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“Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center” Inaugurated Today in Lod
New visitors’ center to display a breathtaking mosaic, some 1,700 years old and among the world’s most beautiful
A dedication ceremony was held today, June 27, 2022, in the presence of Ms. Shelby White, Lod Mayor Adv. Yair Revivo, Israel Antiquities Authority Director-General Eli Eskozido, and numerous dignitaries.
After years on display in the world’s most important museums, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the Altes Museum in Berlin, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, and others, the breathtaking Lod Mosaic – among the most beautiful discovered in Israel or anywhere in the world, and part of the floor of a late 3rd-early 4th-century mansion -- has returned to Lod and will be on public display, beginning this summer.
Today (Monday, June 27th), the Lod Municipality and the Israel Antiquities Authority inaugurated the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center in the presence of donor Ms. Shelby White and representatives of the Leon Levy Foundation. Also participating in the event were senior representatives of the Antiquities Authority, the Ministry of Tourism, the Lod Municipality, and other dignitaries.
The Donor, Ms. Shelby White: “From the moment Leon and I saw this historic mosaic, we knew how important it was for the town of Lod and the world, and what it would do to make Lod a cultural center. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the restoration of the mosaic and the creation of this museum. Being here is a dream come true.”
Lod Mayor, Adv. Leon Revivo: “Some 26 years since it was discovered in 1996, we have reached this great day as we inaugurate the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center, a source of local pride and a link to the timeless history of Lod – among the oldest cities in the world! Our dream for this city -- itself a mosaic of cultures -- is being realized today right before our eyes as we dedicate this most important museum, placing Lod on the world tourism map. We will enable people from around the country and the world to view this amazing treasure here in its original location, exactly where it was found. I want to thank Eli Eskozido, Director-General of the Antiquities Authority, his predecessors, Yehoshua (Shuka) Dorfman of Blessed Memory and Yisrael Hasson, and their staff for their tremendous dedication to this project, and for accompanying it throughout. And special thanks to our dear donor, Ms. Shelby White.”
Eli Eskozido, Director-General of the Israel Antiquities Authority: “Today, after years of effort, the final piece of the Lod Mosaic project has been put in place, with the dedication of this visitors’ center. This is a thrilling milestone for the Antiquities Authority, whose experts uncovered, preserved, and promoted the public display of this amazing mosaic. I wish to thank the Lod Municipality and the driving force behind this project – our donor Shelby White -- without whom the Lod Mosaic wouldn’t have returned home. There’s no place else in Israel that displays and tells the story of such a wonderful mosaic in such a special way!”
About the Mosaic
The Lod Mosaic was discovered in 1996 by Israel Antiquities archaeologist Miriam Avissar of Blessed Memory during an archaeological dig prior to the expansion of He’Chalutz Street. It stems from the Roman period – the end of the 3rd century or the beginning of the 4th century CE. Due to the lack of funds to preserve and develop the site for display, the mosaic was re-covered at the conclusion of the excavations. Then, in 2009, the Antiquities Authority, through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation and Shelby White, acquired funding for its renewed exposure and preservation and returned it to the site as an archaeological center open to the general public.
Unusual in its quality, construction, contents, and state of preservation, the mosaic once served as the foyer floor of a mansion in a wealthy Lod neighborhood from the Roman and Byzantine eras. It is about 17 meters long and about 9 meters wide and comprises colorful surfaces depicting fruits, mammals, birds, fish, flora, and even sailing vessels. Its design was influenced by that of North African mosaics. It’s interesting to note that, unlike other mosaics from that era, it includes no depictions of people. During the construction of the Mosaic Center, the Antiquities Authority discovered an additional colored mosaic that was part of the mansion’s courtyard. It was also included in the Center as part of the visitors’ experience.
