Stuck between a beach and a hard place

Jerusalem Post, Metro; December 29, 2006

Tel Aviv Anglos find work more easily, but struggle for a sense of community. Two boxes at end of text.

It's Thursday night at Tel Aviv port, one of the more happening spots in Tel Aviv at the start of every weekend. Meimad Hahamishi, one of the veteran mini-clubs whose popularity has been dwarfed by the newer bars in the area, has been rented out by Merkaz Hamagshimim Hadassah, an absorption-community center for olim based in Jerusalem, for their annual Tel Aviv Hanukka party.

Unlike last year's party, this one never kicks off - at least by Tel Aviv nightlife standards - and draws only about 80 people. The chartered bus from Jerusalem, originally scheduled to leave at 2:00 am, heads back ten minutes earlier.

Moran Shtark, 27, who immigrated to Tel Aviv from Canada about seven years ago, decided to check out the party with two native Israeli friends because 'I haven't been in an Anglo environment for I don't know how long. I miss it a little.'

But after an hour of satisfying his nostalgia, he leaves early to throw back a glass of Red Bull and vodka at the trendy 'Whiskey A Go Go' nearby, which is so packed that the selectors have to turn people away in true Tel Aviv style.

Shtark's momentary straddling between two worlds - the Anglo and the Israeli - is representative of an experience common to single Tel Aviv olim: They are eager to assimilate into Israeli society, hang out with Israelis and party at Tel Aviv's stylish digs, while they miss a community of English speakers with whom they share a mother tongue, immigrant experiences and aspirations. Some look askance at Jerusalem as an Anglo 'bubble.'

A week later, Merkaz Hamagshimim throws a Hanukka party in Jerusalem at the Layla Bar. The place packs in about 200 people, and both Anglos and Israelis get down on the dance floor until four in the morning. The party's success is standard for many of its Jerusalem-based events, which are a prime source of social networking for Jerusalem olim. This is one of the first events Merkaz Hamagshimim has held in Jerusalem outside its campus in the German Colony, which serves as a melting pot for olim aged 19-35.

Hagit Sinai-Glazer, program coordinator for Merkaz Hamagshimim in Tel Aviv, has examined the social and educational frameworks available for olim in Tel Aviv, and noticed a difference in the profile and needs of Tel Avivian Anglos as opposed to their Jerusalemite counterparts. 'Olim in Tel Aviv are less religious and they want to integrate faster - more events with sabras, more meetings and opportunities to hook up together,' she observes. 'As for their own Anglo community, it's not that they don't want it or throw it away, but it's less important for them and they don't look for it as much as olim look for it in Jerusalem, for example. This leads to a lack of a community feeling.'

Regarding he low turnout at the Hanukka party, she cites minimal advertising and choice of venue as possible causes. Other events they organized this past year, such as their Yom Ha'atzmaut barbecue at Park Hayarkon, drew around 170 people and a summer party held in a dance club in Jaffa drew 150. A Thanksgiving dinner organized by Merkaz Hamag-shimim, together with Nefesh B'Nefesh, a non-profit organization that promotes and assists aliya, drew about 70 people - considered a respectable turnout for the Tel Aviv community.

Just this past week, Nefesh B'Nefesh welcomed its 10,000th oleh. Among the immigrants who moved to Israel with Nefesh B'Nefesh since its inception, some 450 immigrants chose to live in Tel Aviv, compared to 2,000 who settled in Jerusalem. Most of the Tel Aviv olim were singles, while the Jerusalem contingency included families, young and old.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 8,130 immigrants arrived in Israel between January and June 2006. Of these, 470 came from the US (about 6 percent). The top cities for initial immigration include: Jerusalem (863 olim, 40% from the UK and about one-third from the US), Beersheba (554), Ashdod (493), Haifa (479, 65% from the former Soviet Union), Netanya (385, 52% from France), and Tel Aviv (352).
The breakdown for Tel Aviv olim was unavailable, but Nefesh B'Nefesh notices a general trend.

'When someone moves to Tel Aviv, they're looking for a big city environment,' notes Adina Bennett, a member of the social services staff at Nefesh B'Nefesh. She works specifically with Tel Aviv olim to assist their acclimation through social programs and workshops. 'They're used to living in New York, Chicago, London - lots of people, running around. Tel Aviv is known to be a more metropolitan city.'

Job opportunities, particularly in the areas of hi-tech, finance and business, are usually more plentiful in Tel Aviv.

Bachelor Ari Gottesman moved to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem four years ago for the same reason that many other immigrants choose Israel's metropolis: employment. 'Jerusalem was very limited and there was a lot more available in Tel Aviv in hi-tech,' he says.

Having lived in Jerusalem for eight years, Gottesmann left behind a tight social circle only to find he had to start from scratch in Tel Aviv. 'In Jerusalem there was a very strong community. That's the big advantage of Jerusalem - it makes it easy to adapt, acclimate and get to know people. In Tel Aviv you're much more alone. You can meet people and individuals very easily, but it takes longer to get to know them.'

Gottesmann's sentiments are common among immigrant newcomers to Tel Aviv, both those who transfer from Jerusalem and those who move directly from English speaking communities abroad. Attracted by employment opportunities and a secular urban lifestyle, many sacrifice a soft landing in a close-knit Anglo community - such as that readily available in Jerusalem or Ra'anana - for more fast-paced, individualistic lives in the big city.

While educational opportunities for English speakers in greater Tel Aviv include the Inter-Disciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya and Tel Aviv University's Sackler medical school, which usually provide an automatic student community, no organized absorption centers or ulpans combine on-campus housing, as do Ulpan Etzion, Merkaz Hamagshimim and Beit Canada in Jerusalem.

Most Tel Aviv olim come into the city aware that it requires of them more independence and assimilation with Israelis. Software engineer Marc Fischman, 32, who made aliya from Dallas with Nefesh B'Nefesh three years ago, settled in Tel Aviv because he already had a base of friends in the city from his previous work in the US. 'In Tel Aviv you get thrown into Israeli society when you move here. This really helped me integrate into Israel better,' he says.

Fischman actually commutes to his job in Jerusalem, and would happily consider moving to Jerusalem in the future. 'I want to try it, see what it's like up there. Tel Aviv really is a fast paced city - it's the city that never sleeps. Jerusalem is more relaxed, and I think in the past few years I've relaxed a little. I'd like to get more involved in religion, and I think the community is better for it.'

Tal Zvi Nathanel, a sabra who studies at the IDC international program, founded an on-line social community and city guide called Eganu.com after noticing that his foreign classmates and roommates seemed lost navigating the Israeli system. 'People who come straight to Tel Aviv find it harder in comparison [to Jerusalem], because the nature of Tel Aviv is much more individualistic - everyone minds their own business,' he says.

Ben Ninio, an oleh from Australia who serves as advisor to Eganu.com, thinks that efforts to bring English speakers together are most successful when they start at the grassroots level, rather than through formal institutions. 'The organizations exist, but people don't use them. Since they are not used, other people aren't attracted to them. Eganu's big aim is not to be a structured framework,' he explains.

In conducting interviews for this article, it was much easier to find olim who moved from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv than vice versa. On a larger scale, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies cited a negative turnover in migration in 2005, as 5,800 people moved from Jerusalem to other cities. In all, 10,400 settled in the capital, while 16,200 left.

Bradley Fish, however, a musician and music producer who came on aliya with Nefesh B'Nefesh two years ago, went against the stream and moved to Jerusalem, in part for its communal benefits and Jewish learning opportunities. 'I think socially it's nice for Anglos. There are so many here [in Jerusalem] that you get a little America. I wanted to do [Jewish] learning, but didn't have good enough Hebrew to study in Hebrew. There are a gazillion opportunities in Jerusalem, and almost none in Tel Aviv.'

Fish found more opportunities to jam with other musicians in Tel Aviv, the center of the music industry in Israel, but says that music opportunities can also be found and made in Jerusalem. 'There's a certain point in your career where you want to be in the mix - constantly bouncing off people, jamming with everyone - that's where Tel Aviv is. Then there's a point in your career when you want to be more introspective, creative. There are definitely more players in Tel Aviv, and I'm still working with some of those people,' he says.

Sinai Glazer of Merkaz Hamaghsimim is optimistic that Tel Aviv English speakers will soon develop into a more cohesive community: 'Jerusalem has been going on for a decade or so. That's the natural place to land when you make aliya. Tel Aviv is just now starting to kick off in this sense. It will take a while. You need patience, faith, and I believe eventually we will succeed to give olim in Tel Aviv what they need.'

(BOX #1) Not only for the secular
Observant olim may have a harder time cracking a city better known for its bars than synagogues. Avi Griss, who works in sales and marketing at a hi-tech firm, chose Tel Aviv for its heterogeneity, buts admits to experiencing difficulty in developing some sort of community, particularly as an observant Jew.

'I found myself jumping from Beit Knesset to Beit Knesset, which isn't great for building a community. You're kind-of like a nomad.' Eventually, he discovered a religious-Zionist yeshiva near Ichilov Hospital, Yeshivat Ma'ale Eliyahu , where he often prays and studies.

After experiencing similar difficulties in adapting an observant lifestyle to Israel's secular mecca, Australian native Rafi Zauer and several of his observant friends decided to form their own synagogue-based community, the kind with which they had grown-up with in their former Diaspora communities. 'We never found something that we felt we belonged to and accepted,' Zauer explains of his early shul-hunting.

In 2000, he and his friends started Minyan Ichud Olam as an informal minyan for religious Tel Avivians seeking modern-Orthodox style Shabbat prayers in a synagogue atmosphere, followed by Shabbat home hospitality. They were given use of a hall in Ihud Shivat Zion synagogue on Rehov Ben Yehuda, and the congregation has grown from its initial 40 participants to 150 members today. About half the members are native-born Israelis. The minyan's December 17 Hanukka party, held at Layla on Rehov Ben Yehuda, drew close to 200 people.

The synagogue caters to a definite niche within Tel Aviv, i.e. modern Orthodox olim, which may be one source for its relative growth. 'After a while, people started moving to Tel Aviv specifically because we existed,' says Zauer.

For some observant olim, like Kevin Lev, 27, who made aliyah from Los Angeles a few months ago, Tel Aviv still doesn't answer a desire for a rich religious life. While he had considered Jerusalem, he didn't want to suffer the commute to his job outside Netanya. He chose to settle in Givat Shmuel, a neighborhood located near Bar Ilan University in a Tel Aviv suburb.

