Day
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) Asia Day - the cultural and academic festival celebrating Asian culture has been an institution at the campus since the first one in 2014. This year’s event was notable due to the presence of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
There was a moving Bubble Tea ceremony in Taiwanese traditional costume followed by a screening of the Taiwanese movie - “A Chip Odyssey”, with details of how it came to be that Taiwan became a leading player in the global semiconductor industry. The film was followed by an interesting panel discussion where students were able to find out more about the history of this.
Hosted by the University’s Department of Asian Studies the festival featured cultural marketplaces showcasing Asian cuisine; live performances of Asian music as well as Asian arts and crafts workshops.
In turn, the students were mesmerised by the colorful exhibition stalls where they could sample the traditional Asian delicacies, try their hand at calligraphy or listen to the sounds of the Asian music.
The day was a huge success where students were exposed to a culture they otherwise would have minimal appreciation of and a number of students were heard expressing an interest to want to now go visit Asia
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv inaugurated the Taiwan Film Festival Week, at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque.
Taiwan Film Week presents premieres for a series of films – from classic masterpieces to contemporary dramas, and allows Israeli audiences to get to know Taiwan up close – about its culture, lifestyle, family relationships and the LGBT community. It is also an opportunity to get to know the world of Wushu (martial arts) through the eyes of directors from different generations. The film week will open with the film "The Left Girl", which won several prestigious festivals and was Taiwan's nominee for the Oscar in 2026.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv, headed by H.E. Ya-Ping (Abby) Lee, inaugurated the Taiwan Film Festival Week, at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque.
Guests enjoyed an array of Asian delicacies , cocktails and Taiwanese Whisky
Ms. Nurit Tinari, head of the Cultural Diplomacy, greeted on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ms. Tinari highlighted Taiwan’s extraordinary support during the rough days following October 7th, with donations to MADA and ZAKA, sponsorship to the Resilience Center near the Gaza Strip, as well as scholarships and food baskets to the Region.
The Taiwan Representative to Israel, H.E. Ya-Ping (Abby) Lee mentioned that the Film Festival Week is to celebrate our mutual friendship and partnership.
The movies’ selection is a symbol of the Cultural diversity and tolerance of the Taiwanese people.
The Head of the Mission also spoke about the cultural treaty signed between Taiwan and Israel during the War.
Taiwan Film Festival Week
at Tel Aviv Cinemateque 17-21/ 6 /2026
at Jerusalem Cinemateque 18-24/ 6/2026
at Herzliyah Cinemateque 18-26 /6/2026
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office featured at HUJI Asia Day photos credit David Wiseman
Taiwan Film Festival Week, at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque photos credit Silvia G Golan
Photo the Taiwan Representative to Israel, H.E. Ya-Ping (Abby) Lee
Mr. Gabriel Hayon, is the Director of the Diplomatic Institute in Israel
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- Written by Silvia
Embassy of India in Israel celebrates 12th International Day of Yoga events Across Israel
The Embassy of India in Tel Aviv is celebrating the 12th International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026 with a series of public Yoga events across Israel. The nationwide program aims to promote health and wellbeing, culminating in a large-scale gathering at the Tel Aviv Port on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
In the run-up to the main International Day of Yoga, the Embassy organized several pre-IDY events in the cities of Dimona, Petach Tikva, Tel Aviv, and Herzliya. To encourage young students to embrace the practice, additional sessions were hosted Tel Aviv High School, Tel Aviv University, and Bar Ilan University.
Further, in the lead-up to the main celebration, the Embassy will host several more IDY events. Residents can look forward to upcoming public yoga sessions scheduled in Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, and Caesarea.
Special Gathering in Jerusalem
As part of the nation-wide IDY celebrations, the Embassy is partnering with the Municipality of Jerusalem & the Yoga Teachers Association in Israel, to host a dedicated Yoga Day event on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. This gathering will take place under the open skies at Mamilla Square, near Jaffa Gate.
Flagship Sunset Event at Tel Aviv Port
The nationwide campaign will peak with a mass public event at the Tel Aviv Port on Sunday, June 21, 2026. Organized with the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, Tel Aviv Port, and Ellayoga, the event will gather hundreds of participants for an open-air practice overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The highlight will be a mass practice of “108 Sun Salutations” at sunset accompanied by live Indian classical Sitar music.
Theme of 12th International Day of Yoga : "Yoga for Healthy Ageing"
This year’s theme of IDY reflects the growing global recognition of yoga as a holistic approach to promoting physical, mental and emotional well-being. Rooted in India’s ancient wisdom and embraced across continents, yoga has emerged as a trusted pathway to healthy and active living. The theme highlights yoga’s transformative potential in fostering vitality, resilience and independence, while reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of preventive healthcare and holistic wellness.