The mosaic is located in northeastern Lod, adjacent to the Ginton Junction, making it easily accessible from Ben-Gurion airport and two major highways – Route 1 between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and Route 6, linking northern and southern Israel. Its proximity to national traffic arteries will make it a national attraction, placing it on the tourism map along with several of the city’s other historical sites.
The mosaic will be on display for the general public, enabling visitors to see and experience it from various angles while teaching them about Lod’s history, archaeology, and mosaic preservation as they enjoy its unique beauty. The new visitors’ center will strengthen the connection of Lod residents to their city’s important historical legacy. This is a unique project, a world-class exhibit of an important find in its original location within a modern structure that honors and recalls the mansion in which it once rested.
Credits:
Vision for the Visitors’ Center and mosaic preservation: Israel Antiquities Authority
Structural planning: Arch. Amit Nemlich – Nemlich Architects
Landscape planning: Arch. Orna Ben-Zioni, Arch. Idit Yisrael – Av Landscape Architecture
Content planning, execution, display and multimedia: Ha’Taasiya Content & Technological Design, Ltd.
Project management: Arch. Lilach Neumark – Ma’aseh Shimur
Supervision: Goni Engineering Ltd.
https://www.antiquities.org.il/article_eng.aspx?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1574
Photos Silvia G Golan
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Environmental Diplomacy: Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL – JNF) Hosted Ambassadors to Raise Awareness and to Deal with the Climate Crisis
KKL-JNF invited dozens of ambassadors for a Festive Tree Planting at Eshtaol as part of a one-day tour in the Jerusalem Area, aiming to raise awareness to the climate crisis.
KKL-JNF and Ambassadors in Israel are working together to raise awareness to the climate crisis.
Dozens of ambassadors from Spain, Zambia, Colombia, Thailand, Rwanda and other countries took part in a fascinating tour of the Jerusalem area.
The tour began with a visit to the Grove of Nations and a meeting with KKL-JNF World Chairman Avraham Duvdevani at The National Institutions House in Jerusalem. The Ambassadors received an overview of KKL-JNF's activities in the field of international relations and an overview of the activities that are taking place to battle against the effects of the climate change.
The day tour ended with a special tree planting ceremony at KKL-JNF's Eshtaol Nursery. As it is a Shmita year, all ambassadors planted trees in special pots and not in the ground.
Avraham Duvdevani, Chairman of KKL - JNF: "We are pleased to host Ambassadors at KKL-JNF's sites and to present our critical activities in protecting Israel and the planet from the destructive influence of the climate change." ."
Photo credit: Amos Luzon photographers
In the photos:
Deputy Embassy of Nigeria Mrs. Agatha Afoekelu amos (lady with sunglasses)
Srilanka ambassador H.E Waruna Wilpatha (man with blue jacket)
ambassador of vietnam Mr. LY Duc Trung (man with white top)
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8th International Day of Yoga (21 June 2022, Park HaTachana, Tel Aviv-Yafo
भारत का राजदूतावास
- Indian Cultural Center
- Embassy of India
June 21, the longest day of the year, was adopted as the International Day of Yoga (IDY) through a UN Resolution that was proposed by India and co-sponsored by 177 nations in 2014. Since then, the International Day of Yoga (IDY) is being celebrated all over the world with great enthusiasm and positive spirit. The Indian diplomatic missions all over the world take the lead in organizing events to mark the IDY.
The Embassy of India in Israel has been celebrating IDY every year since 2015 with a grand-public yoga event in the city of Tel Aviv along with partnered events across various cities in Israel. The theme for this year’s International Day of Yoga is “Yoga for Humanity”. The newly established Indian Cultural Center under the aegis of Embassy of India will be celebrating the 8th International Day of Yoga by organizing a public Yoga event coupled with spiritual music performances by renowned artists on 21 June (Tuesday) at the iconic Park HaTachana, Tel Aviv. The event is being organized in association with Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo and the Israel Yoga Teachers Association.