'Tel Aviv doesn't have a whole lot from a religious standpoint, but Givat Shmuel does. It's a very vibrant, happening community,' he says.

With its concentration of religious singles and young couples, many of them drawn from the Bar Ilan student body, Lev doesn't feel lacking for a synagogue-based community and Shabbat hospitality. 'If the Givat Shmuel community had not existed, I probably would have ended up in Jerusalem,' he concludes.

(BOX #2) Ten Reasons to Live in Tel Aviv:
As an olah of seven years who has lived back-to-back in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and then Jerusalem again, I can attest that there are pros and cons to living in each city. Sometimes, the experiences are like two sides of the same coin, and if you're schizophrenic like me - respectful of Jewish tradition but admiring secular style, intellectually liberal but politically conservative, seeking excitement and glamor but appreciating depth and quiet - you might never feel truly at home in either city.
Ten Reasons to Live in Tel Aviv:
1. The beach
2. The relative warmth in the winter as opposed to Jerusalem's chill
3. You can make a decent living so you don't have to rely on favors
4. There are enough New York-style restaurants and bars where you go to escape and forget that you live in Israel
5. You can wear tank tops and tight shorts in the middle of the street and no one looks at you funny
6. On any given Friday night, you can venture into a bar or club looking good and end up leaving with free love
7. You look up and see skyscrapers, reveling in the modernity and creativity of Israel
8. Shops, pubs, restaurants are open on Shabbat
9. You learn Hebrew quickly, since you're not surrounded by Anglos
10. You can always find an excuse to get dressed-up and keep up on fashion trends
Ten Reasons to Live in Jerusalem:
1. The kotel
2. The relative dryness in the summer as opposed to Tel Aviv's humidity
3. If your car battery dies, you can stand by the side of the road and someone will stop to help you
4. People actually understand why you decided to move to Israel
5. You can tie an orange ribbon on your rearview mirror and no one looks at you funny
6. On any given Friday night, you can venture into a synagogue looking good and end up leaving with a free Shabbat meal
7. You look up and see the golden Jerusalem stone, reveling in the ancient roots of Israel
8. The Shabbat siren and the ensuing silence
9. You don't forget how to speak proper English
10. You can walk to the supermarket in your pajamas without feeling out of style

Ethiopian beauty queen encourages aliyah

Jerusalem Post, Daily; December 26, 2006

Shani Mashasha's aliya story reads almost like Cinderella. The Ethiopian-Israeli actress and model came to Israel at seven with her father and stepmother steeped in romantic stories about Israel and "Yerushalem," the Amharic name for Jerusalem given to her as a baby. Last week, 17 years after her arrival in Israel, Mashasha returned to Ethiopia as a beauty queen, speaking as "Miss Aliya" to Ethiopia's Jewish community.

"It's not my first time visiting Ethiopia, but this visit really moves me," Mashasha said in a telephone interview in the days before her trip. Crowned Miss Aliya several months ago in a televised beauty competition for Israeli immigrants, Mashasha is serving on the trip as an Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia - part of her prize for winning the Jewish Agency-sponsored pageant.

The trip is Mashasha's fourth to Ethiopia since she left the country for Israel as a little girl.

"It's not a regular visit," she said. "It makes me feel really good to contribute my knowledge and explain to [Ethiopian Jews] how life is in Israel, what my experience was like, how you have to behave here. It's different from my other visits - I'm doing something useful."

The 24-year-old beauty admits that hers is a story of unusual success among Ethiopian immigrants, a fact she attributes to persistence and a positive attitude. Mashasha, who adopted the more typically Israeli name Shani after arriving in Israel, was discovered by a modeling agency at 15 while a student at a religious high school for girls in Haifa, where her exotic looks and singing and acting abilities caught the attention of faculty and students. She has since appeared in commercials for the national lottery, Elite coffee and pain relief medication, as well as in fashion catalogs and on the runway. She has also acted in Ethiopian theater in the city for which she was named, Jerusalem.

Despite her success, Mashasha says she learned quickly that Israel wasn't the fantasy world she envisioned as a girl. In her early days in the country, she and her family lived in a Tiberias absorption center that didn't match the idyllic living conditions she'd imagined.

After serving in the army as a human resources coordinator, Mashasha rented an apartment on her own in Tel Aviv while supporting herself and her mother's family back in Ethiopia. Mashasha's mother, a former model, had stayed behind when her daughter left for Israel, ultimately having five additional children during her second marriage. Mashasha's mother and stepfather died seven years ago.

"I don't think I've had any more luck [than other immigrants]," Mashasha said of her aliya experience. "I just think that I knew not to let things make me despair, not to break. If I want something, I'll persist."

This, she says, would be her message to prospective immigrants in Ethiopia.
And her own big dream? "Hollywood," she said. "For sure."

Into the groove

Jerusalem Post, Daily; December 21, 1006

Click here for original

Israeli DJs are gaining a strong following among party-goers around the world, though the artists' compatriots are still their biggest fans

Though Israel's public image overseas may be a source of constant stress for policymakers, if one recent poll is to be believed, the country is among the world's most popular for devoted club-goers.

Infected Mushroom, DJ Yahel and Offer Nissim aren't likely to be familiar names to most people out of their 20s, but thanks to DJ magazine's recent ranking of the world's top 100 DJs, these performers - and three of their compatriots - are now among the hottest names on the global dance music scene.

The results of the prestigious DJ annual poll have been a boon to these Israeli artists, and to Israel's reputation on the electronic music scene. With six of its premier DJs ranked among the world's top 100 - actually, among the top 50 - Israel is disproportionately represented, in a very big way, among the countries whose performers appear on the poll.

'We don't promote our acts in Israel,' says Avi Brand, the managing director of BNE, a Holon-based record and artist management company representing a number of the country's top club DJs. Most of BNE's prominent DJs are booked well into 2007 in countries as diverse as Ukraine, Canada, Portugal, Mexico and Japan. The company's top act, Infected Mushroom (#12 on the DJ list, up 14 spots from a year ago), is performing almost every night this month just in Brazil, a country emerging as one of the top markets for trance music.

A former executive at the Hed Arzi music label, Brand was among those responsible for marketing pop artist Ofra Haza overseas, helping to turn the 'Im Nin Alu' singer into arguably Israel's most successful performer abroad, with a Grammy nomination, Tonight Show appearance and unexpected European club following all to her name.

The process of marketing Israeli DJs abroad has clear parallels with his past efforts. 'It's years of hard work - years of contacting people, sending them samples, [distributing] DJ sets recorded by the artist,' says Brand. 'We introduce them. Every record that comes out gets a lot of exposure throughout the world.'

To streamline the effort, BNE performs all of its promotional work itself, with publicists working long and unconventional hours so that they can be in contact with tastemakers and club bookers in other parts of the world. Colorful newsletters go out from the company every month to foreign nightclub promoters, industry executives and music fans to keep the company's artists in the spotlight.

When it comes to the following the Israeli DJs have attracted overseas, the true meaning of the DJ magazine poll may be a bit difficult to interpret, though the ranking clearly shows the energy and commitment of Israeli music lovers themselves. Much like on reality TV shows, winners of the DJ ranking were selected by fans, with Israelis making up the sixth largest voting bloc, falling in after their counterparts from the US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil. Some 4,817 of the 217,102 ballots came from Israel, magazine officials said.

'Every year, certain countries get into the poll, [and] more and more people in that country hear about it,' says Terry Church, DJ's news editor. 'If an Israeli DJ gets into the poll, then other Israeli DJs are aware the poll exists, and they'll get their fans to vote for them. [The 2006 poll] has something to do with Israelis taking the poll seriously.'

And regardless of the online poll's statistical shortcomings, Church says Israeli DJs have indeed made their mark on the international clubbing scene. 'Psy-trance' - psychedelic trance music popular at rave parties - 'coming from Israel has certainly become quite a big genre,' he says.

Israeli DJs' international prominence may have its roots in local culture, according to Avi Nissim of the trance group Astral Projection. In a three-page feature in DJ about the Israeli artists ranked in the poll, Nissim told the magazine that the pressures of living in Israel may have contributed to the rise of the genre here. Many Israelis, the article suggested, initially discovered trance music at raves during post-army trips in Goa, India, then brought the music home.

'Psy-trance really takes people away spiritually,' Nissim told DJ. 'Because living here is so hectic, it just pushes you to be more creative and do something to escape this world. That's what people love about psy-trance. It's not about drugs or alcohol. People just listen to the music and dance, and it touches them somewhere.'

The professional skills of Israeli DJs are growing, according to Ronen Heruti, the director of Tel Aviv's Muzik School of Creation and Production. 'Those who come today to learn how to be DJs don't come for the hype, but because of their artistic interest in the profession,' Heruti says.

Founded in 1997 as the 'DJ School of Contemporary Music,' Muzik became one of the first music schools to offer courses for DJs. The school recently expanded its curriculum to include a three-year academic program for music production - a move reflecting the production background of the Israeli DJs represented in the poll.

BNE's policy of signing DJs who are also producers further indicates the connection between music production and successful work on the dance floor.

'I'm looking for musicians first who then become DJs,' Brand says. 'To transfer someone from a musician to DJ is much easier than to make a DJ a musician.'

Despite Israel's rise on the global dance music scene, Dr. Motti Regev, a lecturer in sociology and a popular music expert at the Open University, hesitates to identify a specifically 'Israeli' musical component as the source of the country's growing prominence.

'One thing that comes to mind is that for many years, producers of contemporary music in Israel, just as in other small and peripheral countries, dreamed of succeeding and making it in the world market,' he says, noting the relatively small role of language and lyrics in dance music.

The success of Israelis on this year's poll bodes well for the future, Regev says.
'Once you have one or two musicians who succeed in any one genre, you have more people follow,' he says. 'It signals to peers that there is the possibility to make it outside of Israel É It's a chain reaction - one thing leads to another.'

Midnight at the oasis (bar reveiw)

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; December 15, 2006

Temperatures may be dropping even in Eilat as winter arrives, but things continue to heat up at the coolest restaurant-bar there, the Park Avenue.

One would think that Eilat, Israel's premier resort town, would by now have several bars and pubs that appeal to older, stylish, discerning people who don't count trance as their favorite musical genre. But Park Avenue, which opened two years ago, is among the first of its kind.

