And in a world where the term “game changer” is routinely used to hype even the most modest improvement to a product, Practical Innovation is, quite literally, changing games.

The company was approached by the Israeli makers of Rummikub, one of the world’s best-selling board games, to help increase their sales.

Rummikub was invented by toothbrush salesman Ephraim Hertzano. He introduced numbered tiles after the communist government in Romania outlawed card games. The game had remained virtually unchanged since he emigrated to Israel and launched it in 1949.

Practical Innovation took a long, hard look at it and, despite the makers’ initial reluctance, they re-wrote the rules to includes extra jokers, making it a faster game, and increasing sales.

That’s just one example of how the company has become a literal game changer.

In the decade since it was founded, Practical Innovation has launched over 80 new products across a whole range of manufacturing industries, in plastics, construction, waste, print, automotive, medical, retail, textile, service, municipalities, steel, energy, food, cosmetics and beyond.

Here are just a few:

• It came up with an entirely new range of products for the automotive filter company A.L. Filter Group – the Zence filter that releases essential oils into the car to suit the mood of the driver and their passengers.

• It was approached by a municipality in Israel to find a new use for the branches it cut from all its trees. Practical Innovation developed a way to turn them into sound-insulating walls.

• Caniel, an Israeli canning company wanted a breakthrough to increase sales. Practical Innovation invented, on its behalf, the world’s first spurt-free tuna can, which allows users to gently the base of the tin to neatly drain the oil.

• A company that disposes of tonnes of waste bread decided there must be a better, and more profitable, solution than turning it into animal feed. Practical Innovation found a way to turn it into a recyclable version of Play-Doh.

• One of the world’s largest producers of cellulose for the paper industry wanted to do something useful with the industrial waste products from the tens of millions trees it felled every year. Practical Innovation invented a process to turn it into bio-compostable plastic.

• Practical Innovation invented the world’s first wireless outdoor air conditioner, with cryogenic technology – the use of liquid nitrogen as a coolant.

• Practical Innovation invented the all-new tortilla – gluten-free, low in carbohydrates, high in protein and made from sprouted orange lentils.

• A leading olive oil manufacturer wanted a worthwhile use for the nearly 5,000 tons of skins, pits and leaves it produced every year.  Practical Innovation developed the world’s first flour made from olives.

Businesses approach Practical Innovation because they’re seeking a profitable way to stand out from their competitors.

They need fresh eyes to add a surprise ingredient into the mix and redefine what they do.

“The fact that they are very, very good in their fields is their weakness,” Tal Leizer, the company’s CEO.

“They’re used to thinking the same way about their category. They know they need to re-invent themselves, but they don’t know how.

“We work across a lot of categories. So we can mix and match. We work with a lot of experts, who have a lot of knowledge. We can pick and mix.”

Clients seek its help because they sense they should be on a different trajectory, but they don’t know what it is.

Leizer and her team gather info on a new client, tour their factory and interview key people.

They then spend the next three months brainstorming, researching, seeking input from their pool of 400 experts in a whole range of disciplines.

And they create a new product that, as the company’s name suggests, is practical and innovative. And profitable.

What comes next is the big reveal. The client doesn’t know what to expect, just that they’ve been promised a great idea.

They sit down to an “oven-ready” proof-of-concept proposal, ready to be tried and tested in their factory, and ready to be patented for their protection.

It’s typically a moment of high excitement – a game-changer for the company – but also one of apprehension, says Leizer.

“We start every presentation by saying that we all live in the comfort zone,” she says. “When we think about the innovation zone we all think about new opportunities, the big world that is waiting for us.

“But I tell them this is not how you’re going to feel in this presentation. The innovation zone is uncomfortable. It’s not pleasant, your stomach aches, you ask yourself if it’s possible or not and you have a lot of doubts. It’s really not a very pleasant place to be.

“It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be challenging, we are going to get frustrated, but we have to work through it and we have to be strong.”

She and her team of 10, based in Shefayim in central Israel, pride themselves on finding solutions for companies in what they call the real-tech world – making the things rather than software that people need for their day-to-day lives.

Leizer is adamant that she and her team can find a solution for any business – from a small family firm to a huge multinational.

“Our job is to be the game changer. That’s why companies approach us. We look for the growth engines that will bring new sales and new profitability. Traditional industry always deals with low profitability.”

There’s often inertia in industry. Factories have production lines churning out whatever they churn out, and even if profits are falling, there’s an urge to carry on, because stopping to change direction is risky.

Not every CEO is prepared to invest in the service she offers, and to venture beyond their comfort zone.

“There are those who don’t want to take the risk,” she says. “I know what I’m doing, they say. OK, It’s not very profitable, but it’s safe.

“And then there are CEOs who say we have to change, we have to do something different.

“People ask me what sort of companies are right for this process. And I always say, it’s not the company, it’s the person.  I can sometimes tell in the first 10 minutes of a meeting if this is the right person.”

The post Israeli Idea Factory That’s Literally A Game Changer appeared first on NoCamels.

Israeli viewers were treated to digital animation on their own screens last month, with the arrival of new television series Red Skies, whose introduction is an AI-generated, animated mosaic of the Israeli and Palestinian experience, all set to a wistfully sad melody. 

The intro depicts young people swimming in the sea; guitarists that morph into heavily armored soldiers; flying birds and falling rocks; burning buildings intermingled with lavish skyscrapers; sirens and rockets and tanks; and a coffin draped in a flag that flickers from Palestinian green, red, white and black to Israeli blue and white. 

The jumpy imagery is a fitting introduction to a show that tells the tale of two friends, one Israeli (Saar) and the other Palestinian (Ali), and their relationship with each other and with Jenny, the girl they both love. 

Running at a shade over a minute, this animated opening is a harbinger of a new era of artistic expression – all created with artificial intelligence. 

Red Skies was released two days before another series  – Secret Invasion, produced by Disney’s Marvel Studios and starring Samuel L. Jackson – that similarly used an AI intro. 

Its green-tinged opening reflects the disjointed, confused nature of a show where anyone can be posing as anyone else and no one is really sure what is real and what is fake. But it sparked a broad debate over the prospect of creatives losing their jobs and being replaced by machines. 

The creation process on these platforms is extremely simple – simply enter a few instructions about who you want, where you want them and what you want them doing, and the algorithm does the rest.

AI-generated videos have been around for several years. Perhaps the first time they entered the public consciousness was in 2018, with a video purporting to be of former US president Barack Obama, warning of the dangers of what became to be known as “deep fakes.”

Ahead Of The Curve

Merav Shacham, the artist who created the Red Skies intro, tells NoCamels that she realized she had to get on top of this new phenomenon last year, as generative AI platforms such as Midjourney and DALL·E became increasingly popular. 

Aside from owning her own animation and design studio, BANANAMOON, Shacham is a lecturer in the visual communication department at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. 

So Shacham, an experienced designer for television (she also created the intro for the global Israeli hit show Fauda), began to explore the medium of generative AI, carrying out what she calls “really big research.”  

“I had a meeting with my head of department, and I told him, our students will get to use it, and we are the lecturers, we need to know what it is. We need to figure it out, to experiment because next year there will be students that are using it, and we have to join the club,” she recalls. 

