Israel will be flooded with the flavour of Australia for one week in June with G'day Shalom Salaam Israel, presented by the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange.

Jazz piano masters, classical music recitals, some of the best Australian films on offer, a three-hat chef and the launch of the Australia Israel Leadership Forum is a true celebration of Australia and the ongoing relationship between the two countries.

Classical piano prodigy David Helfgott will dazzle audiences with virtuoso performances in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Award-winning French-born, Sydney Opera House-based chef Guillaume will provide a feast at a celebratory gala dinner at the King David Hotel. Making his Israel performance debut is jazz legend Paul Grabowsky. In its sixth year, the annual AICE Australian Film Festival is a celluloid celebration of the best of recent Australian film. His last performance in Israel was broadcast throughout the country – June sees the return of jazz pianist supremo Joe Chindamo. The exchange of ideas and thoughts between key representatives from both countries in politics, academia, media and culture will launch the Australia Israel Leadership Forum.

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Our second bumper edition of 36 pages.

Innovation. That's the word that comes to mind as AICE prepares to launch its inaugural G'day Shalom Salaam Israel in June. The week-long extravaganza will showcase the largest-ever concentration of Australian culture in Israel as well as the launch of the Australia Israel Leadership Forum. Leading the Australian delegation to Israel is Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who told 'Rhapsody' in Face to Face: 'The Forum will provide an excellent opportunity to build stronger ties between our two nations as well as an opportunity to build important people-to-people ties'.

Three books form the basis of three articles in this edition. Ori Golan talks to multi-award-winning Israeli author Nava Semel, who is visiting Australia in May. Her innovative Holocaust-themed book, 'And The Rat Laughed', was such a runaway success it was made into an opera and is now being turned into a film. Michael Danby MP is non-plussed with Fairfax's chief Middle-East correspondent Paul McGeough, who, Danby argues, mistakenly lays the blame for the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process at Israel's door in his new book, 'Kill Khalid'. And Nir Goms believes that two-time American Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, with his new book, 'The End of Innocence', has much to teach the new Obama administration in its dealings in the Middle East.

'Rhapsody' continues to celebrate 100 years of Tel Aviv by talking to veteran theatre critic Michael Handelzalts about his Tel Aviv; Ros Tatarka provides a preview of her selection for the AICE Australian Festival 2009. In between, there lie reams of reading on politics, art, history and even sport! The common denominator, as ever, is the ties that bind these two far-flung nations

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