Located away from the popular, folksy tourist center, Park Avenue is an alternative to the dingy, loud and seedy Eilat watering holes. Frequented by the better-dressed tourists, local yuppies and celebs vacationing in the city, Park Avenue is the most glamorous, exclusive New York-style resto-bar in the area.

While the design isn't as invested as some of its Tel Aviv counterparts, it certainly has an air of modernity, sexiness and sophistication. The bar, for example, is shaped like two breasts, to allow for maximum interaction and lines of sight among patrons. The atmosphere is relaxed as befits Eilat, yet lightly prestigious.

Co-owner Shlomi Amar, an Eilat restaurateur, deliberately focused on creating a high-quality, affordable menu to maximize the fun at the bars and tables - the more people eat and drink, the more lively the place. The prices are way below what such a venue could demand. Cocktails go for NIS 26 - a major bargain - and tasty salads, pastas and sandwiches start at the same price.

For those looking for a quality nightlife experience in Eilat (minus the dancing), Park Avenue is a definite recommendation.

Park Ofira (across from the Dan Panorama), (08) 633-3303
Music: DJ nightly: Sun: Ethnic; Monday: '70s, '80s, '90s; Tuesday: Israeli; Wednesday: guest DJ; Thursday-Saturday: Freestyle

Charm school

Jerusalem Post, Daily; December 13, 2006

Celebrated psychic Uri Geller returned to Israel last month to groom an heir. The resulting reality TV series has proven magic in the ratings

It's been almost exactly 10 years since I first interviewed controversial author, television personality and mind reader Uri Geller for The Forward in New York. Back then, he was promoting his motivational book Uri Geller's Mindpower Kit. These days he's hard at work on his new reality show, The Successor, a televised talent show in which Geller seeks to pass the torch - or telekinetically- altered spoon - to an heir chosen from among nine contestants.

Physically, the world-famous 'paranormalist' - that's Geller's preferred term - has hardly changed in the decade since I last met him. 'I still haven't had plastic surgery. It's still my hair, ' he says when asked about his widely remarked-upon, youthful appearance.

I've noticed a few more wrinkles under Geller's eyes, but he's wearing a stylish puffy black sports jacket, and my eyes are drawn to the golden highlights in his hair. Geller carries himself as if he were in his twenties, and seems more relaxed, even a little wiser, than when I first met him, as if he now has nothing to prove and no one to impress.

I meet him at a lawyer's office in Tel Aviv for an exclusive interview for The Jerusalem Post - beyond commercials for The Successor, Geller hasn't done much publicity for the show.

And no, he's not at the lawyer's office for legal advice - despite the mild controversy surrounding his show (a Haifa elementary school student recently passed out trying to emulate a pulse-stopping contestant), Geller's not facing a lawsuit. The lawyer is simply a childhood buddy who played basketball with Geller as a teenager, Geller says with nostalgia in his voice.

I produce a copy of the article I wrote about Geller a decade ago, and he's pleased. It's dated December 20 - his birthday, as it happens. Next week he'll celebrate his 60th.

'I can't believe this, and you didn't know that [it was my birthday]. That's so far out. You have to admit that's far out,' he says.

I remind him that 10 years ago he bent a spoon for me and duplicated a sketch of a flower I drew without his looking. I ask if he'll read my mind again, but he politely declines. 'But did you bring a spoon?' he asks.

I haven't, unfortunately, but that's okay. Though Geller won't have an opportunity to perform his most famous trick - bending a spoon with his mind - he's ready to tell me about the significance of his Israeli comeback after 35 years of living outside the country.

'I walk on the beach to my hotel, and I say, 'Wow, this is my country,'' he says. 'Walking on the streets of Jaffa - it's like a circle. I came back to my roots.'

'My mother,' he continues, 'came [to Israel] on a ship - she escaped the Nazis - and I actually met a guy on the street today who started crying in front of me, shaking, telling me that his parents came with my mother ... These are very emotional things.'

Despite leaving Israel to pursue the wealth and fame he's undoubtedly achieved, Geller says he's never forgotten his homeland.

'In the back of my mind I always have the burning energy, desire to support Israel. And I always have, on every show that I do - radio, television. I always say I'm an Israeli and [that I was] born in Tel Aviv. I always feel that I'm an invisible ambassador for the state of Israel.'

Geller's currently flying to Tel Aviv every week from London, where he lives with his wife, for Saturday evening tapings of The Successor, and he's also spending time giving motivational lectures to local businesses. He intends to spend his birthday at Tel Hashomer hospital with wounded soldiers, cheering them up with some spoon bending. He recently bought an apartment in Jaffa and plans to spend more time in Israel.

Geller was approached about doing The Successor during a visit to Israel earlier this year while serving as chairman of International Friends of Magen David Adom.

'[The Keshet production company] unfolded this unique format, and I liked it. I liked that it came from Israel, where I was born,' he says. 'I thought if I would ever do a reality TV show where I look for my successor, it must start here, in my homeland.'

Despite his psychic powers, it's unlikely Geller could have foreseen the show's breakout success since it began airing last month. The Successor broke ratings records with its debut episode and has won the weekly ratings race with each subsequent show.

Geller's name has been back in the national headlines ever since, with the psychic garnering more publicity and controversy in Israel than he has in years. The success of the show has also inspired a healthy number of parodies, with TV news satire Eretz Nehederet devoting significant screen time to Geller in the first two episodes of its new season. (A major ratings hit in its own right, Eretz Nehederet may delight in parodying Geller, particularly his frequent use of English on his show, but it hasn't managed so far to beat him in the ratings.)

Geller says he isn't bothered by the attention he's received, despite critics who've continued to call him a fraud and opportunist. 'To the critics, I have to send a bouquet of flowers,' he says, though he adds that he's toned down his flamboyant public persona a bit over the years. 'When I was young I used to state categorically that what I do is real and has to do with supernatural forces and so on. Today I learned to be broader about what I say about myself ... I love the fact that people argue about me, that people try to debunk me, that people spend hours arguing whether [what I do] is real or not. That's really what fueled the wheel of publicity around me all these years.'

The Successor is giving the wheel a few more turns. Geller attributes the show's success to the aggressive and clever promotional campaign behind it, but also says his return to Israel is itself worthy of all the attention.

'Since everyone in Israel knows how I succeeded abroad, it's kind of like, 'Let's see what Uri Geller has to bring,' he says. 'There is also the aspect of the situation in Israel - the psychological pressures, the wars, the struggle. People are looking for an escape somewhere, a light at the end of the tunnel.'

'The show,' he continues, 'is about, 'I want to be amazed. I want to be astounded.' I want people at home to feel their hair stand on end.'

The show has received press attention worldwide, and Geller says Keshet has been approached by production companies abroad interested in buying the show's format. 'It's great for Israel,' Geller says of The Successor's success.

But while he believes the series could be adapted successfully in other countries around the world, Israel stands out as a place to stage such a contest. Jews in particular have a talent for understanding and manipulating natural phenomena, Geller says, citing Harry Houdini (ne Weiss), David Copperfield, David Blaine and even Albert Einstein as examples.

True or not, it appears that the show has sparked the interest of a new generation of aspiring Israeli mentalists. The day before our interview, Geller had performed on a children's TV show and shared his e-mail address with the audience. He now gently interrupts the interview to check his Blackberry, proudly announcing that he's received 900 e-mails in the intervening 24 hours.

Geller says he'll respond to each of his young fans, taking inspiration from the time Chubby Checker, on a visit to Israel, went out of his way to sign an autograph for the 12-year-old Geller. 'That was the greatest lesson of my life: always be accessible, always be open, always be nice,' Geller says.

His response to young fans' inquiries, he says, is always the same: 'Forget spoon bending. Instead, what's more important is to focus on school, believe in yourself ... and never, ever smoke or touch drugs.'

The response doesn't satisfy those who really want to know how he bends spoons, of course, and given our 10-year history, I'm hoping he'll share his secret with me.

'I have a simple explanation for these phenomena, and my explanation is this: you think you are sitting in a solid room, you can touch it. It feels solid to you, but you're dead wrong. This is not a solid room; neither is the table, the computer, or me. I'm not solid and neither are you. We are energy ... Everything is energy. I think I learned how to manipulate that energy.'

Bars for Bugsy (bar and restaurant review)

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; December 8, 2006

In 2003, husband-and-wife team Zvika and Haya Shichor stood in the center of Florentine in south Tel Aviv and envisioned a booming local nightlife. They started it with Bugsy.

They named their first bistro bar after the mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, noting that he had the guts to go against the grain and establish the Flamingo Hotel in the barren desert that was about to turn into the Las Vegas Strip. While Florentine has replaced Sheinkin as Israel's bohemian center since the late 1990s, there was no heavily invested, carefully planned bar in the heart of the old neighborhood until Bugsy came along. Today, Bugsy is the center of a sizable nightlife compound on Tel Aviv's hip strip.

Bugsy's decor reflects the charm, artsiness and vintage feel of the Florentine neighborhood. The leather chairs and fuzzy stools are ultra retro, and even some of the servers look like they wish they lived in the 1970s. Bugsy is a mixture of bar and diner, offering breakfast, lunch and business menus - eggs, salads, hamburgers, steaks and the like. The Shichors believe that for a bar to last, it has to offer more than just liquor.

"Bugsy wasn't the end for us," explains Haya. "We try to be very updated in the field."

And their next venture, Benjamin Siegel, proves that they are.

IF BUGSY is their Flamingo hotel, then Benjamin Siegel is Caesar's Palace. Located on the first floor of the Opera Towers along the Tel Aviv Promenade, Benjamin Siegel sticks out like a jewel in the sand. Located smack between the strip joints and worn-out beachside restaurants, Benjamin Siegel is a world-class, richly designed bistro bar.

"The promenade is a wasted area," Haya explains. Attracted to the beach, the view and the former charm of Allenby Street, she decided to try her luck in an area usually mobbed by the folksy masses, in the hope of upgrading the entire area. "I didn't open it for passersby; it doesn't speak to them. People will seek it out."

While Bugsy is first a bar and then a restaurant, Benjamin Siegel is first a restaurant and then a bar. Bugsy is like the rocking, long-haired, older brother of the aristocratic, refined and snobby Benjamin Siegel. Anyone who spends time in both places will notice that the layout and design motifs - the use of fuzz, leather and mirrors - are different yet related.

