Jerusalem Post, Metro; March 24, 2006
The stereotypical image of Tel Avivians' political attitudes was aptly reflected when members of the National Union-NRP party took a stroll through the city's Rehov Lilienblum nightlife hub recently.
MKs Arieh Eldad, Effie Eitam and party member Yehoar Gal paid a surprise visit to the bar compound to bring their right-wing/religious message beyond the party's natural constituency.
'The main idea of coming here is to say that at the end of the day, despite our differences and the major dispute we face, we are one nation,' said Eitam.
As party representatives sat at various pubs over beer and casual conversation with Tel Aviv bar hoppers, activists handed out postcards bearing pictures of 'square'-looking right-wing MKs and religious youth, with the tongue-in-cheek caption 'Do you want us to be your neighbors?' - an allusion to the party's stance against further withdrawals from Judea and Samaria. The postcard played on the perception that Tel Avivians - especially those who frequent the city's bars and nightclubs - generally don't like religious Jews and settlers and are likely to cast their vote for pro-disengagement parties.
'Don't you think the Land of Israel is the natural place for the Jews?' Gal asked a youth having a drink at one of the bars.
'I'm a person first and then a Jew,' replied the 18 year-old, voicing a common attitude among secular youth.
Such an attitude makes Tel Aviv the punching bag of some settlers and right-wingers, who consider the city rife with anti-Jewishness and national apathy. Similarly, religious settlers are often the punching bag of Tel Avivians and leftists, who consider the Land of Israel camp as religious fanatics who pose obstacles to peace and normalcy.
But is it fair to paint Tel Aviv in such broad strokes? A walk through the city's streets during the present election campaign revealed that the stereotype of Tel Aviv as home to the Left and apathetic, while containing some truth, is not always accurate.
At Shesek, a pub on Rehov Lilienblum, manager Roy Zakeyn, 26, a communications student, takes issue with the argument that in Tel Aviv people don't care about or are ignorant of current events.
'We have very strong ideals, I think,' said Zakeyn, who plans to vote - although he is yet not sure for whom. 'Yeah, we're in a bubble and people say we are apathetic, but we just live our lives. We're not going to sit at home depressed.'
For example, he noted that when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was first hospitalized with a stroke in early January, the bar was a little emptier than usual, but the next day it was packed again.
'One day is enough for Tel Aviv,' he said, adding that Tel Avivians' persistence in living their lives to the fullest is one way to overcome the psychological war underlying life in Israel.
He does, however, agree that in general, secular residents of Tel Aviv don't care for religious Zionism or their forebears - the settlers - which generally aligns them with left-of-center parties.
'It's a big problem for us because we are ready to give up those places for a greater good. On the other hand, sometimes I see the Palestinians and say it's hopeless.'
Eitam, who was sitting over a beer at the pub next door, thinks that this divide between the secular and religious stems from the embracing of secular liberal values represented by the Israeli metropolis.
'Tel Aviv is the nearest environment to Western culture, to the liberal secular components,' he said. 'Many Israelis adapt a very extreme version of individualism. They find after a while that they don't have strong ties to the nation and the religious sector.'
If Eitam had stopped by one of the kiosks in the area, his thesis might have been questioned.
'There can never be peace between Jews and Muslims,' said one local kiosk owner. Pulling out his pistol and raising it to his chest, he added, 'I believe in this. Those people only know this.'
Of Moroccan descent, the kiosk owner thinks that the Ashkenazi elite, largely represented by the media, academia and Tel Aviv professionals, don't really understand the Muslims and therefore have a false illusion that peace is possible. He was against the disengagement and further withdrawals, even though he is not religious.
But his right-wing views make him neither loyal to Israel nor keen on voting. 'Some 85% of the politicians are criminals.' he said, He plans to pack up and move to Thailand with his non-Jewish girlfriend so as not to be in Israel for the pending world war he envisions between the Muslim world and the West.
When people categorize Tel Aviv as the leftist's paradise, they are usually referring to the high life of a city center that boasts the largest concentration of bars, cafes, restaurants and secular singles in Israel. But in the outskirts of the city lives a larger concentration of Sephardic residents who generally cast their vote for right-wing parties.
After the 2003 elections, Yediot Aharonot reported that 28.4% of Tel Avivians cast their vote for Likud, while 22.6% voted for Labor; Shinui polled 15.5%, Meretz 11.1%, and Shas 7.2%. These figures differed greatly from Jerusalem, which voted Likud 27.8%, Torah Judaism 18.1%, Labor 9%, Shinui 6.9% and Meretz 4.8%.
Sheinkin, the ultra-trendy street in the city center with designer shops and boutique cafes that had it's heyday in the 1990s, is often mocked as the anti-settler, bohemian center of Israel.
Elon Gilad, a Tel Aviv representative for the dovish, pro-marijuana legalization Green Leaf party, thinks that Sheinkin may be accused of leaning left, but not of being apathetic.
'I find that Sheinkinites are people with lots of ideals, but they're not involved politically. The people who actually live on the street are involved, care and interested - they'll probably vote for Hadash, Meretz or Green Leaf.'
Election statistics according to voting booths are not available for the most recent elections, but a Central Bureau of Statistics report on the 1996 elections (when the Knesset and prime minister were elected separately) showed that the polling station on Rehov Ba'alei Hamelacha (near Sheinkin) registered 78% for Labor's Shimon Peres and only 22% for Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu. Party ballots gave Labor 28.5%, Meretz 23%, Likud 8.5%, Shinui 5.5%, Green Leaf 4.6% and Hadash (the communist party) 3%. It was the young and artsy Florentine area that gave Green Leaf the most votes at 13%.
However, across all cities the number of Likud voters jumped in the 2003 elections, at the height of the intifada. These days, aside from campaigning NU-NRP MKs, one would be hard pressed to find enthusiastic right-wing supporters in the streets of central Tel Aviv.
This is hardly a surprise to Liron Zaidin, 24, chair of the Faculty of Zionism, a student activist group at Tel Aviv University aimed at raising Zionist consciousness on the campus. Zaidin, a student of economics, mathematics and political science, also heads the Orange Cell student activist group, which last summer distributed orange ribbons and anti-disengagement materials all over Tel Aviv.
Zaidin sees fellow classmates as becoming increasingly disconnected from their Jewish identity and the Land of Israel, and is disillusioned with the shallowness and selfishness he finds around him. He predicts a low voter turnout and more votes for the Green Leaf party, thanks to Tel Aviv.
'People care only about themselves and eating a better pizza or drinking a better beer. It's a sad thing that's happening to our country - people care less about the country and more about nothing.'
Earlier this month, a crew of Orange Cell activists roamed the streets of Tel Aviv to hand out postcards with a picture of the view of Tel Aviv from Ramalla - with the message that should the government give away land in the West Bank, Tel Aviv will not be immune to rockets attacks. They hoped that maybe if Tel Avivians felt directly threatened, they would begin to break out of their bubble and possibly move to the right of the political spectrum.
'There were single instances of people who said 'We don't want you here' - they were influenced by media images that show us as scary people,' said Ayelet Shiber, a student from Ashkelon who handed out postcards in the Florentine area. 'When we spoke to regular people, some looked at it, read it like any other flyer - which is part of the apathy - and said they agreed. I believe that most people agree with us, but the culture today tells them to worry about themselves.'
At Tel Aviv University, Gilad of the Green Leaf party confirms that the campus ethos is generally not sympathetic to right-wingers or settlers.
'I think it's part of a religious-cultural battle that we are having between the religious right and democratic liberalism,' he said.
During the summer, he recounted, the parking lot of the political science department was filled with blue and white ribbons in support of the disengagement.
Zaidin of Orange Cell says the university gave him problems for setting up an orange tent on campus.
It's due to this liberal ethos that Ayelet Finklestein, 19, a proud resident of the West Bank settlement Beit El, is not crazy about hanging out in Tel Aviv, which she considers hostile to her way of life.
'I just don't think they know. I don't think they really care, and if they do care, then they are usually to the Left because it's very cool and nice to love and want peace and all those nice words. That's the fashion,' she says.
