December 2014
Season’s Greetings, Ambassador’s Message
17 December 2014
The Israel Ireland Friendship League hosted its annual Hannukkah lighting yesterday evening in the Shamrock Bar, Netanyah. Thanks to the Chairman of the League, the indefatigable Malcolm Gafson, for organizing the event. It’s great to meet our Irish Jewish community and hear their stories, often of childhood in Dublin and making Aliya here and raising their families.
October 2014
Yair Werdyger’s Academy of Irish Dance in Israel
October 18, 2014
The Embassy, through the Cultural Diplomacy Programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had supported the work of Yair Werdyger’s Academy of Irish Dance in Israel. Yair frequently brings his popular “Magic of Ireland” show on tour in Israel and, in his teaching studio, hosts competitions for Irish dancing students whom he has trained.
June 2014
Bloomsday Celebration
June 16, 2014
This year, Ambassador McKee hosted the first Bloomsday celebration on the 15 June. Bloomsday, 16th June 1904, is the day in which James Joyce’s novel Ulysses takes place, charting the travels around Dublin of the advertising salesman, Dubliner of Jewish background and (anti-) hero, Leopold Bloom. The day is essentially Ireland’s national literary day and was marked in Tel Aviv this year at a reception with a narration from the text and readings of the parts of Leopold Bloom, his wife, Molly, his young student acquaintance, Stephen Dedalus.
May 2014
The annual Samuel Beckett Lecture
May 29, 2014
The annual Samuel Beckett Lecture held in Tel Aviv University. The 2014 Samuel Beckett on 29 May and was given by Alba Arikha, the London-based author and musician, and goddaughter of Samuel Becket, on the theme of “A Different Side of Sam: Beckett, Arikha, and a Parisian Adolescence” who provided a personal insight into his life and close friendship over many years with her father, the renowned Israeli artist, Avigdor Arikha. The annual lecture has taken place since 2004 with the cooperation and support of Professor Linda Ben-Zvi of the Beckett Society, and of Department of Theatre Studies in Tel Aviv University. Planning for the 2015 Lecture has started.