SEPTEMBER 2009 Vol. 2 - Issue 8

FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER AND OTHER WORLD DIGNITARIES GATHER AT KING DAVID HOTEL IN JERUSALEM

Last month at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu were among the guests of honor at a luncheon of The Elders, an independent group of eminent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela. Other attendees included former Indian Parliament member Ela Bhutt and Virgin Group CEO Sir Richard Branson.

Gap, the popular American clothing retailer, opened its first Israeli store at the Alrov Mamilla Mall in Jerusalem this month. The fashionable clothing brand plans to launch more branches in Tel Aviv's Azrieli Mall and at the Herzliya Marina in February 2010.

Approximately 1.42 million pasengers traveled through Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv in August 2009, a 2 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Also, a record-high 359 aircrafts passed through Ben Gurion International Airport on August 27. http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Airports/BenGurion.

The Dead Sea is currently ranked among the Top 14 candidates in the New 7 Wonders of Nature online competition. Travelers may vote online for the next round of finalists on the competition's website, www.new7wonders.com.

Crystal Cruises' Crystal Overland Adventures will visit Israel during its 12-day cruise this fall. The cruise ship will depart from Athens on October 8 and dock in the Israeli port of Ashdod, bringing travelers to Masada, the Dead Sea, the Mount of Olives and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Also, Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Equinox will depart on September 26 and make stops in Haifa and Ashdod. www.crystalcruises.com/MediaCenter.aspx?pr=551; www.celebritycruises.com

Los Angeles-based television station Univision 34 was awarded an Emmy this month for "Outstanding Light News Story-Multi Report" for its series, "Israel, Aqui es Donde."

The 36th Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival will feature 16 original music productions in four different venues around Jerusalem, October 6-10. The festival will host the Stuttgart Chamber Choir and conductor Maestro Frieder Bernius and feature music by Bach, Mendelssohn and Brahams performed by musicians from around the world. www.agfestival.co.il

In advance of the High Holidays, a festival cantorial concert will be held at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem on September 8. The concert will pay tribute to the great cantor Mordechai Hershman from the Golden Era of American Chazanut and feature Cantors Shlomo Glick, Sharon Gerlitz, Simon Cohen, Moshe Solomon and Reuven Pinkski. www.towerofdavid.org.il

The third Tel Aviv International Dance Festival will take place at the Suzanne Dellal Center and the Israeli Opera at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, October 16 to November 17. The month-long festival will showcase 34 performances by 16 companies from Asia, the U.S. and Europe, including the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Barak Marshall and the National Ballet of Spain. www.suzannedellal.org.il; www.israel-opera.co.il

A new exhibit featuring a selection of collages from 1916 to 2008 opened this month at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The exhibit features illustrations by Leonora Carrington, as well as artwork from the early Modernist movement of the 1920's and lithographic and photographic print-screened collages. www.tamuseum.com

FINNISH TOUR OPERATOR TO RENEW FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL

Finnish tour operator Aurinkomatkat will relaunch flights from Finland to Israel, beginning October 2009. The Finnish company will operate weekly charter flights from Tallinn to Eilat every Sunday with a concurrent series of flights from Finland and Saint Petersburg to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.