“The results were very surprising,” she says, comparing the input method to feeding coins into a slot machine at a casino. 

“You give just the prompt, the text line and some parameters and then it’s like magic – stuff is coming alive,” she explains.   

So impressed was Shacham by what she could do that when Red Skies co-creator Ron Leshem approached her to create the intro for the series, she suggested using artificial intelligence to do so. 

The production team behind the show were initially cautious, says Red Skies executive producer Daniel Shinar, upon whose bestselling novel the series is based. 

“We were intrigued but also a little bit worried. [What] you hear about AI is mostly the negatives – will AI replace us,” he tells NoCamels. 

But, Shinar says, they discovered that the actual process of creating the intro was smoother than expected. The series production team would explain the concept, which Shacham would then work off of. 

Afterwards, they would examine the results together – and what they found was not always what they expected, but those surprises were not always unwelcome. In fact, Shinar says, it could be very different to what you asked for, but “very beautiful” nonetheless. 

“You have two kids with a sunset on the beach or two best friends with their girlfriend, but instead of the sea, the machine would spit out a sea of sand,” he says.  

“Anywhere you have a boat, the boat is not in a regular sea. It’s in a sea of sand, which we didn’t have as an input – it kind of imagines that. Or we would say we want to see a demonstration in the West Bank, and you see a demonstration with a coffin, but the coffin will have the Israeli flag and then Palestinian flag.”

The coffin with the flags was kept in, and Shinar likens the imagery to “a political statement by the computer, by the AI.” 

Shacham also found unexpected results for the directions she entered into the program, comparing the work process to a collaboration between artist and machine. 

“When you are starting to work with it, and you’re starting to talk with the machine, back and forth, you see that it’s not only your prompt and different styles – there is something in it that has lots of unpredictable visuals. And I was really curious about this interpretation,” she says.  

Nor was it a case of simply inputting some instructions and hoping for the best. The entire process saw Shacham create more than a hundred different versions before they were happy with the results. 

And despite the debate over the potential threat posed by AI-generated content, neither writer nor artist sees it replacing people.  

Shacham views AI as “just another tool to experiment with visuals,” one which “needs to develop more, to become more sophisticated, more professional.” 

For Shinar, the heart of a piece of work is its humanity – “the part that’s magic, that makes people connect emotionally.” And this, he says, is something that artificial intelligence will never be able to supersede. 

“I don’t think people will cry over an AI opening sequence. You need some magic touch there – the secret ingredient that, in my view, still has to be human.” 

The post First AI-Generated Video Hits Israeli TV For ‘Red Skies’ Series appeared first on NoCamels.

But their convenience comes with a price. They slide off too easily, they don’t provide support for your heels or toes, and wearing them too much may actually cause tiny tears in the ligaments and muscles in your legs.

All this led Yehuda Azoulay to create what he calls the “flipshoe,” a distinctive piece of footwear by his company Link Shoes, which he says offers the freedom of a flip flop combined with the comfort and safety of a closed shoe. 

It took seven years of developing and testing numerous prototypes – and a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised over $100,000 – before he could begin to sell the shoe through his company in 2019.

The shoe’s fragmented and patented design allows it to bend and flex with the user’s foot, provide arch support, and serve as a protective bumper to prevent stubbed toes and banged heels. And unlike flip flops, you can bike with them, take long walks, and even break into a short sprint.

It’s made of three separate layers, which are glued together manually: EVA (the material used in Crocs) for the insole, TPU (thermoplastic) for the midsole, and rubber for the sole.

Each pair is available in three colors and 11 sizes, and users must follow a step-by-step video explaining how to measure their feet to find their optimal sizing (which involves the use of a piece of paper, a pencil and a ruler). 

While the process is unconventional, Link says it ensures that the shoes wrap correctly around one’s feet. 

“The target audience is the city dweller who is looking for a convenient and simple replacement for flip flops, which do not protect the perimeter of the foot and are very uncomfortable for strenuous walking in the city,” Azoulay tells NoCamels. 

Azoulay, who has a master’s degree in industrial design from the Technion – Institute of Technology, has already sold some 6,000 pairs of the flipshoe globally. 

Comfort, But Not At Any Price

Now, he’s working on a new, 3D printed version of the shoe, which aims to do more than provide a comfortable experience for the user – it is also intended to be far more eco-friendly than its predecessor.

“I only want to make a positive impact on the environment, but [the first version of the shoe] is made of materials that are not ecological,” he explains. 

The materials used to make the flipshoe – plastic and rubber – are not recyclable. But as it turns out, virtually all companies within the footwear industry are grappling with the same problem.

Of the over 20 billion pairs of shoes produced every year, less than five percent get recycled, according to the academic journal Resources, Conservation, and Recycling. It’s mainly because most products contain a complex mixture of rubber, textile, and polymer (plastic) materials, which makes it difficult to separate and repurpose them.

The footwear industry as a whole takes a heavy toll on the environment. The production of one pair of shoes alone requires the use of 8,000 liters of water, according to DHI Water Group, a research and consulting firm, as well as 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. 

“I tried to find eco-friendly materials, and discovered that many of the companies that claim their shoes are eco-friendly are greenwashing, and only use a small percentage of algae or recycled materials in their final products,” says Azoulay. 

That’s why he’s pivoting to 3D printed shoes, which will be produced using only one kind of plastic (that can be recycled). And rather than stock up on a supply of plastic and rubber that may never be fully used, this new production model will only print shoes by demand.

The footwear itself will sport a latticed pattern, and maintain a similarly unconventional style to its predecessor. Azoulay takes pride in it, and is no stranger to people turning their nose up at his unusual footwear. 

“It’s good that people reject something, because it means that it’s something that is really innovative. I love that rejection – it shows that this is the real deal,” he says. 

“I believe that in the end, people will change their mind when they understand just how functional the shoes are, in addition to their low environmental impact.”

The post Topless Footwear: Support Of A Shoe, Ease Of A Flip Flop appeared first on NoCamels.

Pandemic closures hit the art world hard, and artists, curators, and museum directors have been seeking new ways to exhibit safely.

This large-scale event features artists mainly from Israel but also from the USA, UK, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, Morocco, United Emirates, and Argentina. It also includes the first-ever grassroots cultural initiative between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. 

The artists are showcasing their work in numerous locations around the city (and online) under the theme Four Cubits.

The Biennale kicked off last month with dozens of exhibitions, tours, lectures, art panels, and parties. Many of those events were simultaneously broadcast live on the Biennale’s Facebook page. For example, an exhibition of the work of Israeli artist Ruth Schreiber, who delves into a large spectrum of creation, was featured alongside a discussion on the technological developments in birth and a talk by Dr. Avraham Steinberg, a leading medical ethicist, and pediatric neurologist at the Ramban Synagogue. The festival’s Facebook page also broadcasts a talk on the old cafes of Jerusalem which took place at the famous Tmol Shilshom Cafe in the heart of the city.

Fittingly, the theme of this year’s bi-annual city-wide arts festival in Jerusalem — which ties together Jewish tradition and contemporary art — explores the notion of personal space and the way art functions in the home.

