Spencer Tunick Eyes Tel Aviv For Next Nude Revue

Photographer Spencer Tunick, who is famous for taking photographs of nude crowds at sites around the world, is planning to bring his project to Israel.

“He has not decided on a site yet, but when there’s a lot of press coverage, he is less likely to come somewhere,” Harry Fruchter, Tunick’s producer in Israel, told the Jerusalem Post. “He’d like to work without any outside influences. If he can’t find that kind of situation, when he comes, he will probably be less cooperative.”

Should he confirm plans to work in Israel, reports say likely sites Tunick might chose are Tel Aviv or the Dead Sea. Israel’s Tourism Ministry and the Tel Aviv Municipality appeared excited at the prospect of a Tunick visit, calling it good for the image of the country and the city. However, from the floor of the Knesset, religious lawmakers blasted the idea. Some said a photo of a mass of nude Jews would be reminiscent of the Holocaust. Others called it prostitution.

Tunick recently photographed 5,200 nude Australians on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, one of 75 locations at which he has taken nude photos of crowds. “Ohio 1,” his 2004 photo of hundreds of naked Clevelanders outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, hangs in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Madonna Rocks Israel

Check out the opening number from Madonna’s September 1st concert before 50,000 fans in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park:

Here’s Madonna and Israeli opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni after a night of partying in Tel Aviv:

Madonna Takes ‘Sticky & Sweet’ To Israel

The Material Girl has opened a visit to the Holy Land with a spiritual touch.

Madonna headed to Jerusalem’s Old City late Sunday where she toured an ancient tunnel near the Western Wall – the holiest site where Jews can pray.

The 50-year-old pop star arrived in a black Mercedes van and was escorted into the tunnel by police. She made no comment to reporters and was whisked away about a half hour later.

Madonna isn’t Jewish (yet), but she’s a follower of Jewish mysticism and has even taken the Hebrew name Esther.

She arrived in the country for a pair of concerts in Tel Aviv that will close out her Sticky & Sweet Tour.  It will be her first performance in Israel since 1993, though she came on private pilgrimages in 2004 and 2007.

Madonna is also set to meet oppositon leader Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during her visit.

Those joining Madonna on her trip include actress Demi Moore and her husband actor Ashton Kutcher as well as singer Justin Timberlake.

Anti-Semitic White Supremacist Found Hiding – in Tel Aviv!

When Micky Mayon fled the United States, where he faced firearms charges, the alleged member of an anti-Semitic white supremacist group chose what he might have seen as a perfect hideout – Israel.

Mayon, 32, of Steelton, Pa., was arrested in Tel Aviv by an Israeli law enforcement unit that searches for illegal migrants. He had been on the run for two years.

“He was here because he thought this was the last place they would look for him,” said Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Interior Ministry which oversees the unit.

Mayon fled the United States after he was suspected of burning the car of a judge who had ordered he stand trial on the firearms charges, Haddad said, basing her information on details provided by Interpol.

Haddad said Israeli authorities were told by Interpol that Mayon belonged to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group described as a racist, anti-Semitic movement.

“The search for Mayon came to a successful conclusion today with the actions in Israel,” said U.S. Marshal Michael R. Regan. “Locating and identifying Mayon in a foreign country sends a strong message that you can run, but you cannot hide.”

Mayon was being sought by U.S. marshals on two arrest warrants. Charges included illegal possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment and flight to avoid apprehension.

18th Maccabiah Games Underway

Thousands of athletes paraded through a packed Israeli stadium at the opening ceremony of the 18th Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish Olympics, which bring together Jewish sportsmen from around the world.

Organizers say these games are the largest ever, with 5,300 international athletes taking part alongside some 2,000 from Israel.

The United States had the second-largest delegation, with over 900 athletes.

“It’s interesting to see so many people from different places coming together on one spot as a community,” said Josh Winters, 22, of Burbank, California, a player on the U.S. fast-pitch softball team.

His father, Dan Winters, 46, also a softball player, was back for the games after first participating in 1993. “I always said that if I could share this experience with my family I would, and now I can,” he said.

The Olympic-style ceremony saw the delegations march into the stadium behind their national flags. The festivities included hundreds of flamboyantly costumed dancers, singers, drummers and riders on lit-up bicycles. They also featured a children’s chorus, an orchestra and some of Israel’s top pop acts.

The ceremony was nationally televised, and the crowd included Israel’s top leadership.

“You represent 65 countries but more than anything you represent one special people — the people of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the crowd. He also urged the athletes to move to the Jewish state.

Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, then officially opened the games to applause and fireworks.

Held every four years, the first Maccabiah Games were in 1932. They are named for the Maccabees, a family of Jewish warriors who defeated foreign rulers and won independence in the 2nd century B.C.

Israel Tries New Marketing Tactic

British travel agents were recently shocked to receive boxes of condoms handed out as part of a campaign to promote travel to Israel, during an event hosted by the Tourism Ministry in London.

