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- Written by Silvia G. Golan & Steven Aiello
On Wednesday, March 09, the Austrian Tourist Board held an info session and business lunch, with a delegation of key Austrian tourism players met with Israeli tourism operators and journalists at the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv. Vienna was recently selected as the travel destination to go to in 2022, and the meeting offered the opportunity to network and coordinate as the world looks to leave Covid-19 travel restrictions behind.
Among the participants at the meeting were representatives of the Austrian National Tourist Office; Austrian Airlines; D. Swarovski Tourism Services; History of Art Museum Wien; Interalpen Hotel Tyro; Jewish Museum Vienna; Ritz-Carlton Vienna; Schönbrunn Palace, and Schönbrunn Zoo.
Mr. Markus Haas, the Commercial Attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Israel, opened the event by noting that prior to the onset of Covid 19, Israeli tourism to Austria had tripled, with a peak of 822,452 Israeli tourists in 2019. In August 2021, when the corona restrictions were temporarily lifted, Vienna recorded 32,000 overnight stays by Israeli tourists, a 25% increase compared to the year before the plague, indicating that the trend will only continue. Israel is ranked 11th for all sources of tourism to Austria.
Mrs. Lily Freudmayer, Director of the Ministry of Tourism of Austria told the participants that "Israel is very important for the tourism market in Austria," with Israeli tourism constituting the largest non-European market for tourism to Austria in 2021. In addition to the well-known tourist attractions in Vienna, Lily Freudmeier also discussed lesser known but equally appealing sites in Western Austria, such as Carinthia, Styria and Forarlberg.
Mr. Ofer Kisch General Manager of Lufthansa Group Israel explain that "Getting to Austria will be even easier soon: Austrian Airlines currently operates about seven weekly flights from Vienna to Tel Aviv, and is preparing to increase the frequency to 14 flights weekly by the summer."
With so many impressive sites to visit, the most difficult choice may be what to see and how long to stay for. The director of the Jewish Museum of Vienna, Dr. Daniela Spera presented photographs from the museum, the first Jewish museum in the world, founded in 1885.
Guests also learned about the Vienna Kunstkammer Museum, with its 2,200 works of art, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, home to masterpieces by Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Vermeer, as well as the world's largest collection of works by Brueghel, and Schönbrunn Palace, a 160 dunam palace and park that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and houses the Schonbrunn Zoo, the oldest zoo in the world.
The sales manager of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in central Vienna, Stefanie Pirolt, presented "the largest luxury hotel in Vienna", while Gerakdine Beideck, sales manager at the Interalpen Hotel in the Seefeld Plateau, showed stunning landscape photos from the hotel's location nestled among snow-capped mountains. Eurotours, which organizes vacations for 1.3 million people annually and has 1,900 distribution partners in 70 countries, and 2,500 hotel partners, was also on hand to develop partnerships with Israeli tour operators. With so many wonderful options, the only question left is when to book your next trip to Austria!
The COVID-19 measures will be largely lifted in Austria in the coming weeks. This means that travelling and staying there will gradually become less complicated and nothing will stand in the way of tourists carefree spring skiing from 5 March
AustrianNational Tourist Office
- AustrianAirlines
- D. Swarovski Tourism Services
- History of Art Museum Wien
- Interalpen Hotel Tyro
- Jewish Museum Vienna
- Ritz-Carlton Vienna
- Schönbrunn Palace
- Schönbrunn Zoo
Photos credit Silvia G. Golan
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Purim – Celebrating life חג פורים
Dear Friends,
Purim enjoys enormous popularity in the Jewish world, and especially, in the State of Israel. In this wonderful land, children prepare their disguises in feverish expectation, including components of Israeli reality affecting everyone here. Masks of politicians, chiefs (generally the most belligerent dictators) of countries in our region and international authorities appear with the traditional disguises of Queen Esther, Mordechai the Just and characters from literature, the movies and (increasingly) from TV and social media (especially “celebrities”). Purim seems the most apt celebration in which to combine the past and present of independent Jewish life, to celebrate our survival in the past and today against those who rose (and rise) against us in every generation. In the Purim story Haman the Evildoer sought "to destroy, kill and exterminate all the old and young Jews, children and women, in a single day, the 13 of Adar". In this region, both Iran’s “Supreme leader” Ali Khamenei and South Lebanon Hizbollah’s Sheikh Nasrallah, lead their followers on every possible occasion in the chant of "Death to Israel!"… Purim thus resonates with relief and celebration at our deliverance from the evils that loomed above us, but reminds us of the permanent necessity of vigilance and readiness to defend ourselves – nearly 24,000 of Israelis lost their lives protecting the State of Israel since the creation of the State of Israel.