In Jewish tradition, a cubit, or ama in Hebrew, was an ancient measurement of the length of about 0.5 meters. Four cubits are about two meters – the two-meter circle surrounding a person in their personal space.

Those are also the two meters that the WHO (World Health Organization) suggests keeping at a distance from each other to avoid transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Biennale’s Founder and Creative Director Rami Ozeri tells NoCamels.

“It was very symbolic. I thought it was so surprising that an ancient measurement that tells you what a private space is has become almost a scientific concept. It is very relevant to today and so interesting,” Ozeri says.

SEE ALSO: Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Launches Grand-Scale Augmented Reality Art Exhibit

In religious texts, four cubits is also used as a metaphor for a person’s private space. “We all ended up spending more time at home [in the past two years,]” Ozeri says, “It brought up the question — which I think is extremely important and not well-addressed at all so far — of how art functions in private spaces. So this year, the biennale is all about content and private space, creativity and private space. We want to expand the notion of the art experience.”

Usually, what happens is that during the Biennale, Ozeri says, is that he and his colleagues in the field will always invite the audience to come to have the “art experience” in a public space such as a gallery or a museum, and then go home.

“This year, we are asking what going on when you get back home? What is the role of art in your own four cubits? In your own living room or bedroom or kitchen? Does art exist there? Is art present there? In between the lines, we emphasize the importance of having good art, real art out in your private space,” he adds.

Three components

The Jerusalem Biennale has played a transformative role in the revitalization of the art scene in Jerusalem, bringing some of the most cutting-edge, creative, and inspiring exhibits and events to the city since 2013. The first Jerusalem Biennale, which was founded by Ozeri after visits to the Biennale in Venice and in Berlin, featured works by more than 60 artists and asked the question, “What is Contemporary Jewish Art?” Ozeri says contemporary art, not to be confused with the modern art movement of the early 20th century, is all about the art of today and includes drawings, videos, and installations.

Ozeri, a religious man who studied philosophy and worked as an economist, and eventually took classes at the Bezalel art school, where he said he encountered many artists and people in the outside world that told him there were some unsolved issues with Jewish content in the Israeli art world.

“They felt like the Israeli art world would reject or marginalize them because of that content. So I decided I wanted to create a platform for art that was both contemporary and Jewish.

The 2021 Jerusalem Biennale’s program consists of three major components, all of which will work according to a hybrid model, with both an in-person and online presence.

#TakeMeHome is the core project of the Jerusalem Biennale this year and takes place in the Biennale’s permanent home in the historic building of Sha’arei Tzedek. Ozeri says this year’s exhibition of 200 contemporary artworks but more than a hundred artists “is the largest exhibition we ever had.” Visitors will enjoy an art viewing experience, mindful that at the end of their visit, they will be able to choose an artwork they would like to display in their home.

“What we figured — and what is actually happening — during the five weeks of the Biennale, is that people take a different look at the art. Because it’s not only something they want to understand, it’s also something they need to imagine would fit in their living room or bedroom,” Ozeri says, “We’re not asking people to buy the artwork. We’re giving them the opportunity to think about their homes as a place for art.”

At the end of the Biennale, some of the artworks will be loaned to the winners for a six-month period, after which they may purchase the work if they wish to do so.

The works of #TakeMeHome will be accompanied by a few related installations, among them a solo exhibition of the artist Sari Srulovitch and installations by Koen Vanmachelen (Belgium), Shuli Bornstein Wolf, and more.

Venues are hosting group exhibitions in different Jerusalem institutions, connecting architecture, history, and art. Among the selected venues is the Tower of David Museum, HaMiffal, Jerusalem Print Workshop, the art gallery of Mishkenot, the Agripas 12 Gallery, and the Gesher Guest House. Five of them feature the participation of international artists like Maktoub, an exhibition curated by Lenore Cohen-Mizrachi and Chama Mechtaly that hosts 10 calligraphy artists from the UAE and Israel. This is the first joint Israeli and Emirati grassroots art initiative in Israel.

SEE ALSO: Haifa Museum Dedicates Entire Space To Turmoil Of COVID-19 Pandemic

This collaborative calligraphy effort on canvas shows the similarities and differences between the written word in both Islamic and Jewish cultures. Mizrachi-Cohen, a Syrian-American Jew now living in Jerusalem, contacted Mechtaly with the idea for Maktoub following the signing of the Abraham Accords.

PHASEs, which stands for Private Homes Art Space Events, is a new model for intimate gatherings around art, developed by the Jerusalem Biennale in response to the constraints of the pandemic. Audiences will be invited to visit artistic private spaces for more intimate experiences around art, workshops, lectures, and conversations. Each project will be documented throughout the process, resulting in short online videos that may facilitate a more global conversation on what it means to bring art into the private space. Events include Haredi artist Motta Brim, the man who inspired the popular tv series Shtisel, talking about his art and his upbringing in his home and Anat Golan’s jewelry and Judaica exhibition the historic home of the father of modern Hebrew Eliezer Ben Yehuda. Bitya Roznak also hosts an event in the glassmaking studio in her backyard.

Gallery talks, panel discussions with artists and curators, music and dance performances, guided tours in English and Hebrew will continue online as well as in-person until December 30. Public venues will have individual opening events. Tickets this year for all public venues are free of charge, except for the Tower of David Museum.

Updated information is available at http://jerusalembiennale.org and on our Facebook page.

The post Four Cubits: Hybrid Jerusalem Biennale Explores Personal Space With Global Art appeared first on NoCamels.

The tics were frequent and disruptive to everyday life and Barashi began receiving botox injunctions to paralyze her muscles so the visibility of the tics would be weakened. While the injections helped, they also created other problems. Even years later, the injury continued to pose a challenge for the Hadassah College industrial design student and veterinarian.

“I had a very hard time holding my head up,” Barashi tells NoCamels. “I have a lot of muscles that are paralyzed from all the shots. It makes my daily life difficult and affects my whole body.”

While she is supposed to wear a brace around her neck all day long, existing solutions make her itchy, sweaty, uncomfortable, and cut off her air. The plastic smells after prolonged wear, she says. The neck brace has also been too ugly, hard, and plain for the self-proclaimed fashionista. “I wanted everyone to look at me because of my clothing, not my neck,” she explains.

“The sponge brace that is currently on the market is very hot and bulky and no one would have been happy to wear it,” she says.

Enter leading Israeli-based 3D printing manufacturer Stratasys where a team of volunteers decided to help Barashi find a better solution. Since 1998, Stratasys has been leading a global shift to additive manufacturing with solutions for the aerospace, automotive, consumer products, art, fashion, design, and healthcare industries.

The Stratasys team found Barashi through Restart’s Makers for Heroes, an Israeli project where “makers” (engineers, programmers, designers, doctors, tech experts, etc.) join forces to create innovative tech solutions that help injured soldiers overcome disabilities. The program was established in 2016 when Restart pioneers saw the concessions made by injured soldiers and aimed to “fulfill their dreams” by creating products that helped them overcome disabilities, and daily challenges, and establish a higher quality of living. In 2018 and 2019, the company collaborated with TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers, a global network of communities dedicated to improving lives by making open source technology affordable to all. Partners and sponsors in the Restart project include companies like Wix, Checkpoint Software Technologies, and Cyberpro Israel.