David Bannay, a clinical psychologist who lives and works in Tel Aviv, took note of the divide between religious settlers and secular Tel Aviv residents after the disengagement and was disappointed with the apathy that people around him had toward the plight of the evacuees. While he considers himself secular, he tied an orange ribbon to his motorcycle not necessarily because he believes in Greater Israel, but to prevent a split in the nation and a major psychological and social trauma among evacuated settlers.
'People in general in Tel Aviv hold values of freedom and individualism - Western and non-religious values. Protecting Zionist values looks so outdated and primitive to people who are concerned with hedonism and personal success. Settlers are also a community, and they are fighting for the values of their community. This is strange for the people of Tel Aviv.'
But there is another factor that contributes to Tel Aviv's notorious self-absorption, says Bannay.
'Common people in Tel Aviv are busy with urban survival - you are striving for success and looking for this value of international, financial success. You are admired for wealth, beauty, artistic talents - making films and showing pictures. You are looking for entertainment, a varied sex life, drugs and good gossip. Actually you don't care about anything else. You are busy enough with the bounty of the city of Tel Aviv - the city that never stops.'
(BOX #1) Exploding the myth of Sheinkin
It is no longer fair to perpetuate the myth that those who spend their days in cafes on Rehov Sheinkin are either all peaceniks or apolitical. Sheinkin cafes are not as vibrant and 'in' as they once were, and many of the vanguard bohemian types have moved south to artsy Florentine.
Those who frequent Sheinkin cafes nowadays are usually not from Tel Aviv but rather 'tourists' from other Israeli cities roaming one of Israel's most popular shopping avenues, as a casual conversation with Sheinkin coffee sippers will reveal.
Shuli of Caesarea, a former Tel Aviv resident who was sitting at one Sheinkin cafe, says she's probably voting for Kadima, 'but as the best of all evils.'
She can understand voter apathy, thinks that Israelis are fed up with politics, and that Sharon was 'one of the last of the greats.'
'Fortunately, it's the US who's running the show, so I don't really have to worry about who's going to be chosen,' she adds.
Liraz, 24, from a city outside of Tel Aviv, says he follows the news closely and is probably switching his Likud alliances to Kadima. His friend Idan, 22, however, also from outside of Tel Aviv, doesn't know whom to vote for.
'I think I fall into the apathetic category,' he says.
Farther down at another cafe, Ricky, 20, of Hod Hasharon, is hesitating between Meretz and Kadima, but her friend, Ronny, a 20 year-old soldier at the Gaza border, is more certain. She's voting Meretz but as a default candidate. Both enthusiastically agree that if Sharon were healthy, they'd vote for Kadima.
Lian, 21, and Ortal, 20, of Moshav Yegel, a farm community generally aligned with Likud, are both voting for Kadima. Lian offers no special reason for her choice but says that 'all parties really offer the same thing.' Kadima gets Ortal's vote because she 'believed in Sharon's way and the man.'
So Kadima seems to be winning on Sheinkin according to this unscientific, cafe-style poll. That makes the cafes of Sheinkin difficult to categorize - it really depends on whom you ask.
(BOX #2) Tel Aviv settlers
When the residents of the Gaza settlement of Netzer Hazani had no viable housing options just days after August's disengagement, the community's teenagers decided that they would become settlers - in Tel Aviv.
They convinced their parents to set up camp in the park across the street from the Arlozorov bus station to protest their treatment by the Disengagement Authority - and as a wake-up call for the people of Tel Aviv, whom they perceived as apathetic or ignorant of their plight.
For about two weeks the park was transformed into a small tent village, where Netzer Hazani families ate and slept.
'It's in the center [of the country] where people worry about themselves - it's not Jerusalem,' said Nirit Tanami, 22, one of the evacuees.
Sabine Zarbib, a mother of two, said that the teenagers' parents initially discouraged the temporary Tel Aviv settlement for fear that the youths would face callous and uncaring responses.
'They replied that Jerusalem is already with us. We need to get to people who are asleep, who don't know who we are. We want to touch people who aren't like us - the leftists and those who don't care.'
Zarbib and the youths were pleasantly surprised.
'We were amazed at the good hearts of people. Even though Tel Avivians live mostly for themselves, there were many people - not only religious people - who, while they disagreed with us, said that they understand us and would help us.'
For Zarbib and some members of her community, the image of Tel Aviv as a generally leftist, anti-settler or just plain apathetic nerve center was shattered to some extent.
Tanami, too, derived satisfaction for having an effect on a city generally considered to be hostile to settlers of any kind.
'Leftists who came and saw and to whom we spoke- it affected them too. They accepted us very nicely.'
Friday, March 24, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Real-life dramas
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; February 24, 2006
Do you ever wish for a life worthy of its own stage play and musical score? Well, even if you don't, the traveling ensemble of the Playback Theater in Tel Aviv will act out scenes from your past as if they are the stuff of art.
Last month, for example, at a "Playback Theater Playlife" performance at the cozy Simta Theater in Jaffa, a man in the audience related how his St. Bernard once won a dog show despite having had a messy, smelly "accident" hours before. The actors, all dressed in black and using only colorful fabrics as props, spontaneously dramatized the event, with a red-headed actress starring as the dog. A pianist heightened the humor with a playful, improvised score.
But Playback Theater usually specializes in more serious life turns - courtships, break-ups or family tensions - and as members of the audience share and watch meaningful, personal life struggles on stage, they learn more about themselves and others. This week, "Playback Playlife" will be performing in Tel Aviv on themes related to Family Day and International Women's Day.
"When actors listen and play out a story, the teller feels listened to, acknowledged and honored. It's very therapeutic. There is a catharsis," says Aviva Apel, manager of Playback Theater. She is also what is called a "conductor" of "Playlife" performances, since the traditional director has no role in such interactive work.
As "conductor," she chooses people from the audience and gets them to open up. The entertainment value and depth of the stories, however, depend on how interesting the chosen audience members are.
But Apel repeats: "We not an entertainment troupe. If people are just looking for fun, that's not our agenda."
In a more serious vignette, another woman from the audience related how the FBI forcefully took her and her daughter off a plane in New York to interrogate them after the attacks of September 11. "It took me back," said the teller of the performance.
But these public "Playlife" performances occur only about twice a month. The major work of Playback takes place in municipalities, schools, private institutions, communities and medical centers as an interactive alternative to formal lectures on sensitive topics. Hi-tech companies and other corporations hire Playback to open lines of communication among employees, to help them adapt to change, to improve customer service, to express concerns, and to create a sense of community.
"It gives people new ways of looking at things and ideas," says Nurit Shoshan, director of marketing and herself a Playback actress and conductor.
Sometimes they perform at life celebrations such as birthdays or bar mitzvas, to imbue important family milestones with meaning; it's "entertainment with an added value," says Apel.
The concept of this alternative theater originated in New York in 1975, when Jonathan Fox and his wife were looking for ways in which theater could have more of a social impact. Since then, Playback has grown into a worldwide organization with affiliates in over 30 countries. Apel, who worked as a professional actress in Israeli theater before getting involved with Playback, imported the concept to Tel Aviv in 1991.
Currently, the Tel Aviv ensemble consists of eight actors and two musicians, and they require a different set of skills than traditional actors - they are good improvisers, team players, non- judgmental listeners and, in a certain sense, altruists.
The ensemble will be performing for the public on themes related to Family Day and International Women's day at the Simta Theater in Jaffa on February 25, 9 p.m. and at Beit Tammi in Tel Aviv on March 2 at 8:30 p.m. For tickets, call (054) 428-7449 or (054) 595-8433.
Do you ever wish for a life worthy of its own stage play and musical score? Well, even if you don't, the traveling ensemble of the Playback Theater in Tel Aviv will act out scenes from your past as if they are the stuff of art.
Last month, for example, at a "Playback Theater Playlife" performance at the cozy Simta Theater in Jaffa, a man in the audience related how his St. Bernard once won a dog show despite having had a messy, smelly "accident" hours before. The actors, all dressed in black and using only colorful fabrics as props, spontaneously dramatized the event, with a red-headed actress starring as the dog. A pianist heightened the humor with a playful, improvised score.
