Cast an eye to the heavens as part of Israeli Space Week(photo credit: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SPACE MINISTRY)ByCOMPILEDJULIE STEIGERWALDUpdated: CENTERThe annual Israeli Space Week is set to blast off on Sunday with various stellar activities for the whole family taking place in the country’s Center.Read MoreTel Aviv: The Eretz Israel Museum is due to host the festive week’s main event – a virtual reality experience presented by SpaceIL, a nonprofit organization working to fulfill the mission of landing the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon. As part of the interactive endeavor, children can virtually experience what it is like to be in outer space and take part in a journey from the launching to the navigation to the landing of a spacecraft.The program will run from Sunday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Free registration for the event at www.space.gov.il/node/1345.Herzliya:On Monday and Tuesday, experts in the field from Israel and around the world will gather at the IAF Center in Herzliya for the Israel Space Agency’s 12th annual International Space Conference dedicated to Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. Prominent participants to attend the summit, titled “Bringing Space Down to Earth,” include Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis, IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel, Ilan Ramon’s widow, Rona, European Space Agency director-general Jan Warner, Italian Space Agency president Roberto Battiston, US Air Force Gen. John Raymond, NASA astronaut Richard Arnold and French astronaut Jean-Jacques Favier.Registration for the conference is available at most1.herokuapp.com.Givatayim:The Givatayim Observatory will be open to the public on Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. to offer stargazing activities. The observatory will allow participants to use a telescope to view celestial objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Hands-on workshops for the whole family will also be available at the facility during this time.Admission is free and no prior registration is needed.Rehovot:Have you ever wondered what it would take to sustain life in outer space? The Clore Garden of Science at the Davidson Institute of Science Education in Rehovot on Tuesday evening will offer a glimpse of the special conditions needed for life to prevail outside the bounds of Earth. Visitors can explore the center’s biodome with controlled conditions of the likes found on Earth that could be necessary for humans to exist in other environments. The institute will also offer an array of other activities, such as water-propelled model rocket making, telescope observation stations and museum tours.The program will run from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is free.American School hosts charity fashion show The Walworth Barbour American International School in Even Yehuda is set to host a charity fashion show on February 4 to benefit African migrant children in south Tel Aviv.Organized by a pair of students from the educational institution, proceeds from the “Fashion for a Purpose” event will be sent in particular to the food drive and childcare initiative Pesia’s Kitchen, established by former restaurateur Gideon Ben Ami.The charity fashion show will feature student models wearing apparel donated by various popular brands. Celebrity chef Ran Shmueli is also slated to donate catering for the event.Admission prices range from NIS 120 to NIS 250. For more information and ticket purchase call (09) 890-1000.SOUTH Agriculture expo in the AravaMore than 200 businesses and companies are expected to display their latest innovations at the Agricultural Exhibition and Open Day at the Yair R&D Center in the Arava on Wednesday and Thursday.Celebrating its 26th year, the expo is to offer a rare glimpse into the world of research, technology and new discoveries in the field of agriculture. Thousands of agriculture enthusiasts will have a field day exploring the flourishing advancements in the areas of seeding, organic farming, urban farming, genetically modified crops, solar energy, watering mechanisms, agriculture technology and desert planting.The event will also feature musical performances by popular Israeli band Balkan Beat Box and Eilat-born singer Karolina.Tickets cost NIS 150 and are available online until February 1.NORTHIsraelis lend helping hand to SyriansIsraeli residents shocked by the silence of the world in the face of the violence taking place in neighboring Syria held a pair of charity events last week in the North, with proceeds going toward the treatment of wounded Syrians in the Jewish state.Last Friday, the communities in Kibbutz Ma’agan and Pardess Hanna held volunteer musical performances to support the humanitarian assistance provided to Syrians by Ziv Medical Center in Safed.“Many of us were shocked and felt powerless in relation to what is happening right here, close to the border,” said one of the event’s organizers, Maya Laila Haffer. “We thought it was best to help the people and children who are already here in our country, who have faces and names.”The proceeds of the endeavor were set to be contributed to Ziv Medical Center to help with the purchase of medical equipment and medicines on behalf of wounded patients from Syria.See more onisrael treating syriansRECOMMENDED STORIESIran says 'no news' of further US nuclear talks, Shas signals it will vote to dissolve KnessetJUNE 9, 2025IDF takes Greta Thunberg’s 'Madleen,' to Ashdod port, flotilla passengers to watch Oct. 7 footageJUNE 9, 2025Iran carried out implosion tests for nuclear weapons development, IAEA reportsJUNE 8, 2025IDF footage exposes Hamas's brutal public execution of Gaza dissenterJUNE 8, 2025
