Donald Byrd is going to Jerusalem. The artistic director for Spectrum Dance Theater has been selected to join the Foundation for Jewish Culture's new American Academy in Israel as part of a cultural exchange between American and Israeli scholars, artists, thinkers and students. more ›

Perhaps it's a resurgence of energy after the post-holiday blues that galvanized city activists to gather in solidarity against world problems this weekend. There were two rallies we know of: yesterday's 1,500-strong pro-Israel rally at Temple De Hirsch Sinai on Capitol Hill, and a gay rights protest march from Capitol Hill to Westlake Center on Saturday. The pro-Israel rally was the larger and better-organized of the two; as Dominic Holden over at Slog notes, the anti-DOMA march was poorly attended and organized by a small, inexperienced group without the help of Equal Rights Washington. (Our apologies if the headline makes it seem like the anti-DOMA and pro-Israel camps had anything to do with each other, because they sure didn't.) more ›

It was a terrifying night for former Garfield and UW basketballer Tre Simmons, who's playing in Israel this year. Israeli basketball fans are notoriously crazy, but the fans--or at least one fan--got a little too crazy yesterday at a contest between Holon (Simmons' team) and Jerusalem. A Jerusalem fan (presumably) threw a firecracker at the Holon bench. An alert security guard who tried to pick the explosive up and toss it away got his hand... more ›