Every Jew is commanded to hear the 10 chapters of the Megillah, the Scroll of Esther. Moreover, we do this twice, at night and by day. "Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: each person must read the Megillah at night, and return to read it by day (in memory to the time when the miracle of the Jewish salvation happened, when they beseeched the Almighty day and night)". This explanation apparently does not square with the spirit of Purim: in the Megillah, the name of God never appears, and liberation from the threat of Haman, his 10 children and 75,000 followers was attained in a legitimate battle with the Jews that destroyed them. It seems that this victory over our enemies resulted exclusively from the resolve of Jewish leaders (Esther and Mordechai) and of the Jewish People as a whole.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi is reminding us of the spiritual level of the Purim celebration, the bond between our human efforts and the depth of our Faith. Before the confrontation, before beginning the struggle, the whole Jewish People, (led by Esther and Mordechai) fasted for 3 days and 3 nights (hence the Fast of Esther just before Purim), as a means of invoking God's protection, His strength and His wisdom in the hard decisions to follow. The responsibility of the defense of our People was ours, but in the interim, we reminded ourselves of the cause for which we wanted to stay alive. Along with our lives, we must save our mission to be a light unto the Peoples and to continue the messages of the Prophets of Israel for a better world for all, always within the framework of intimacy with our Creator. The prayer represented by the doubled reading of the Megillah must accompany us today and always, to remind us that in our most difficult decisions and dilemmas, we must include the wisdom, spirituality and the light of Judaism that counts thousands of years of reflection, depth and meditation.
Perhaps for that reason, characters from our time are included in the masks of Purim, as a strong reminder that our more delicate decisions, as much on the personal level as on the national, must be made according to the highest criteria and principles which lend them lasting resonance in the future and clear reason in the present, precisely as it was with the Purim event 2400 years ago.
When we twice hear the Megillah this year, may it be that we will base our commitment to action for our continuity upon reflection into our soul and spirit.
May God grant us Purim's message of life, hope and salvation to encourage us to celebrate together, evoking the feelings and emotion which led us to this present glory.
And may God will that each and every one of us hears the story of Esther, Mordechai and their redemptive history, and hear it as our own.
With best wishes,
Chag Purim Sameach!
Chazak ve'ematz
Rabbi Carlos A. Tapiero
Deputy Director-General & Director of Education
Maccabi World Union
Photo Silvia Golan
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Tribute to the Buena Vista Queen - Celia Cruz by Mayelis Guyat , Nils Fischer & Latin Power Band (Cuba / Germany / Israel)
Special price with 10% discount - with the code 2501 for www.diplomacy.co.il friends ( Silvia Golan)
About the concert :Cuban singer Mayelis Guyat, with her fiery alto voice and charismatic stage presence, together with the Latin Power Band in tribute to Buena Vista and Cuban singer Celia Cruz!
Cuban singer and songwriter Mayelis Guyat, along with international percussionist Nils Fisher, will join the Latin Power Band led by Fernando Knopf, and together will pay tribute to Buena Vista and Cuban singer Celia Cruz. Miles' fiery alto voice, charismatic stage presence excites and bounce the audience at all her performances!
