Best of British to be showcased at Tel Aviv culture festival in November

Tel Aviv is to host a culture festival showcasing the best of London in late November after Israel’s cosmopolitan heart first came to Camden two years ago.

From 27-30 November Israeli squares will be adorned with Union Jacks as performers play British songs, chefs cook British dishes and artists showcase the best of the British capital in the Eurovision 2019 host city.

The announcement follows the successful Tel Aviv in London (TLV in LDN) festival held in September 2017, when Camden’s iconic Roundhouse thumped to an Israeli beat, falafel was the street food of choice and the Coronet hosted an unlikely beach party.

The return festival will involve Tel Aviv’s art museum, Cameri theatre and the city’s performing arts centre, with music from The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran, Adele and Queen due to fill the night sky, washed down with fish, chips and warm beer.

London in Tel Aviv will also see a selection of performances from the Brighton-based Hofesh Shechter Dance Company, which was set up by an Israeli choreographer based in the British capital and now gets UK Government support.

There will be Shakespeare with a twist, courtesy of the RSC (Reduced Shakespeare Company) at the Cameri Theatre, while audiences at the art museum will hear cellist Natalie Klein and composer-conductor Gil Shochat perform works by Bach, Brahms, Bloch, Rachmaninov and Chopin.

On the pitch, Special Olympics Israel is to host a football match between a British and Israeli team, while in the cinema, films will focus on the lives of famous Brits, from Queen Elizabeth to Princess Diana and ‘the Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher.

The festival is being organised by British businessman Marc Worth, a former chairman of the Britain-Israel Chamber of Commerce who is now one of the backers of the Tel Aviv Foundation, and served for four years as the chairman of the board of governors of Shenkar College.