Big man on campus

October 29, 2010 - 7:29 AM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Pop Culture, tv 

I was in Tel Aviv last week interviewing some people for a story I’m writing on the Israeli version of the hit British and American comedy series, “The Office.”

The show’s been airing on the YES cable network for subscribers only, and much more than its predecessors, focuses on the relations between Israelis of every sort. And it’s basically thrown the politically correct dictionary out the door, preferring to let the characters say what they think about their haredi, Arab, Russian, disabled co-workers.

Nobody is a bigger offender than the branch manager Avi Meshulam, played by veteran actor Dvir Bendak. The portly, jovial presence takes the part immortalized by Rick Gervais and Steve Carrell and transforms it into the quintessential Israeli – arrogant but lacking self-confidence, annoying but endearing, racist but loveable.

We sat outside at a Tel Aviv café near the Habima Theater, and everyone seemed to know Bendak. People would stop and say hello, or wave from the sidewalk or a passing car, the staff was bending over backwards to help him, and other diners kept looking his way.

Considering the bald-domed Bendak wears a toupee in ‘The Office’ and as a result, looks altogether different than Avi Meshulam, I found it a little surprising that he was such a celebrity around town.

Then, it hit me. Bendak is currently appearing in a TV ad that seems to be on every couple minutes on the commercial channels. It’s for Bank Tefahot and advertises their new brand of mortgages. Bendak is sitting outside his home with his wife, and thanks to all the money they saved on this great mortgage, he bought her an anniversary gift – plane tickets to see Manchester United play soccer.

The wife (played by Bendak’s real life wife) is downcast but puts on a brave face. Bendak is clueless and ecstatic in his ignorance. A lot of Israelis must be able to identify with either him or the wife in the ad, because it seems like it’s a popular one – or at least has made Bendak an identifiable figure around Tel Aviv.

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‘YES’ he can – Obama hawks for Israeli cable

January 24, 2010 - 9:44 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Israeliness, Politics, Pop Culture, tv 

President Barack Obama may not have pleased many Israelis with his Middle East policy during his first year of his presidency. To give him the benefit of the doubt, let’s just call it naive.

However, that doesn’t mean that we still don’t appreciate Obama’s charisma, his ability to inspire and his movie star charm and appeal. YES, one of the two cable TV providers here, apparently realizes that – which is why they recently started screening this very clever and well-made commercial for their new services they’re offering viewers.

I’m not sure we’re they got all the actors, but the ad – produced by McCann Films for McCann Erickson Israel, the local arm of international advertising giant – will surely put your week off to a good start.

YouTube Preview Image

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Second seasons

January 18, 2010 - 10:55 AM by · 5 Comments
Filed under: Art, coexistence, General, Israeliness, tv 

Last week’s heavily anticipated start of the second season of “Srugim,” the Israeli TV show about religiously observant singles living in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem hasn’t been without its own stops and starts.

Fans — myself included — had to wait many months to find out the fates of Yifat and Amir, Hodaya, Nati and Reut. It was hard. We were impatient. Would Yifat and Amir get married? Would Hodaya, the show’s datlash (acronym for dati leumi lesheavar, that is, a formerly religiously observant person), finally lose her virginity? Would Nati, the selfish med student, come to grips with his ego? Would Reut, the successful accountant, find herself in India? At this point, one show in, some questions have been answered and I’m eagerly awaiting last night’s second episode. (Didn’t get to it last night and non-Yes satellite TV subscribers can watch Srugim online at Walla!)

But what’s also been hilarious about this surprisingly popular show is how it has caught the attention of some unusual groupies. One Arab blogger, Mohamed, writes that he can identify with many of the show’s issues, from attempting to date someone from a different background to equating love and marriage. Surprisingly, Mohamed likes Srugim.

Of course, not everyone feels the same. A group of ultra Orthodox rabbis have complained about the Srugim billboards which have been plastered throughout the country, because they use religious scriptures as part of the advertising campaign, a play on words whose irony was lost on this particular special interest group. Supposedly the billboards are now going to have to be buried in a geniza, because they contain holy words.

To edify, the billboard says “Paamayim ki tov Srugim, back for a second season.” “Paamayim ki tov” is translated as “Twice, because it is good,” referring to the words spoken by God on the third day of creation. Clever, but not acceptable to some. Maybe they’re just afraid of the buzz generated from a television show about religious singles.