Mayelis model is the unforgettable singer Celia Cruz who conquered the Cuba clubs in the style of "Son" music by "Buena Vista" in the 1950s until Castro came to power.
Immediately after the revolution, Cruz left Cuba for the United States and never returned. In the United States, she built an impressive career and soon became a prominent representative of Cuban music and exciting salsa music. Won several Grammy Awards and performed on the best stages.
Featuring:
Mayelis Guyat Vocals (Cuba) Nils Fischer Percussion (Netherlands) Fernando Knopf Bass, Vocals & Musical Direction
Gabriel Palatchi Piano Rocky Blade / Marcelo Zuber Flauta y Saxofón Oded Meir Trombon Chen Pepe Meir Timbles
Photo: UWE HAUTH
The right to make changes is reserved. Holding the event in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health.
Special price with 10% discount - with the code 2501 for www.diplomacy.co.il friends ( Silvia Golan)
To buy tickets call 035733001 or
https://shamayim.smarticket.co.il/en/Tribute_to_the_Buena_Vista_Queen_-_Celia_Cruz
Tribute to the Buena Vista Queen - Celia Cruz
Upcoming dates
| Date | Theater | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, February 04 2022 at 21:00 | Tel Aviv Museum of Art Recanati Auditorium | Buy Now |
| Saturday, February 05 2022 at 21:00 | Aba Hushi Community Center | Buy Now |
Youtube Mayelis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFckSuknkyw
Photo :Uwe Hauth, Maya Iltus, Marcel Boshuizen, Peter Vit Silvia Golan
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http://www.silviagolan5.023.co.il/BRPortal/br/P102.jsp?arc=13486
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"La voie Royale"
A rich and diverse art exhibition opened last week at the residence of the Honorary Consul of #france in #Israel Mrs. Nathalie Mimoun .
Mimoun is the art director at the Herzlia - based Chabba Gallery , wich launched a #newexhibition featuring artwork by artist from all over the world.
At the opening evening , artists and diplomats alike enjoyed a unique cultural experience with the diverse range of art, and a musical performance.
Chabba Art Gallery.
44 Keren Hayesod Street, Herzliya Pituach
www. chabbagallery.com
Viewing by appointment only
Photos Silvia G. Golan
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Tel Aviv came to life with the captivating sounds of Romanian opera on Wednesday night, as diplomats, expats and friends of the Romanian embassy were treated to a concert celebrating Romanian Cultural Heritage day, and the 15 year anniversary of Romania’s ascension to the European Union.
Martin Salamon, the Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, opened the evening by explaining the context for the evening–the significance of Romania’s joining the EU, and the country’s growth in the last 15 years as an active member of the organization.
This concert, featuring soprano and baritone singers from Romania and Israel, led by an Israeli musical director, highlighted the vibrancy of Romanian culture and its interaction with Israeli society, a key mission of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Ambassador Radu Ioanid welcomed all the guests, and noted with appreciation the ability to enjoy this concert despite the challenges brought by Covid-19. The Ambassador emphasized the key economic and development benchmarks achieved since Romania joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. Keeping his remarks short, Ambassador Ioanid stated that there was little need to talk when “music can speak for itself”, and invited the audience to enjoy the concert, led by Ethan Schmeisser, artistic director of the Bucharest Opera.
Four singers: Sopranos Shiri Magar and Mirela Grinarinaru, and baritone singers Ionut Pascu and Sebastian Catana, took the stage to regale the audience with both solo and duet operatic pieces.
The performances were stunning, with the singing enhanced by the engaging stage presence.
During several interludes Ethan Schmeisser provided explanations and commentary, including highlighting when original pieces were performed for the first time.
The evening concluded with a standing ovation from the audience, as Ambassador Ioanid and Director Salamon presented bouquets to the artists.
Diplomacy.co.il congratulates the Embassy and people of Romania on the 15 year anniversary of Romania’s ascension to the European Union.
Steven Aiello
Founder--DebateforPeace
Photos credit Silvia G. Golan
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