The interior of Benjamin Siegel could certainly pass for the dark, sexy state room of an extremely wealthy Mafia man. The fur-lined bar stools, finely crafted mirrors and elegant dangling crystal in the large expanse all scream "no compromise." It's winner take all - or nothing.

Haya and Zvika Shichor thus demonstrate that excellence is possible amidst mediocrity. The rich, eclectic menu features a fusion of gourmet and creative dishes spiced to perfection by chef Eran Goldstein, who left a culinary career in Canada to join the Benjamin Siegel posse. It's no wonder that Wine and Gourmet magazine chose Benjamin Siegel as the venue for its 10th anniversary last week.

Only five months old, Benjamin Siegel is slated to become a hot spot for high-class tourists, businessmen, government officials and Israeli cuisine connoisseurs. The prices are relatively affordable for a place that looks like a hideout for high rollers. It will take time to see if the million-dollar gamble pays off, but they're going for the bank, and Benjamin Siegel has the makings of a jackpot.

Bugsy, Rehov Florentine 26, Tel Aviv; (03) 681-3138; from 9 a.m.
Benjamin Siegel, Rehov Allenby 1, Tel Aviv; (03) 516- 6224; from 9 a.m.

Sleight of mind

Jerusalem Post, Metro; December 8, 2006

Click here for original


Magicians and mind readers gathered at the recent Magic at the Red Sea convention to share some of the tricks of their trade. Mentalism is becoming a national craze and a fast-developing entertainment genre

About 100 magicians and mentalists (aka mind readers) waited to watch Gregory Wilson, one of the world's top performers of magic, enact a close-up of his famous sleight-of-hand and card sharping. The charismatic and comedic Wilson was the headliner at last month's Magic at the Red Sea (MARS) convention and festival, which brought Israeli magicians and mentalists together in Eilat to share some tricks of the trade.

As Wilson set up his act for the show - open exclusively to convention participants - members of the audience became antsy, so a few pulled out decks of cards (which they carry around like wallets) and began to do tricks on one another.

An aspiring teenage magician sitting next to me told me to pick a card and remember it. I happily and curiously obliged. While the teenager tried to guess, an older and more experienced mentalist sitting one seat over gave a self-assured nod, wrote down an "8" and diamond symbol, and snuck the card to me before the teenager could respond.

He was right. Indeed, the card I chose was the eight of diamonds. I had not even exchanged one word with him until then.

This was just one of many breathtaking encounters that took place throughout the weekend. They were enough to make even a skeptic like me think again.

Soon enough I revealed that I was a journalist, and a small panic spread through the crowd - not only because in such intimate company the presenters are allowed to mess up (which some did) but because during the convention they shared secrets and techniques with one another, and I never signed the magician's oath.

Not only that, but several of the people in the audience - including the one who had read my mind - are contestants on national television's latest blockbuster The Heir, a televised contest in which sensationalized and controversial Israeli mentalist Uri Geller seeks his successor. The contestants have signed contracts strictly prohibiting them from speaking with the press.

These overnight celebrities were relative unknowns outside their field until The Heir premiered on Channel 2 on November 18 to record-breaking ratings (one third of Israel tuned in). They were the main attraction at the Isrotel King Solomon hotel, which sponsored and hosted the MARS convention and accompanying public festival.

They freely roamed the halls, getting stopped by kids and adults alike who recognized them from television, showing that mentalism is becoming a national craze and a fast- developing entertainment genre.

Mentalist Nimrod Harel, star of his own weekly reality show Bilti Nitpas (Incomprehensible) on Channel 10, gave his own stage show in which he not only read minds but boggled them. He effortlessly bent a few spoons (a feat made famous by Geller), inserted thoughts into other people's heads, and dramatically revealed the childhood trauma of a middle-aged woman who once forgot her daughter in Ashdod. He determined the memory right down to the city and even made her cry.

But the man who stole the show was the American star Gregory Wilson, who led a workshop on impromptu magic and performed at the festival's gala. He, too, couldn't walk a few feet without kids, adults and convention participants begging him for attention. A former professional con artist turned professional entertainer, Wilson now uses his skills and Hollywood star quality to entertain audiences, magically turnings dollar bills into hundred dollar bills and stealthily slipping watches off people's wrists. He employs both mentalism and magic, as well as quick-witted improvisational humor into his performances.

"I've come to experience that Israeli magicians and mentalists are not afraid of hard work and diligent practice," Wilson said in an interview with Metro of his new colleagues and students, some of whom own his instructional videos. "They're remarkably good thinkers, and they specialize in mentalism probably because of Uri Geller, who kick-started the whole phenomenon."

On the Saturday night after the convention, his new friends took him to see The Heir. filmed live in Herzliya studios, which he enjoyed thoroughly. "I thought it was brilliantly conceived and constructed, professional in every way," he said.

But the mentalist who most impressed him wasn't an Heir contestant. At the risk of alienating and offending the other mentalists, Wilson confided that if Nimrod Harel had entered the contest, Harel would have received his vote. During the convention they spoke at length privately, sharing techniques and ideas.

"Nimrod has multiple layers of deception that make him clearly better than even the best mentalists. He has such a commanding presence that I could tell - even when I didn't understand his language - how the audience was rapt with attention. The finale to his show was evocative and emotional enough to bring a lady on stage to tears."

The MARS convention was like a rite of passage for the participants and, along with the new reality shows, a testament to Israel's leadership in the mentalism field.

"In the area of mentalism and psychic entertainment, Israeli mentalists have a high profile in the UK and US," said Quentin Reynolds, a British mentalist who lectured and performed at MARS. "Israeli mentalists I have met perform at a very high standard and frequently come up with new ideas that are fresh and novel."

The convention's timing couldn't have been more fortuitous - it took place only a few days after the The Heir premiered.

Roei Zaltsman, organizer of the convention and also a contestant on The Heir, says the timing was coincidental, but one can't help but suspect that he had subconsciously influenced the minds of the show's producers months before to bring attention to his bold and successful initiative.

"I saw other conventions throughout the world, and I said we have to do something on an equally high level in Israel," Zaltsman said.

He explained that magic and telepathy were combined at the convention because both involve creative thinking as well as performance, although some mentalists are wary of being associated with magicians because they want to be perceived as possessing special, even supernatural powers.

Wilson elaborated on the difference. "Magic is sleight of hand, mentalism is sleight of mind. Physical versus psychological."

I admit that after hanging around the magicians and mentalists for the entire weekend, I managed to glean a few subtle secrets. But I'm still completely stumped as to how that man knew I was thinking of the eight of diamonds.

A classical concert seven decades in the making

Jerusalem Post, Daily; December 6, 2006

Founded in 1936 by refugees from Hitler's Europe, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will mark its 70th season with a series of celebratory concerts

As the playful shrill of a flute sounds out against the bombast of a trombone, the soothing moans of the violin and the soft banging of the timpani create a sense of drama in Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium. This unconventional cacophony isn't characteristic of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, but it's Monday morning, and most of the musicians are on a break from rehearsal, with just a few continuing to practice alone on stage for their evening performance of Schoenberg and Brahms.

Sounds like these have accompanied Zeev Dorman, a bassoonist and the current chairman of the IPO's board of managers, for the past 37 years. Now a veteran member of the orchestra, Dorman recalls the musical monopoly the IPO held when he first joined the orchestra in 1969.

"We were the only show in town," Dorman says, speaking to The Jerusalem Post at the Mann Auditorium, the IPO's home since 1957.

The creation of new listening media, diminished interest in classical music among younger music fans and a growth in the number of orchestras and ensembles in Israel have continually pushed the IPO to renew and reinvigorate itself, Dorman says. "The orchestra has to be better and the impact has to be much stronger" than in the past, he says.

The IPO's 70th anniversary is being used to demonstrate to local and world audiences that although the IPO may no longer be the only show in town, it will continue to be among the most relevant, active and celebrated.

"The first [priority] is to keep up the standards of the orchestra," says IPO musical director Zubin Mehta, who was honored at the White House and received a lifetime achievement award Sunday at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. "I believe we've not only succeeded in doing this, but also in raising the standards of the orchestra through the years."

The orchestra's 70th birthday will be marked with a series of 12 concerts held between December 17 and 31. Headlining the concerts will be world-renowned soloists and conductors who have accompanied the IPO throughout the years, among them Daniel Barenboim, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur, Gustavo Dudamel and Yefim Bronfman.

"We want to create a feeling of internationalism," Zubin said. At the same time, the lighting of a hanukkia during the first week of the concerts will add a uniquely Israeli tone to the festivities.

Mehta, who turned 70 earlier this year, is as old as the orchestra, and his career at the IPO spans four decades. The IPO's 70th birthday celebrations will demonstrate Israel's continued cultural vibrancy despite the summer's war and the fighting of the last six years, he hopes.

Established in 1936 as the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, the IPO was founded by Polish-born violinist Bronislaw Huberman as a performance vehicle for Jewish musicians fleeing Europe. The celebrated Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini oversaw the orchestra's first concert in 1936, telling audience members he was "doing it for humanity."

Since Israel's founding, the IPO has represented the country at a range of international festivals, recorded with world-renowned musicians and played for soldiers during Israel's wars. Among the orchestra's most symbolic performances outside Israel have been shows held in Germany, Poland and the former Soviet Union.

Baruch Gross, an IPO cellist and member of the board, joined the orchestra in 1974, a year after immigrating to Israel from the USSR. He considers the influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union a milestone in the IPO's development.
"In the late 1980s, when many musicians from the previous generation retired, we were worried about the future, because the young generation hadn't produced many players of string instruments. Then a miracle occurred, and the immigration from Russia in the 1990s filled the rows."

Today, musicians from the former Soviet bloc make up about 40 percent of the orchestra.

Gross says the IPO's audience has also changed considerably.

"The audience was different [when I first joined the IPO]," he says. "People would come to the concerts with the scores. It was an audience that came from central Europe with extensive musical training."

The number of IPO subscriptions now stands at approximately 26,000, as opposed to 30,000 in 1974. Gross attributes this drop, in part, to what he sees as the neglect of musical education among younger people.

To counter this decline, the IPO has instituted several programs to raise interest among teenagers and those in their 20s. Five Thursday evenings a year, an "IPO in Jeans" program hosts celebrities who present classical works, then offers young listeners a post-concert party with a DJ, dancing and beer. To groom an even younger generation of potential concertgoers, the IPO also sends its members to perform and speak in front of elementary school students, who later attend IPO concerts.