But Playback Theater usually specializes in more serious life turns - courtships, break-ups or family tensions - and as members of the audience share and watch meaningful, personal life struggles on stage, they learn more about themselves and others. This week, "Playback Playlife" will be performing in Tel Aviv on themes related to Family Day and International Women's Day.
"When actors listen and play out a story, the teller feels listened to, acknowledged and honored. It's very therapeutic. There is a catharsis," says Aviva Apel, manager of Playback Theater. She is also what is called a "conductor" of "Playlife" performances, since the traditional director has no role in such interactive work.
As "conductor," she chooses people from the audience and gets them to open up. The entertainment value and depth of the stories, however, depend on how interesting the chosen audience members are.
But Apel repeats: "We not an entertainment troupe. If people are just looking for fun, that's not our agenda."
In a more serious vignette, another woman from the audience related how the FBI forcefully took her and her daughter off a plane in New York to interrogate them after the attacks of September 11. "It took me back," said the teller of the performance.
But these public "Playlife" performances occur only about twice a month. The major work of Playback takes place in municipalities, schools, private institutions, communities and medical centers as an interactive alternative to formal lectures on sensitive topics. Hi-tech companies and other corporations hire Playback to open lines of communication among employees, to help them adapt to change, to improve customer service, to express concerns, and to create a sense of community.
"It gives people new ways of looking at things and ideas," says Nurit Shoshan, director of marketing and herself a Playback actress and conductor.
Sometimes they perform at life celebrations such as birthdays or bar mitzvas, to imbue important family milestones with meaning; it's "entertainment with an added value," says Apel.
The concept of this alternative theater originated in New York in 1975, when Jonathan Fox and his wife were looking for ways in which theater could have more of a social impact. Since then, Playback has grown into a worldwide organization with affiliates in over 30 countries. Apel, who worked as a professional actress in Israeli theater before getting involved with Playback, imported the concept to Tel Aviv in 1991.
Currently, the Tel Aviv ensemble consists of eight actors and two musicians, and they require a different set of skills than traditional actors - they are good improvisers, team players, non- judgmental listeners and, in a certain sense, altruists.
The ensemble will be performing for the public on themes related to Family Day and International Women's day at the Simta Theater in Jaffa on February 25, 9 p.m. and at Beit Tammi in Tel Aviv on March 2 at 8:30 p.m. For tickets, call (054) 428-7449 or (054) 595-8433.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Breakfast Club: the dance-bar (review)
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; Friday, February 17, 2006
It's hard to know whether or not Breakfast Club was named after the John Hughes' 1980s coming-of-age cult classic starring Molly Ringwald and Emilio Esteves. One of the owners, a bartender with lots of colorful tattoos on his arms and who resembles the Judd Nelson character, said Breakfast (the shorthand name used by Israelis) doesn't care for or want publicity. In any case, the loud tracks of the DJ made conversation too difficult.
Perhaps this exclusivity is what makes Breakfast one of Tel Aviv's hot spots - a place where the city's 'brat pack' can feel at home. This dance-bar is as 'Tel Aviv' as they come - it boasts a good-looking crowd of trendy locals who like to smoke and pretend they live in Europe; the regular 'celeb' clientele; esoteric electronic music blasting through the speakers; and snobby selection. The owners' arrogant air demonstrates that when it comes to nightlife, they're the branja - the underground clique you can hear about only by being in the right circles. It is notorious for filling up only around 2 a.m.
The dance bar is underground, literally, so claustrophobics beware. Once you pass selection (which according to the selector is based on seniority and not beauty - yeah right), stairs lead you down to a black basement with a mini dance floor surrounded by tables and dark enclaves which are perfect for making out - not an uncommon site at Breakfast.
There is hardly any lighting on the dance floor; rather, the club is illuminated by black and white flix screened on a string of television sets hanging over the long bar at the end of the club. Black and white pix of historical figures plaster the walls behind the bar, as if to suggest that they are part of the exclusive Breakfast crowd.
But while it has its fair share of poza, Breakfast also has a loose, fun-loving, 'anything goes' vibe, where you can get plastered and dance without care, make out with more than one person in the same night, and pick up or be picked up without too many questions asked. After all, it's just a place to have some rebellious fun, just like the teens did during their infamous day in detention in the movie of the same name.
Rothschild 6
Music: Electronic genres and sub-genres
Hours: Usually from midnight
No cover
It's hard to know whether or not Breakfast Club was named after the John Hughes' 1980s coming-of-age cult classic starring Molly Ringwald and Emilio Esteves. One of the owners, a bartender with lots of colorful tattoos on his arms and who resembles the Judd Nelson character, said Breakfast (the shorthand name used by Israelis) doesn't care for or want publicity. In any case, the loud tracks of the DJ made conversation too difficult.
Perhaps this exclusivity is what makes Breakfast one of Tel Aviv's hot spots - a place where the city's 'brat pack' can feel at home. This dance-bar is as 'Tel Aviv' as they come - it boasts a good-looking crowd of trendy locals who like to smoke and pretend they live in Europe; the regular 'celeb' clientele; esoteric electronic music blasting through the speakers; and snobby selection. The owners' arrogant air demonstrates that when it comes to nightlife, they're the branja - the underground clique you can hear about only by being in the right circles. It is notorious for filling up only around 2 a.m.
The dance bar is underground, literally, so claustrophobics beware. Once you pass selection (which according to the selector is based on seniority and not beauty - yeah right), stairs lead you down to a black basement with a mini dance floor surrounded by tables and dark enclaves which are perfect for making out - not an uncommon site at Breakfast.
There is hardly any lighting on the dance floor; rather, the club is illuminated by black and white flix screened on a string of television sets hanging over the long bar at the end of the club. Black and white pix of historical figures plaster the walls behind the bar, as if to suggest that they are part of the exclusive Breakfast crowd.
But while it has its fair share of poza, Breakfast also has a loose, fun-loving, 'anything goes' vibe, where you can get plastered and dance without care, make out with more than one person in the same night, and pick up or be picked up without too many questions asked. After all, it's just a place to have some rebellious fun, just like the teens did during their infamous day in detention in the movie of the same name.
Rothschild 6
Music: Electronic genres and sub-genres
Hours: Usually from midnight
No cover
Friday, January 20, 2006
Shylock lives down to its name (bar review)
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; January 20, 2006
There's no major reason behind the name Shylock - a new bar off Masrik Square, says co-owner Mordi Meshel, now 10 years in the Tel Aviv nightlife business.
While buying furniture for the place at the Jaffa flea market, a huge portrait of Shakespeare caught his eye. The imposing painting now hangs near the entrance, and it inspired the name. The most recent film version of The Merchant of Venice was playing at the time, and the owners were simply taken by the name of the character of the Jewish miser, Shylock.
Meshel, who also owns Post Cafe on King George, envisioned Shylock as a bona-fide, down-to-earth, low-key neighborhood pub. There are no real neighborhood pubs in the Rabin Square area - a place to unwind after work with friends or stroll into late at night wearing winter sweats. With its warm and mellow atmosphere, created by the old wooden furniture, lamps, paintings and jazzy music, Shylock fills a void.
Meshel's Georgian mother cooks many of the items on the modest menu, from the chopped liver to the soups. The kitchen is at the end of the bar, since Shylock is very compact, but it serves up finger foods, sandwiches and toasts. There are about a dozen wooden tables, and most of the furniture hails from Jaffa. Even the well- stocked alcohol shelf was once a pharmacist's medicine cabinet, and the old-fashioned Israeli floor tiles remain intact.
Mama's homemade vegetable soup hit the spot on a winter night, but it was served with bread that looked and tasted like it came out of a supermarket loaf. Then I looked around at the old furniture, the former medicine cabinet, the tiny kitchen, the chachka paintings carefully put together with minimal investment - and suddenly the name of the place made sense.
There's no major reason behind the name Shylock - a new bar off Masrik Square, says co-owner Mordi Meshel, now 10 years in the Tel Aviv nightlife business.
