Northern exposure in Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, coexistence, General, Israeliness, Life, Travel
A picturesque scene from Kibbutz Tuval.
But this time, my wife and I traveled to uncharted territory, courtesy of a two-day coupon we bid for and won on one of those group buy sites. It was for two nights at a tzimmer (B&B) in Kibbutz Tuval, a tiny kibbutz 10 kilometers north of Carmiel, on the way up to the Tefen industrial park and Kfar Vradim.
It turned out that this area might just be the most beautiful of all in our country. The kibbutz lodgings themselves were picturesque, rustic and comfortable – and the location was amazing.
Leaving the site after a hearty continental breakfast, we drove less than 15 minutes to Parod, a hiking trail along a rushing stream that led to a robust waterfall. Our hostess at the kibbutz said that this had been an exceptional winter, and that some years, there’s no water at all. But this week, the waters were roaring, and the school kids we encountered on the trail took advantage of the spring-like weather and dove into the icy stream.
Next were stops at Gush Halav, (Jish in Arabic), a village populated mostly by Christian Maronites from Lebanon, which 2,000 years ago, was a thriving Jewish center and still displays many remnants of that era. After walking and driving through the village, we stopped for some authentic Lebanese hummous.
We ended our day in the Druze town of Yirca, only three kilometers from Tuval, where our hostess tipped us off about the amazing shopping there. There are two side by side department stories – gigantic places with the adorable names of “Shopping Center” and “Amsh Star” – with every kind of clothing available at the trendy stories in the malls, but at greatly discounted prices. We were like kids in a candy store.
Even though we looked more than we bought, the experience of walking around the undeveloped town with its massively developed shopping area was a blast. Our hostess told us that she and her fellow kibbutzniks go there regularly to stock up on shoes and sneakers for the kids and clothes for the whole family. Sounds like the seeds of coexistence in the North has taken full bloom.
After another day of similar touring, we decided that this area of Israel might just be its unmined treasure. So, please ignore all of this and don’t go to visit there. There’s really nothing to see.
America’s Next Top Model turns IDF tank instructor
She may be able to stun the enemy with her beauty. But for a former ‘America’s Next Top Model’ who has immigrated to Israel and joined the IDF, her secret weapon isn’t her looks but her devotion to Judaism.
19-year-old Esther Petrack was actually born in Israel to a French mother and American father, but they moved to France and then Boston, where she grew up observant and attended Brookline’s Maimonides High School
Petrack became an American celebrity in 2010 as a contestant on ANTM, attracting special attention not just for her looks but for being an observant Jew. She was criticized by some in the Orthodox world for being screened saying she would compromise her religious values for the show, but later said that her words were taken out of context by the producers.
After the series was completed (she didn’t win), Petrack spent her gap year between high school and college in Jerusalem, studying Hebrew and working as a waitress. . She also signed with the Israeli fashion agency A.D.D. and worked with Grip for its Winter 2010/2011 collection. Although she had plans to attend Barnard College this year, Petrack fell in love with her native country and decided to move here permanently.
“There wasn’t a question I would be joining the army,” Petrack told Haaretz last week, even though as an observant woman, she could have qualified for an exemption and instead perform voluntary national service.
She has been assigned to the IDF’s Armored Corps and is being trained to become a tank instructor, where she is expected to serve her two-year tenure. “Being in the army gives you such a feel for Israel,” she said.
And whoever is learning about tanks from her is going to have an especially difficult time concentrating on the instructions.
The Negev turns red, white and blue
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, education, General, Israeliness, Life, Social Justice
The Rennie Harris Puremovement dance troupe.
But after watching this slick promo for Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s ‘America Day’ sponsored by the US Embassy in Israel, I’m ready to head back to college.
The Negev university’s Zlotowski Student Center was splashed red, white and blue last week as the close ties between the US and Israel were on full display. In addition to a talk by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, the day featured information booths into everything from USAID to study abroad options.
But perhaps the highlight was the guest appearance of the Rennie Harris Puremovement dance troupe which gave a number of half hour shows throughout the day. Based out of Philadelphia, PA, the troupe offered an historical glimpse into the evolution of hip-hop dance from funk, through b-boy to house and more. Check out the rapt attention of the students in this clip, and start packing your bags for the Negev.
Tel Aviv’s Riff Cohen will make you dance
Filed under: A New Reality, Entertainment, General, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture
One of the bright lights on the Israeli music scene isn’t singing in English, like the trend in recent years, but in French.
Riff Cohen, an exuberant, pint-sized Tel Avivian with a North African background (her grandmother is from Tunisia and her mother is from Algeria), has created a electric blend of North African rhythms, urban hip hop and French pop, all fueled by reckless Israeli abandon. And her music has been shaking clubs in Paris and Tel Aviv, while attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers on YouTube.
Like our very own Shakira, Riff and her first two video clips ahead of a debut album coming out soon, provide an infectious beat, some wild hair hula hoop motions and gyrating belly dancing moves, and a good dose of her contagious playfulness.
“A Paris” which was released last year (and filmed in Paris, where else?), has garnered over 350,000 views, and her new single “J’aime” (filmed on the streets of Jaffa) is not far behind only a couple weeks after its release.
Try to watch either one of them and not move your body or smile. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing the name Riff Cohen all over the place in the next year. She’s a great example of what multiculturalism in Israel is all about.
Israel’s ‘Third Ear’ turns 25
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Entertainment, General, Israeliness, Movies, Music, News, Pop Culture
One of my favorite things to do is browse at used CD, record and DVD stores. Whenever I travel and go to a new city, I always try to check out the recommended offbeat indie record store.
Spending my college years in Boston, where the breadth and width of recycled vinyl was remarkable, I got used to some pretty high standards. But I have to say that I’m perfectly happy with the Israeli equivalent of Amoeba in LA or Bleecker St. Records in New York, or the late, lamented Nuggets in Boston – Tel Aviv’s Ozen Hashlishit (The Third Ear) offers enough varied music and films to satiate any discerning fan’s desires.
Once ensconced in the then-hip and trendy Sheinkin Street, the iconic second-hand record store deservingly built its reputation as the one-stop shop for hard-to-find import LPs and CDs from obscure British progressive rock bands, as well as local indie artists putting out their do-it-yourself music.
Today, the Ozen is still that but also a whole lot more – it’s an expanding media empire, employing more than 100 people and encompassing a sprawling building on Tel Aviv’s King George Street that once housed the Maxim Cinema.
Sure, there are still vintage LPs by Yes and Tangerine Dream, as well as thousands of used and new CDs for sale that will satiate the most particular of music nerds, but there’s also the biggest video library in the country, a thriving live music club and café called the Ozen Bar that presents the cream of up-and-coming local and sometimes international talent, and a successful video satellite store in Jerusalem.
The Ozen is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month by hosting The Long Weekend from March 22-24. And it’s featuring – what else – music and film. Among the highlights are British singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock returning to the Ozen Bar after two superlative shows last year to perform his classic 1990 album Eye in its entirety on March 22. Two nights later, Hitchcock will perform with his occasional side band Venus 3, featuring former REM guitarist Peter Buck. Hitchcock and Buck are also slated to hold a master class for musicians. Other events over the weekend include marathons of live performances by local acts, and a screening of Twenty, the Cameron Crowe documentary on Pearl Jam.
As it enters its next 25 years, it’s likely the medium that the Ozen provides its customers will change, as CDs and DVDs disappear for the next big thing. But luckily, they’ll still continue to cater to the particular needs of us snobby music and film fans who just aren’t satisfied with the next ‘blockbuster.’ May the Ozen continue to live long and prosper.
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