Everyone likes to hear a good story and there will be great tales, anecdotes and monologues at the 17th annual Storytelling Festival at the Givatayim Theater in Givatayim, just east of Tel Aviv, from tomorrow through September 30.

This year’s impressive lineup includes Britain’s unofficial storyteller laureate Taffy Thomas, Iraqi singer Ismail Fadel, acclaimed Canadian raconteur Dan Yashinsky, founder of the Toronto Festival of Storytelling, and former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star Aulcie Perry.

Perry (60) told The Jerusalem Post, “I’ve had a tough couple of years, and I was just starting to get everything together to start telling my story to the public. I think it’s time I told it”.

The iconic former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star grew up in a tough New Jersey neighborhood in the racially-charged 1950s. He will talk about his conversion to Judaism over 30 years ago, and how he came to be circumcised at eight days old, African American origin notwithstanding.

Home-based talents include veteran media personality and comic Rivka Michaeli, former president Yitzhak Navon, former chief rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, children’s TV show host Hanni Nahmias, former Knesset speaker Avrum Burg, and Greek music radio and TV show presenter Shimon Parnass.

Information in Hebrew about the festival is available on-line or by phone, at (03) 604-5000 or *8965