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Twestival Israel: Because the USA Can’t Have all the Fun

The following is a guest post by Ariela Ross.

The crisp Jerusalem air at the new JVP Media Center provided Thursday evening’s venue for the Israeli Twestival. Supporting the cause for water resource research and development were a few dozen caring Twitterers and friends.

With smooth sounds from a few different Israeli performers (such as Aaron Schner and Hamakor), we found ourselves looking up from Tweetdeck or Twhirl more than occasionally to have a verbal tweet session with followers, those we’re following, and even creating a few new Twitter friends from the region.

For those who found themselves a little stressed out from staring at the monitor a little too much, there was a fun meditation station. Grab a tangerine, and meditate on it. From seed to branch to flower to fruit… some people even ended with a blessing over the fruit from a tree. This booth was run by @yannaik for Jewish Climate Initiative.

A selection of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a white wine was offered. Soreq Winery, located in the western Judean Hills area, produces a fantastic Merlot. For more information about the winery, including tours of the vineyard, e-mail soreq@barak.net.il.

It’s often said Tel Aviv is a bubble… but Baabua (bubble in Hebrew) provided some great, bubblicious, activities for all at the Jerusalem Twestival. There were a few bins full of sudsy water and an over-sized handheld tool to twirl around and create huge bubbles (see above pics of @arielbeery), in addition to a bin where one stands on a dry platform in the middle and a hoola-hoop is drawn from the water below to encapitulate the person inside a human-sized bubble. You can find out more about Baabua by visiting their website – https://www.baabua.co.il/.

Of course, as the main point of the Twestival world wide was, the focus was water and conservation. The Jerusalem Twestival featured speakers and demonstrations by Magic-tec, which offers water saving plumbing devices that can nearly cut your faucet’s water out pour by half and more great water saving products. Amir Yechieli introduced the crowd of environmentally-focused Twitter addicts to a rainwater irrigation system that could save upwards of 300 liters of precious water per day! These and many more Israeli companies and organizations that are clean-tech focused are pioneers in creating a more sustainable planet for all.

Many of Israel’s up-and-coming bloggers made a cameo at the event as well. From @aryeha, to @greenprophet, and @power2b, all came together to celebrate H2O at Jerusalem’s Twestival, 2009. Gratitude to the organizers (@presentense and @charliekalech) and participants for a successful evening.