The Hilton lottery
Filed under: Blogging, Business, General, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture
It seems that the Israeli Lottery thinks people will buy more lottery tickets if they will get to go on a shopping spree with socialite Paris Hilton.
A number of celebrity blogs are talking about Hilton’s latest celebrity turn, as she was spotted filming a commercial on the streets of New York City for Mifal Hapayis, also known as ‘Lotto’ or Israel Lottery.
Wearing a leopard print coat and carrying many bags, the sense is that the winner will get to shop on Madison Avenue, although that is completely unconfirmed. They might just be heading to Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff, Kikar HaMedina, Sheinkin and Gan Hachashmal for some Sabra duds.
Nostalgia Sunday – JNF-KKL stamp club
Filed under: Environment, General, History and Culture, Nostalgia Sunday, Travel
About a week and a half ago, an event took place at the Jewish National Fund House in Tel Aviv that might be termed historic: the revival of the JNF-KKL stamp collectors club.
Most people know that the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemet (JNF-KKL) raises funds using the trusty old Blue Box method of coin collection — in addition to Tree Planting Certificates and Soliciting Big Donations. But few today remember that the JNF-KKL also issued and sold stamps which, for a brief period in May 1948, were actually used as postage stamps in the newborn State of Israel.
Here’s what happened the other night, according to Dr. Arie Ben, founder and director of the JNF House museum and educational center. “The [stamp collector] group members, who came from all parts of the country, first visited our museum, which is celebrating 21 years of activity… Attending the gathering was a collector who is a pediatrician by trade, a retired academic from the Weizmann Institute who for years was a plant scientist, and a diplomat from Israel’s foreign service. Another of those present had set up a unique website offering information and collectors items for sale… we were also honored by the presence of a 92-year old collector who showed me a picture of the first meeting of the JNF-KKL collectors club… At the end of the evening, it was decided to revive the legendary ‘JNF-KKL stamp collectors club’, which was first founded in 1937 and held its first gathering in the JNF House meeting room, only days after being founded.”
The stamps hold a special place of honor in JNF-KKL history and the museum has an exhibition of stamps based on Ben’s research into 108 years of the organization’s activity. The JNF House itself, which includes the museum (also known as The Provisional People’s Council & Administration Museum), is a classic example of 20th century Tel Aviv Bauhaus architecture, and is located at 11 Zvi Shapira St., Tel Aviv, walking distance from the Dizengoff Center.
JNF-KKL’s online archive is also a treasure trove for the interested philatelist and include images of artist sketches for the stamps, as well as the stamps themselves. Another great source: the Sol Singer Collection of Philatelic Judaica.
Nostalgia Sunday – Dizengoff 99
Filed under: General, Israeliness, Movies, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture
Thirty years ago, apparently, the film Dizengoff 99 hit Israeli movie theaters and apparently I was there. I distinctly remember going to see the movie but, beyond that, have very little recollection about what it was actually about. You would think this might indicate a forgettable film. But no. In fact, Dizengoff 99 has just been released on DVD, with additional material and interviews about what is being touted as an Israeli cult flick.
Hmmm… I do remember there was a menage a trois with Gali Atari, Anat Atzmon and my beloved Gidi Gov… and so does everyone else, I guess, because that’s what comes up when you Google it and seems to be what this alleged cult is all about. Well, you didn’t get many scenes like that in Israeli movies, back in those days, so it must have made an impression.
What is impressive is the cast and crew. Aside from Gov, who was making a transition from singer to singer-actor, and Atari, who subsequently made an about-face back to the safety of the recording studio, there is Atzmon, a legendary beauty and every Israeli man’s fantasy as the dream girl in Lemon Popsicle (a true Israeli cult film). Also worth noting: this was one of the first films produced by Arnon Milchan.
The director, Avi Nesher, has made some truly great Israeli films such as The Secrets, Turn Left at the End of the World, and another true Israeli cult film – Ha-Lahaka, (also: Sing Your Heart Out), about the life and times of an IDF entertainment troupe. Dizengoff 99 may not be his finest work, but it does serve to document Tel Aviv nightlife in the late 70s and the soundtrack features the era’s great: Yehudit Ravitz, Zvika Pick, Arik Sinai, David Broza, Danny Litani, Dori Ben-Zeev, Yitzhak Klepter, Ricki Gal, Yigal Bashan and of course, Gali Atari, fresh from her 1979 Eurovision “Hallelujah” win.
By the way, there really is a Dizengoff 99 — today it houses the Bauhaus Center.
Arad the artist
Don’t know about you, but when I’m trolling the streets of Tel Aviv, particularly along Dizengoff and Ben Yehuda (although not my favorite Tel Aviv neighborhoods), I don’t necessarily stop into any of the art galleries to see what’s on offer. It’s less about a lack of interest, and rather a keener interest in the other offerings along the boulevard.
That said, when I do step inside, there’s always something to check out, to view, to ponder. And today I had the opportunity, along with a group of American curators visiting Israel, to visit the Rosenfeld Gallery on Dizengoff, which is currently showing the works of Boaz Arad, who was there to present his pieces.
Arad is an Israeli artist who works primarily in the video medium, and deals with the familiar and popular Israeli questions of our duties and responsibilities with regard to the history of the Jews, the Holocaust, genocide and mourning. He frequently does so with humor, pathos and a heavy dose of cynicism. And his range is diverse. He offers, on the one hand, “Gefilte Fish,” a mix of documentary and performance art, as he films his mother making gefilte fish and then lip-synchs his mother’s voice as she answers his questions. The results are disturbing, but funny.
On the flip side, his Hitler videos are funny, as he uses digital technology to play with Hitler’s mustache, letting it grow, flourish and snake around his head. He has also played with the Hitler images in other works, notably his Adolf Hitler rug, allowing people to ‘wipe their feet’ on Hitler. I also loved his video “Hebrew Lesson,” in which he splices together words and phrases from various Hitler speeches to create a sentence in Hebrew, “Shalom Yerushalayim, ani mitnatzel.” (“Hello Jerusalem, I apologize.”)
I didn’t have the opportunity to ask Arad what he intended with these works; it seems clear, that despite his Tel Aviv buzz haircut and black tee-shirt, that he’s as stuck and struck by the impact of Nazism and the Holocaust on Jewish lives as many of us are. Then again, why wouldn’t he be?
Matt Harding in Tel Aviv
What better proof that the world we live in is getting smaller and smaller than this: the world’s most watched video. Fifteen million views in just two weeks.
Note, the fountain in Dizengoff towards the end.
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