City Notes: Carp-fishing teams cast a line in Kinneret
A round up of news from around the nation.
By COMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALDCarp-fishing teams cast a line in Kinneret(photo credit: ANDREY MAZLIN)NORTHThe Haifa-based Israeli Fishing Club (IsraFish) hosted an international carp fishing competition this past week at Lake Kinneret’s Ein Gev Harbor, featuring 21 professional teams from Israel and around the world.The competitors in the contest, modeled after the Survivor reality series, vied to catch the largest fish and break the existing 16.2 kg. record while camping on the eastern shore of the Kinneret for 125 consecutive hours.Each team of two or three members aged 17 to 65 was allotted a plot of 100 sq.m of beach from which they took turns casting their lines.Eight judges with backgrounds in international carp fishing visited the teams twice a day, weighing their catches. Participants were instructed to release, unharmed all fish after their weighing.Veteran fisherman and Ein Gev manager Menachem Lev welcomed the participants.“This year, a Druse couple from the Golan Heights is also taking part in the competition – a husband, wife and their friend, who works in a restaurant,” Lev told them.Israel’s largest freshwater lake serves as a magnet for professional fishermen, particularly in the winter, as it does not freeze.CENTER
New Jaffa multicultural women’s clubThe Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa announced the opening of its new women’s club, providing enrichment activities and intercultural cooperation programming.The club is open to women 50 years of age and above, regardless of religion or cultural affiliation.Activities include educational field trips to learn about the varying religions found in Israel; fitness and health courses; dance and sports training; family care assistance; and open discussion forums. The program operates for three-and-a-half hours three days a week.The community center encourages club members to provide what it called a “symbolic” NIS 50 per month.CyberTech conference to kick off in TAHundreds of international delegations are due to attend the CyberTech 2016 Conference at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds on January 26-27.The third annual event expects to draw state leaders, representatives of leading multinational and Israeli corporations and startups, investors and entrepreneurs in the field of cyber security.A US delegation led by Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a large Japanese representation, a group of Canadian banking executives and a delegation organized by the International Monetary Fund from developing countries are among those expected to attend what is referred to as the largest exhibition of cyber technologies outside the United States.More than 250 companies and 100 startups are due to present their strategies and solutions at the event. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to open the conference as keynote speaker.SOUTHTu Bishvat at JNF-UK picnicThe British branch of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael- Jewish National Fund, which focuses on the Negev region, is set to host celebratory Tu Bishvat events on January 24 in London and Leeds.JNF-UK expects some 1,500 people to attend the family-friendly festivities marking the New Year for Trees. A large indoor picnic in London is scheduled to take place in northwest London on January 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Simultaneously in Leeds, a similar event is set to occur in Alwoodley.According to KKL-JNF, the organization has facilitated the planting of more than 240 million trees since its founding in 1901.Sapir College launches Cannes-modeled film screeningsSapir College in Sderot last Saturday launched the “Directors’ Fortnight” international film screening event, modeled after the renowned program long held in parallel with the Cannes Film Festival.The French film Fatima, directed by Philippe Faucon, was screened during the opening event, held at the Sderot Cinematheque. Faucon arrived in Israel for the premier. Cinemas in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Holon and Herzliya are also hosting screenings during the two-week festival.Films being screened at the various venues are Arabian Nights: Volume 2, The Desolate One (Portugal), directed by Miguel Gomez; Good Stuff (US), directed by Rick Paso; Cowboys (France), directed by Thomas Bidegain; Beyond My Grandfather’s Allende (Chile and Mexico), directed by Marcia Tambutti Allende; Embrace the Snake (Colombia), by Ciro Guerra; Peace to Us in Our Dreams (Lithuania/Russia/ France), by Sharunas Bartas; Songs My Brother Taught Me (US), directed by Chloe Zhao; and The Here After (Sweden), by Magnus Von Horn.