No photos of Bar Refaeli allowed
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, coexistence, General, Israeliness, Life
The Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem
The capitol’s second biggest mall will feature many of the standard staples of Israeli consumer culture, like ACE, Super Pharm, FOX, To Go Shoes, Crocs and Lord Kitsch, Bank Discount and Steimatzky.
7,200 square meters (77,500 square feet) have also been rented for a range of stores following the American “shop in shop” concept like Walmart, including a number of well-known brands housed in one area.
However, what’s going to make the Ramot Mall different than most Israeli malls is its clientele. The Ramot neighborhood has some 50,000 residents, at least half if not more ultra-Orthodox haredim. While much of the potential market for the mall will come from the surrounding areas of Givat and Pisgat Ze’ev, French Hill and Ma’aleh Adumim, constituting a 300,000 population base, the mall will have to consider the sensitivities and restriction baggage that the haredi community carries with it.
Of course, the food will be kosher, like all the other Jerusalem mall. But it will likely mean no photo displays of Bar Refaeli at the FOX stores, there won’t be any hip hop piped through the mall sound system, and it will also likely mean most stores will stock goods catering to big families, so common in the haredi world.
Making the new mall attractive to secular Israelis yet palatable to haredi Israelis is going to be a tough task for the owners, Phoenix Holdings Ltd. of the Tshuva Group (70%) and Bayit Chadash Beyerushalaim Ltd. (30%).
The commercial area of the mall will be 22,000 square meters (about 237,000 square feet) over three floors, with tons of parking space in another three-floor parking lot and additional space outside.
Next to the Malha Mall, it will be the biggest mall in the capitol. But with the haredi influence, will it become another white elephant like the dismal Center One at the entrance to the city? It depends which side of the tightrope the owners fall on.
Hollywood stories
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Movies, Pop Culture, Travel
John Cusack and Woody Harrelson at the Kinneret.
There’s the Leo Dicaprio/Bar Rafaeli way of trying to visit the Kotel a couple years ago without thinking the paparazzi would notice, and getting ambushed on the scene, resulting in a fracas and ill feelings all around.
There’s the Bette Midler way – who this months spent some time here touring with her husband. They apparently planned ahead and gave Yediot Aharonot the chance to exclusively shoot the Divine Miss M in Jerusalem’s Old City. They cleverly labeled the photo “Bette hamikdash.”
When Jim Carrey arrived here from Egypt a few years back undetected, he went to the lengths or remaining incognito by hiring a stand-in look alike to hang out at the King David Hotel pretending to be him, while the real Carrey went out under a baseball cap and toured to his heart’s content.
But now, film stars John Cusack and Woody Harrelson have put one over on us – they were apparently in the country last week, hanging out at the Kinneret and checking out Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. How do we know? Cusack posted about what he called a ‘friendship tour’ on his Tweeter account, including a self-taken photo of the duo on the shores of Tiberias.
No publicists, no photo shoots and no decoys. Maybe we really are turning into a normal country.
A taxing issue for Bar Refaeli
Filed under: Blogging, Business, General, Life, Pop Culture
It’s not a good month without a posting on Israel’s supermodel Bar Refaeli. Despite her being – with the possible exception on tremendous NBA rookie Omri Casspi - the most successful and effective PR tool that Israel could possibly hope for, there are some who have it in for her.
Maybe it’s because she managed to break out of the tiny confines of Israel and becoming a worldwide phenomenon, thanks to her Sports Illustrated spreads and advertising campaigns. Or maybe it’s because of some out-of-context quotes about her feelings about Israel that were blown out of proportion by Israel’s yellow media (which unfortunately is also the country’s biggest and most popular daily paper – Yediot Aharonot). Or maybe people are just jealous of her success.
The latest barb against Bar was in today’s Ha’aretz, which reported that Refaeli has asked the Israel Tax Authority to grant her nonresident status for tax purposes.
Refaeli has paid tax here over the years as required, but is now looking at ways to save hundreds of thousands of shekels annually by changing her status.
It seems the authority will find a solution in an effort to keep her paying at least some Israeli taxes. The question of residency status for tax purposes revolves around issues such as how many days a year a person spends in Israel, where he works and if he owns a home here. In any case, Refaeli does most of her work in countries that have tax treaties with Israel, so she will most likely pay part of her taxes here and part abroad.
Now, I don’t know of anyone living here and paying taxes who hasn’t bitched and moaned at one time or another over the tax burdern we working stiffs shoulder. If any of us had a loophole to save some of that precious income, wouldn’t we jump at the chance? And don’t tell me those self-employed among us aren’t writing off every possible item they can to lower their tax burden.
If Refaeli is abroad most of the time, and getting paid for assignments in other countries, why shouldn’t she take advantage of an opportunity to save some money. Maybe she doesn’t want to go on – like the rest of us – funding haredi families whose whose main potential breadwinner studies all day and relies on the welfare our taxes make possible.
Ah, but I digress. This is about Bar Refaeli, and she’s demonstrated time and time again that she’s an Israeli patriot, representing Israel at tourism fairs, always speaking highly of the country in public, and presenting a beatiful face of Israel to the world. If it was smart, our top officials would waive all her income tax and put her on the government payroll.
Krav Maga, for everyone
Filed under: Business, Israeliness, Pop Culture, Sports
You’ve heard of it, maybe you’ve even tried it, especially if you’re a gnarly Hollywood type who’s gotta get into shape for your next flick. It, is Krav Maga, the Israeli-created self-defense training program honed in the IDF for battling the bad guys.
