May 2008
De Niro in Herzliyah next door to Tel Aviv
Both partner Robert De Niro and his son Raphael, who was due to attend. were absent. Attending the event were Chef Nobu Matsuhisa as well as the former-Israeli partners Meir Teper and Richie Notar and the Israeli partners in the project – the Strauss family and the Tidhar Group. Also joining the event were Paris Hilton and her beau.
“We have faith in the Israeli economy,” said Notar, adding that partner De Niro has personally attended the meetings with architect David Rockwell, regarding the design of the hotel planned to be erected above the Arena shopping mall, owned by Jacky Ben-Zaken and partners.
The hotel will open its gates within two years and will feature 225 rooms. According to Sales Director, Sigal Ben-Moshe, all rooms will be available for purchase from $600,000 for a studio to $1.7 million for a penthouse. The sales concept is that the property owner will receive an annual refund of up to 5% and additional percentage from the project’s profits.
The Herzliya hotel will be built in Japanese-style architecture, featuring a large SPA club designed to provide business people with a relaxing, innovative meeting place.
According to Tidhar Group, the partnership with Nobu and the Strauss family may expand into additional hotel branches as the partners seek other sites in Greece and Eastern Europe.
Proposal: Close Jerusalem’s Old City to vehicles
Transported Ministry to establish committee on readjusting traffic in capital. Amongst recommendations: Turning site into pedestrian street. ‘The movement of vehicles in the Old City disturbs tourists,’ says Tourism Ministry director-general
The Tourism Ministry on Monday announced a plan to establish a combined committee that will work towards modifying the traffic infrastructure in the Old City of Jerusalem to one that is acceptable in major tourist cities around the world, as part of the efforts being made to improve the tourism there.
The committee will be run by the Transport Ministry, and will consist of members from the Tourism and Finance Ministries and from the Jerusalem Municipality.
The committee will discuss the option of turning the site into a pedestrian street. Other options include paving safe inlets on which tourists can walk, expanding existing traffic lanes and paving additional lanes to the Old City.
Transport Ministry Director-General Shaul Zemach noted in a press release that the street and parking systems in the Old City are not prepared to comply with the growing demand, stating that “the movement of private vehicles and public transportation within the Old City cause a great disturbance to tourists and to visitors of tourist sites.
“Moreover, they significantly hurt the tourist experience. Jerusalem is one of the most important and well-known tourism centers in the world and, as such, is worthy of providing a unique and quality experience.”
‘A better quality of life’
Zemach said that his office was working with the Jerusalem Municipality to find solutions concerning procedures regarding entrance of vehicles into the Old City and cheapening parking prices.
He added that “the Transport Ministry is holding joint discussions with various governmental offices, with the purpose of multiplying forces that will ease traffic problems in city centers and that will allow a better quality of life to inhabitants of large cities.”
Also mentioned was the decision to jointly develop tourism infrastructures throughout Israel.
The Transport Ministry spokesperson told Ynet that “in the next few days members of the committee will be chosen. The Tourism Ministry’s initiative is in its preliminary stages.
“The committee will assess alternative solutions available in the Old City and also the public transportation and the inhabitants’ transportation. At present, we do not have information regarding the level of the project’s implementation and the option of creating a pedestrian street.”
President of Israel, Shimon Peres
A world renowned politician, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and an accomplished author with a political career spanning 65 years, Peres’ path to presidency was anything but easy
Born Szymon Persky in Wiszniew, Poland on August 2, 1923, he came to Israel in 1934, attended the Geula School in Tel Aviv and the Ben Shemen agricultural school, lived on Kibbutz Geva and was one of the founders of Kibbutz Alumot. He later attended the New York School for Social Research and Harvard University.
Peres first entered Israeli politics in 1959, and has been a constant figure in the local political arena ever since.
Prime minister of Israel three times, Peres served in 12 Israeli cabinets as finance minister, foreign minister, defense minister and development of the Negev, Galilee and regional economy minister, to name a few.
Keeping away from public eye. With Sonya. (Photo: GPO)
Prior to his nomination for president he served as the vice premier of Israel, under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Peres was voted Israel’s ninth president on June 13 2007.
In 1945, Peres married Sonya Gelman. The couple has three children, Tzvia, Yoni and Chemi, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Israeli cinema goes green with ecologically friendly festival
The viewings which include international films will be shown in cinemas in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sderot and Rosh Pina between 15 and 25 May 2008. Some showings will be followed by a discussion with the film’s director.
The festival will also encompass additional events ranging from workshops, street theater and children’s activities to an Organic Market which will take place outside the Tel Aviv Cinemateque on Saturday 24 May from 12:00 until 19:00. The movie, Les Animaux Amoureux will be shown on a large outdoor screen in Hayarkon Park, (Rosh Tzippor area) Tel Aviv, on May 22 at 20:00, as part of the Lag b’Omer celebrations.
Visitors flock to national parks, reserves during Passover
Visitors seek nature attractions; most popular sites near sources of water. Littering problem improving
Almost two million visitors spent the holiday and mid-holiday in nature reserves and national parks throughout the country. The most popular sites were near sources of water, as temperatures remained hot throughout the holiday period.
“Reports show that Israelis are not deterred by the heat when opportunities arise for a family visit to nature, picnicking, bike riding, or hiking,” says Uzi Barzilay, head marketing director of the Israel Nature & National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA.)
Holiday visitors at the Megiddo National Park (Photo: INNPPA)
In preparation for the heavy heat, the INNPPA organized shaded areas, water supply, short trails for the entire family as well as information and guidance. However, rangers did handle a few dozen cases of dehydration as well as fires caused by some of the visitors’ negligence.
“We are always prepared for visitors needing evacuation, though most of them took care in the heat,” Barzilay said, adding that the damage caused by the fires was kept to a minimum thanks to the quick response of the rangers and firefighters.