Japanese philanthropist dedicates $3 million planetarium in Netanya

Japanese businessman, Rikoho Madarame, 79, who said, “I have a special place in my heart for the Jews,” funded $2 million of the $3 million to the Madarame Planetarium and Meditation Center in Netanya.
• Meanwhile, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden is also in Israel, participating in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment science & education initiative, of which NASA is a partner.

By Nitzi Yakov and Ilan Gattegno

The city of Netanya was set to dedicate a $3 million science and space center on Monday. The 1,000-square-meter (11,000-square-foot) Madarame Planetarium and Meditation Center was largely funded by Japanese businessman and philanthropist Rikoho Madarame, 79, who arrived in Israel on Sunday with his wife and daughter. Continue Reading »