The orchestra's 70th birthday has attracted attention outside Israel, with the European television network ARTE scheduled to broadcast a celebratory concert featuring Barenboim and violinist Pinchas Zukerman.

A video exhibition about the history of the IPO will be shown on six plasma screens each night of the 12-concert series, and will also travel with the IPO to European festivals next summer.

Locally, Helicon Records has produced a special 12-set CD of the IPO's most noteworthy performances, and Channel 1 will broadcast the opening concert of the anniversary series on December 17. Conducted by Mehta, the concert will feature works by Mozart, Schumann and Brahms, with special guest performers to include pianist Evgeny Kissin, violinist Julian Rachlin and cellist Mischa Maisky.

The IPO has marked each decade of its existence with gala concerts, and members say the orchestra's sound has only improved with time. "Maturity in music is always good," Gross says.

A less demanding daughter (restaurant review)

Jerusalem Post, Billbaord; September 29, 2006

Inspired by his travels in San Francisco, whose ports are characterized by numbered piers, Israeli entrepreneur Ben Maharovsky has embarked on a venture to raise the international standards of Tel Aviv's northern port: Pier 23. Pier 23 certainly adds a fresh seashore feel to the port, which is developing more and more into an outdoor, seaside restaurant mall.

Pier 23 bills itself as a "bar on the beach," but don't get confused. Instead of a well-stocked liquor bar, you'll find a clean white serving counter in front of a transparent kitchen. Pier 23's "bar" is simply a long table made of raw deck wood where diners can eat "gourmet fast food" while perching on bright orange stools.

Next to this bar are a few round wooden tables for those who prefer not to sit cafeteria style.

"Everything on the port is very committal," explains Yaron Mizrahi, Pier 23's manager. "You need a hostess, server - there's no fast food that takes simple things and makes them 'wow.'"

Pier 23 is a huge contrast from its father restaurant, Mul Yam, ranked as one of the best in the world, and certainly one of Tel Aviv's most exclusive. Owned by Ben Maharavsky's father, Shalom, this seafood institution is probably the most "committal" on the port, and an entree costs an average of NIS 200.

"All major restaurants in the world open a daughter restaurant nearby so you can bypass their exclusivity," says Maharovsky. As an example he cites Nobu New York, the chic Japanese restaurant co-owned by Robert De Niro that opened Nobu Next Door for a less expensive, less committal Nobu experience.

You couldn't tell Pier 23 is related to Mul Yam just by looking at it, but you can rest assured that the seafood comes from the same source. The fish, shrimp and calamari hail from the Maharovsky seafood importing and distribution company next door, making this corner on the port a small family seafood empire. So even if there's a slow night at Pier 23, the sea fare is fresh.

The international array of dishes includes crispy calamari (NIS 26); entrecote or chicken tortilla (NIS 24 & 22); shrimp on a stick (NIS 29); Belgian fries, and fish & chips made with cod fresh from Holland (NIS 36). Salads are available for those watching their diet or craving something a little lighter. Liquor prices are well below average, with margaritas going for NIS 23 and Red Bull and vodka going for NIS 28.

If you're not a big fan of seafood, it's still worth eating at Pier 23 just for the presentation. The branding of Pier 23 seems to be more invested than the size of the menu, which features 13 dishes. Food is served on surf-and- turf style round wicker trays, while fish & chips comes with wooden cutlery imported from Germany.

Finger foods come in ingenious, patent-pending containers invented by Maharovsky's father especially for Pier 23. Tentatively called "kangaroos," these cardboard boxes are designed with two pullouts for sauces and condiments. Even Maharovsky admits that if Pier 23 fails to take off as he hopes (he dreams of chains throughout Israel's major ports), he won't give up quickly, turning to international distribution and marketing of this fast food invention.

It's too the bad the place is not open late at night. It would make a great after-party sport for bar and nightclub goers. To add a little more night-time fun to the corner, Pier 23 has launched Cool Thursdays, featuring a DJ spinning chill-out music every Thursday through September.

Tel: (03) 546-9937
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 12:30 p.m. - 12-ish a.m.; Fri-Sat: 11 a.m. - 12-ish a.m.

The secrets of a successful bar

Jerusalem Post, Metro; November 24, 2006

Click here for original

Owners reveal some of the principles of popularity. 'There are no miracles in this business.'

In the past four years, bars in Tel Aviv have been popping up like mushrooms after rain, with an estimated four or five bars, dance bars, resto-bars and/or mega bars opening monthly. Some of them close at a loss after a few months; some of them close after two years after raking in a nice profit; while others become nightlife institutions.

The bar business is a tough business, and if nightlife entrepreneurs aren't prepared for hard work, chances are their ventures will fail.

While standing behind one's own bar may seem fun and glamorous, bar owners must to be prepared to mix their cocktails with sweat and tears. Metro visited several successful bars in the city to find out from their owners and staffers the secret of a successful bar - it turns out, the secret isn't so sexy.

Sound planning
It's not enough to design the structure, order liquor from suppliers, hire bartenders and start mixing drinks. A bar is a small business, and opening one involves preparing detailed budgets, dealing with countless suppliers, understanding and adhering to municipal laws, and overseeing day-to-day maintenance.

'Most people don't know what they're getting into when they start,' says Gidon Marco, owner of Temptation on Rehov Allenby which is in its fourth year - quite an achievement for a Tel Aviv bar. A former bartender, Marco researched the field for five years before opening Temptation.

'People come at night and they see everything working - the fun, the magic, the good times, friends - but someone has to change the lightbulbs, take care of the police, go to the bank... It's a hard business because you're leading two lives: You have to play hard at night and work hard by day.'

Husband and wife team Haya and Zvika Shichor didn't come from the nightlife field but dedicated themselves to researching and navigating the nightlife business before opening the funky Florentine bistro bar Bugsy. Recently, they opened up its baby brother, a heavily invested, stylish, sophisticated bistro bar called Benjamin Siegel in the Opera Towers on Allenby.

Prior to their nightlife ventures, Haya worked as VP of operations at a textile company; Zvika, a former aeronautics engineer, ran his own water conservation company. They do not view their experience in the corporate world as a contradiction to their experience in the nightlife world. According to Haya, a nightlife establishment can make it only 'if you do things seriously and have business sense. It's a business in every sense of the word.'

As with any business, a sound and conservative business plan is a must.
Says Temptation's Marco, 'You have to take into account 100% more than what you think you need. A lot of businesses close down because they don't have enough capital. People go in very optimistic, but places in Tel Aviv that are now nightlife cornerstones wouldn't be around today if they didn't have enough capital to last two to three years.'

Plenty of cash has to be stored for a rainy day, as many unforeseen circumstances can affect any nightlife establishment, especially in Israel. A war can break out and tourism drops, or the city decides to renovate the street and close the walkways. Furthermore, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality has many strict guidelines relating to health, sanitation, safety and security. They could demand that a bar install fire sprinklers or improve ventilation, and costs can add up tremendously.

Know-how
The major mistakes starters make is lack of professionalism. 'There are no miracles in this business,' explains Haya. 'You have to do the work as it's supposed to be done.'

Before opening Bugsy, she tested the nightlife waters by first opening Carmina, a small cafe off Ibn Gvirol. Only after she saw that they were equipped to handle the business did she and her husband expand their endeavors to Bugsy.

Haya and Zvika split their responsibilities. Zvika takes charge of operations and logistics, while Haya serves as the creative overseer. On any given night at Benjamin Siegel, she can be seen standing by the counter, examining each dish as it comes out of the kitchen.

Running a successful nightlife establishment requires expertise in an array of fields such as music, sound, lighting, management, design, service and liquor. 'If you don't have all the know-how, you have to hire a know-how team,' says Marco.

Concept
Any bar, dance bar, resto-bar, or pub has to have an identity. Nightlife entrepreneurs must know what kind of place they want to open: a sleazy dance bar, raunchy pick-up bar, friendly neighborhood pub or sophisticated lounge. 'When you walk into a bar, you should be able to know within five to 30 seconds what kind of place it is,' says Marco. 'Then you decide if it's right for you.'

Omer Gershon is director of marketing and PR for Whiskey A Go Go, Rivendell, and Shalvata, all of which are frequented by attractive Tel Aviv yuppies and celebs. Active as a publicist and promoter in the Tel Aviv nightlife scene for more than a decade, he says it is imperative to understand the clientele in advance. 'Before you build a place, you have to think which kind of crowd you want: rich kids, artsy, celebrities, hip-hop, suburbia. You have to decide beforehand, [because] you can never bring everyone.'

Often, to preserve a certain clientele, several nightlife establishments enforce strict selection, based on age, looks or energy. Selection, while technically illegal, can be crucial to maintaining the concept and clientele.

Location, location, location
Whiskey A Go Go, Rivendell, Shalvata and TLV are all located at the burgeoning Tel Aviv port, which is easily accessible by the northern Tel Avivians, often considered an elite, educated crowd. Bar owners must take into account issues such as parking, neighborhood and accessibility. Bar compounds such as those around Rehov Lilienblum or Yad Harutzim offer a steady flow of bar-hopping traffic.

Haya, however, disagrees on the importance of location. 'When I opened Bugsy, people asked, 'Why Florentine?' I think if the place is good, people will come.'

For this reason, she named her bistro bars after Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel, the mobster credited with founding Las Vegas. 'Bugsy was the type of guy who went to the desert and said, 'I want to build something here.''

Design
One of the most important aspects of a nightlife establishment is design, as it reflects the concept of the place. Roy Roth of Roth-Tevet Experience Design has designed some of the most successful nightlife joints in the city, such as the lounge bar Lima Lima on Lilienblum and Saluna in Jaffa.

'Sometimes you have to create an alternative world - so when they're outside, they don't think about it; and when they are inside, they forget about the outside. It's a lot about escapism,' he explains.

Lighting is especially important for a bar. Roth likens a bar to a stage, where a sense of drama is created by carefully placed spotlights. 'It's a lot about being sexy. Not to reveal a lot. In retail you shine light on a product to show it off; in a bar, you have to show off people, so the light has to be dim. You want to see the people and illuminate them nicely to make them look good.'

No matter if the design is classic, themed, eclectic, sexy, warm or white cold, the place has to be workable as well as conform to city standards. That is why interior designers should ideally have experience in the nightlife field.