Stratasys has been part of the project for the last four years and has mainly worked with Paralympic athletes, including a member of Israel’s Paralympic rowing team and a tennis player, says Ohad Meyuhas, head of Innovation and CSR operation and the company’s team leader for the project.

This was the first time Meyuhas and the team focused on a 3D solution for someone with a specific disability rather than an athlete. “I wanted to do something like this for a long time,” Meyuhas explains. “Back then, I said that the challenge will be to design for the extreme — for the non-extreme.”

In other words, “Designing for a person with a disability should be so unique that it would not only help a person with a disability – but that a person without a disability would also want the final product. That’s the ideal for me,” Meyuhas reiterates, “And that’s what this was.“

Restart brought on 12 challengers for the 2021 project and Staratsys ultimately chose Barashi from four people they felt could be helped using 3D printing tech. The team scanned her with a 3D scanner and concluded that using hard materials on her collar would be problematic due to the regular botox shots she would get to the injured area.

“Due to her injury, she got tics and so her head was always moving. She needed to be with a neck brace all day long,” Meyuhas explains, “We wanted to produce a collar that would also support her head, and also be something that she would agree to put on that would look special. It also had to be something she would wear for several hours without feeling like her disability was accentuated.”

“We worked with her to understand what material would be best on her skin and wouldn’t create a rash,” he adds.

The Stratasys team decided to create a simple, breathable, lightweight 3D printed scarf. The challenge, as Meyuhas explains, was to create something in place of a neck brace that would be appealing enough to be worn casually in everyday life. The team used fabric from a high fashion couture company they had worked with in the past — “think Chanel or Dior,” Meyuhas says — though he declined to name the label.

“If you met Moran, you would see that she is a fashionista. She’s unique. Whenever she came to our space, one could not ignore her. She was going to be in the center. And who would want to do that with a neck brace?” says Meyuhas.

“The look of the collar was important to me both because I also do design in general – but also because I match everything to what I wear – like hand splints but also fashion accessories like shoes – to my clothes,” Barashi adds, “If I’m already disabled, let it be in style.

Fashion in a 3D printed solution

Stratasys used a 3D printing PolyJet technology for the collar, which served as a support system on a fashionable fabric allowing freedom of movement and adaption to changes.

“We printed our design on beautiful fabrics that Moran really liked. We used the fabrics’ elasticity and textures and printed touch-proof materials unique to Stratasys in geometric shapes over it. We made sure that the collar could stabilize the neck and also look fashionable. The transparent material we used to print gives extra depth to the fabric that major fashion houses all over the world go crazy for and want to use,” Meyuhas explains.

Printing on different fabrics and textures gave Barashi multiple options, with different collars for all kinds of events. The varying geometry allowed some of the collars to ‘breathe’ more – a critical feature during the summer – while others were better suited for winter, or periods of, particularly strong neck pain.

According to Meyuhas, the new product is relatively light so she will not have to wear a heavy, stiff contraption around her neck. Barashi says Stratasys created hard, medium, and soft options in different designs which looked good and worked for her physical need, something that was “very important to me personally,” he says.

Barashi was very involved in the process and came into the company’s Rehovot office often. “Whenever there was a new concept or the formation of a new design, I came to the company physically to see how to move forward, take measurements, etc,” she tells NoCamels.

“Everything was under close supervision and compliance with industry standards to make sure the solution was safe to the touch and safe for Moran,” he says, “We also worked with physiotherapists and an accompanying team who guided us and helped us. With all the complicated solutions we tested, in the end, we came up with a relatively simple solution, that still functions as an ‘inclusive design’ – the fact that Moran tried on the collar and other people in the room said ‘Wow, that could be amazing for an event, it’s like a unique necklace, I would like to have one too.’ That means we succeeded”

“I have not met people with an injury like mine. I still hope it will help other people, and that was part of the goal, other than making it more beautiful and accessible to me – to also be more accessible and beautiful to the world and not just sick or disabled, which are the connotations that arise from what is currently on the market,” Barashi says.

“You look at an optimistic person like Moran. She talks about [her disability] and that’s fine, but at the same time, you want to help her in a way. The entire team got into that,” Meyuhas says, “We printed on top of the nice fabric with glossy transparent material, which gave it a feeling of super expensive and nice jewelry. She deserves that.

The post Israeli 3D Printing Firm Designs Fashion Forward Neck Brace For Wounded Soldier appeared first on NoCamels.

Meanwhile, living with a pandemic has given way to more online shopping as consumers look for reasons to avoid long lines at the mall and buy their favorite items in the easiest way possible — at the click of a button. That’s where the power of AI comes in, as virtual apps look to utilize computer vision, deep learning, AI, and imaging technology to enhance and improve the eCommerce experience. In August, cosmetics giant Il Makiage acquired Israeli AI-based computational imaging startup Voyage 81 to take their current algorithm to the next level in order to help customers match the right products to their skin. And customers use the AI tech of Israeli visual search startup Syte to help them find relevant products through an augmented search function that includes automated product tagging, searching by photo and text, and personalized recommendations.

For consumers that use the patented body measurement app from Herzliya-based startup Sizer Technologies, AI has become a way to generate accurate clothing sizes without going into the store. The company’s AI tech and deep learning algorithms calculate a customer’s precise body measurements in a single one-time scan. The app uses the front-end camera of any mobile device for personalized true sizing data that is tailored to the individual’s fit.

The high degree of accuracy greatly reduces sizing inaccuracies and supports consumers in making informed purchases that can save businesses millions of dollars, Sizer’s VP of Business Development Yael Kochman tells NoCamels.

“When you walk into a physical fashion store, there’s a 30 percent chance you’ll walk out with a purchase. Online, that chance drops to about 2 percent. The main reason for that is that you are not able to try on the clothes and see if it fits. This is exactly what Sizer is solving – we enable shoppers to digitally measure themselves from the comfort of their own home and get size recommendations, and the uplift our clients see in conversion rate and basket size proves that it’s working.”

While online sales soared 32.4 percent in 2020, the National Retail Foundation reports $428 billion worth of items were returned, costing retail a loss of $101 billion. Other data suggests that 20 percent of products bought online are returned, compared to 9 percent of items from a physical store. And 52 percent of those returns are due to sizing.

“During COVID, fashion eCommerce skyrocketed — stores were closed and people had no choice but to buy online,” says Kochman, “Once they got used to that, there’s no going back. When more people buy online, more people need to find the right size, and this is where Sizer helps.”

“We are all aware that shopping online holds a lot of uncertainty with inconsistent sizing across brands; a size 8 in one store could be a size 12 in another,” said Adam Kaplan, CEO of Sizer, in a statement, “We know that this discourages consumers and is extremely costly to retailers. Our sizing data solutions empower buyers to make correct online purchases and fashion retailers and workwear companies to improve their value chain.”

