Entrepreneurs at the tent protests
Guy Sharett
Some people see the housing tent protests that continue to sweep the country as a chance to change society and bring social justice to the strolling masses. Politicians have latched on as a way to score some electoral points. Others see it as, well, an entrepreneurial opportunity.
Guy Sharett fits into the last category. He realized that newcomers to Israel or those without “street” Hebrew, so to speak, might miss out on the nuances of the hundreds of signs and banners that line the tent cities and protest marches. So he put up an event on Facebook promising “a special Hebrew lesson through the slogans of the housing protest on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv.”
He goes on: “We’ll walk through the tents, read the signs, translate them, analyze the Israeli psyche and grammar, talk to the protesters and what not.” He encourages participants to bring a notebook to write down new words and a camera “so you can do your homework.”
The idea at first sounded a bit sleazy to me – making money on other people’s misfortune. But when I was a regular in Hebrew ulpan, the most interesting lessons were those that dealt with real world issues, whether it was reading the newspaper and listening to the radio news, or understanding a bill from the electric company or an advertisement for an air conditioner. Sharett is just following in a noble tradition…and one that will help recent immigrants better acclimate to the brave new world of social justice.
The price for one of Sharett’s tours is only NIS 40 for the tour (he doesn’t say how long it lasts) and some of the proceeds will go to supporting the Rothschild Tents Kitchen. The next one leaves tonight at 6:00 PM from the corner of Rothschild and Allenby. More details on his Facebook page.
Pamela Anderson brings Biblical message to the streets of Tel Aviv
Filed under: A New Reality, Art, Entertainment, General, health, Life, Pop Culture, Social Justice, tv
Pop culture icon Pamela Anderson was just in Israel last November for a guest stint in our version of Dancing With the Stars, but she’s already returning today – this time for a pet project, no pun intended.
The actress and pinup girl will be unveiling a pro-animal rights advertisement and appearing on behalf of PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), an organization that she’s been very active with for years.
When Anderson was here last year, she met with Knesset members to lobby for a bill to prevent the import of clothing made from fur, and this time, she’ll be flanked by giant tablets reading, “Thou Shalt Not Kill … Animals”, as she greets diners outside the vegetarian Buddha Burgers restaurant in central Tel Aviv.
Anderson will also be signing copies of her new ad for PETA in Hebrew (pictured), with its banner headline: Every living thing has the same organs.
Funky Israel gets in the groove
Filed under: A New Reality, Entertainment, General, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture
The Apples - the Afro is real
Until a few years ago, the funkiest Israel music got was the hip hop hybrids offered by Shabak Samech and Hadag Nahash.
Today, however, the music scene is bursting with horn charts, sinewy grooves, Afros and matching outfits, as a whole slew of artists ranging from Boom Pam, Digital Me, and The Ramirez Brothers to The Apples, Markey Funk, Soulico, Kuti, Karolina and Uzi Navon have discovered their inner Kool and the Gang.
They’re all coming together this week in Tel Aviv for the first-ever Groove Festival, taking place at the cavernous Hangar 11 at the Tel Aviv port. The show is in celebration of the release of Mediterranean Grooves and Raw Sounds, a compilation of 20 songs featuring the artists who will be performing. It’s the brainchild of Audio Montage, a boutique Tel Aviv record label that has released albums by The Apples, Radio Trip and Boom Pam.
According to The Apples’ Erez Todors, the whole movement can be traced back to an old song from the early 1970s called “I Paint the Leaves Green,” performed by Yoram Arbel who went on to truncate his music career and become one of the country’s top sportscasters and TV personalities.
Yoram Arbel
“To this day, that’s the funkiest song that Israel has ever produced,” said Toders, DJ for The Apples, who are no slouches themselves when it comes to rhythmic, horn-driven groove music. Even Hadag Nahash have covered it, embellishing it with modern hip hop mixes.