Music
'Music has crucial influence on the success of a bar. Music takes you through the night, providing the main ambience,' says Gershon.

The type of music and the DJ can stamp the atmosphere and character on a place. For some nightlife revelers, the motto is 'God is a DJ.' The Shichors have placed the DJ on a platform above their customers at both Bugsy and Benjamin Siegel.

Oded Adam, who now spins and books DJs for Helena, a New York-style bar in Tel Aviv, thinks music serves as a natural selection device. 'There are two kinds of music for bars: one is the more intelligent and soothing, and the other is more commercial and communicative. If you play jazzy stuff, as opposed to something that just passes through your ears like Britney Spears or hip-hop, a certain kind of crowd will come.'

When Adam spins, he likes to create an experience for the bargoers - to hold their interest with music that develops over the night rather than play loud radio versions of popular hits. The latter are more suited for raunchy pick-up bars or dance bars, which get people to loosen up and dance. Electronic genres, on the other hand, provide ambience and more subtle sexiness. 'For me, the music is a very big part of a night's success. Music can make the evening last longer,' he says.

Yuval Dor, a DJ producer who has spun at the artsy Abraxas bar on Lilienblum and the Jewish Princess on Yehuda Halevi, believes that the music is a reflection of the owners.

'Music with a good sound system says something about the person who stands behind the bar. If they just put on regular music, it says something about them. If they're really into the music, it shows that they're more interesting and that there's more to look for.'

Publicity
'You need hype; you need someone who knows how to make a buzz,' says Gershon. 'You need a person who will adjust a crowd to the place.'

To create a buzz, bar owners need to know a lot of people, or they have to hire promoters and publicists who do. Generally, people who come from the field, such as managers, bartenders and DJs, have already built a reputation and will attract a pre-established following.

It always helps to appear in gossip columns. 'If you want a place to be hip, you need many items in newspapers,' says Gershon.

However, hype may only sustain a place for so long. Haya prefers to keep the hype on a low. 'You can make a buzz, then a lot of people come - and then it falls. It's better without the hoopla.'

As with any business, word of mouth is the best publicity. 'Once the place is good, celebrities will come,' she says.

Bartenders/staff
Bartenders do more than just pour drinks - they gauge bar-goers' wants, needs and desires. He or she should know what kind of mood the customer is in and if he/she wants to talk, be entertained or left alone. 'A bartender is like a psychologist,' says Marco.

It's not enough that bartenders graduate a bartending course. They have to excel in interpersonal relations, a skill that cannot easily be taught.

'If your staff is good and they know what they're doing, customers will come back,' says Gidon. 'It's easy to bring people in the first time and harder to bring them back the second.'

Gershon agrees: 'You have to make people feel at home and welcome. Taking care of regulars - that's very important.'

Haya instructs her bartenders that 'the bar is a stage.' She interviews each bartender to make sure they are professionals who can contribute to the energy and atmosphere of the place.

There's another important criteria for hiring bartenders: looks. 'It's very important for bartenders to look good,' she says. 'The men don't have to be muscular, but they should be fun and pleasant.'

Attention to detail
'If you're not willing to go into the small details, it won't work,' warns Marco.

Bar owners should understand that the smallest glitch in service or operation may affect the customer's willingness to return. If the lighting is too bright, the air conditioning too strong, the music too loud, the beer poured sloppily or the mojito not mixed right, customers will notice, even at the subconscious level. This means that bar owners or managers cannot spend the night sitting at the bar chatting with friends. They have to be behind the scenes, paying careful attention to staff and customers and making sure that everything runs smoothly.

The Shichors believe that for a bar to have a long shelf life rather than close after two years, it must offer an added value, something unique. When they opened Bugsy, they decided to offer a rich food menu open to customers at all hours. The owners of Temptation, who also see the importance of added value, offer homemade cocktails.

Heart and soul
Only someone who loves the business will survive the initial, difficult stages. If a place has a heart, it's because heart went into it.

'I see places in Tel Aviv that have a great location, music and look, yet they fail,' says Gershon. 'Then I see places that put in little money but have a lot of spirit. Spirit counts for a lot.'

Owning a bar, in any of its variations, is a 24-hour job. 'You have to dedicate yourself to it,' says Haya. 'It has to be your life.' Marco thinks luck wouldn't hurt, either. 'You need a little of it with everything in your life.'

(BOX #1) How to pass selection
Several bars and dance bars enforce strict selection, and rightly so. Often, people go to bars because they want to feel beautiful - or go home with someone beautiful. If sloppily dressed stragglers, youngsters or 'Mafia' types are allowed in, the atmosphere and mood can be killed in an instant. So while selection may seem like an annoyance, better not to fight it and learn to work with it - and eventually appreciate it.

Omer Gershon, director of marketing and PR at some of the hottest bars in the city, reveals the secrets of passing selection:
* Be as attractive as possible (especially women)
* Be a celebrity
* Be rich
* Dress really well
* Know the owners or managers

If you lack the above, the following might help:
* Always be polite to the selector and say 'Thank you.'
* Get noticed inside the bar for next time. Be nice to
bartenders and tip well.

How not to pass selection
* Argue with a selector
* As a guy, come with a group of guys. It reminds the selectors too much of the army.
* Say to the selector, 'Don't you know who I am?'
* Say to the selector, 'This is the last time you work in this town.'

Herzliya nights (listing)

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; November 3, 2006

The city which arguably comes second after Tel Aviv as a center for Israeli nightlife is Herzliya. In the past decade, Herzliya has grown to boast not only some of the best restaurants in the country, but also some of the most happening resto-bars, bar lounges, pubs and dance bars. On weekends the Herzliya industrial zone and its yacht marina is mobbed by partyers of all ages looking to eat, dance, and drink in this bar-hoppers paradise.

Below is a selection of recommended hot spots:

Douglas A new, crowded, and happening nightlife playground built with many corners and pathways. A huge bar goes the length of the club, surrounded by little lounge areas, tables, and lots of careless bouncing and grinding in the aisle. There are several VIP rooms for special parties. These are equipped with entertainment systems.Rehov Hasadnaot 4 (09) 950-6660

Dublin The Herzliya branch of this Irish pub chain attracts a mixed crowd - singles, students, families, groups of all ages - seeking an Irish, fun-loving party atmosphere. The design of this large space is impressive, with stain-glassed windows, rugs and chandeliers imported from the Emerald Isle. Rehov Shenkar 4, (09) 954-4889

Hattori Hanzo Named after the sword in Kill Bill, Hittori Hanzo is a fun-loving dance and pick-up bar designed in classic red and black leather, for ages 23 and up. Rehov Sapir 1, (09) 951-4045.

Inga One of the more sane alternatives in Herzliya, Inga is one of the pioneering bars there, having been founded over seven years ago. Nowadays it serves as a quiet, neighborhood pub for people over 25. Soft rock plays in the background to allow for intimate conversation, a quiet drink, and a break from the craziness of the Herzliya bustle. Rehov Galgaley HaPlada 16, (09) 951-1429.

John Gotti A modest bar designed in black and named after the 80s mobster, John Gotti attracts a younger crowd on weekdays and a student crowd on weekends. For those who want to feel like a teenager again.

Karpel A New York-style dance bar whose large center bar, shaped like an "S," is surrounded by partyers looking to get lucky. The steamy, pick-up vibe has made this a popular hangout for singles over 24. Rehov HaMenufim 9, (09) 954-1128.

Kuwan One of the more popular, Tel Aviv-style bars in the Herzliya industrial zone, Kuwan attracts an older, professional crowd. The design is classic and dark, with an upstairs gallery for groups and lounge areas around the main bar. Rehov Shenkar 16, (09) 955-1451.

Kyoto A favorite among the branja - celebrities, soccer players, and nouveau riche - looking to sip sake and munch on what is arguably the best sushi in Israel. It's designed by the famous Gadi Halperin to evoke a cross between a high-powered New York restaurant and a Japanese sushi bar.

Lavan Modeled after the Supper Bar of Amsterdam, this very chic and high-class-chef restaurant/lounge is the place for a romantic, chill night out with gourmet food and drink. The second floor features square, mattress lounge areas where couples and groups can recline, feel rich, and enjoy the attention of professional masseurs. Rehov Abba Eban 27, (09) 958-6080.

Murphy's Irish Public House Another invested Irish pub, this one located at the marina across from the yachts, it has a large outdoor terrace in the summer. Its relaxed and chill Irish atmosphere makes it a popular, clean-cut hangout for families, tourists, groups and couples. There's live music weekly. Rehov HaShunit 4, (09) 956- 9495.

Rio One of the most popular, stylish and exclusive dance bars in the area. Located off the marina, Rio is frequented by local celebrities, lots of pretty girls, and students from IDC. On any given night there is sure to be a lot of wild dancing, pumping music, playful flirting, and careless drinking. Arena Mall, (050) 725-0343.

Temple Bar Located in the Cinema City mall, Temple Bar is an ideal place to hang out after watching a movie. A sports bar-style outer corridor leads to a full-fledged Irish pub designed very neatly and carefully with imported Irish decor, secluded lounge areas and a VIP room. Live bands perform weekly, and lectures on liquor are given monthly. Cinema City, Glilot, (03) 699-5536.

Basketball as metaphor for disengagement

Jerusalem Post, Daily; October 24, 2006

In the new documentary 'Home Game,' Gush Katif's teenage athletes recall an unlikely basketball tournament staged in the final days before Israel's pullout from Gaza.

Elidad Schneid usually got nervous before major games of the Gush Katif inter-settlement basketball league. As a member of the Netzer Hazani team, the winner of most of the league's championship trophies, he should have been particularly nervous hours before the tournament final against Neve Dekalim. But he wasn't. He was too busy planning for another battle scheduled for the same day: the battle over his home.

Schneid is one of the few basketball players interviewed in Home Game, a new documentary following the struggle of the Netzer Hazani community to hold on to its Gaza Strip homes in the days before the fateful August 2005 implementation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.

"During summer vacation in Netzer, we [usually] only talked about basketball and the tournament," he explains in the film, looking back more than half a year after the disengagement. "Last [summer] was a totally different story. Basketball was much less on our minds."

At the time, however, the 19-year-old basketball player and his teammates decided to go on with the championship, seeing the tournament as one of their final anti-disengagement protests.

