SOUTH Some 90 Canadian Jewish youngsters helped paint bomb shelters in Eilat at the beginning of the month and raised $2,000 towards the purchase of socks and underwear for soldiers serving in Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. The youngsters were part of a counselor training program for the Canadian Young Judaea organization. In Eilat, residents have 30 seconds to safely reach a sheltered area upon hearing a Color Red rocket alert siren. The Eilat Municipality said that the organizers of the program in Toronto, demonstrated a unified front of support with Israel during the difficult time and they approved the arrival of the youth after consulting with security representatives in Israel. They painted six shelters in the southern city. The security department of the city provided the materials. SPNI adventures in Beersheba and the Judean Hills Not many things beat eating wild figs straight from the tree. In Israel, fig season is now and the Society for the Protection of Nature planned a walking tour in the Judean Hills under the banner “Thirty varieties of figs” to learn about ancient agricultural methods, figs and other seasonal fruit. The tour will take place tomorrow and is suitable for the entire family. After gathering the wild fruit the group will cook with Uri Meir Chizik, an expert on wild edible plants. Meanwhile, the SPNI group in Beersheba is organizing a guided walk by moonlight on September 11 at Nahal Kovshim just north of the city. The group will set out to explore the hidden secrets of areas that are less known around the Negev capital. Following the walk, music and a campfire are scheduled. More information on SPNI activities can be found on the society's website. NORTH Tu Be'av in Haifa The celebration of Tu Be'av, the Jewish holiday of love – began at nightfall on Sunday. In downtown Haifa the minor holiday was marked by outdoor group dancing at Paris Square led by a professional instructor. The Turkish Market was a venue for salsa dancing, and swing dancing took place on Sha'ar Palmar Street. The events were held under the “supermoon,” or perigee moon, the largest, brightest and closest view of it to be seen this year. Beach Volleyball and music in Acre The sports department of the city of Acre along with the Mateh Asher Regional Council organized an amateur beach volleyball tournament last Friday on Argaman Beach in the northern city. The referees of the tournaments were members of the Acre/Mateh Asher team who are the 2013/14 beach volleyball national champions. Staying in Acre, the ethnic-folk musical act ISAIAH was set to perform at the city's Hajam bar on Saturday. ISAIAH combines elements of American folk music with Greek music and North African influences according to the program. The doors open at 9 p.m. and the cost of admission is NIS 30. Cultural events in Migdal Ha'emek salute IDF soldiers After more than a month of fighting in Gaza and heavy rocket fire on southern Israeli communities, the city of Migdal Ha'emek was set to host a number of free concerts in the city under the slogan: Concerts saluting IDF soldiers and residents of the South. On August 13, Shlomi Saranga, Oren Chen, Michael Peretz and others were set to perform at the city's amphitheater. On August 19 Lior Narkis is set to perform and August 27, Kobi Peretz is scheduled to take the stage. CENTER Tu Be'av in Tel Aviv To mark Tu Be'av in Tel Aviv, the tourist branch of the city organized walking tours focusing on the big historical love stories in the city as well as on the writers who wrote on the subject and who lived in the city. One of the walking tours visited the homes of the writers Leah Goldberg, Dalia Rabikovich and Yona Wallach, who all lived in the same neighborhood near the sea and who all wrestled with questions of love in their writing. The program of the tour said that at each residence a different facet of love – romantic, self and familial – would be discussed. Another walking tour was to take participants to the Neveh Tzedek neighborhood to learn about the secret love letters, the scandals and the passions of the first leaders of the community. Mini Art 2014 exhibition at the Old Jaffa Museum of Antiquities The Mini Art 2014 exhibition opened at the Old Jaffa Museum of Antiquities last Saturday and will run until January 31, 2015. The exhibition showcases miniature art of both professional and amateur artists from Israel and abroad. The pieces in the exhibition are characterized by the precise attention to the minutest details and the high level of craftsmanship required to build the models. The exhibition includes dozens of tiny model homes. The museum is located in the old governmental Ottoman house or “Saraya,” in an impressive gallery with rounded ceilings. Adult admission is NIS 50 with reduced rates for children, students, soldiers and residents of the South. Some of the proceeds of the ticket sales will go towards the Make-A-Wish Israel charity. Fighting the red palm weevil in Modi'in The red palm weevil is a serious threat to palm trees worldwide. That's why back in May the city of Modi'in took preemptive measures and sprayed its palm trees. But when a palm in the city collapsed last week alarm bells went off at city hall. The city reported that it sprayed all of the Canary Island date palms in the city, but the tree that collapsed was a native palm. The tree was examined and was found to be infected by the red weevil as well as another pest. According to the city it is rare for the native palm to be infected by the red weevil and there is only one other documented case of infection in Israel. An expert from the Agriculture Ministry, Shimon Biton, was called to the scene. The tree was taken away and burned. Other trees in the area were tested and found not to be infected. The municipality asked residents with Canary Island palms in their private gardens to test their trees for the weevil, so action can be taken to minimize damage to infected trees that could also prevent injury or damage to property. Large tree crushes taxi in Tel Aviv, spares driver A taxi driver in Tel Aviv escaped serious injury after a large tree crashed down on his car. The incident occurred on Namir Road. The lightly injured driver in his 50s was evacuated by Magen David Adom to Sourasky Medical Center with some bruising on his chest.