Unique partnerships in retail

Kochman tells NoCamels that the Sizer app is very easy to use. “You browse clothes on your favorite fashion website and when you find a dress or shirt you’d like to buy, you click on a button that says something like ‘Find My Size.’ Then Sizer opens on your phone and there’s a model that shows you how to scan. You place your phone upright on a table, take a few steps back and the model guides you through two simple poses. From that moment you can get size recommendations on any item on that website.”

“Behind the scenes, our algorithms work to extract your body measurements using computer vision. That takes a few seconds and once done all images are automatically deleted, so your privacy is secured,” she adds.

Scanning measurements for clothing is one thing, but women around the world who need to go to brick-and-mortar shops to get fitted for bras know how difficult and cumbersome the process can be. As lockdowns took place across the world in early 2020 and stores closed, this became impossible. Retailers began introducing contact-free bra-fiting services that could be used even before shops were reopened safely.

Earlier this year, Sizer announced a partnership with Wacoal, an intimates company founded in 1949 in Japan, that prides itself on fitting its customers with precision. In May, Wacoal teamed up with Sizer to launch mybraFit, an AI-powered tool that measures a customer’s bra size by scanning them through their phone.

“Wacoal is one of the biggest lingerie companies in the US. They’ve been an amazing partner for us, and are very happy with the results,” says Kochman, “With Sizer, they see a huge uplift in conversion and 25 percent in basket size – so it’s clear that when a shopper knows their size they would be more likely to buy and to buy more items! We’re currently onboarding other big lingerie companies and are piloting with some of the biggest global fashion brands.”

“The intimate apparel industry relies on antiquated sizing practices that have not changed in decades. This, and the increasing shift to consumers shopping online, prompted us to find a solution to simplify the entire process. Following an intense market study, we chose to collaborate with Sizer as our digital measuring partner due to their unmatched body measurement accuracy and convenient, user-friendly solution,” Miryha Fantegrossi, Vice President of Merchandising and Design at Wacoal America said in May. “The mybraFit app is a transformative solution, and by combining our vast knowledge of fit and style expertise with Sizer’s know-how, we’ve created a personalized, time-efficient, and foolproof sizing tool for everyone.” 

Sizer’s contact-free body measuring platform is also carefully designed and tested for uniform vendors. ” Like all good things, this turn of events was a bit unexpected,” Kochman tells NoCamels, “Adam, our CEO, met a senior executive from one of the biggest uniform companies at an event, and she told him how the fitting process works for them – they manufacturer samples, send them to the client, and the client has to get all the employees to try on different sizes to determine the best size for each. So imagine an airline with 50,000 employees.” she continues, “That could take months. And then they manually collect all the measurements and send them to production. Once he heard that he knew Sizer could help them digitize the process. The way they use the solution is they simply send all the employees an email with a link, they open it, scan themselves and all their measurements are sent to a live dashboard and from there straight to production – shortening the process from 6-8 months to just a few weeks.”

Sizer currently works with Landau Scrubs, the biggest manufacturer of medical scrubs in the US, and also Hunter Apparel Solutions, a company that deals with uniforms for police, firefighters, and others in the UK. Kochman also says the company has begun to work with space delegations, and armies around the world.

“What I love about Sizer is that you can speak with an army colonel one day, and the next with the head of design or product in a fashion company. The solution is needed everywhere people wear clothes, so the market is big and varied.”

The post Virtual Try-On: Contactless Measurements App Sizer Transforms The Digital Shopping Experience appeared first on NoCamels.

The exhibit, “Seeing the Invisible,” features 13 immersive virtual works by established and emerging artists including Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Mohammed Kazem, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, Timur Si-Qin, and Israelis Sigalit Landau and Ori Gersht.

The Augmented Reality artwork has been featured at 12 gardens in six countries since September, including in Israel.

The large-scale installations are invisible to the naked eye. To view the art, visitors must use a dedicated Augmented Reality (AR) app, which superimposes images, text, and sounds on top of the open green spaces in the garden.

AR is an enhanced version of the real physical world which is achieved when a physical real-world environment is enhanced with computer-generated, digital visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli delivered through technology.

SEE ALSO: First-Ever Retrospective Of Renowned Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama Opens In Israel

The idea for this exhibit came from the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens in partnership with Outset Contemporary Art Fund, with the support of the Jerusalem Foundation. The development of this augmented reality (AR) contemporary art exhibition has been an international collaboration all along. This is the first exhibition of its kind to be developed in collaboration with botanical gardens and art institutions from around the world.

“The Jerusalem Botanical Garden collaborates with a lot of different botanical gardens around the world. We share scientific information about our collections. When it comes to art and art exhibitions, we hadn’t had the opportunity to lead anything. It has been really exciting to lead this project,” Hannah Rendell, executive director of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, tells NoCamels.

The exhibit launched in Australia, Israel, South Africa, the UK, Canada, and the USA — and was meant to run for one year, from September 2021 through August 2022. But requests for this outdoor art show are growing and the exhibition is now being translated into new languages to meet demand.

“We have a lot of gardens contacting us to do it next year. We’d like to get [the exhibit guide] translated into Spanish. We already have it in Hebrew, Arabic, and English,” says Rendell. “We’re aiming for 30-50 gardens next year. It’s really, really exciting.”

12 variations of the same exhibit

“Seeing the Invisible” was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which museums and galleries shut their doors and virtual tours of galleries were the only way to get a dose of art and culture. As the world began to learn to live with the virus, open-air art exhibits began popping up in museum courtyards, at city squares, and in gardens.

In Jerusalem, a 2020 outdoor art exhibit by the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens called “Returning to Nature” hosted 16 sculptures by Israeli artists peppered throughout the gardens. It was well-received and delighted many art and nature lovers who could finally go out to enjoy a day of culture. The executive board of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens caught the art bug to develop a new exhibition.

“Gardens around the world have engaged with art projects along the years,” Hadas Maor, who curated the 2020 exhibit and co-curated the “Seeing the Invisible” exhibit with Tal Michael Haring, tells NoCamels.

The costs of importing art and the possibility of destroying the flora are behind-the-scenes aspects that led to thinking up a different kind of art showcase for the botanical gardens.

“Most botanical gardens use art as a way of engaging with new audiences and getting people to come to their garden. But it comes with a cost … the transportation of the sculptures or the work, it can destroy flora, it takes space within the garden, massive insurances, and the carbon footprint. So, straightaway, the digital aspect [of this exhibit] took all of these things off the table,” says Rendell.

While art museums the world over added digital experiences to their collections that could be viewed from home during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, to see this exhibit, visitors must be present at one of the participating botanical gardens and use the dedicated “Seeing the Invisible” mobile app (developed for this project) on site. Each garden has a trail map to follow, and at each spot, a physical signpost marks the area to scan for the artwork to spring to life.

“This platform is beautiful because it really opens up a huge scope,” says Maor. “It’s immersive. You have to walk into the work in order to reveal it.”

It is one exhibit on display in different gardens. But even then, each trail route was curated for its specific surroundings.

“We curated the exhibition with a corpus of 13 works. The artworks are the same. Each garden is different, and we curated slightly differently for each garden. So, it’s like 12 different variations on the same exhibition,” says Maor.