The film begins with uniformed Gush Katif teenagers bopping down the court with crowds of kids cheering them on. While the scene may strike some as an oddly cheerful opening for a film on such a controversial subject, the championship is ultimately used as a metaphor to examine the feelings of the teenagers as they battle - physically and spiritually - to preserve the community where many of them grew up. Home Game seeks to show that just as the Netzer Hazani basketball team played on the court, so they "played" in the struggle over their settlement: with tenacity, hope and determination.

"Everyone can understand sports - the desire to struggle, win and fight until the end, both on the player level and team level," explains Avi Abelow, the producer of the film.

He and the director, Yaron Shane, thought that focusing on basketball would draw viewers of a variety of political and religious shades into the human story of the settlers' drive to overturn the disengagement plan. "Many people around the world and in Israel, in part because of their political or religious orientations, did now allow themselves to empathize with what these people went through and experienced," Abelow said.

Abelow developed the idea for the film after taking a leave from his Tel Aviv consulting job to support the Gush Katif settlers. After infiltrating Netzer Hazani two weeks before the disengagement began, he used his digital camera to document what he hoped would not be the Gaza settlements' final days. Despite having no previous experience in the film industry, he assembled his footage to create a short film to help raise money for Gush Katif residents after their evacuation, offering donors a longer version as a bonus. This longer film eventually evolved into a full-fledged documentary.

Shane, an experienced director and producer with his own editing and film services company, didn't think Abelow had enough footage for a full feature, so he and the first-time director collected footage taken by Netzer Hazani families themselves.

The bulk of their filmmaking, he says, was actually done largely in post- production. The final product has been extracted from over 80 hours of film. Some of the included footage retains a home-made feel, but overall the filmmakers' editing gives Home Game a professional look.

"I said to myself, 'This is footage that everyone must see to get [the settlers'] story, their perspective of what they went through," says Abelow. "If viewers are allowed to focus on the people and human story, they could come out of the experience feeling a closer connection to the people and to understand their tragedy, regardless of whether they supported the disengagement plan or not. The film is about creating a connection and empathy for fellow Jews who feel forgotten by their people, not about changing their political opinion."

Home Game's insider footage includes teenagers painting the settlement in orange, the color associated with the anti- disengagement movement; a near violent encounter between young settlers and border police; the settlers' return of their weaponry to the IDF; emotional meetings in which settlers discuss painful decisions about how to prepare for their evacuation; the heart-wrenching day of the evacuation itself; and, of course, the final home game.

One of the central figures in the film, 19-year-old Einat Yefet, filmed her final days at Netzer Hazani as part of a deal with Channel 10. Scenes from her cinematic journal feature prominently in the movie. "It was important for me to document our struggle - what we've done, all of our creation," she explains in the film. "We feel that no one understands what we are going through."

When Yefet and her fellow residents were approached by Abelow and Shane to assist them with the film, she hesitated. But she ultimately decided to participate, she said, not only to influence others, but to begin a process of healing. She describes working on the film as a type of therapy.

"After the expulsion we tried to escape," she said. "Not only did you lose your home, but you feel scattered and confused. We had no direction, support or help. For youth who didn't know anything aside from Gush Katif, coping with it was very difficult. We went through a process of repression."

Working on the film wasn't easy, she says, with the project forcing her to confront difficult memories she had tried to block. But she persisted. "The first weeks of working on the film were terrible for me, and I cried all the time," she said. "It was like a very difficult surgery, but if I didn't perform it, it would have been very hard to continue."

Next month she'll embark on a trip to American Jewish communities to screen the film and raise funds for the Gush Katif community, many of whose members remain unemployed more than a year after the disengagement.

Shane, the film's director, says he feels confident that Home Game's youthful subjects are satisfied with the way their story is told. "The fact that they see the film as something that is their own is a compliment," he said.

Home Game has screened in more than 50 communities across Israel over the last few months, as well as in several cities abroad. The audiences are usually sympathetic to the Gaza settlers, but Gush Katif documentaries can be a tough sell - particularly to disengagement supporters and those not generally interested Israeli politics.

The film was shown to the mainstream Israeli press at a Tel Aviv screening last week. Abelow is working on getting the film shown at the country's cinematheques and film festivals, and says his ultimate goal is to get it shown on a major Israeli television network.

Home Game will next screen for high school and youth groups in Israel on November 5, a date chosen for its proximity to the anniversary of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. The hope, filmmakers says, is that the film will create tolerance between different sectors of Israel's population.

Party in the valley (listing)

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; October 20, 2006

During the past year Emek Hefer, the rural valley sandwiched between Netanya and Hadera, has planted the seeds for a steadily growing nightlife. It used to be that residents of villages, farms and kibbutzim in the area had to travel to Herzliya or Tel Aviv to experience the glamorous pubs and dance bars. Not anymore.

The sprouting nightlife reflects a changing demographic profile in Emek Hefer, which is slowly becoming a nouveau college town. The villages have become attractive places to live for many students and young professionals. Colleges in the area, such as Ruppin College and Netanya College, have created a market of potential partyers seeking quality nightlife establishments rather than kibbutz cafes or pubs.

The following is a partial listing for adventurers who want to break out of Tel Aviv and see how Sabras party in the little cities.

Ha'ogen Under the slogan "Because every Friday you need to fall apart!" Alcoholic productions presents a happening party every Friday for students over 23. Music: hip-hop. Dance: Israeli. Kibbutz Ha'ogen, Info: 0523-753800

Inigo Montoya When Inigo Montoya opened last year, a nightlife monsoon hit the valley. Inigo's pumping music, well-dressed folk, exclusivity and hot bartenders make it the most Tel Aviv-style dance bar in the valley. It's not the place to go for a quiet night but to party with the "in" crowd. Em Haderech Mall; Yonnai Junction; open daily from 9 p.m.; Tel: 0528-697824

Lechet A pioneering nightlife institution in Emek Hefer, Lechet is one of the most popular weekend spots for soldiers. It's in Kfar Vitkin and is open Friday and Saturday nights. Music: hip-hop, alternative, mainstream. Tel: 0543-955539

Muze The first mega-bar in the area, Muze is probably the most ambitious. Half a million dollars was invested to turn this former hangar in Emek Hefer into a world-class establishment. With 90 stools, it's arguably one of the largest bars in Israel, maybe even larger than Tel Aviv's Lanski, although it has yet to reach the prestigious Tel Aviv club's status. Emek Hefer Industrial Zone, Tuesday- Saturday from 9 p.m.; Tel: 0509-339879

Natasha Once busy as a weekend dance bar for students and soldiers, Natasha is now the prime locale for "organic" parties. Among the more "natural" and "rustic" of all the nightlife options, these parties are "non-toxic." No smoking is allowed on the dance floor, and tea and natural foods are served on the patio. People of all ages can "come as you are" to dance to world music and golden oldies. It's at the entrance to Kfar Haim and opens every other Saturday night. Tel: 0507-958676

Selfa As one of the first dance bars in Emek Hefer, Selfa was among those that started the pub disco ball rolling. Located right next to Muze in a secluded industrial zone, Selfa consists of a rectangular bar and lounge area with leather sofas. Despite its classic design, Selfa still has a village appeal. On almost any given night, locals 23 and over are likely to bump into old friends. Emek Hefer Industrial Zone; Tuesday-Saturday from 9 p.m. Tel: 0525-400482

Vasco Only a few months old, Vasco is a little darker and more subdued than some other establishments, although the design is standard, with a rectangular bar and a wall lined with sofas. What distinguishes it is an outdoor patio overlooking the valley. Its location, deep within a small mall in Emek Hefer, means that only people "in the know" go there, usually students and an older, professional crowd. Ha'ogen Junction. Open daily from 9 p.m. Tel: 0544-84564

Valery Located across the way from Inigo Montoya, Valery is arguably the most elegant restaurant/bar in the area. The place feels like a bistro during the day and a dance bar at night, when it gets busy with younger folk. It gets really busy on weekends, with DJs spinning freestyle, and is a convenient alternative for those who can't get into Inigo Montoya. Emek Haderech Mall; Yonnai Junction. Open daily from 12 p.m. Tel: (09) 866-6720

Zuf "on the water" is a unique outdoor club near a stream and forest in Kfar Vitkin, equipped with swimming pools and a small camping site (for late-night, drunk revelers). Geared mostly for soldiers, Zuf is popular nationwide, particularly for its warm, personal treatment. The catchy website says it all: www.zuf.co.il

Jewish learning on the rise in Tel Aviv

Jerusalem Post, Metro; October 20, 2006

Over the last decade, centers for Jewish study have been growing and thriving.

A day before Succot, a bunch of 18-year-old girls and boys sat on a lawn under the trees in south Tel Aviv to study Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), the book traditionally read on Succot. They had started the class inside a makeshift classroom at the Shapira community center, the temporary campus of the new Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv but moved outside to enjoy the inspiration of the fresh air.

The teacher was commenting on the nature of happiness as described in Ecclesiastes through a look at excerpts from such thinkers as John Stuart Mill and Ahad Ha'am. Students were engaged in unraveling the wisdom wedded in the Jewish canon.

The idyllic scene of Israelis studying Torah may seem out of place in Tel Aviv. The urban center of Israel is known more for its industry, entertainment, culture, bars and restaurants than for its yeshivas and synagogues. But in the last decade, centers for Jewish learning have been growing and thriving in Tel Aviv. That Tel Aviv is one of the most secular cities in Israel has actually made it an experimental and fertile ground for Jewish outreach and education.

"I think Tel Aviv is the capital of secularism because it's also juxtaposed against Jerusalem," explains Benjy Maor, director of resource and development of the Secular Yeshiva. "We decided to establish a secular yeshiva in Tel Aviv for that reason. If you create a framework that's relevant for secular Israelis, you have to do it in the heart of where it is."

The Secular Yeshiva, a project of the Bina Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture, aims to give young secular Israelis the opportunity to study Jewish texts from a humanistic perspective. Many of the participants, who come from all over Israel, weave their yeshiva studies into their pre-army or post-army track. The curriculum combines community service in the Shapira community, among the poorer in Tel Aviv, as part of the program's emphasis on social action.

Maor, who made aliya 23 years ago from Los Angeles, has observed how young secular Israelis are often alienated from Jewish sources. He attributes this, in part, to their inability to see Judaism's relevance to their lives and values. Many of the students come into the secular yeshiva program associating Judaism with stringent Orthodox practice or politicized religion, with a general aversion to both.