And yes, it’s been used by J. Lo for workouts, in action flicks such as The Bourne Ultimatum, and in video games GTA and Splinter Cell. “How I Met Your Mother” actor Joe Manganiello claims it helped get him a part in the recently cast “True Blood,” and Bionic Woman’s Michelle Ryan also used it to get in shape. And of course our very own Bar Refaeli uses it to keep her curves svelte.
But now anyone can try it online, and for much less than the cost of a single lesson with a personal trainer. Lee Rivnay and Amir Student, two Israelis who were looking for a good idea, launched KravMagaBootCamp.Com two years ago. They keep their site fresh with constant updates to the materials and methods of Krav Maga and offer instant access to Ran Nakash, who headed up the Krav Maga training division of the IDF.
What’s impressive about Rivnay and Student is not their Krav Maga skills; I’m not sure they have any. What they do have is ideas, as they’ve been clearly looking around for start-up possibilities, having first launched Girls Teach Guys, a website community that “facilitates communication and knowledge transfer between men and women. Trust me, it’s a lot raunchier than Krav Maga. But hey, it’s all about Israeli ingenuity. And Krav Maga is certainly one of those Israeli inventions that has found a global market.
Israelity’s top 10 stories of 2009
What a year. We started with the war in Gaza, and ended with a rash of terror attacks in the West Bank. And in between there was the water shortage, the Goldstone report, posturing and threats between Israel and Iran, and endless and bitter bargaining over the release of Gilad Shalit.
It was also, however, a year in which the Israeli economy weathered the global financial storm in extremely good shape, when new Israeli innovations in health and technology made good on the world markets, when Israeli charities gave life-saving aid to developing nations, and when Israel’s financial and technological success was finally recognized worldwide.
So what did our viewers enjoy reading the most in 2009? Well, the choice was as diverse as the year, ranging from the serious – the humanitarian aid webcam at the crossing into Gaza during the war, to the sublime – a YouTube mash created by an Israeli musician, and of course the ridiculous – the Bollywood style advert created by missile maker Rafael for the Indian market.
And, let’s face it, you all love to read about sex, scandals and supermodels as well.
Check out Israelity’s top 10 stories of 2009 below.
1. Foto Friday – Sexy Tel Aviv
In July, Rachel wrote a piece about gay clubbing in Tel Aviv during the hot summer months. The city has a lively gay scene and it abounds with great dance clubs and bars. Combine that with the great weather, and you’ve got a wild night out. Check out David Shankbone’s pictures in this post to see for yourself.
2. Israeli model Esti Ginzberg shot in New York
Fed up with all the hype about Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli (yes, yes, the one who dated Leonardo DiCaprio), in March Harry decided it was time to write about a different supermodel – an upcoming one.
Esti Ginzberg, is a Tel Aviv teenager who featured in 2009′s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and carried out modeling campaigns for international chains like Tommy Hilfiger and Pull and Bear. She’s been featured on the cover of the French version of Elle Magazine, and this year also became a Victoria’s Secret model.
Not long ago, Ginzberg joined the IDF for two years of army service. Check out our video interview with Ginzberg in uniform on YouTube.
3. Human body parts invade Haifa
It’s created controversy wherever it went on show. Israel proved to be no different. As David pointed out in March, the exhibition, Body Worlds, by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, raised hackles with Israel’s religious community the moment it went on show in Haifa.
The exhibition, of human anatomical specimens which use plastic to replace the fat and water in human body parts, has been seen by over 26 million people around the world. In Israel, the Haredi population protested the opening, and rumors abounded that Michael Jackson had asked von Hagens if he too could be plastinated when he died – an event that most likely came much sooner than he expected.
4. Humanitarian aid webcam Gaza
In January, right in the midst of the Gaza conflict, the IDF decided to start operating a live feed of the Keren Shalom border crossing – the largest checkpoint between Israel and Gaza – showing humanitarian aid being transferred to the Palestinians.
Karin, who interviewed Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesperson working at the border crossing, wrote a blog post on the news with a link to the webcam, which operated for three hours every day, during the daily ceasefire.
5. Bar Refaeli proof that Israel is a land of wonder
She’s inescapable. Bar Refaeli made the headlines again and again and again this year. Either for upsetting the Haredi with her revealing ad campaigns , for appearing on the side of an airliner, or – in May –, for being voted the third “hottest” woman in the world by men’s mag Maxim.
Under her picture, the editors wrote: “If there’s any evidence that the Middle East is a land of beauty and wonder – not just unending turbulence – Bar is it.” Amazing what a pretty face can do. Not sure Refaeli is the right ambassador, however.
Read more
Subscribe
Subscribe to Israelity via email:
Social Media
Categories
- A New Reality
- Art
- Blogging
- Business
- coexistence
- Crime
- design
- education
- Entertainment
- Environment
- Food
- Foto Friday
- General
- health
- History and Culture
- Holidays
- Immigrant Moments
- Israeliness
- Life
- Medical Breakthroughs
- Movies
- Music
- News
- Nostalgia Sunday
- Picture of the Week
- Politics
- Pop Culture
- Profiles
- Religion
- Science
- Social Justice
- Sports
- Technology
- Travel
- tv
- War
The Face of Israel Today
-
About Israelity
Free newsletter
Stories from ISRAEL21c.orgPopular Posts