I
World
Under The Radar
A lster/Flas h9 0
A marathon's wrong turn, Dylan's return and an underground hospital.
Marcy Oster
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jerusalem
H
ere are some recent stories out
of Israel that you may have
missed:
Wrong Finish
With all the twists and turns in Jerusalem,
perhaps it was no surprise that the first
three runners to complete the city's first
official marathon ended up at the wrong
finish line.
Three Kenyans mistakenly ended up at
the finish line for the half-marathon, but
they were still credited with their spots in
the international event after their official
finish times were calculated.
Some 1,500 runners from around the
world, including Jerusalem Mayor Nir
Barkat, participated in the 26.2-mile race
on March 25. More than 8,000 competed
in the half-marathon and 10K (6+ miles)
races.
The marathon took place just two days
after a bomb attack in central Jerusalem
left a British tourist dead and more than
three dozen people were injured. No
runners reportedly withdrew due to the
attack.
Dylan's Return
Nearly two decades after his last concert
here, Bob Dylan is making his way back
to Israel.
Dylan agreed to play Tel Aviv in June,
during the middle of
his world tour, follow-
ing lengthy negotiations
between his people and
Israeli concert promot-
ers. The folk-rock icon
last played Israel in
1993; he also performed
in Israel in 1987.
Bob Dylan
He is among several
musical heavyweights coming to Israel,
notably the teen sensation Justin Bieber,
who will be performing April 14. Less than
a week later the British singer Bryan Ferry,
who reached the heights of his popularity
in the 1970s and '80s, also will perform in
Tel Aviv.
Megadeth will play Tel Aviv in May
— the heavy metal band's fourth appear-
32
April 7 2011
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat raises his hands in victory as he finishes the Jerusalem Marathon.
ance in Israel. Its former guitarist Marty
Friedman, who is Jewish, will perform a
solo show on May 31.
Finally, Irish musician Bob Geldof, who
in 1985 staged the Live Aid charity concert
to help famine-stricken Africa, will visit
Israel for the first time in May to receive
an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev. The award will
honor his successful musical career and
his charitable activities.
While in Israel, Geldof also will par-
ticipate in the conference "Israel in
Africa: Past, Present and Future orga-
nized by IsraAID-The Israel Forum for
International Humanitarian Aid.
Look Out Below
When is an underground parking lot not
for cars?
When it becomes an underground hos-
pital able to provide protection against
conventional, chemical and biological
attack.
Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv in March
unveiled the largest bomb-proof medical
facility in Israel. The building, which goes
four stories underground, can hold up to
1,000 hospital beds. It will be able to func-
tion for a week without external power
sources.
When not needed as an emergency hos-
pital, the below-ground floors will be used
for short-term parking for patients.
Above ground, the 13-floor Sammy Ofer
Heart Center will house internal medicine
departments, cardiology units and other
departments that handle heart problems,
blood supplies and testing, and brain
trauma.
Barclays In Israel
Tel Aviv is the new home for a technologi-
cal research and development center for
Barclays Capital.
The Israel Development and
Engineering Center will provide develop-
ment and engineering services that will
support the international finance opera-
tions of Barclays Capital.
The financial group is taking advantage
of the Israeli government's Comparative
Advantage program, created by the
Ministry of Finance and Industry to
encourage the establishment of knowl-
edge-based industries in Israel. The pro-
gram includes tax breaks and subsidizing
some labor costs.
"We are proud to be the first interna-
tional financial institution to take part
in this program:' said Len Rosen, CEO of
Barclays Capital in Israel. "The significant
involvement of Barclays Capital in the
Israeli market, and our work with clients
in the technology field, allowed us to ben-
efit from the existing capabilities in this
high-tech market. This project indicates
Barclays Capital's commitment to the
Israeli market, as shown in recent years by
the expansion of our operations here."
Israel already is the site of R&D centers
for global behemoths such as Intel, IBM,
Motorola, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard. All
told, some 35,000 Israelis are employed in
research and development.
Something Old, New
The rededicated Hurva Synagogue, located
near the Western Wall in the Old City of
Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter, hosted its
first official wedding ceremony since its