The year 2022 marks two historic milestones of the 75th Anniversary of India’s independence and the 30th anniversary of establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Israel. To commemorate the two occasions, the Yoga day event in Tel Aviv this year has been selected for the global Guardian Ring initiative, a relay Yoga streaming event, which will capture and weave together live digital feed of yoga events being organized by select Indian Missions across the world.
The event is free of cost, open to all, and suits all yoga level practitioners. Interested participants can also reserve their spots by registering at https://bit.ly/3QmbLz4
Date: 21 June (Tuesday) 2022
Event Schedule
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1830 hrs |
Welcome Greetings and Announcement of Event Instructions/Guidelines |
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1835 hrs |
Chanting of Shanti Mantra by Israeli musician Ron Paz (Niranjan Jyoti) |
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1845 hrs |
Inviting Guests to ascend the podium and Lamp Lighting Ceremony |
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1850 hrs |
Indian and Israeli National Anthems (Instrumental Music) |
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1855 hrs |
Welcome Greetings by H.E. Ambassador Sanjeev Singla |
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1900 hrs |
Remarks by Chief Guest Mr. Ron Huldai, Mayor of Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo |
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1905 hrs |
Rhythmic and Artistic Yoga Performance by Yoga students of ICC |
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1915 hrs |
Sun Salutations (in Hebrew) by Israeli Yoga Teacher Eyal Chehanowski |
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2000 hrs |
Common Yoga Protocol by Indian Yoga Teacher Shri Uday Kumar Saama |
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2100 hrs |
Music Performance by Israeli artist Ron Paz & Team |
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2200 hrs |
Vote of Thanks |
In addition to the event on June 21, the Embassy is also organizing a special Yoga event at Ganei HaYehoshua (HaYarkon, Tel Aviv) on 18 June (1800hrs); and also a public yoga event in the city of Ashdod in association with Ergun Shevet Oley Hodu and the Municipality of Ashdod on 20 June, 2022 (1830hrs).
Yoga practitioners and enthusiasts are encouraged to practice the Common Yoga Protocol in advance by visiting this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av5ib_XRKT4
The link to the official Facebook page of International Day of Yoga celebrations in Israel is - https://www.facebook.com/yogadayisarel
The social media handles of the Indian Cultural Center are:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ICCRinIsrael
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iccr_israel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iccr_israel
Photo Ilan Spira
Event Schedule
18:30 – Gathering
18:35-18:45 Chanting of Shanti Mantra by Israeli musician Ron Paz (Niranjan Jyoti)
18:50-19:05: Official Ceremony attended by the Ambassador of India in Israel H.E. Sanjeev Singla and Mayor of Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo Mr. Ron Huldai
19:05-19:15 Rhythmic and Artistic Yoga Performance by Yoga students of ICC
19:15-20:00 Sun Salutations by the renowned Yoga instructor Eyal Chehanowski
20:00-21:00 Common Yoga Protocol by Indian Yoga Teacher Shri Uday Kumar Saama
21:00-22:00 Music Performance by Israeli artist Ron Paz & Team
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Turning a Dream into Reality
The Technion inaugurates the "Mehoudar Center for Inventors" – a center for creative and engineering design dedicated to Raphael Mehoudar
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology inaugurates the Mehoudar Center for Inventors – a center for creative and engineering design. The center will encourage inventors from all over the country, school children, university students, and faculty members to dream and imagine. Most importantly, the center will provide them with the necessary engineering tools for building and testing prototypes - with the assistance of a highly skilled technical team and the resources to plan and execute. The Mehoudar Center for Inventors will also be home for cross-faculty collaborations - for example, the development of multidisciplinary final projects.
The center is named in honor of Technion graduate Raphael (Rafi) Mehoudar, graduate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion (1966) and the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Technion (2014). On Israel's 67th Independence Day (2015), Mehoudar was given the honor of lighting one of the torches in acknowledgement of his contribution as “a successful, world-renowned engineer and entrepreneur who developed the drip irrigation technology that became an international success.”