About International Day of Yoga
The International Day of Yoga was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, following an initiative by the Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi. It is celebrated annually worldwide to bring people together in a shared pursuit of health and inner harmony.
As part of the celebrations marking the 12th International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026, under the theme “Yoga for Healthy Ageing,” the Embassy of India in Israel has organized a nationwide series of yoga events across Israel in close cooperation with municipalities and local partners. Over the past weeks, public yoga sessions have been held in several cities across the country, bringing together participants of all ages and fostering a shared celebration of health, wellbeing, and inner harmony through the practice of yoga.
IDY in Jerusalem
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Time: 18:45
Venue: Mamilla Square, Jerusalem, overlooking the Old City walls
This special open-air event is being organized by the Embassy of India in Israel in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and the Yoga Teachers Association in Israel. The gathering will take place in the iconic setting
of Mamilla Square, and will be accompanied by live music, creating a unique and inspiring atmosphere.
Reel from Last year:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10X_ltfW1tHq2MxPLiyPtfDOvp5ZKkoMh/view?usp=sharing
Link to this year's event:
https://www.jerusalem.muni.il/he/experience/allevents/yogaday/
Flagship International Day of Yoga Event at Tel Aviv Port
Israel’s largest public yoga event
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2026
Time: 18:45
Venue: Main Deck, Tel Aviv Port
The highlight of this year’s nationwide celebrations will be Israel’s largest public yoga event, organized by the Embassy of India in Israel in cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, the Community, Culture, and Sports Administration of Tel Aviv Yafo, Port Tel Aviv and Ellayoga.
Hundreds of participants are expected to join a sunset yoga session overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The program will feature the traditional practice of 108 Sun Salutations, accompanied by live music, offering a powerful collective experience of movement, mindfulness, and community.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZaP057sdze/
Schedule of IDY at JLM
🌿The 12th International Day of Yoga – Jerusalem
📍 Mamilla, Jerusalem
📅 16 June 2026
🕕 18:45 – Gathering & Opening Remarks
Arrival & opening remarks marking the 2nd celebration of IDY in Jerusalem, overlooking the Old City walls
🎤 Greetings & Official Remarks
🕕 18:55 – Ambassador of India to Israel H.E. J.P Singh
🕖 19:00 – Mayor of Jerusalem H.E Mr. Moshe Lion (TBC)
🧘♀️ Yoga Practice Session
🕖 19:10
Led by Dr. Yael Itzhak-Edan accompanied by Live music Ofra Avni playing the Bansuri
💃 Cultural Performance
🕗 20:10
Indian classical dance performance – ICCR artist and students
🙏 Closing
🕗 20:20 – Vote of Thanks
SCHEDHULE TEL AVIV
🌿 Schedule – International Day of Yoga | Tel Aviv
📅 Sunday | 21.6.2026
🕕 18:15 – Gathering
🕡 18:30 – Opening Remarks
H.E. Mr. J.P. Singh, Ambassador of India to Israel
🕡 18:35 – Official Remarks
Mr. Lior Shapira, Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo
🕡 18:45 – Award Ceremony
Presentation to Ms. Ella Shamir marking 20 years of “Ella Yoga” and her significant contribution to promoting yoga in Israel
🧘♀️ 19:00 – “108 Sun Salutations” Practice
Led by Anat Spiegler
🎶 Live music by Tavor Ben Dor playing the Sitar
💃 20:10 – Dance Performance
Pratibha Sharma and students, Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India
A performance inspired by Shiva, the supreme Yogi and cosmic energy of yoga
🙏 20:20 – Vote of Thanks
Credit for pictures Embassy of India and Port Tel Aviv
JERUSALEM - RAZ HELLWING COURTESY OF EMBASSY OF INDIA
TEL AVIV PICS - ELLAYOGA & GAY YECHIELI COURTESY TEL AVIV PORT
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- Written by Silvia Golan
A mysterious and impressive ancient tunnel has been discovered in an archaeological excavation in Jerusalem, near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel
The surprising discovery was uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood promoted by the Israel Lands Authority, and is expected to be incorporated into an archaeological park.
A mysterious and impressive ancient tunnel, hewn through the rock over a length of approximately 50 meters, was unexpectedly discovered near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in Jerusalem. The extraordinary discovery was uncovered during archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority prior to the construction of a new neighborhood, funded and initiated by the Israel Lands Authority. The neighborhood plan, being advanced by the Israel Lands Authority north of Ramat Rachel, includes 488 housing units, thousands of square meters designated for employment and commercial use, over an area of approximately 58 dunams, as well as an elementary school and kindergartens.