While buying furniture for the place at the Jaffa flea market, a huge portrait of Shakespeare caught his eye. The imposing painting now hangs near the entrance, and it inspired the name. The most recent film version of The Merchant of Venice was playing at the time, and the owners were simply taken by the name of the character of the Jewish miser, Shylock.
Meshel, who also owns Post Cafe on King George, envisioned Shylock as a bona-fide, down-to-earth, low-key neighborhood pub. There are no real neighborhood pubs in the Rabin Square area - a place to unwind after work with friends or stroll into late at night wearing winter sweats. With its warm and mellow atmosphere, created by the old wooden furniture, lamps, paintings and jazzy music, Shylock fills a void.
Meshel's Georgian mother cooks many of the items on the modest menu, from the chopped liver to the soups. The kitchen is at the end of the bar, since Shylock is very compact, but it serves up finger foods, sandwiches and toasts. There are about a dozen wooden tables, and most of the furniture hails from Jaffa. Even the well- stocked alcohol shelf was once a pharmacist's medicine cabinet, and the old-fashioned Israeli floor tiles remain intact.
Mama's homemade vegetable soup hit the spot on a winter night, but it was served with bread that looked and tasted like it came out of a supermarket loaf. Then I looked around at the old furniture, the former medicine cabinet, the tiny kitchen, the chachka paintings carefully put together with minimal investment - and suddenly the name of the place made sense.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Politically correct driving in Israel
Jerusalem Post, Daily; January 15, 2006
Israeli fashion designer Dorin Frankfurt used to be a proud owner of a four-wheel drive vehicle. She'd drive it all over the city and country, often traveling with her family, including two dogs.
But then she started wondering if she really needed a big car that emits copious amounts of carbon dioxide. "I felt it was politically incorrect to drive a car that guzzles gasoline and is not particularly friendly to the environment," she said in a telephone interview. "I absolutely refused to buy a new car until they brought out some sort of alternative."
One day last summer, Frankfurt read about hybrid cars and immediately made an appointment to test-drive the Toyota Prius, the only hybrid vehicle sold to private consumers in Israel at the time.
Hybrid cars - cars that run on both a petrol engine and an electric powered motor - are purchased in part because of the car buyer's idealism. That's why many environmentally-minded American celebrities were among the first to buy the green machines, and in doing so to act as unofficial commercials for the automotive invention.
Israel arguably lacks a celebrity culture to advertise the hybrid car market - and the salaries of few local entertainers justify such an indulgence.
Television host Avri Gilad, a vocal environmentalist, was among a few prominent personalities to test-drive the Prius as part of Toyota's PR efforts.
"I would love to get it as a present," said Gilad, who admitted that while the car was "very pleasant, economical, and eases my conscience," he is still wary of purchasing one. He also wasn't too crazy about the shape, which is like a curved hatchback.
"I'll need the cost of gas to increase more for me to consider buying electric," he said, noting that according to his calculations it would take about 15 years to recoup the extra cost of the vehicle based on current gasoline prices.
The Prius entered the Israeli vehicle market early last year - about a year behind most European countries, five years behind the US and eight years behind Japan. The finance ministry has dropped the customs rate for hybrid vehicles from 95 percent to 30% to keep the price under NIS 165,000, in an effort to make the cars more affordable to Israeli consumers.
This tax break meant that the total price of the Prius in Israel was reduced last December from NIS 179,132 to its current price of NIS 164,250 - less than the cost of a Toyota Camry or Rava. Toyota now expects its sales to increase, with a forecast of 500-600 purchases in 2006. The Honda Civic IMA will be a little cheaper, falling at around NIS 155,000 vs. NIS 145,000 for the standard Civic.
In addition, the company car tax that employees have to pay on the value of their company cars has also been reduced for hybrid cars.
"We want to encourage the sale of green vehicles," explained Boaz Sofer, Deputy Director General of the Israel Tax Authority. "Hybrid cars are the apparently practical way to reduce the negative influence of cars on the environment. It's not optimal, but this is what we have. I hope this will encourage manufactures and importers to bring in green vehicles."
This is one in a series of initiatives instituted by the finance ministry to reduce pollution and improve road safety, noted Sofer. Another reform, effective since December 2005, will gradually reduce customs on vehicles with increased safety features such as more than four air bags and a vehicle stability control system.
Other countries have also developed incentives for hybrid car owners.
American buyers, for example, can receive full-dollar tax credits and, in some states, owners of hybrid vehicles are allowed to drive solo in carpool lanes. Hybrid drivers are exempt from the 'congestion charge' on vehicles entering central London.
Yet few Israelis are aware that hybrid cars exist.
"We want to [market] the car to company managers who will set an example as people who save energy and care for the environment," said Dror Goralnik, National Sales Manager of Toyota, Israel. "It's really new technology, so you have to be open-minded to accept its advantages." He estimates that it will take another three years until hybrid cars become mainstream.
"It isn't a car that's sold like bread," said Honda's spokeswoman, Amit Sendik. "It's really for people who are interested in energy-saving and reducing pollution." The slowness of hybrid vehicles in penetrating the Israeli market has as much to do with supply as it does with cost or consumer wariness.
Toyota, for example, has manufactured to date about 500,000 cars throughout the world, with quotas for each manufacturing country. In Israel and other countries there are often waiting lists because there aren't enough cars to go around - even to the relatively few eager buyers. Prius- owner Frankfurt faced a waiting list, but persisted.
"I think we should think of Israel and do our utmost to preserve it," she said. "We are responsible to the place that is our future and our past," she added noting that she does all her clothing manufacturing in Tel Aviv.
She doesn't miss her 4X4, and says that there's enough room for her kids and dogs on road trips, but it took her a while to get used to a small, automatic car that she considers much easier to drive.
The dashboard is equipped with a touch-tone screen that displays information on energy flow and fuel consumption, and also controls the car's temperature and radio. The electric motor is much quieter than the petrol engine, which can account for a smoother drive.
In Israel, a country not blessed with vast oil reserves like many of her Arab neighbors, it would seem that the sale of hybrid cars would have political connotations aside from environmental issues - they can reduce the world's dependence on Arab oil.
When asked if weakening Arab countries would be an effective marketing tool for the Prius in Israel, Goralnik couldn't comment. After all, the hybrid car is politically correct.
(BOX) Emission efficient
The hybrid vehicle is powered by both an electric motor and a traditional gasoline engine. Depending on the car's speed and battery level, a computer calculates precisely which source of energy to activate to accelerate the car to the desired speed while saving the most energy.
The combustion engine serves a dual purpose: First to power the car when the electric power is insufficient and second to charge the battery that runs the electric motor. The electric motor is activated mostly during city driving, and the combustion engine usually takes over completely when the car reaches about 70 kph. The combustion engine shuts off when the car is idle, such as in traffic jams. In addition, kinetic energy from the brakes is transformed into usable energy so little energy is wasted.
The Japanese are the leaders of hybrid technology, which was developed by Honda and Toyota. Toyota claims to have already sold around 160 models in Israel. Honda will have a batch of the Honda Civic IMA (integrated motor assist) vehicles for sale in March this year.
Other car manufacturers like GM, Ford and Nissan have licensed the hybrid technology and have outfitted select models with the hybrid system. Toyota plans to have hybrid systems installed in all its models by 2010, and to produce one million hybrid vehicles a year.
Israeli fashion designer Dorin Frankfurt used to be a proud owner of a four-wheel drive vehicle. She'd drive it all over the city and country, often traveling with her family, including two dogs.
But then she started wondering if she really needed a big car that emits copious amounts of carbon dioxide. "I felt it was politically incorrect to drive a car that guzzles gasoline and is not particularly friendly to the environment," she said in a telephone interview. "I absolutely refused to buy a new car until they brought out some sort of alternative."
One day last summer, Frankfurt read about hybrid cars and immediately made an appointment to test-drive the Toyota Prius, the only hybrid vehicle sold to private consumers in Israel at the time.
Hybrid cars - cars that run on both a petrol engine and an electric powered motor - are purchased in part because of the car buyer's idealism. That's why many environmentally-minded American celebrities were among the first to buy the green machines, and in doing so to act as unofficial commercials for the automotive invention.