 

The event, attended by representatives of the El-Al Israel Airlines, various Tel Aviv hotels and the Tel Aviv tourism foundation, as well as several British travel agents, was hosted with the objective of promoting a travel package to Israel focused on Tel Aviv. 

As party favors, patrons leaving the event were given boxes of condoms bearing the motto ‘come and visit Tel Aviv.’ Some of the attendees were even told: Come to Tel Aviv and be satisfied.

“All of the British travel agents were appalled by this tasteless advertising tactic. Among the agents were many religious Jews who inquired whether this was the way that Israel was being marketed abroad,” one of the travel agents complained.

Sources in the tourist industry said that the incident was scandalous. “The absurd part is that the condoms were packaged in fancy boxes used by one of the Dead Sea firms, usually to market beauty wares,” one Tel Aviv tourist representative explained.

Some of the agents thought that they were beauty supplies and brought them home to their wives. They were appalled when they opened the package. The Tourist Ministry representatives ruined all of our work,” she said.

“This was an initiative contrary to our policy,” read a Tourist Ministry statement in response to the incident. “We apologize to all those who were hurt. We will investigate the issue and deal with it accordingly.” 

Depeche Mode Arrives In Israel

British band Depeche Mode landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, arriving on a private plane from Luxemburg.

The three band members then headed to the Tel Aviv Hilton, where they will be staying throughout their visit to Israel.

As they arrived at the hotel,  Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan and Martine Gore – accompanied by an entourage of dozens – quickly rushed by crowds of fans and photographers waiting at the entrance to the building.

The band will stay in Israel until after its concert, which will take place Saunday at the Ramat Gan Stadium and kick-off their world tour.  Before the gig, the band members are expected to hold a press conference.

On Saturday evening, the day lead singer Gahan celebrates his 47th birthday, the band members will arrive at the stadium for a rehearsal and a sound check. On the eve of the concert, the three are expected to meet with a few of their fans.

Apart from these events, it is still unclear what the three intend to do during their hours of leisure in Israel and how they plan to celebrate Gahan’s birthday.

For more information: http://alindenauer.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/depeche-mode-to-kick-off-world-tour-in-israel/

Tel Aviv Targets Gay Tourists

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association will, for the first time ever, hold its annual symposium in Tel Aviv this October. The event is expected to attract some 200 travel agents that specialize in the gay and lesbian market.

Also, for the first time, representatives of Israel’s gay and lesbian community took part in the international tourism fair in Berlin. Representatives included Yaniv Weizman, who holds the tourism portfolio in the Tel Aviv council and Shay Deutsch, the community’s spokesman.

“Most of the IGLTA members are travel agencies that cater to the gay and lesbian community around the world and hotel chains and aviation companies that market special products to the members of the community,” said Deutsch, speaking at the fair.

Deutsch said the IGLTA holds two symposiums each year, and this year it chose to have one of them in Israel. The convention will be held by the Kenes exhibitions company, along with Tel Aviv’s Tourist Association, and the Tel Aviv Hotel Association.

“The advantage of such a convention is that it exposes to travel agencies around the world what Tel Aviv has to offer to the gay population, and after such a convention, tourism blossoms in the hosting city,” Deutsch said.

The spokesman added that every city that has hosted this event in the past received great exposure in the gay community’s journalism around the world.

“Now, just as we refer to Tel Aviv as the White City, we will also have Tel Aviv – the pink city,” said Deutsch, adding that the city’s gay community “is preparing, ahead of the convention, special packages for the gay community, that will include partying at Tel Aviv nightclubs, meetings with members of the community and more.”

Tourism Minister Ruhama Avraham Balila, who visited the booth said, “The city is promoting the matter of gay tourism to Tel Aviv. I welcome any tourist coming to Israel, regardless of their sex, opinions, or sexual preferences.”

Time To Head Home

It’s amazing how fast vacations go by.  Tomorrow it’s off to Newark on a big Continental 777:

It’s also a good time to leave as the war in the south of Israel is widening.  Although you’d never know it in the middle of the country as the restaurants and public areas are jammed with people.  School begins here on Tuesday after the Hanukkah holiday so today was one of the last days of vacation and the weather was beautiful!

War Breaks Out

Doesn’t it figure – you go on vacation and a war breaks out.  Yes – Israel bombed Gaza today.  What choice did they have with rockets falling every day on the southern Israeli communities and no end in sight.

Here’s a picture from Ynet:

For updates these are the English sites of the 3 main Israeli papers:

The Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/

Yedioth: http://www.ynetnews.com/

Ha’aretz: http://haaretz.com/

And here’s the site for Channel 10 News (in Hebrew): http://www.nana10.co.il/

Anyway – here in the Tel Aviv area you wouldn’t know anything was going on in the south.  Shahar’s Bar Mitzvah was this morning with a very nice luncheon following.  It was great – more on this when my pictures are developed. 

It’s back home on Monday….