Phygital – physicial and digital

“Seeing the Invisible” is as much about the artwork as it is about the greenery surrounding it. The exhibit tackles themes of nature, the environment, and sustainability, and explores the connections between art, technology, and nature.

“Visitors reveal the garden while revealing the works, it’s combined,” says Maor. “You have to go through the garden, you see the different vegetation, you move from a dry area to a wet area. For instance, Jakob Kudsk Steensen’s work of a 3D scanned cactus organ is positioned in all the gardens in an area that has similar type of vegetation. There’s a specific thought about the position of each work in each garden, that the visitor accumulates without even thinking about it.”

Maor reiterates that although a digital exhibit, “Seeing the Invisible” cannot be experienced online but rather requires people to physically visit the gardens. She terms this a “phygital” experience — combining the physical location and the digital manifestation. 

“I don’t think it’s going to replace museums, and I don’t think AR or VR technologies are going to diminish a painting and sculpture and photography and video art. It’s another medium that has penetrated the art field,” says Maor, about the need to consider physical and digital realms in the art world. 

Some of the 13 installations in this exhibit “existed before in a physical dimension and they were translated into AR, and some works were created, especially for the exhibition,” says Maor.

Included in the exhibition are Landau’s Salt Stalagmite #1 installation that explores the notion of a bridge as a means of connecting people, cultures, and languages, and activating peace;

Weiwei’s large-scale gilded cage, which addresses power structures, confinement, and restriction, as well as preservation and nurturing; and Daito Manabe’s endlessly dancing digital figure that morphs into new shapes against the laws of physics. 

Bring earphones to hear and see Pamela Rosenkranz’s Anamazon (Limb) as it pulses and oozes or to watch and listen to Refik Anadol’s mesmerizing artificial intelligence work that pushes us to experience an alternate nature or to see and hear how Gersht’s sensuous and a bouquet of flowers explode in nature or to dive into Iceland’s glacial caves with Isaac Julien’s five-screen experience.

Hop on over to any one of 12 botanical gardens around the world now hosting the “Seeing the Invisible” augmented reality contemporary art exhibition, take a tablet or smartphone with you.

“It’s sort of a mind game,” says Maor. “It’s all on the screen but you do feel you’re in the art. That’s the phygital experience.”

The post Jerusalem Botanical Gardens Launches Grand-Scale Augmented Reality Art Exhibit appeared first on NoCamels.

The Brazilian company has launched the Natura Innovation Challenge in Israel this month, with Israeli-founded boutique consulting and tech events agency Tech It Forward, to identify promising beauty-related research, technologies, and ventures that further their vision.

Since 1969, São Paulo-based company Natura creates products and services that promote self-care and operates in more than 110 countries with 37,000 stores worldwide. Its revenues reached $36.9 billion in 2020. A unique aspect of the beauty multinational is that its innovation offices are located in the Amazon rainforest. Protecting the Amazon and its people as well as creating sustainable beauty products are important commitments for Natura, the company says.

Tech It Forward, the Israeli agency that aims to be “an innovation bridge maker” between Israeli startups and global firms, will partner with Natura and host the challenge.

“We share strong values with Natura. It’s important for us to be working on projects that matter. Technologies can have a positive impact on the world, on nature and on people. In this project, we focus a lot on sustainability, well-being, and mental health – topics that became even more relevant in a pandemic context,” Tech It Forward co-founder Jennifer Elias tells NoCamels.

The co-founders, which include Elias and Jessica Rosner, said Natura asked them to host the event for a few reasons. First, the company is used to “uncovering the power of Israeli startups and connecting them to partners, investors, and corporations,” Rosner tells NoCamels.

“We are used to being the boots on the ground in Israel for international companies looking into top technologies. Here, we work both with startups and academies, which allows us to have an overview of the ecosystem and trends that can be implemented abroad,” Rosner says.

SEE ALSO: Beauty Startup Touting ‘World’s 1st Visual Fragrance’ Wins Tel Aviv Tech Contest

Second, the company has strong experience working with investors and firms in Brazil and has done so before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the company has a proven track record of providing the infrastructure to support Israeli founders and help them deliver successful global innovations.

“Natura shares a deep passion for innovation,” Elias says. “Their goal is to develop products, experiences and services that help our consumers feel confident: healthy in their own skin, and have happy and balanced relationships. Therefore, the goal of the challenge is to identify revolutionary startups and entrepreneurs focused on changing the future of beauty, wellness, and consumers’ lives.”

Natura is looking for early-stage technology, digital, and biotech-based ventures from pre-seed to Round A that provide quality products and services backed by academic research. The startups should deliver under five main categories for the Natura Brand and its scientific R&D pipeline, according to the Brazilian firm: diagnosis, recommendation, and customization of products; skin boosters and product performance; multi-sensorial experiences; wellness and mental health solutions; and sustainability and regenerative products and experience.

The deadline to submit applications to the challenge is June 21st. A number of selected startups and projects will be revealed a month later and will have the opportunity to pitch to leading Natura representatives in the company’s R&D, Innovation, and Operational business units .

All finalist decks and value propositions will be shared with innovation leaders and decision-makers within Natura and will have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with the organization.

“The challenge will reward the relevant technologies that can integrate Natura. The number of partnership opportunities will be set according to the overall level,” Elias says. “What is important for us and Natura is the quality, degree of innovation, how promising the projects are, and how strong the teams are, and how likely the startups are to collaborate with Natura are taken into account.”

The Tech It Forward co-founders tell NoCamels they have received a number of applications for projects that have a high level of AI, VR, and bio-formulas that have impressed the Natura team.

“We are seeing companies that take into account the emotions of the users in shopping experiences, algorithm technologies that support mental illnesses, and sustainable biotechnologies that boost products,” says Rosner.

Israeli beauty and technology

Israel has a long history within the cosmetics industry, which has become one of its strengths, Rosner indicates. From research on the use of Dead Sea minerals to a history of natural products such as olive and almond-made cosmetics, the country has become a go-to for beauty connoisseurs. This coupled with its known prowess in high-tech and R&D has earned the country a global reputation for strong beauty technologies and products.

The Israel Cosmetics Products Market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.21 percent between 2020 to 2025, according to a report from market intelligence and advisory firm Mordor Intelligence. Key trends in the industry include an inclination towards vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics and a growing demand for anti-aging products and innovative and eco-friendly designs, according to the report.

Natura, a brand that has built a reputation for treating the environment responsibly, is coming to Israel to tap into these strengths.

“Natura develops formulas with safe, natural and renewable ingredients from the Amazon rainforest, work together with local forest communities to extract ingredients in a sustainable manner, ensuring opportunity, well-being and income for all and seek innovations inspired by nature and, through sustainable practices, motivate people to keep the forest alive. In addition, they prioritize the use of post-consumer recycled and renewable materials in producing their packaging and refills,” says Elias.

“We are involved in the project from the technology scouting, filtering of the startups and research, to the integration or partnership with Natura and joining their journey towards sustainable, renewable and enhanced cosmetic products and experiences,” she adds.

The post Natura Scouts Israeli Technologies For Sustainable Beauty And Wellness appeared first on NoCamels.