Israel arguably lacks a celebrity culture to advertise the hybrid car market - and the salaries of few local entertainers justify such an indulgence.
Television host Avri Gilad, a vocal environmentalist, was among a few prominent personalities to test-drive the Prius as part of Toyota's PR efforts.
"I would love to get it as a present," said Gilad, who admitted that while the car was "very pleasant, economical, and eases my conscience," he is still wary of purchasing one. He also wasn't too crazy about the shape, which is like a curved hatchback.
"I'll need the cost of gas to increase more for me to consider buying electric," he said, noting that according to his calculations it would take about 15 years to recoup the extra cost of the vehicle based on current gasoline prices.
The Prius entered the Israeli vehicle market early last year - about a year behind most European countries, five years behind the US and eight years behind Japan. The finance ministry has dropped the customs rate for hybrid vehicles from 95 percent to 30% to keep the price under NIS 165,000, in an effort to make the cars more affordable to Israeli consumers.
This tax break meant that the total price of the Prius in Israel was reduced last December from NIS 179,132 to its current price of NIS 164,250 - less than the cost of a Toyota Camry or Rava. Toyota now expects its sales to increase, with a forecast of 500-600 purchases in 2006. The Honda Civic IMA will be a little cheaper, falling at around NIS 155,000 vs. NIS 145,000 for the standard Civic.
In addition, the company car tax that employees have to pay on the value of their company cars has also been reduced for hybrid cars.
"We want to encourage the sale of green vehicles," explained Boaz Sofer, Deputy Director General of the Israel Tax Authority. "Hybrid cars are the apparently practical way to reduce the negative influence of cars on the environment. It's not optimal, but this is what we have. I hope this will encourage manufactures and importers to bring in green vehicles."
This is one in a series of initiatives instituted by the finance ministry to reduce pollution and improve road safety, noted Sofer. Another reform, effective since December 2005, will gradually reduce customs on vehicles with increased safety features such as more than four air bags and a vehicle stability control system.
Other countries have also developed incentives for hybrid car owners.
American buyers, for example, can receive full-dollar tax credits and, in some states, owners of hybrid vehicles are allowed to drive solo in carpool lanes. Hybrid drivers are exempt from the 'congestion charge' on vehicles entering central London.
Yet few Israelis are aware that hybrid cars exist.
"We want to [market] the car to company managers who will set an example as people who save energy and care for the environment," said Dror Goralnik, National Sales Manager of Toyota, Israel. "It's really new technology, so you have to be open-minded to accept its advantages." He estimates that it will take another three years until hybrid cars become mainstream.
"It isn't a car that's sold like bread," said Honda's spokeswoman, Amit Sendik. "It's really for people who are interested in energy-saving and reducing pollution." The slowness of hybrid vehicles in penetrating the Israeli market has as much to do with supply as it does with cost or consumer wariness.
Toyota, for example, has manufactured to date about 500,000 cars throughout the world, with quotas for each manufacturing country. In Israel and other countries there are often waiting lists because there aren't enough cars to go around - even to the relatively few eager buyers. Prius- owner Frankfurt faced a waiting list, but persisted.
"I think we should think of Israel and do our utmost to preserve it," she said. "We are responsible to the place that is our future and our past," she added noting that she does all her clothing manufacturing in Tel Aviv.
She doesn't miss her 4X4, and says that there's enough room for her kids and dogs on road trips, but it took her a while to get used to a small, automatic car that she considers much easier to drive.
The dashboard is equipped with a touch-tone screen that displays information on energy flow and fuel consumption, and also controls the car's temperature and radio. The electric motor is much quieter than the petrol engine, which can account for a smoother drive.
In Israel, a country not blessed with vast oil reserves like many of her Arab neighbors, it would seem that the sale of hybrid cars would have political connotations aside from environmental issues - they can reduce the world's dependence on Arab oil.
When asked if weakening Arab countries would be an effective marketing tool for the Prius in Israel, Goralnik couldn't comment. After all, the hybrid car is politically correct.
(BOX) Emission efficient
The hybrid vehicle is powered by both an electric motor and a traditional gasoline engine. Depending on the car's speed and battery level, a computer calculates precisely which source of energy to activate to accelerate the car to the desired speed while saving the most energy.
The combustion engine serves a dual purpose: First to power the car when the electric power is insufficient and second to charge the battery that runs the electric motor. The electric motor is activated mostly during city driving, and the combustion engine usually takes over completely when the car reaches about 70 kph. The combustion engine shuts off when the car is idle, such as in traffic jams. In addition, kinetic energy from the brakes is transformed into usable energy so little energy is wasted.
The Japanese are the leaders of hybrid technology, which was developed by Honda and Toyota. Toyota claims to have already sold around 160 models in Israel. Honda will have a batch of the Honda Civic IMA (integrated motor assist) vehicles for sale in March this year.
Other car manufacturers like GM, Ford and Nissan have licensed the hybrid technology and have outfitted select models with the hybrid system. Toyota plans to have hybrid systems installed in all its models by 2010, and to produce one million hybrid vehicles a year.
Friday, January 6, 2006
It's about the music (review)
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; January 6, 2006
Shesek is seemingly bereft of Tel Aviv poza, or the cool stance of well-dressed nightlife fiends who prowl Tel Aviv bars and nightclubs to see and be seen rather than to let loose and dance. But since its opening five years ago, Shesek has become a Tel Aviv establishment with its own unique type of poza for the nouveau laid-back, eccentric and vanguard.
The place was built to look like a retro dive and the bartenders don't look like models, as they do at Shesek's more upscale neighbors on Lilienblum St. They're dressed in second-hand jeans, vintage T-shirts and dark-rimmed glasses to make sure patrons feel that it really doesn't matter what you wear. Freaks are welcome.
But it's the music and DJ line-up that Shesek prides itself on, and which contribute to its bohemian basement feel. You won't be hearing MTV hits at Shesek. DJs come to parade their more enlightened and less conventional tastes: from hip hop reggae funk to gospel house to calypso.
'The main idea here was always about the music and DJs playing without any pretense. It's not a guy who has cool CDs; he's really into whatever he's playing,' says Oren Alkalai, who also owns the swanky cocktail lounge Mish Mish up the street. Having lived and worked in New York for several years, he took some inspiration from East Village joints.
On any given night, a small dance corridor where the DJ spins will be filled with loose, guzzling partiers of all shapes and sizes getting into the groove.
There's no menu and no food except for snacks like olives, feta cheese and nuts.
Happy hour runs from 9 to 10:30 p.m. (buy one get one free).
Rehov Lilienblum 17, Tel Aviv; (03) 516-9520; Hours: From 9 p.m.
Shesek is seemingly bereft of Tel Aviv poza, or the cool stance of well-dressed nightlife fiends who prowl Tel Aviv bars and nightclubs to see and be seen rather than to let loose and dance. But since its opening five years ago, Shesek has become a Tel Aviv establishment with its own unique type of poza for the nouveau laid-back, eccentric and vanguard.
The place was built to look like a retro dive and the bartenders don't look like models, as they do at Shesek's more upscale neighbors on Lilienblum St. They're dressed in second-hand jeans, vintage T-shirts and dark-rimmed glasses to make sure patrons feel that it really doesn't matter what you wear. Freaks are welcome.
But it's the music and DJ line-up that Shesek prides itself on, and which contribute to its bohemian basement feel. You won't be hearing MTV hits at Shesek. DJs come to parade their more enlightened and less conventional tastes: from hip hop reggae funk to gospel house to calypso.
'The main idea here was always about the music and DJs playing without any pretense. It's not a guy who has cool CDs; he's really into whatever he's playing,' says Oren Alkalai, who also owns the swanky cocktail lounge Mish Mish up the street. Having lived and worked in New York for several years, he took some inspiration from East Village joints.
On any given night, a small dance corridor where the DJ spins will be filled with loose, guzzling partiers of all shapes and sizes getting into the groove.
There's no menu and no food except for snacks like olives, feta cheese and nuts.
Happy hour runs from 9 to 10:30 p.m. (buy one get one free).