And almost 40 years since recording the classic Israeli pop song, Arbel is going to perform the song and others from his sole album onstage at the festival together with The Apples.
“It’s very exciting,” Arbel said after rehearsing with The Apples three times. “Before I said yes, I told them my condition was that we meet for one rehearsal, we record it, and if I find that I’m in tune and my vocal chords are still functioning, then I’ll continue.”
Lucky concert-goers can witness the results for themselves on Thursday night in Tel Aviv, as the funk flag is flown high and proud.
Hear what Hadag Nahash did with Arbel’s funky song here.
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Israel celebrates Oscar wins
Filed under: A New Reality, Entertainment, General, Movies, Pop Culture, Social Justice
Students at the Bialik-Rogozin School in Tel Aviv.
Of course, Jerusalem’s native daughter Natalie Portman walked away with the Best Actress award for her role in Black Swan. Portman, who was born here in 1981 and returned to study at Hebrew University in 2004, was congratulated by Culture Minister Limor Livnat, who said that Portman “brought pride to Israel.”
And while, not as high-profile as that award, but no less satisfying, was the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short going to US filmmakers Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon for Strangers No More, about the children of foreign workers and refugees at Tel Aviv’s Bialik-Rogozin school.
Goodman told The Jerusalem Post she hopes that following the Oscar win, “the spotlight will shine on the school and the world will see it as an example of hope and tolerance.”
The 40-minute film tells the story of the school’s educators, in particular principal Keren Tal and teacher Smadar Moeres, and shows the day-to-day lives of three students; Johannes from Ethiopia, Esther from South Africa, and Mohammed from Darfur. The film was shot over the course of a school year and depicts the turmoil and heartbreak faced by the children en route to Israel, and how the school has become a sort of safe haven for them in Israel.
Located in south Tel Aviv, Bialik-Rogozin teaches more than 800 students from 48 countries around the world, all of them learning in classes taught in Hebrew, which serves as a sort of unifier for the children from scattered backgrounds. While the issue isn’t covered in the movie, the school has become very famous in Israel over the past year, because 120 of its students face possible deportation in the wake of a cabinet decision last July. Bialik-Rogozin’s 120 students are among the around 400 students nationwide who are slated to be deported.
The school put that aside on Monday morning, hosting a celebration for teachers, students, and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. Following his visit to the school Monday, Huldai issued a statement on Monday praising the film, saying “in a world of cynicism, alienation, and hatred, this movie proves in the most direct and convincing way that there is the chance for a better world.”
And President Shimon Peres called filmmaker Tal to tell her that Strangers No More had cast a beam of light on Israel’s humanity.
Not bad for a night on the red carpet.
Foto Friday – Viewing Israel with Rafael Ben-Ari
Filed under: Art, design, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Picture of the Week, Travel
Rafael Ben-Ari is a noted Israeli photographer and educator with over 20 years experience. He’s worked for Israeli and international newspapers and magazines, traveled extensively and his photographs has been presented at exhibitions and countries around the world.
Ben-Ari also runs Israel Photo Tours, which offers one-on-one private photography workshops and lessons in Israel. These are day tours, says Ben-Ari, “for photographers on all levels who are serious about their craft and wish to improve their skills while seeing Israel.”
Ben-Ari’s experience with cameras ranges from analog 35mm, digital, and SLR to panoramic and underwater cameras. Light is essential to his work and on location, he makes use of both artificial and available light and light. His students, he states, “learn the art of using light to capture the true essence of Israel”.
He suggests various tour itineraries, such as the ancient, sun-washed city of Acre for those who love the picturesque…
© Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
The dusty Negev desert for those interested in archeology and nature…
© Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
Jerusalem, the city central to Judaism…
© Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
The places holy to three monotheistic religions…
© Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
And for a change of pace, the beaches, sun and fun of Tel Aviv.
© Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye
There are a lot more wonderful pictures to view on the Israel Photo Tours website, along with contact information, itineraries and testimonials.
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