Maor notices an upward trend in pluralistic Jewish learning throughout Tel Aviv. "Relative to 10 years ago, there's no question that if you look across Tel Aviv from south to north, Jewish pluralism is on the map. There are activities of all kinds."

The Secular Yeshiva is refurbishing its new campus in a building donated by the city, which has expressed support for the project. The city subsidizes its own center for Jewish culture at a state-of-the-art building located off Ibn Gabirol on Zeitlin Street. The Brodt Center, built three years ago, conducts programs, activities and courses for non-affiliated Tel Avivians. Its goal is to connect Tel Aviv residents to their heritage and roots through contemporary Jewish culture. The city's active involvement in Jewish learning reflects the growth of interest in the city, says Shira Sivan, director of the center.

"When you do things that are fitting for a young, non-religious crowd, there is demand."

One of the pioneers of the revival of interest in Jewish sources among secular Tel Avivians is Ruth Calderon. While she bears no formal affiliation to the Secular Yeshiva, she regards it as a welcome participant in the same endeavor as the educational institute, Alma, which she founded 10 years ago. Alma is a "center for Hebrew culture" where "Hebrew" does not refer to the language but to the integration of Judaism and modernity.

"I think we should redefine 'secular,'" says Calderon, an active figure in Jewish education throughout Israel. "Tel Aviv non-rabbinic Jews respect culture very much; when we offer them an entrance into Judaism as scholarship or classic narrative culture instead of halacha, it is surprising how much hunger and openness you can find in Tel Aviv."

Calderon grew up in a "very Jewish" secular home, but when she sought to study classic Jewish texts and spirituality, she had trouble finding a non-affiliated educational framework in Tel Aviv. Alma is the culmination of her vision to create what she felt was missing in the city.

"Alma was founded in the hopes of building a home for Hebrew culture - a center of study, ritual, celebration of the Jewish calendar for the non-affiliated majority in Israel and the world."

Located just off Sderot Rothschild, Alma has expanded its activities to include Haifa and has established Alma New York. Alma Tel Aviv offers full and part-time tracks that combine the study of Bible and Talmud with literature, poetry, philosophy and the arts.

Calderon believes the time is ripe for Tel Aviv to live up to its potential as the "Hebrew city" envisioned by Tel Aviv's cultural founding fathers, Ahad Ha'am, Joseph Haim Brenner, and Chaim Nachman Bialik. While Judaism is often not expressed through halachic observance in Tel Aviv, Shabbat and holidays remain "different" from the rest of the week, and the special Je wish atmosphere is present in the many expressions of Hebrew culture in the city. True Hebrew culture, however, co mes from the meeting bet ween the creative arts and Jewish sources.

"Our vision at Alma is to become a meeting place between the talented creators of culture in Israel and the wonderful heritage that belongs to them, to which they were never really introduced." To facilitate this meeting, Alma has tailored a beit midrash program for television script writers and musicians.

While institutes such as Alma and the Secular Yeshiva are providing Jewish learning pathways for secular Israelis who would automatically reject Jewish learning in an Orthodox framework, Jewish learning from a traditional and halachic perspective has also been making headway in the city.

Rosh Yehudi, whose headquarters is off Rehov Bogroshav, is geared toward individual secular Tel Avivians seeking meaningful spiritual outlets. Its sign reads "Center for Self-Awareness."

"I couldn't stand the idea that in the center of culture in Israel there didn't exist the most 'banal,' true, simple alternative, which is the true culture of Am Israel, the culture of the Torah: Judaism," explains Israel Zeira, who founded Rosh Yehudi 10 years ago. "In Tel Aviv we have all the cultures, all the avodot zorot (idolatries) in the world - everything you want, but no Judaism."

Like Calderon, Zeira is concerned that gatekeepers of culture are often disconnected from their Jewish identity and texts. "When you go to Tel Aviv you see that all creative Israeliness happens here - journalism, communications, television. It's amazing that the city that creates Israeli culture lacks Jewish identity."

In its early days, Rosh Yehudi's staff had to stand outside and recruit passers-by for a minyan or weekly class. Today, the classroom is packed every week with men and women ranging from ages 20-50, wearing shorts, jeans and tank tops, who come to listen to the weekly Torah portion, biblical commentary and traditional Jewish sources on happiness and the meaning of life. While its orientation is Orthodox, there is no political agenda or religious coercion. People are encouraged to come, wearing and asking whatever they want.

"It's clear that no one likes to be forced into something they don't understand. Man is a free person, and freedom is a very important virtue in the Torah," says Zeira.

Rosh Yehudi recently expanded and refurbished an old synagogue on Bar Kochva. The synagogue had not been used for years, but a crew of volunteers worked hard to get it cleaned up in time for the High Holidays. All its seats were filled on Yom Kippur.

The growth of traffic in the classroom and synagogue rivals the growth of interest on the Internet. In the "Ask the rabbi" section, more and more people turn to Jewish wisdom on a variety of topics. But Zeira sees this growing interest as an outgrowth of increasing dissatisfaction with nihilist or hedonistic secular culture.

"In the past few years there has been more interest perhaps because the public is coming to the conclusion that there are no real answers to life and that life has lost its zohar and beauty. People are looking for hope, light, direction. And there is no direction."

Community-geared yeshivas with a religious Zionist orientation have sprung up across the city to heal the divide between Judaism and mainstream secular Israelis. Their approach is to situate themselves within a certain community and create a significant, traditional Jewish presence.

Across the street from the temporary grounds of the Secular Yeshiva (which is building its permanent home nearby) is Yeshivat Orot Aviv. Founded six years ago in the Shapira community, it has a non-secular orientation, teaching Torah Judaism not as Hebrew culture but as an integral way of life. Identified with the religious Zionist camp, it combines full-time traditional yeshiva learning and community programs. "Seed families" with husbands who study there, live among the residents to infuse traditional Jewish life into south Tel Aviv.

"It's important for them that there are religious families in Tel Aviv," says Merav Monsonego, who runs the office.

The yeshiva is situated in an old synagogue that used to serve a once-active Jewish community in the area. During Succot, the yeshiva organized events for kids in and around the succa. On Simchat Torah they walked around the entire city with a Sefer Torah to raise the holiday spirits of the secular city. During the week they run weekly classes for women, as well as bar-mitzva training for boys.

"We try to make an atmosphere of Judaism in the community," says Monsonego. "Ha'rav Mishael Cohen, the rosh yeshiva, conceived of this idea. He understood that for Am Yisrael to be connected to Torah, the religious communities can't live isolated from the rest of Israel. Tel Aviv is the heart of Israel."

Yeshivat Ma'ale Eliyahu, located behind Ichilov Hospital, is a yeshiva of higher learning also affiliated with the religious Zionist community. It runs programs and events open to the public to infuse Jewish learning and identity into the city through an approach that applauds and adheres to Jewish law.

Rav Uri Sherki, who teaches Bible at Rosh Yehudi, has high hopes for Tel Aviv: "It is the most spiritual of cities because here they are searching. They could reach a great high or low - but they are in a search. The search is always a safe ground for spiritual ascension."

(BOX #1) How Jewish are they at Jewish Princess?
In Israel, only a bar in Tel Aviv would have a wall relief designed with laser cutouts of Kama Sutra positions. Only a bar in Tel Aviv with such a wall relief would call itself "Jewish Princess."

While not necessarily the intention of the owners, the satirical name represents the playful disdain often associated with Tel Aviv and Judaism. To discover whether or not this stereotypical aversion to Judaism exists in Tel Aviv, Metro met with a few bargoers at Jewish Princess on a busy Thursday night to find out the extent of their connection to Judaism.

Limor, 32, embraced her Jewish identity more in the US than she did in Tel Aviv. "In New York they respect it more. Here it's taken for granted, and you don't have to deal with questions about Jewish identity."

Assaf, 32 from Givatayim, was proud to say, "I'm a Jew." Barak, having a beer next to him, was much more positive toward Judaism and religious people. "When I'm around religious people, I respect them as I do all religions." He argues that Tel Aviv is more religiously tolerant than people give it credit for - it goes along with the do-whatever-makes-you-happy ethos.

Hadas, 31, who lives in Tel Aviv, finds value in Judaism, although she doesn't actively practice. "I'm a Jew and I believe in God. It expresses itself in everything I do. I always ask if what I do is okay." But she doesn't see any proclivity of Tel Avivians to Judaism. In fact, she sees the opposite - a mocking, purposeful desecration - that's what Tel Aviv is for, she says.

Yair, the son of parents who left the haredi fold, represents one of the more extreme anti-Jewish attitudes. "Judaism is not relevant," he says. "I'm a human being. In the Diaspora, Judaism has a different meaning. Here we are the Jewish state. I don't feel a need to be Jewish."

Among those interviewed, there was one woman studying Judaism at the Kabbalah Center, attracted to the mixture of Judaism and mysticism. "It's in my language," she said. She thinks more Tel Avivians should embrace Judaism as a path to spirituality.

Guy, her friend, said, "I fought in Lebanon. That's the most Jewish I can get."

(BOX #2) Where to go
The following is a partial list of institutions with non- academic Jewish education programs and activities in the Tel Aviv area:

Alma College
4 Bezalel Yafe
(03) 566-3031
www.alma.org.il

Beit Daniel, the Center for Progressive Judaism
Bnei Dan St.
(03) 544-2740

Bina Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture
1 Hayasmin, Ramat Efal
(03) 534-2513/2997
www.bina.org.il

Brodt Center for Jewish Heritage Studies
22 Zeitlin
(03) 695-4522

The Kabbalah Center
14 Ben-Ami
(03) 526-6800
www.kabbalah.co.il

Machon Shorashim
(haredi)
13 Feierberg
(03) 560-3243

Midreshet Aviv
(for women)
(03) 609-2229
www.midreshetaviv.co.il

Rosh Yehudi
45 Bograshov
Tel/Fax: (03) 525-5355
www.rosh-yehudi.co.il

Yeshivat Aviv Hatorah
1 Binyamini
(Nahlat Yitzhak)
(050) 8736454

Yeshivat Ma'ale Eliyahu
(03) 695-9917
www.yeshivatelaviv.org.il

Yeshivat Orot Aviv
23 Rabbi Yisrael Misalant, Shapira
(03) 697-8936
(050) 8822088
orotaviv@gmail.com