Rehov Lilienblum 17, Tel Aviv; (03) 516-9520; Hours: From 9 p.m.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Hip-hop hyperbole (review)
Jerusalem Post, Billbaord; December 23, 2005
It's hard for American hip-hop stars to get by with the tons of cash and fame that can be attained with a hit album. These days such stars just have to have their own record labels, their own restaurants, their own nightclubs, or their own bars. It's no different for the Israeli king of hip-hop, Subliminal (born Yaakov Shimoni), who, in the spirit of American hip-hop entrepreneurs Jay-Z and Diddy, has expanded his music enterprises to include a massive dance bar on Rival Street in Tel Aviv.
'Geha Mega Bar,' which cost over NIS 4 million to build, is the largest in the Middle East, stealing the title from Lanski. Long, immense black bar decks supported by metal girders and chains seem to float throughout Ge'ah's large industrial space. Brick walls recall some dark New York alleyway, warm and cryptic.
'It's a solution for people who go out at night,' said Subliminal at a recent fashion party at Geha featuring catwalks by Elite models. The place was sprinkled with hip-hop personalities, including Subliminal's right-hand man HaTzel (The Shadow) and American hip-hop stars De La Soul, in Israel for a concert at Hanger 11.
The Israeli hip-hop king opened the bar a few weeks ago with two other owners, but the place will probably become known as 'Subliminal's place.'
'You have a lot of bars, but none of them really have good sound,' Subliminal continued. 'Discos are not as popular as they once were, and bars are taking over. This combines both: a bar, a nightclub sound system, and a dancefloor.'
And talk about a steamy dance floor! It's made out of a 4 m x 4 m glass-framed panel that encases a hot tub, which bubbles when the dancefloor is elevated. That usually only happens during private parties, yet it's a nice thing to show off and it makes you feel like some Israeli version of Snoop Dog will arrive at any moment, surrounded by bikini-clad platinum blondes with black roots and plastic boobs.
'We kept it ghetto, but made it chic,' said Subliminal, referring to the design. 'It looks like a subway station, like a jail.'
This theme also carries into the crowd - from the Adidas-clad, rich ghetto wannabes to the black-collared, high-class arse (greaser).
The VIP section (for those who order champagne in advance) is open for all to see, and giant selectors make entrance seem formidable. In all, a mixture of pretense and the sense that it's obvious everyone's trying a bit too hard explode at about midnight - when the dancefloor is picked up by hot air, literally.
Geha, Rival 9, Tel Aviv. Music: Hip-hop, dance, Israeli, mainstream. Hours: From 10 pm. Tel: (03) 537-2661.
It's hard for American hip-hop stars to get by with the tons of cash and fame that can be attained with a hit album. These days such stars just have to have their own record labels, their own restaurants, their own nightclubs, or their own bars. It's no different for the Israeli king of hip-hop, Subliminal (born Yaakov Shimoni), who, in the spirit of American hip-hop entrepreneurs Jay-Z and Diddy, has expanded his music enterprises to include a massive dance bar on Rival Street in Tel Aviv.
'Geha Mega Bar,' which cost over NIS 4 million to build, is the largest in the Middle East, stealing the title from Lanski. Long, immense black bar decks supported by metal girders and chains seem to float throughout Ge'ah's large industrial space. Brick walls recall some dark New York alleyway, warm and cryptic.
'It's a solution for people who go out at night,' said Subliminal at a recent fashion party at Geha featuring catwalks by Elite models. The place was sprinkled with hip-hop personalities, including Subliminal's right-hand man HaTzel (The Shadow) and American hip-hop stars De La Soul, in Israel for a concert at Hanger 11.
The Israeli hip-hop king opened the bar a few weeks ago with two other owners, but the place will probably become known as 'Subliminal's place.'
'You have a lot of bars, but none of them really have good sound,' Subliminal continued. 'Discos are not as popular as they once were, and bars are taking over. This combines both: a bar, a nightclub sound system, and a dancefloor.'
And talk about a steamy dance floor! It's made out of a 4 m x 4 m glass-framed panel that encases a hot tub, which bubbles when the dancefloor is elevated. That usually only happens during private parties, yet it's a nice thing to show off and it makes you feel like some Israeli version of Snoop Dog will arrive at any moment, surrounded by bikini-clad platinum blondes with black roots and plastic boobs.
'We kept it ghetto, but made it chic,' said Subliminal, referring to the design. 'It looks like a subway station, like a jail.'
This theme also carries into the crowd - from the Adidas-clad, rich ghetto wannabes to the black-collared, high-class arse (greaser).
The VIP section (for those who order champagne in advance) is open for all to see, and giant selectors make entrance seem formidable. In all, a mixture of pretense and the sense that it's obvious everyone's trying a bit too hard explode at about midnight - when the dancefloor is picked up by hot air, literally.
Geha, Rival 9, Tel Aviv. Music: Hip-hop, dance, Israeli, mainstream. Hours: From 10 pm. Tel: (03) 537-2661.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
U.S. Studios Court Israeli Programmers
The Jewish Journal; December 22, 2005
Click here for original
Danna Stern, head of acquisitions at YES, Israel's only television satellite company, was surprised to see that Mark Burnett, reality TV guru and producer of hit shows like "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," had only one framed press clipping in his office: a feature on him that had appeared in Ha'aretz, an Israeli daily.
Stern and her associates get wined and dined every year by television network executives at a weeklong Los Angeles screening of shows in May, during which 2,000 television executives from all over the world sit all day in front of studio screens to view the new fall season pilots for sale.
Hollywood exports are a big business, and U.S. studios sometimes rake in more from international licensing than domestic. Even though Israeli acquisitions account for only 2 percent of overseas television exports, Stern thinks Israel gets special attention.
"They're always interested way beyond our share in the market -- and the same goes for the talent," she said. "Because we're a very recognizable country, they're very accessible to us."
In addition, she added, most of the marketing people and executives are Jewish, and are "always interested in Israel."
Stern has mingled with Geena Davis, Teri Hatcher and Jennifer Garner, who take the time to meet with the foreign visitors at studio parties.
"The stars are really interested in hearing what works well," she said. "They always promise to come [to Israel], but they never do."
Last month, YES held its first-ever press screening at Israel's largest cinema complex, Cinema City, in Herzilya, modeling it after the Los Angeles screening, to show-off its newest acquisitions. Among them are: "Prison Break," "Grey's Anatomy," "My Name Is Earl," "Commander in Chief," "The War at Home," "Supernatural Invasion" and "How I Met Your Mother." YES directors believed that the number and quality of acquisitions justified its screening, in which dozens of Israeli reporters got to watch U.S. television for an entire day.
While the new shows will be broadcast early next year, the turnaround time between a show's U.S. premiere and its Israeli premiere is much shorter than in the past.
YES was founded about five years ago, increasing competition in the Israeli television market. Before that, only one cable company and two Israeli networks, Channel 2 and IBA, vied for U.S. and European shows. Now, YES competes with a whole slew of television outlets: a new Israeli network (Channel 10) and locally run niche channels for lifestyle, music, action, children, comedy, parenting, sports, documentaries and even Judaism.
Prior to this television growth spurt, visitors or immigrants to Israel were hard pressed to find their favorite U.S. TV show on Israeli channels, and if they did, they were stuck with shows from a season or two earlier. "Seinfeld" first aired only after the third season premiered in the United States.
"Everyone is trying to shorten the time because of piracy -- people are already downloading shows the next day, so we can't afford to wait as we usually did," Stern said
The YES executive said that the current delay of a few months still has advantages. Israel does not air reruns, and a U.S. buzz around a show has enough time to echo in Israel.
YES has been the leader in importing U.S., as well as British, TV shows, including "The West Wing," "Weeds," "Entourage," "The Sopranos," "The Comeback," "Arrested Development," "The O.C.," "Hope and Faith," "Scrubs" and more. Last year's acquisition, "Desperate Housewives," is the biggest hit. Other shows, like "Nip/Tuck," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Lost," were picked up by other Israeli networks.
Sometimes Israeli buyers view new shows via broadband, but May is the time the big sales occur, when Stern and her associates choose among 30-40 programs. She noted that shows with religious themes, like "7th Heaven" and "Joan of Arcadia," don't do well in Israel.