Technion President Professor Uri Sivan stated that "The Mehoudar Center for Inventors offers a new and innovative approach to the challenge of maintaining and fostering the spirit of ingenuity in our students, faculty, high school students, and anybody interested in building and testing a prototype. The center will allow its users to transform their creative ideas and innovations into models and prototypes using its advanced new facilities, as well as experienced mentors. A hands-on approach will provide them with access to a productive space to explore and test their ideas and research before taking them to scale. We are confident that this approach will greatly inspire current and future creators to turn their inventions into practical technologies and follow the example set by Rafi and others."
Prof. Peretz Lavie, Chairman of the Israel Friends of the Technion and former Technion president, noted that " Raphael (Rafi) Mehoudar will be remembered in history as the person who has made one of the most important contributions to modern agriculture and by that has changed the life of millions around the world. Mehoudar's drip technology enables farmers to achieve greater yield of quality crops with reduced use of water, soil and fertilizer resources, and with little impact on the environment. Millions of farmers currently use these systems in more than 110 countries around the world."
Prof. Ezri Tarazi, Head of t-hub – the Technion Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said that "Hundreds of millions of people around the world owe Rafi Mehoudar the very food that is laid out on their table every day. The global climate crisis and the desertification process affecting large parts of the planet only reinforce the vital need for Mehoudar inventions, for the purposes of sustainability and survival."
At the age of 20, while still at the Technion, Raphael Mehoudar developed the dual flush toilet mechanism, currently in-use in almost every home in Israel. At the same time, he developed a unique sprinkler for watering square areas - as opposed to the standard 360° sprinkler. The Standards Institution of Israel was very enthusiastic about the young inventor and, after his release from the IDF, they recruited him for a part-time job within the institute. ‘Netafim’, which heard about the pressure regulator that he had developed, contacted him, and the rest is history: Mehoudar went on to invent and develop the drip irrigation technologies that changed the world of agriculture, and today he has about 400 patents registered to his name.
The new center will cover an area of about 1,000 square meters on the lower floor of Danziger Laboratories, which was built in 1966 and is located next to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Photos: Sharon Tzur, Technion Spokesperson
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On June 15, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam coordinated with Lai Chau province and a number of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to organize a webinar on "Strengthening the export of tea products of Lai Chau province to the markets of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia”. At the Israel Bridge with the direct attendance of representatives of many agencies, organizations, businesses and expatriates, the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel combined to display a number of typical agricultural products of Vietnam, aiming to bring to the guests a space imbued with Vietnamese identity with practical, rich and diverse experiences, creating a lively atmosphere for discussion besides fragrant cups of Vietnamese tea.
On the same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel hosted a seminar on promoting tourism and promoting trade in Vietnamese agricultural products. At the seminar, Ambassador Ly Duc Trung said that Vietnam currently has many potential gaps to receive investment and production. When coming to Vietnam, Israeli people and businesses can access a rich source of raw materials, imbued with Vietnamese identity in particular and Asia in general, on that basis, the Ambassador encourages travel businesses to organize group tours that take into account agricultural tourism, Israeli investors can also participate in enhancing the value of Vietnamese agricultural products, especially producing goods according to Jewish standards and tastes.
Ambassador Ly Duc Trung said that Israeli technology enterprises can also introduce advanced technologies and techniques to help improve the production capacity of Vietnamese agriculture from seeds, irrigation to harvesting and post-harvest preservation, while emphasizing that increasing the high-tech content also helps create added values and competitiveness for each product when exporting to regional and global markets.
Attending delegates expressed their desire to participate in enjoying cooperation opportunities between the two countries in the field of trade and tourism, emphasizing that Israelis are very eager to visit Vietnam when Vietnam has controlled the epidemic and reopens for international tourism.
Photos
credit: Silvia G. Golan
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