“We were excavating in relatively rocky and exposed terrain when suddenly we discovered a natural karstic cavity,” said Dr. Sivan Mizrahi and Zinovi Matskevich, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “To our amazement, as the excavation progressed, this cavity developed into a long tunnel. Parts of it are still collapsed, so the tunnel has not yet revealed all of its secrets.”
The entrance to the ancient complex from the surface was through a staircase descending to a hewn opening that led into the tunnel. The tunnel itself was discovered filled with layers of soil that had accumulated over hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years.Excavation at several points inside the tunnel showed that it reaches a height of up to 5 meters and a width of approximately 3 meters. “The quarrying was executed meticulously. It is clear that whoever carved this tunnel invested tremendous effort, careful planning, and possessed the capabilities and resources necessary to achieve this goal.”
Yet the purpose of the tunnel remains unclear.
At first, researchers proposed that this was an ancient water installation intended to reach a spring source. This assumption, however, was ruled out, first because the tunnel walls are not plastered and, second, following consultation with a geologist, because no underground water horizons are known in this area, and the tunnel contains no indication of water accumulation.
The possibility that this was some kind of underground agricultural or industrial installation was then examined, but the scale of the work and the absence of comparable sites in the vicinity made this explanation unlikely.
The researchers’ current assessment is therefore that the tunnel was intended to reach a chalk layer suitable for quarrying building stones or producing lime. Possible evidence supporting this interpretation includes a shaft carved into the tunnel’s ceiling, which may have been used for ventilation, as well as quarrying debris discovered on the tunnel floor - although this interpretation, too, remains uncertain.
Alternatively, the findings may indicate that the quarrying and construction of the tunnel were never completed, and therefore its intended purpose and nature remain unknown.
According to Dr. Mizrahi and Matskevich, “The date of the tunnel is also a mystery to us, since not even the smallest find was uncovered that could indicate when it was created. At the same time, the tunnel lies only a few hundred meters, as the crow flies, from two significant ancient sites - a public building from the Iron Age (First Temple period) in the Arnona neighborhood, and Tel Ramat Rachel, where settlement remains dating from the Iron Age through the Islamic period have been documented.”
Shikma Sig, Jerusalem Region Planner at the Israel Lands Authority, said: “The Israel Lands Authority promoted the plan north of Ramat Rachel, which includes a residential quarter alongside a unique archaeological park that will be established for the benefit of residents. The neighborhood offers a rare combination of modern urban development and preservation of historical heritage, providing the future community with a green open space that makes the treasures of history accessible just beneath their homes. The Israel Lands Authority is proud to advance sustainable urban development for the benefit of Jerusalem residents and the citizens of Israel as a whole.”
Dr. Amit Re’em, Jerusalem District Archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, added: “We are celebrating Jerusalem Day this week. This discovery joins many others being uncovered every day, hour by hour, throughout the city. The archaeologists and researchers of the Israel Antiquities Authority are constantly at work, because this city never ceases to surprise. Usually we have explanations for the discoveries we uncover, but sometimes, as in this case, we stand astonished and amazed.”
According to Israeli Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu, “During Jerusalem Day week, this special discovery reminds us of the deep and ancient connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. Beneath the city’s soil, extraordinary enterprises of life, creativity and construction are revealed time and again, testifying to generations of people who lived and worked here and left their mark. Jerusalem is not only the present-day capital of the State of Israel - it is also the heart of the historical story of the Jewish people, which continues to be uncovered before our eyes.”
This impressive discovery is expected to be incorporated into an archaeological park for the benefit of the public and the future residents of the neighborhood being planned by the Israel Lands Authority.
- English video (AI dubbing using Heygene) https://youtu.be/ohDTKvkzLiE : Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority
The ancient tunnel uncovered in Jerusalem. Photo: Yoli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority
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Ecuadorian Art and Culture Shine at “Andean Anthology” Exhibition at Cervantes Institute in Tel Aviv
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The Embassy of Ecuador in Israel organized the art exhibition “Andean Anthology” by Ecuadorian artist José Bastidas, with an opening event held on May 27, 2026, in cooperation with the Cervantes Institute of Tel Aviv.
The event was moderated by Mr. Bernardo Burgos, Consul of Ecuador in Israel.
Ambassadors and other diplomats, government officials, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Latin American community in Israel attended the reception cocktail. The paintings in the collection are spectacularly beautiful and display the typical joyful colors of the Andean region.
