City notes: Giving thanks

The popular car-sharing service Car2Go that has seen success in many cities in central Israel is now expanding to Israel’s north. Some 40 cars are now available in Haifa, with another 60 soon to join the fleet. What’s more, the vehicles are electric, an environmental first for Car2Go and the nation.

Vehicles are available 24/7 and can be picked up and dropped off in different places at designated parking spots, allowing drivers to easily travel from point A to point B. Haifa has designated 300 spots for the project, and assembled 30 special charging stations. Cars cost NIS 1.20 per minute, which results in an average 35-50% savings over a taxi ride. A collaboration between Car2Go, JNF, Israel’s Environmental Protection Agency and the Haifa Municipality, the entire scope of the project is estimated at over NIS 20 million.

The initiative is expected to reduce parking problems and traffic congestion in the city, provide an affordable alternative to owning a vehicle for young couples and students, and help combat air pollution in the Haifa bay area. To sign up, visit lp.car2go.co.il/on-demand-car-haifa to get your own unique smart card that grants access to the vehicles.

In her current exhibition, “Dwellings,” Linda Lieff Altabef explores “the collective memories of the places we retain in our subconscious.” The numerous works “depict the realization of a dream: archways and bridges that lead us home,” which is a metaphor for the place most longed-for of all – acceptance.

Altabef made aliya from New York to Rosh Pina in 2009. Her work has been exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles and Texas. She designed a performance set for Allen Ginsberg and worked with numerous top fashion designers. Altabef will offer a special gallery talk today, November 17, at 11:30 am.

The talk and the exhibition take place at the Tova Osman Art Gallery, 100 Ben-Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv. The exhibition will run until November 29 at noon, with regular visiting hours of Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information: (03) 522-7687.

Elsewhere in Tel Aviv, you have until December 1 to catch the exhibition “Marc Chagall: My Life.” Marking 130 years since the artist’s birth, the special collection displays more than 20 rare lithographs, in both black and white and in color, some for the first time ever in Israel. Works include many dedicated to his hometown, as well as a biblical series and a tribute to Paris. Chagall’s work depicts life and fantasy intertwined, through his use of strong colors and powerful brushstrokes. Chagall did not attempt to illustrate pure, true reality, but create something unique that taps into the world of uninhibited imagination.

Altmans Gallery, 1 Rothschild Boulevard , Tel Aviv. The exhibition is open to visitors aged 16 and up; tickets are NIS 30. It is open Sunday through Thursday, from noon until 9 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. 

Ready to meet some old and new friends, nosh, chill, try some outdoor yoga and maybe even give the slackline a go? Make your way to Beersheba’s Yoga Picnic, November 18 in Manga Park at 3:30 p.m. Instructor Sarka Soudkova will teach a gentle vinyasa yoga class in English (suitable for beginners) and all are invited after to stay for picnicking and socializing. Bring your friends, children, dogs, yoga mats, musical instruments and a donation to throw in the hat.

No priorreg is tration required. For more about the event: www.facebook.com/ events/1435604609892126/. For more about Soudkova and her classes, visit her website: m.yogaharmony.cz/yoga-in-israel2/; you can also reach her via sarkayoga@gmail.com.

Beersheba also offers several unique Thanksgiving opportunities for those American expats craving home or other olim who want to get in on the smorgasbord. The Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) South is hosting a celebratory Thanksgiving evening on Wednesday, November 22, including a turkey dinner with all the trimmings and live music. It also happens to be David Ben-Gurion Day, and the event promises to “celebrate our dual identities with some quintessential Israeli fare.”

7:30 p.m., 13 Mishan Alfasi Street, Beersheba. NIS 110 for AACI members; NIS 125 for non-members. To register, write aacisouth@gmail.com with your full name and the full names of all of your guests, plus the date of your aliya.

Alternatively, Nefesh B’Nefesh Go South is hosting a Young Professionals Thanksgiving Potluck. Tickets are free, though all must sign up to bring a kosher meat-compatible dish.

The meal will take place Thursday, November 23, 7 p.m. at the Lauder Center, 37-43 Hativat Hanegev Street, Beersheba. For more information and to sign up, email Agold@nbn.org.il.