By JULIE STEIGERWALDThe ‘Ma’agan Michael’ set sail into the Mediterranean Sea last week(photo credit: JACK GUEZ / AFP)NORTH Ancient boat restored in HaifaA boat that sank off the shore of northern Israel 2,500 years ago set out to sea again last Friday after a two-year effort by Israeli experts to reconstruct it.Antiquities Authority and University of Haifa officials launched the ship – named after Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, where it was found – from Haifa after rebuilding it using remains from the wreckage found 30 years ago.The single-mast sailboat was discovered in 1985 by Ami Eshel, a member of Ma’agan Michael, some 70 meters from the kibbutz. The boat was removed from the sea in 1988 in a project overseen by Dr. Elisha Linder from the University of Haifa. Most of the boat had been covered in sand, helping to preserve various of the boat’s components, including the keel, numerous wooden plates, 14 crossbars and the base of the mast.Preserved tools and a carpenter’s toolbox were also found in the remains of the ship, allowing researchers to implement the same methods to build the replica as were originally used to construct the vessel.Following two years of restoration work, the Ma’agan Michael regained seafaring condition and set sail into the Mediterranean Sea last week from Haifa’s Kishon Harbor.LGBT group to launch business antidiscrimination dealAn organization of technology professionals dedicated to enriching the local LGBT community is holding an event on March 27 in Tel Aviv to launch a recently signed benchmark on inclusiveness in the country’s business scene.The LGBTech networking group will launch the country’s pioneer Israel Diversity Standard, which will see leading companies sign a statement of principles committing to the removal of discrimination and facilitating an encouraging workplace for the LGBT community.The Israel Diversity Standard seeks to replicate some of the achievements of antidiscrimination initiatives around the world, such as Stonewall in the UK, Human Rights Campaign in the US and Pride and Diversity in Australia.The event, held at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, will also feature a panel of diversity leaders from Israel, Amsterdam and London to discuss the contribution of LGBT networks for businesses. Executives from companies such as IBA, Microsoft, WeWork and Pitaya are due to take part in the summit.SOUTHNegev ashram to hold ‘hippie festival’Amid the sweeping arid landscape of the Negev, Israel’s largest “hippie festival” is expected to draw hundreds of nature-and-music-loving party-goers for a five-day experience in April that pledges to provide “a sensual meeting between spirituality, dance, meditation and music.”The spring version of the biannual Zorba the Buddha Festival is scheduled for April 13-17 at the Desert Ashram in Nahal Shittim.Under expansive tents and under the stars, the event will provide a range of polar experiences from ecstasy to therapy, as one can take part in a spectrum of activities from psychedelic dance parties to meditating in the silence of the desert.Attendees are encouraged to bring their own tents to sleep in.The festival is limited to participants aged 21 and over. Tickets cost NIS 479, with transportation options available for an additional NIS 170.CENTER Fresh Paint 9 fair to showcase top art at TAUMore than 30,000 visitors are expected to attend the ninth annual Fresh Paint contemporary art fair to be held this year, as the launch event for Tel Aviv University’s Steinhardt Museum of Natural History building, from March 28 to April 1.The expansive collaboration between many of Israel’s small galleries, large museums and dozens of individual emerging artists is said to be one of the country’s largest annual art events.Along with significant established forces in the Israeli art scene, the fair seeks to serve as a launching pad for about 50 upand- coming local artists, whose works will be displayed in what is dubbed the Independent Artists Greenhouse.The fair will also provide a perspective on the current state of affairs in local art and design scenes through international art shows, a video greenhouse and a presentation of top Israeli product designers. As is its custom, the fair will also feature social project collaborations, including the Secret Postcard Project, an anonymous display sale of more than 1,000 postcard-sized works by renowned artists along with young artists and students.The exhibition is open Tuesday to Thursday (March 28-30), from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday (March 31), from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday (April 1), from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission costs NIS 45, and entrance for children age five and under is free.Details are available at www.freshpaint.co.il/en.