
Since 2009 primary schools from all over Europe have been taking part in their very own version of the Eurovision contest, entitled Schoolovision. This year, 41 countries took part in this event, which has won several international education awards. Since its inception over 100 entries have been performed by a total of over 400 children.
Source: Jpost.com
| 1 | Israel | 218 |
| 2 | Norway | 213 |
| 3 | Austria | 193 |
| 4 | Czech Republic | 190 |
| 5 | Iceland | 155 |
| 6 | Germany | 143= |
| 6 | Netherlands | 143= |
| 8 | Spain | 114 |
| 9 | Slovenia | 90 |
| 10 | Malta | 89 |
| 11 | Belgium | 76 |
| 12 | Switzerland | 65 |
| 13 | Ukraine | 63 |
| 14 | Scotland | 50 |
| 15 | Portugal | 45 |
| 16 | England | 40 |
| 17 | Greece | 36 |
| 18 | Cyprus | 34 |
| 19 | Estonia | 28 |
| 20 | Bulgaria | 27 |
| 21 | Latvia | 24 |
| 22 | Denmark | 22 |
| 23 | France | 20 |
| 24 | Italy | 18 |
| 25 | Sweden | 16= |
| 25 | Russia | 16= |
| 27 | Ireland | 14= |
| 27 | Poland | 14= |
| 29 | Croatia | 12= |
| 29 | Turkey | 12= |
| 31 | Finland | 10 |
| 32 | Basque Country | 6= |
| 32 | Lithuania | 6= |
| 32 | Wales | 6= |
| 35 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 |
| 36 | Georgia | 2 |
| 37 | Azerbaijan | 1= |
| 37 | Slovakia | 1= |

Israeli gymnast Alex Shatilov, 25, won the gold medal for floor exercise at the European Championship in Moscow.
Shatilov gave a tremendous performance in his exercise, rated with a difficulty level of 6.4, and was awarded an impressive 15.333 points, finishing in first place, paired with another athlete who received the same number of points, in a final consisting of 8 participants.
In the past Shatilov won two bronze medals (2009 and 2011) and one silver medal (2011) at the European championships, and this is the currently the crowning achievement of his career. The Israeli gymnast, who finished in sixth place in the last Olympic Games, is considered one of Israel’s best hopes for the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.
On Sunday, Shatilov will also compete in the horizontal bar event. Immediately after, Ophir Netzer, a 17-year-old Israeli girl will compete in the vault event. This will be her fourth ever international competition.
Source: Haaretz.com

Israel’s national rugby team plays its last European Nations Cup game of the season tomorrow when it hosts Denmark. Victory and bonus points will give Israel an eight-point lead over the second-place team and practically ensure one of the top two spots in Division 2B.
Israel beat Denmark the last time the two countries met at Wingate in a 15-0 match. However, the two squads have gone different ways since then. While Denmark only registered its first win of the campaign last week by defeating Serbia, Israel has racked up three victories, edging Latvia 17-15 last week.
“The Danes are in good shape,” head coach Ra’anan Penn told his players this week. “They tore apart Serbia.” Penn noted that the Danish squad is much more balanced than Latvia, so it will be more difficult to play against them. “They have lighter and more mobile forwards, and a balanced line with a lot of players who can take the ball ahead,” he added. “We’ll have to be better than them at every position.”
Winning isn’t enough for Penn and the players, who want to score four tries in order to earn bonus points. The key is asserting unrelenting pressure. The Israeli squad is capable of putting great pressure on the lead opponents with the ball as well as the Danish scrum.
Israel will rely on Eitan Humphreys and Mordechay Radashkovich, who is expected to open at the 10 position, to arrive quickly and cut the Danish attack before it gathers force. The team can also rely on Michael Eli, Yonatan Kaplan and Gilad Goldstein to lead to breakouts in the center of the pitch and turn the expected rain to Israel’s advantage. In contrast, the rain is liable to undo Israel’s most important advantage − its fans. Some 500 Israelis sat on the sidelines during the game against Latvia, egging on Israel in the final minutes. Another 1,500 spectators sat in the stands. Israel Rugby officials expressed concern about this scenario.
“Israeli fans are not spoiled,” said Israel Rugby Union chairman Menachem Ben Menachem. “I’m sure that even in wintry weather all the national team’s fans will leave home and push us to another victory.”
Source: Haaretz.com

Winners of the Israeli competition of the L’oreal-UNESCO Women In Science event, held last July. Left to right: Professor Hagit Yaron-Meser, Chairperson of the Open University; Prize winners Osnat Zomer-Penn, Dr. Efrat Shamah-Yaakovi, and Gili Bisker; and Ruth Arnon, director of the Israeli Academy of Sciences (Photo credit: Lamm and Velich Photo Studio)
For the third year running, the Israeli winner of the L’Oréal-UNESCO “Women in Science” prize has gone on to take the winning title for all of Europe. Dr. Osnat Zomer-Penn, who was one of three Israelis chosen to compete in the finals, received the European award in a ceremony at the Sorbonne in Paris on Thursday.

The Israeli team at the Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center at Ben Gurion University.
Israeli high school students have won first prize at the 20th annual First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics competition, held in Warsaw. It is the first time an Israeli delegation has won the top prize at the international competition.
The competition, held at the Warsaw Institute of Physics in the Polish Academy of Sciences, requires high school students from across the globe to submit research papers in the fields of physics and high-technology.
Yuval Katznelson, of Kiryat Gat, won first place overall for his research of energy in unique gases found in charcoal fibers.
“We succeeded in showing the world the potential of the Jewish mind,” said Professor Victor Malamud, the head of the Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center at Ben Gurion University, which works with students who wish to enter physics competitions.
May Alon, 18, from the southern town of Netivot, won third place for her project in the field of astrophysics. After graduating from high school, Alon is now doing national service. She said she was dreaming of a Nobel Prize in physics and possibly of becoming an astronaut so she can see the subject of her research up close.
“Within the framework of my national service, I guide groups for the Israeli Astronomical Association and think of what will happen down the road. I want to do great things in science and contribute to humanity,” she said.
Source: IsraelHayom

We may not be top notch sportsmen but if there’s one thing Israelis are good at, it’s talking.
And to prove the point Shachar Lavi, a 28 year old music producer from Tel Aviv, won first prize at the Grant’s True Tales 24 Hour Storytelling Marathon hosted by the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The contest ,hosted by Grant’s whiskey, pitted dozens of storytellers from all over the world against each other in a grueling contest to pick the best storyteller in the world.
For 15 minutes Shachar Lavi moved the audience as he recanted his traumatic Bar Mitzvah when as part of the ceremony to celebrate his transition from child to adult he saw a lamb he used to play with as a child slaughtered by his grandfather, in his honor.
Shachar says he was afraid the audience wouldn’t go for a Jewish story especially ‘an inhumane one’ but at the end of the day Shachar won the contest and was awarded a 25 year old rare bottle of Grant’s whiskey.
On Sunday he delivered a summarized version of the winning tale.