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TV’s The Office to open a Petach Tikva branch

April 13, 2009 - 4:20 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Movies, Pop Culture 

The OfficeExciting Israeli pop culture news has reached us with the recent announcement that the local satellite TV provider, Yes, will soon be running its own version of the landmark satirical half-hour comedy series The Office. A full 15 episodes have already been contracted, set to air in about a year from now, with the Israeli firm July August, which was behind the recent success of The Band’s Visit, handling production.

Co-creator Ricky Gervais was quoted in The Guardian‘s piece announcing the project saying,

“I am thrilled and amazed that Israel are making The Office with local writers, directors and actors. I mean, who ever heard of Jewish entertainers?”

Ha’aretz reported shortly thereafter that screenwriting will be handled by B’tipul‘s Uzi Weill and the director will be Eitan Tzur, who also had a hand in that Israeli television export’s success.

When Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant developed The Office as what would become a two-season sitcom for the BBC, they had no idea what levels of universal appeal their odd sense of humor had the potential of reaching. Sure, Gervais’ portrayal of oblivious, over-the-top, tasteless paper company branch boss David Brent was arguably grounded primarily in esoteric British dry humor stylings and in specifically British office culture-inspired mishaps. But the show also managed to tap into the universal phenomenon of “cubicle angst,” and its mockumentary-inspired packaging, complete with uncomfortable silences, helped rocket it into global cult favorite status.

Soon the BBC was licensing local versions of the show to markets outside England, with France, Russia, Chile, Canada and the United States (pictured) creating their own takes. While the US version got off to a rocky start (its short first season was more or less a remake of the original British one, just with some local flavor and accents added), it hit its stride towards the beginning of season two and is now enjoying its fifth successful season on NBC.

It can be argued that one of the reasons that the American Office has been as much of a creative success as it has been is that the writers have allowed for the characters to take on lives of their own in ways that are distinctively American. The action all takes place against the backdrops of corporate booze cruises, office outings to Chili’s (where family members’ drinks might or might not be comped), ridicule of those who count Legally Blonde as an all-time favorite movie, peeking at one another’s high school yearbooks – you know, American office culture type stuff.

Having watched both the British and American versions of The Office for several years, I have wondered many times how an Israeli version might manifest itself. Israeli office culture has its own cultural mores and archetypes.

Also according to The Guardian:

….Giyora Yahalom, head of production at the Israeli satellite broadcaster Yes, added: “We are sure that the universal experience of contemporary office life will speak to Israeli viewers. There is no doubt that our viewers will enjoy the same jokes as their contemporaries in the UK.”

And the Ha’aretz piece makes a good argument that the creators are taking the proper approach, reporting that the show

…will take place at the dreary workplace of “Super Office,” a fictional office-supply firm in Petah Tikva.

….The cast will include a variety of Israeli types – an Arab warehouse manager, an ultra-Orthodox saleswoman and a bitter Russian accountant. The Israeli answer to David Brent, the obnoxious boss of the U.K. program, will be named Avi Meshulam, though an actor has yet to be pegged for the role.

Exciting stuff. Hopefully the creative team will have enough self-depreciating perspective to do it right.

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A TV volleyball star in Israel

January 22, 2009 - 10:47 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, Sports 

Queens of the volleyball court

Queens of the volleyball court

While we used to only have one TV station here, now media options are almost as diffused in Israel as they are in the US.

HOT, YES, satellite TV, we’ve got it all – and you can watch alot of the same crap that’s on American TV any time you want. Still, there was something a little precious about the whole country being tuned into one show, having that common bond, and knowing that the next day your co-worker almost certainly watched the same thing as you did last night.

So the fact that my 17-year-old daughter played yesterday in a high school league volleyball game broadcast live across the country on Israel TV doesn’t hold the same weight it might have once held. But it was still pretty darn thrilling nonetheless.

As captain of her Beit Hinuch Jerusalem team, she had read a little statement on mike with the other team’s captain and shake hands before the game. The best of five series was well played and action packed, with Sarit’s team only succumbing in the final tie-breaking match.
Hearing the commentators intone with perfect Hebrew inflection “Sarit Brinn” everytime she returned a ball or made a save, was a huge kick. And the one time they called her “a smart player” put me over the top.

I wish the whole country had been watching the broadcast, but even if it was just my wife, my older daughter and myself cheering and stomping on the floor, it provided one of the great moments of my aliyah. Zionism through volleyball.

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