Venn announced on Wednesday that it has closed a $60 million Series B round, bringing the company’s total funding to $100 million. The round was led by Group 11, with significant participation from Pitango, Hamilton Lane, and Bridges Israel.

“COVID-19 had everyone wondering what kind of effect it would have on city living, and on the residential market specifically, where early in the pandemic we saw about 30 percent of the population leaving the major cities and going to live with their parents or elsewhere,” Or Bokobza, co-founder and CEO of Venn, tells NoCamels. “But at the same time, we saw better retention rates of people wanting to remain in their Venn neighborhoods.”

SEE ALSO: Tel Aviv Sets Sights On Vaccinating Young Israelis With Offers Of Free Drinks, Food

Indeed, the pandemic shook up city centers around the world in giving many city dwellers a new opportunity to work-from-home and as a result, take away the pre-Covid-19 need to pay high rents or property taxes to live near places of work or study.

Tens of thousands of residents self-exiled from the world’s big cities during the pandemic to the suburbs or greener pastures and reports show that at the height of the pandemic 41% of Londoners moved out of the city, 20% of Parisians, 10% of Berliners and 3% of Bay area residents.

Not everyone moved out.

In fact, residents of Venn neighborhoods felt a greater sense of belonging to a community that the company reported a 37 percent reduction in people leaving their neighborhoods and a 20 percent increase in people moving in during the pandemic.

“You don’t need data to know that people crave connection, but Venn’s numbers speak volumes. People want to live in communities that make them feel that they belong, and Venn has found a way to achieve that through its technology, expertise, and experiences,” Dovi Frances, managing partner at Group 11, said in a statement announcing the new funding round.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Venn creates urban neighborhoods that are more affordable and offer a sense of community. While the Covid-19 pandemic isolated people from one another, Venn’s neighborhood projects kept people together.

“Loneliness was an epidemic long before COVID-19. Over the past 30 years, it’s become easier to connect with strangers around the world than our neighbors around the corner. Remember when we used to be able to walk down the street and run into our friends? Or go to the grocery store and be greeted by name? We’ve lost touch with something elemental and vital for our lives and progress: the idea of ‘Neighborhood.’ This is the problem that Venn was built to solve,” says Bokobza. “We are using the power of community to build better neighborhoods for neighbors, property developers, and local businesses alike, and our work is more important now than ever before.”

The founders, friends Bokobza, David Sherez and Chen Avni, shared a dream to raise their families side-by-side. In June 2019, Bokobza told NoCamels the founder friends wanted to bring the best elements of their childhoods to their new community vision of a “new way of neighboring.”

“We’re trying to redesign the neighborhood experience,” he said at the time. 

According to Venn’s 2020 Annual Impact Report, Venn Neighbors who participated in two or more of the company’s local programming and events were 90 percent more likely to stay in their neighborhoods. And with a full neighborhood, it is better business for all — property managers and local businesses alike.

Bokobza explains that the global pandemic accelerated business for the Venn venture. The new reality pushed the company to scale its business model to establish more relationships directly with property developers. The company now offers B2B and B2C approaches.

“We had a lot of landlords reaching out to us and asking for the product,” says Bokobza. “At the beginning of the pandemic, we were not ready to scale quickly. But our agility and our ability to to fit the company into the new reality helped us to move faster. We didn’t expect to go and do another fundraising round right now, but the $60 million round is due to the growth of the company.”

Venn’s neighborhood platform enables better communication between property developers, landlords, and residents. It gives a $120 increase in net operating income (NOI) per unit for property developers due to increased resident retention and demand.

“Over the years in our neighborhoods, we’ve learned that individual and community levels of loneliness and connection are highly accurate predictors of people’s likelihood to stay and put down roots. And we’ve learned that Venn can support three behaviors to improve people’s sense of connection: real-life social links between neighbors; support for the local economy; and civic/community service,” Chen Avni, co-founder and CPO of Venn, said in a statement.

Asked what the company would have done differently had it known a pandemic would create an even greater need for belonging, Bokobza says that “the number one thing that we’d probably have done is to recruit more engineers, product people and designers. Every landlord has his or her own property management software, and every market has its own technological component that we need to integrate. We work very fast with our engineering team and R&D center, but we need to expand.”

Venn’s newest funding round will be used to support investments in recruitment, new business, and US operations. It will be used to fill dozens of research and development positions across the company’s international product engineering team, building out Venn’s business development efforts as partnerships with property managers continue to grow, and expanding capabilities with local businesses and services to create new opportunities for neighborhood participation.

The company has neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Tel Aviv, Kansas City, and Berlin.

“I think you’d be surprised how similar the needs of people to know their neighbors is,” says Bokobza. “At the end of the day, there are three basic things that help people know their neighbors: creating opportunities for people to build local businesses, ways to shape the living environment and increase the communication with the landlord or municipality. These basic things are exactly the same in every Venn community neighborhood. The only difference is the culture of the location.”

SEE ALSO: Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Israel’s Venn Is Creating ‘A New Way Of Neighboring’ In Big Cities

Bokobza says the US market is the focus for the coming two years. Venn says it will expand to five more cities in the US in 2021.

“Ultimately, a neighborhood is made not by people who move there, but by the people who stay. We’re in the business of making people want to stay and participate in their neighborhoods long-term,” Avni said.

The post Love Thy Neighbor: Venn Raises $60M To Bring People Together appeared first on NoCamels.

The dynamic duo behind Art Source, an online platform offering advice to potential buyers interested in Israel’s best contemporary artworks, was looking for ways to meet the increased demand.

SEE ALSO: 4 Contemporary Female Artists To Keep An Eye On

“Even before COVID, we really saw a demand from the community. We saw that people who were interested in being part of the Israeli art world, supporting Israeli artists, and collecting Israeli art, needed an avenue to do so without traveling here,” said Freedman.

Their newest endeavor, an online shop and website devoted to Israeli design named Handle With Care, was created to help buyers get to know the burgeoning Israeli design scene and give them the opportunity to add it to their collections.

The website officially launched two months ago.

“We started seeing this demand for Israeli design. There’s this global trend that’s been going on for years, where the lines between fine art and functional design have blurred. We see a lot of ceramic art and all of these bespoke items that are functional items but also design pieces. We started seeing more of a demand for that. We wanted to give Israeli designers the same platform and opportunity that we were able to accomplish with Art Source,” Freedman tells NoCamels.

The idea blossomed before COVID-19 but then the pandemic hit and the pair had to pause for a moment. “We had to readjust and so that postponed our plans quite a bit, but it also really reinforced the concept because everyone can agree, you know staying at home we’ve seen an increase in online shopping and putting an effort into the aesthetics of the home. So that was, again right place right time because we already started working on it,” she adds.

Handle With Care offers a number of unique pieces that blur the boundaries between art and design. There are plush toys, cushions, wall hangings, and other home decor goods from Tel Aviv’s Studio Nama, an indie textile design studio founded by designer Na’ama Ben Moshe in 2017. Designed and crafted by hand, these bright and whimsical designs in cheerful colors bring a “pop of joy” into the home. There are vases, bowls, mugs, and other pieces inspired by ancient Middle Eastern motifs produced by Avi Ben Shoshan, founder of ABS Studio. One of them is intricately crafted to look like a female figurine. The online shop also has art jewelry and other bold statement accessories including bags, socks, scarves, and quilts from designers like Gily Ilan, Tal Drori, and IOTA. They also offer a number of high-quality original prints as well as prints from Israeli illustrator Cookie Moon. These limited-edition prints make art accessible to those who might be able to afford a larger painting or sculpture.