"I think Israelis are a little more sophisticated than the average American viewer," she said. "They tend to like things with an edge."
Click here for original
Danna Stern, head of acquisitions at YES, Israel's only television satellite company, was surprised to see that Mark Burnett, reality TV guru and producer of hit shows like "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," had only one framed press clipping in his office: a feature on him that had appeared in Ha'aretz, an Israeli daily.
Stern and her associates get wined and dined every year by television network executives at a weeklong Los Angeles screening of shows in May, during which 2,000 television executives from all over the world sit all day in front of studio screens to view the new fall season pilots for sale.
Hollywood exports are a big business, and U.S. studios sometimes rake in more from international licensing than domestic. Even though Israeli acquisitions account for only 2 percent of overseas television exports, Stern thinks Israel gets special attention.
"They're always interested way beyond our share in the market -- and the same goes for the talent," she said. "Because we're a very recognizable country, they're very accessible to us."
In addition, she added, most of the marketing people and executives are Jewish, and are "always interested in Israel."
Stern has mingled with Geena Davis, Teri Hatcher and Jennifer Garner, who take the time to meet with the foreign visitors at studio parties.
"The stars are really interested in hearing what works well," she said. "They always promise to come [to Israel], but they never do."
Last month, YES held its first-ever press screening at Israel's largest cinema complex, Cinema City, in Herzilya, modeling it after the Los Angeles screening, to show-off its newest acquisitions. Among them are: "Prison Break," "Grey's Anatomy," "My Name Is Earl," "Commander in Chief," "The War at Home," "Supernatural Invasion" and "How I Met Your Mother." YES directors believed that the number and quality of acquisitions justified its screening, in which dozens of Israeli reporters got to watch U.S. television for an entire day.
While the new shows will be broadcast early next year, the turnaround time between a show's U.S. premiere and its Israeli premiere is much shorter than in the past.
YES was founded about five years ago, increasing competition in the Israeli television market. Before that, only one cable company and two Israeli networks, Channel 2 and IBA, vied for U.S. and European shows. Now, YES competes with a whole slew of television outlets: a new Israeli network (Channel 10) and locally run niche channels for lifestyle, music, action, children, comedy, parenting, sports, documentaries and even Judaism.
Prior to this television growth spurt, visitors or immigrants to Israel were hard pressed to find their favorite U.S. TV show on Israeli channels, and if they did, they were stuck with shows from a season or two earlier. "Seinfeld" first aired only after the third season premiered in the United States.
"Everyone is trying to shorten the time because of piracy -- people are already downloading shows the next day, so we can't afford to wait as we usually did," Stern said
The YES executive said that the current delay of a few months still has advantages. Israel does not air reruns, and a U.S. buzz around a show has enough time to echo in Israel.
YES has been the leader in importing U.S., as well as British, TV shows, including "The West Wing," "Weeds," "Entourage," "The Sopranos," "The Comeback," "Arrested Development," "The O.C.," "Hope and Faith," "Scrubs" and more. Last year's acquisition, "Desperate Housewives," is the biggest hit. Other shows, like "Nip/Tuck," "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Lost," were picked up by other Israeli networks.
Sometimes Israeli buyers view new shows via broadband, but May is the time the big sales occur, when Stern and her associates choose among 30-40 programs. She noted that shows with religious themes, like "7th Heaven" and "Joan of Arcadia," don't do well in Israel.
"I think Israelis are a little more sophisticated than the average American viewer," she said. "They tend to like things with an edge."
Friday, December 9, 2005
Life imitates art at 'Kol Nidrei' (review)
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; December 9, 2005
Oren was shaking as he left the auditorium. He had just seen Kol Nidrei, a new play by Yeshoshua Sobol about haredi Jews who lead double lives as Bnei Brak yeshiva students by day and Tel Aviv bar-hoppers by night. Oren, who requested that his real name not be used, was wearing a black kippa and a blue button-down shirt rather than the white shirt worn by most yeshiva students.
"[The play] really spoke to me," said Oren, in his mid- twenties, who lives in a haredi community with his wife and child. His wife didn't know where he was that night, and by sneaking off to see the play, which he discovered on the Internet, he too was leading a double life. Even wearing a blue shirt as opposed to the accepted white was a big step for him.
Kol Nidrei exposes the growing phenomenon of haredi Jews who explore the secular world, almost always in secret. The play blurs the boundaries between art and life, as the haredi rebels are actually played by yotzim - a term used to describe haredi Jews who "come out" of their communities.
Their real-life stories inspired Sobol, a renowned Israeli playwright who sought to bring this subject to the fore.
The play opens with the main character, Nachman (Menachem Lang), bickering with his wife, Esti (Gili Yoskovich) after Friday night dinner. He excuses himself to attend a tisch with his rebbe - a cover-up for an outing with his married chum Chaim (Nadav Segel), in which they exchange their shtreimels [festive fur hats] for T- shirts and sneak out to Tel Aviv. This clash of cultures forces all characters - secular and haredi alike - to confront their values and determine what they really want.
The heated exchanges between the couples at the Friday night table - filled with Torah references and religious idioms - give secular audiences a peek into dysfunctional haredi homes. The audience can be made to feel like intruders, especially when Nachman appears curled up with his secular lover. Yet the play, which is based on thorough research, tackles the subject with seriousness and humor, which makes it more than just a shallow critique or voyeuristic look into ultra-Orthodox communities.
The play features three formerly haredi actors who now study acting. Lang's performance at times seems uncertain, never successfully infusing Nachman with an identity of his own. Segel's acting comes across as amateurish in some scenes, especially as he casually gulps gefilte fish while revealing shocking truths to his wife Rachel (played by professional actress Lucy Duvinchik). Yoskovich gives the most convincing performance of the three yotzim. However, knowing that the actors are dramatizing their own experiences makes up for the fact that they never studied acting.
While Lang, who plays Nachman, was never attracted to Tel Aviv nightlife, and actually disapproves of his character's extreme double life, he thinks that on some level, most haredi Jews lead double lives. "Any haredi who is not totally immersed in Torah leads a double life," he said.
This second life can range from secretly watching soccer games or television to cruising around secular communities (as Lang did) to hiring prostitutes.
Oren, who related to the character of Nachman, is intrigued by pubs and nightclubs. An 18-year-old once took him to a Tel Aviv pub, but he didn't feel comfortable. "I felt like a stranger," he recalled.
Indeed, the haredi and secular lives can seem to exist in two separate countries, with different dress, customs, language and manners. That is why the character of Nachman in Kol Nidrei goes so far as to change his name before venturing into Tel Aviv.
"The portrayal is very authentic," Oren said. He excuses Nachman's continual lies and adultery, calling him "a victim."
Oren says he considers himself secular, and doesn't believe in God or Jewish law. Yet his outward appearance sets him apart as a religious Jew. He puts off doing what he says he "needs to do" - including getting a divorce - because of social pressures and the potential heartbreak of his frail mother, a widow.
"I can't go tomorrow, shave my beard and say that's me," he said. "I don't have the inner strength."
For now, he's taking advantage of his job, which brings him into contact with secular people. "If the time ever comes to 'come out,'" he said, "it could be that this play was the trigger."
Herzliya Theater Ensemble, Herzliya Performing Arts Center, Rehov Jabotinsky 15, December 8, 9, 10. Tickets: (09) 972-9999
Oren was shaking as he left the auditorium. He had just seen Kol Nidrei, a new play by Yeshoshua Sobol about haredi Jews who lead double lives as Bnei Brak yeshiva students by day and Tel Aviv bar-hoppers by night. Oren, who requested that his real name not be used, was wearing a black kippa and a blue button-down shirt rather than the white shirt worn by most yeshiva students.
"[The play] really spoke to me," said Oren, in his mid- twenties, who lives in a haredi community with his wife and child. His wife didn't know where he was that night, and by sneaking off to see the play, which he discovered on the Internet, he too was leading a double life. Even wearing a blue shirt as opposed to the accepted white was a big step for him.