The official program began with the performance of the National Anthem of Ecuador. Mr. Francisco del Río Sánchez, Director of the Cervantes Institute of Tel Aviv, delivered welcoming remarks to the attendees. Afterwards, the Ambassador of Ecuador to Israel, Attorney María Cristina Cevallos Calero, gave a speech introducing the artist and stated:
“It is a profound honor for me to extend to you the warmest welcome to this important artistic exhibition by the Ecuadorian master José Bastidas, whose work represents the sensitivity, identity, and cultural richness of our Ecuador.
Art serves as a bridge between peoples. It allows us to engage in dialogue beyond borders, to share emotions, and to bring our cultures closer together through beauty and creativity. Tonight, we celebrate precisely this encounter between Ecuador and Israel through the universal language of art.
Our country possesses an extraordinary cultural and artistic diversity, heir to ancestral indigenous, mestizo, and contemporary traditions. Every brushstroke, every color, and every composition by master José Bastidas reflects the essence of a nation rich in history, memory, and hope.
Likewise, the works we contemplate today invite us to enter a deeply surrealist universe, where reality and symbolism are in constant dialogue. In each painting, we discover elements that evoke the soul of Ecuador: hummingbirds symbolizing life and Andean spirituality; El Panecillo, the icon of our city of Quito; the Diablo Huma, an ancestral mythological figure of our indigenous worldview; as well as multiple references to traditions, hardworking faces, colors, and the roots of our indigenous peoples.
I invite you to tour this exhibition with curious eyes and an open spirit, allowing every detail to reveal a different story, memory, and emotion. The works of master Bastidas will allow you to encounter fragments of our cultural identity and the human richness of Ecuador.
In this context, and as we recently commemorated a glorious date for Ecuador, I wish to recall a fundamental event in our republican history: the Battle of Pichincha, fought on May 24, 1822.
That historic feat took place on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, in the city of Quito, where patriot forces led by Marshal Antonio José de Sucre achieved a decisive victory over the colonial army. This triumph consolidated the independence of the former Royal Audience of Quito and opened the path to the definitive freedom of our people.
The Battle of Pichincha not only represents a victorious military episode, but also symbolizes the courage, unity, and longing for freedom of men and women who dreamed of a sovereign and dignified nation. Its legacy continues to inspire us to this day, reminding us of the importance of freedom, national identity, and integration among the peoples of Latin America.
Today, as we gather in this prestigious cultural institution, we also renew this spirit of encounter and fraternity among nations, promoting mutual understanding through art and culture.
I express my sincere appreciation to the Cervantes Institute of Tel Aviv for opening its doors to Ecuadorian culture, as well as to master José Bastidas for sharing with us his talent and artistic sensitivity.
I hope this exhibition will be an enriching experience for all of you and an opportunity to come even closer to the soul and spirit of Ecuador.”
The guests then enjoyed the artistic and cultural presentation by Otavalo artist Franklin Anguaña (“Funky”), who performed “El Cóndor Pasa” using indigenous instruments, and of course a tour of the beautiful exhibition.
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Steven Aiello
Director, Debate for Peace
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Photos Silvia G. Golan
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Tel Aviv EAT Festival Returns for Its 10th Edition
Israel’s Largest Food Festival Brings Four Days of Culinary Celebration to the Mediterranean Coast
Tel Aviv EAT Festival returns this May for its 10th edition, transforming the beachfront lawns of Charles Clore Park into an open-air celebration of food, culture and city life.
Taking place from May 11–14, the festival brings together some of Tel Aviv’s most sought-after restaurants, chef-led kitchens, street food stalls and live music performances, all alongside Tel Aviv’s beautiful Mediterranean sunsets.
Widely considered Israel’s largest food festival, Tel Aviv EAT offers visitors the chance to experience the city’s renowned culinary scene in one location and at accessible prices. Restaurants that are often booked weeks in advance will serve signature dishes alongside emerging chefs, local flavors, international cuisines and unique culinary collaborations created especially for the festival.
Beyond food, the festival reflects the spirit of Tel Aviv itself — creative, open, vibrant and constantly evolving. After a challenging period for Israel, the event also aims to offer a shared public space focused on culture, community and celebration.
“Tel Aviv EAT is much more than a culinary event,” the municipality said ahead of the opening. “It reflects the Tel Aviv spirit that continues to innovate, create and celebrate life even during challenging times. Especially now, we choose to gather together by the sea and make room for joy, flavors and human connection.”
Visitors can expect sunset dining by the beach, dozens of restaurants and food trucks, large hospitality areas, live performances and a wide range of culinary experiences throughout the four-day festival.
Photo credit David Bar Sela / David Scouri
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