I haven’t written in my blog for a while now, and I’m not sure what the reason was, I kept on looking for things that interested me but couldn’t really find anything that spectacular. I am however going to continue following Yanai Yechiels photo shoots in offices and other work places; This time he is visiting the Yarkon Tel-Aviv fire fighter station.
Asaf Pariente
Eran Meoded
Eti Brazili
Sharon Bitan
Shaul Rahamim
I guess I should have written about her a while ago, Yael Naim is definitely one of the most promising Israeli artists for a couple of years now. You might have heard part of her “New Soul” song, while watching the new MacBook Air ad, and now you get a chance to hear the entire song, but i promise you the rest of her songs are just as fun and creative.
The really good news is that she will be performing June 22 in Tumsey Playfield Central Park 7:00 - 10:00 pm (Free). In my opinion it is a MUST! I think this is a perfect time to write about another one of my favorite Israeli performers - Din Din Aviv, her songs are mostly in Hebrew, but like this one, many of the words are made up. the song - Mashmauyot, is all about words that mean nothing - literally, but sound great. and in case you are wondering, yes that is Yael Naim in the clip, dancing with her close friend Din Din AvivAs promised I am continuing to follow Israeli work-fashion by photographer Yanai Yechiel, this time at an advertising and media company by the name of TBWA/DIGITAL in Tel-Aviv (by the way, just so you know, Tel-Aviv is not the only city in Israel). Like I wrote in part one of this project, it is a known fact that Israelis do not dress up for work, which makes me wonder whether the subjects knew they were being photographed that day and came to work with their favorite/best outfits.
Alex Tim
Michal Potorski Zalal
Sefi Erlich
Tal Forkosh
Yariv Barnblum
you have to listen to this guy; his name is Asaf Avidan, he lives in Israel and sings only in English…
Today is Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the 6 million Jews murdered in the holocaust. This day as always been a hard one for me, all four of my grandparents are holocaust survivors and I always felt it is essential for me to remember and learn what happened there, to keep my family history alive. 
4/26/08
Avital, Tel-Aviv (by Nimrod I look)
4/25/08
Miu Song, Tel-Aviv (by the street walker)
4/22/08
Ilil, Tel-Aviv (by nimrod - i look)
4/17/08
Tomer & Carolyn, Tel-Aviv (by Nimrod, Ilook)
4/15/08
Aria, Tel-Aviv (by the street walker)
4/10/08
Dana, Tel-Aviv (by Nimrod, Ilook)
Linor, Tel-Aviv (by Nimrod, Ilook)
3/17/08
Tekomri, Tel-Aviv (by the street walker)
Israeli fashion photographer Yanai Yehiel came up with a great new project all about fashion in the workplace.
In the past, I spoke about the fact that Israeli work wear is extremely casual, so I found it interesting that the first group he chose to shoot are actually employees of the British embassy in Tel-Aviv. Although they are in Israel they have two things that differentiate them from most Israelis:
A. they are mostly British born and raised and are used to wearing office attire to work
B. they work in the British embassy that has a “casual smart” dress code.
More to come…
Helen Sikes
Caron Stahil
Jim Butry
Julia Smith
Leo Sullivan
Michal Gitnik
Ravit Harari
My favorite Israeli author is David Grossman. His book “Zig Zag Children” was quoted by my siblings and me for most of our teenaage years. Grossman’s latest novel, “Isha Borahat Mibesora” which translates as “A Woman Running from News” (English title: “Until the end of the land”), was released yesterday in Israel and has already gotten amazing reviews.
The novel is about Ora, a woman who takes off from home when her soldier son leaves to take part in a major military operation. She runs away from her home in order not to torture herself sitting and waiting for bad news to arrive. She travels to the Galilee and contacts Avram, her childhood sweetheart, and wanders on foot with him across Israel. In order to protect her son and give him strength, she talks about him throughout the entire journey and relives the story of his life.
I am fascinated by this book for two reasons. Firstly, Grossman, like most Israeli authors, has tended to shy away from the Arab-Israeli conflict as the focus of his fiction. While he doesn’t ignore “the situation,” it is usually in the background, while the primary subjects are his characters as individuals. In this book, the conflict itself creates the story.
Secondly, the heartbreaking reality of the conflict on the author’s own life when his youngest son is killed in Lebanon as he himself is close to completing his book, is very moving, and quite tragic. Grossman’s own life and his fiction have become intertwined.
Ahead of his latest book’s release, Grossman decided not to give media interviews.
Instead he released this e-mail to the media:
“I started writing this book in May 2003, six months before the end of my oldest son Yonatan’s military service and six months before his younger brother, Uri, was drafted. Both of them served in the Armored Corps. Uri was very familiar with the plot of the book and the characters. Every time we spoke on the phone and especially when he was on leave, he would ask what was new with the story and in the lives of its heroes (’What did you do to them this week?’ was his usual question). He spent most of his military service in the occupied territories, on patrols and in observation posts, ambushes and at checkpoints, and occasionally would share with me his experiences. I had a feeling, or more accurately, a wish that the book I was writing would protect him. On August 12, 2006, during the last hours of the Second Lebanon War, Uri was killed in South Lebanon. His tank was hit by a missile during an operation to rescue a damaged tank. Also killed with Uri was the entire crew of the tank: Benaya Rein, Adam Goren and Alexander Bonimovitch. After the end of the shiva, I went back to the book. Most of it was already written. What changed, more than anything else, was the resonance of the reality in which the final version was written.”
The book has not come out in English yet, but I’m sure it will in the near future (most of his other books have been translated). But I will make sure to write my opinion when I finish the book.
A friend came back from Israel with the best leather bag ever! it was big and beautiful with plenty of room for a laptop, gym clothes and had a ton of compartments for a wallet, cell, keys and more.
it took me three months to track this designer down (the stores she sells to in Israel wouldn’t give me her info) but i got it; her name is Yael Finkelstein, she is 28 and has been an artist her entire life. She started her handbag line under the name Fineschmecker (good smell in German and Yiddish) four years ago while making bag linings out of vintage neck tie fabrics from her grandfathers old factory. Her bags are made out of fine Italian leathers and are manufactured 100% in Israel.
I got the first set of samples in last week and sold them already to a bunch of stores in NY and CT so i am expecting that by the time the merchindise hits stores in fall 2008 you will find them in many many stores. but for now - enjoy the photos!
The Technion, Israel’s institute of technology in Haifa, is world renowned for significant accomplishments in the fields of technology and the sciences made on its campus every day. Gurfil and doctoral student, Yossie Corie, developed a technique of generating electricity using helium filled balloons covered with solar energy cells. One cable will be responsible both for carrying the helium to the balloon from the ground as well as carrying the electricity to the ground from the balloon. The Technion’s researchers estimate home would need only two balloons. Production on a mass scale would cost bout $700 (US) per square foot of balloon material.
The helium balloons could be used to supply electricity remote locations such as ships, jungles, and deserts. Gurfil and Corrie hope that cities around the world will begin to seek out alternative sources for their electricity supply.
