The Israel Government Tourist Office – Midwest Region has chosen a winner for the Happy Birthday Tel Aviv @ 100 Photo Contest, which ran from April 29th through September 30th, 2009. The winner is Mrs. Lori Pachefsky of Slinger, WI. Mrs. Pachefsky photo features the famous statue of “The Fonz” in Milwaukee, WI behind a Happy Birthday Tel Aviv @ 100 Road Sign and the tagline “‘Happy Days’ are Spent in Israel.” The winner, Mrs. Pachefsky will receive two roundtrip airline tickets from Chicago to Tel Aviv, courtesy of Turkish Airlines.
Mrs. Pachefsky, who found out about the contest from an article in the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, said of her participation: “I have wanted to go to Israel for a long time, but I couldn't find the time; work and other things always seemed to get in the way. Our oldest son went to Israel two years ago and said that was the best trip he ever had. This July I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I underwent major surgery the end of August and will have some follow-up treatment. Visiting Israel was something I was determined to do in my lifetime and decided that now was the time for me to make this trip. Winning this contest made my dream come true.” On choosing The Fonz for her photo: “Since the contest was based in the Midwest, I was sure that the "Fonz" would be recognized by everyone involved. The show "Happy Days" represented an easier, family-orientated time that brings good thoughts with it. Since the show was based in Milwaukee I thought this photo said Milwaukee and "good times".”
Mrs Lori Pachefsky - The Fonz - Tel Aviv Photo Contest
Tourism Consul Uri Steinberg, director of the Israel Government Tourist Office – Midwest Region, said: “Tel Aviv’s Centennial is a major milestone for Israel, and we ran the contest in order to get the Midwest Region involved in the celebration. It has been a great year for Tel Aviv and for Israel, and we want to express our appreciation to all those who participated in the photo contest, as well as those who celebrated the centennial in their communities and in Tel Aviv itself. And special congratulations to Lori Pachefsky - as she so aptly put it, happy days are indeed spent in Israel.” Tel Aviv’s Centennial celebrations kicked off on April 4th and included everything from art festivals to sporting events to the construction of giant carpet of flowers in Rabin Square. The celebrations will wrap up on December 17th with the opening of the new Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo. More information on Tel Aviv’s 100th anniversary can be found at www.tlv100.co.il.
The Israel Government Tourist Office – Midwest Region would like to thank all those who participated in the contest and helped to make it a success.
For more information, contact Julie Cooper, Director of Public Relations at (312) 803-7077 or juliec@imot.org.