Kol Nidrei exposes the growing phenomenon of haredi Jews who explore the secular world, almost always in secret. The play blurs the boundaries between art and life, as the haredi rebels are actually played by yotzim - a term used to describe haredi Jews who "come out" of their communities.
Their real-life stories inspired Sobol, a renowned Israeli playwright who sought to bring this subject to the fore.
The play opens with the main character, Nachman (Menachem Lang), bickering with his wife, Esti (Gili Yoskovich) after Friday night dinner. He excuses himself to attend a tisch with his rebbe - a cover-up for an outing with his married chum Chaim (Nadav Segel), in which they exchange their shtreimels [festive fur hats] for T- shirts and sneak out to Tel Aviv. This clash of cultures forces all characters - secular and haredi alike - to confront their values and determine what they really want.
The heated exchanges between the couples at the Friday night table - filled with Torah references and religious idioms - give secular audiences a peek into dysfunctional haredi homes. The audience can be made to feel like intruders, especially when Nachman appears curled up with his secular lover. Yet the play, which is based on thorough research, tackles the subject with seriousness and humor, which makes it more than just a shallow critique or voyeuristic look into ultra-Orthodox communities.
The play features three formerly haredi actors who now study acting. Lang's performance at times seems uncertain, never successfully infusing Nachman with an identity of his own. Segel's acting comes across as amateurish in some scenes, especially as he casually gulps gefilte fish while revealing shocking truths to his wife Rachel (played by professional actress Lucy Duvinchik). Yoskovich gives the most convincing performance of the three yotzim. However, knowing that the actors are dramatizing their own experiences makes up for the fact that they never studied acting.
While Lang, who plays Nachman, was never attracted to Tel Aviv nightlife, and actually disapproves of his character's extreme double life, he thinks that on some level, most haredi Jews lead double lives. "Any haredi who is not totally immersed in Torah leads a double life," he said.
This second life can range from secretly watching soccer games or television to cruising around secular communities (as Lang did) to hiring prostitutes.
Oren, who related to the character of Nachman, is intrigued by pubs and nightclubs. An 18-year-old once took him to a Tel Aviv pub, but he didn't feel comfortable. "I felt like a stranger," he recalled.
Indeed, the haredi and secular lives can seem to exist in two separate countries, with different dress, customs, language and manners. That is why the character of Nachman in Kol Nidrei goes so far as to change his name before venturing into Tel Aviv.
"The portrayal is very authentic," Oren said. He excuses Nachman's continual lies and adultery, calling him "a victim."
Oren says he considers himself secular, and doesn't believe in God or Jewish law. Yet his outward appearance sets him apart as a religious Jew. He puts off doing what he says he "needs to do" - including getting a divorce - because of social pressures and the potential heartbreak of his frail mother, a widow.
"I can't go tomorrow, shave my beard and say that's me," he said. "I don't have the inner strength."
For now, he's taking advantage of his job, which brings him into contact with secular people. "If the time ever comes to 'come out,'" he said, "it could be that this play was the trigger."
Herzliya Theater Ensemble, Herzliya Performing Arts Center, Rehov Jabotinsky 15, December 8, 9, 10. Tickets: (09) 972-9999
Retro cool bar (review)
Jerusalem Post, Billboard; December 9, 2005
If That 70s Show was looking to film a lounge scene in Israel, Saluna Lounge Bar would be a good pick. While Saluna is only a year and a half old, on entering the place one would think that it had been a Jaffa establishment for decades. This long corridor is lined with mini living rooms made up of sofas upholstered in funky retro patterns, with each lounge area separated by brown beaded curtains. Glass cabinets house a strange variety of objects - from books to figurines.
The 'chandaloofah' prominently shining over loungers embodies the bar's distinctive combination of style. A chandelier is a fixture of the upper class, while a loofah sponge is a poor man's luxury.
Saluna's interior designers, Roth-Tevet Space Design, recently received the 2005 Ot HaItzuv award for their work on Saluna. Dubbed the 'Oscars for design,' these awards were given to a group of accomplished interior and industrial designers on Thursday at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds, where a massive exhibition, 'Design 2006' is being held through Saturday.
It's only upon carefully looking that one sees Saluna's design was delicately calibrated. While the sofas look old and battered, they are actually custom-made reproductions of 60s and 70s furniture, with each fabric hand-picked. Seeking to infuse the place with the local language of Jaffa, some furniture items, like the funky lamps, were bought at the Jaffa flea market. The Oriental patterned, multi-colored floor is the only original part of the building.
'Design isn't about furniture, colors, or certain materials. That's boring,' said Roth, who likes calling himself an 'experience designer.' 'We're interested in a story. I think contemporary design should tell a story, because stories never bore you.'
The owners of Saluna wanted to create a warm, inviting Jaffa-inspired lounge-bar that was also a cultural platform. The walls above the mini living rooms are covered with paintings, illustrations or photographs that alternate every month.
'You get to experience art in a less formal way than in a gallery,' explained Roy Roth, who designed Saluna with his partner, Ya'al Tevet. 'You come to drink and, by the way, you look at art.'
Last August, Saluna inspired a street-wide exhibition that transplanted art from galleries, studios and museums to the streets of Jaffa without permission from municipal authorities.
Saluna attracts a casual, arty, trendy crowd. Perhaps because of its design, the bar attracts an uncommonly high percentage of female patrons.
Roth attributes the female inflow to the softness of the place; it's not sleazy or masculine. 'Most bars are masculine. They are designed by men and owned by men,' he said.
With all its mini living rooms, Saluna is also a favorite for birthdays.
Rehov Tirza 17, Jaffa, (03) 518-1719; Music: Freestyle DJ nightly. Hours: From 9 p.m.
If That 70s Show was looking to film a lounge scene in Israel, Saluna Lounge Bar would be a good pick. While Saluna is only a year and a half old, on entering the place one would think that it had been a Jaffa establishment for decades. This long corridor is lined with mini living rooms made up of sofas upholstered in funky retro patterns, with each lounge area separated by brown beaded curtains. Glass cabinets house a strange variety of objects - from books to figurines.
The 'chandaloofah' prominently shining over loungers embodies the bar's distinctive combination of style. A chandelier is a fixture of the upper class, while a loofah sponge is a poor man's luxury.
Saluna's interior designers, Roth-Tevet Space Design, recently received the 2005 Ot HaItzuv award for their work on Saluna. Dubbed the 'Oscars for design,' these awards were given to a group of accomplished interior and industrial designers on Thursday at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds, where a massive exhibition, 'Design 2006' is being held through Saturday.
It's only upon carefully looking that one sees Saluna's design was delicately calibrated. While the sofas look old and battered, they are actually custom-made reproductions of 60s and 70s furniture, with each fabric hand-picked. Seeking to infuse the place with the local language of Jaffa, some furniture items, like the funky lamps, were bought at the Jaffa flea market. The Oriental patterned, multi-colored floor is the only original part of the building.
'Design isn't about furniture, colors, or certain materials. That's boring,' said Roth, who likes calling himself an 'experience designer.' 'We're interested in a story. I think contemporary design should tell a story, because stories never bore you.'
The owners of Saluna wanted to create a warm, inviting Jaffa-inspired lounge-bar that was also a cultural platform. The walls above the mini living rooms are covered with paintings, illustrations or photographs that alternate every month.
'You get to experience art in a less formal way than in a gallery,' explained Roy Roth, who designed Saluna with his partner, Ya'al Tevet. 'You come to drink and, by the way, you look at art.'
Last August, Saluna inspired a street-wide exhibition that transplanted art from galleries, studios and museums to the streets of Jaffa without permission from municipal authorities.
Saluna attracts a casual, arty, trendy crowd. Perhaps because of its design, the bar attracts an uncommonly high percentage of female patrons.
Roth attributes the female inflow to the softness of the place; it's not sleazy or masculine. 'Most bars are masculine. They are designed by men and owned by men,' he said.
With all its mini living rooms, Saluna is also a favorite for birthdays.
Rehov Tirza 17, Jaffa, (03) 518-1719; Music: Freestyle DJ nightly. Hours: From 9 p.m.
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