While the goal is to expand the reach of Israeli design internationally while serving as a place to discover and support Israeli creators, Peguine and Freedman also wanted their shop to include designs that address creating positive changes to social challenges.

“One of the things that was important for us with Handle With Care was to have a social impact brand,” Freedman says, “We are honored to collaborate with Kuchinate [a collective of African asylum-seeking women living in Tel Aviv who design and crochet products for sale.] We work with them in a completely non-profit framework where all the proceeds from their sales go directly to the non-profit that benefits female asylum seekers from Africa here in Tel Aviv.”

The online shop also features from brands such as IOTA, which promotes women in low-income communities worldwide, providing them with mentoring and training programs and Mekomit, which promotes women in the arts, with a portion of all sales donated to the Association for Women’s Art and Gender Research in Israel.

Something for the locals

Both Handle With Care and Art Source, Freedman and Peguine say, also offer up something for the locals who may not know how to navigate the art world, or were not able to visit their favorite galleries during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We reached new audiences — local audiences — during COVID,” Peguine explains, “I think because people were missing the gallery and they wanted to have this artistic experience while they were at home. And also, they wanted to find new pieces of art to connect to.”

The making of Art Source

For Peguine, creating Handle With Care and Art Source was a new way of promoting the idea behind Oh So Arty, a blog and platform she created in 2008 to make Israeli art more accessible. The platform, which today helps art aficionados arrange tours with local guides in cities around the world, was first established in Israel after she left her job at Dvir Gallery in Tel Aviv. It was while she was giving an art tour in Tel Aviv that Peguine met Freedman, then manager of Gordon Gallery with whom she quickly developed a connection.

“After the tours, people would contact me again when they came back to Tel Aviv after a few years, but there was never a continuation in that way. So Art Source really made sense… you can have a community and that community can go back and see and explore Israeli art without even coming to Israel. So this was positive, in a sense, during COVID for us. And also now that they [visitors] haven’t been here in a year. More than a year. But we expect tourism is going to be stronger.”

SEE ALSO: Kids Rule: Israeli Designer Creates Inspiring Spaces With Children’s Needs In Mind

Art Source, founded in 2018 as a platform to provide exclusive access to contemporary Israeli art from leading and emerging artists, has an online English-language website, magazine, and podcast with exclusive content as well as a strong social media following.

Handle With Care’s website includes the online shop as well as a journal featuring interviews with Israeli art and design experts like Israeli curator and fashion historian Yaara Keydar. Handle With Care’s Instagram following is nearly as strong, but both Peguine and Freedman are excited to watch their community grow.

“I am happy we were able to build something during a super challenging time. A lot of people are telling us that this was what they were waiting for. People want to support Israeli creators and Handle With Care — because it is design items and the prices are more affordable and more accessible than prices for fine arts — has helped us to expand our reach to even more audiences,” says Freedman.

The post New Online Shop Offers Beautiful Creations By Israeli Designers appeared first on NoCamels.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2013 by Yael Vizel, Nir Appleboim, and Alon Kristal, Zeekit offers an interactive online shopping experience for the world of fashion. Its virtual fitting room allows customers to see themselves dressed in any item of clothing, while Zeekit’s patented technology integrates an entire catalog of products to allow customers to virtually try on clothes using realistic augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

The three co-founders will join Walmart.

With Zeekit’s technology, customers will be able to virtually try on items from a growing assortment of national brands like Free People, private brands like George, and elevated brands like Sofia Jeans by Sofia Vergara, Incandela said in the post.

Customers can simply upload their picture or choose from a series of models that best represent their height, shape, and skin tone to see themselves in any item of clothing when the experience is live on Walmart.com, Incandela explained. They can also share virtual outfits with friends.

“Virtual try-on is a game-changer and solves what has historically been one of the most difficult things to replicate online: understanding fit and how an item will actually look on you. Zeekit will help us deliver an inclusive, immersive and personalized experience for our diverse customer base,” Incandela said.

Zeekit uses real-time image processing to map a person’s image into thousands of segments. Clothing is processed in a similar manner and the eqiuvalent points of the two are mapped into one final simulation.

The platform has already been trialed by many top brands and retailers in the fashion industry, according to Walmart. In 2018, NoCamels reported that UK online fashion retailer ASOS had signed a cooperation deal with the fashion startup. The virtual fitting room feature would be integrated into the ASOS app and used to dress models with simulated images of fashion items.

“We believe Zeekit’s technology can also be used to create other fashion experiences, including the ability to build the world’s largest virtual closet and mix and match clothing seamlessly. These exciting technologies add a social element to the digital experience, allowing our customers to bring their unique personalities and preferences to shopping,” Incandela said.

“We’re confident that with the team’s expertise in bringing real-time image technologies, computer vision and artificial intelligence to the world of fashion, we’ll identify even more ways to innovate for our customers in our continued effort to be the first-choice destination for fashion,” she added.

The post Walmart Acquires Israeli Virtual Fitting Room Startup Zeekit appeared first on NoCamels.

The Amsterdam-based startup, infinitSpace, was set up this year by Elad Hod, former director of real estate at Mindspace, who serves CGO (chief growth officer), CEO Wybo Wijnbergen, North and West Europe’s former managing director of WeWork, and his brother and serial tech entrepreneur Wilco Wijnbergen, who serves as CTO.

The company says it provides fully operational services to landlords and sets up common and other underutilized areas in office buildings with dedicated software that handles facility and office management processes, ensures building security and IT security. The software also manages accounting processes, capacity and community management, features an app for office users and ensures safety measures during the pandemic.

Hod says the business was established to provide landlords with an all-round ‘flex workspace toolbox’, assisting them in creating, operating and managing a successful flex workspace brand.

The investment from JLR Star, a private investment company based in London, will be used to scale the business in its core markets in Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, infinitSpace indicated.

“Unicorns and large corporates jumped on this trend three years ago,” says Hod. “This concept enables them to extend or reduce office space on demand alongside advantages of short-term lease commitments. To address this demand, landlords have to add a flexible workspace component to every ‘Grade A’ building, alongside providing an optimized experience for traditional tenants. Those not adjusting to the market’s new era will take an unbearable risk of becoming non-competitive.”

“Our flexible business concept allows us to service prime as well as de-centralized locations,” says Wybo Wijnbergen. As a white-label provider, we fully adapt to landlords’ requirements concerning design and operation while the space is operated under their brand name. It includes concept, design and furnishing, marketing and client acquisition, community and events management, administration and sales and maintenance of the premises. Community managers at location and our dedicated software guarantee an elevated experience for landlords, tenants and users of the premises.”

The post Ex-WeWork, Mindspace Execs Set Up New Flexible Workspace, Raise Over $1M appeared first on NoCamels.

Tunick, and the man that brought him to Israel, US-born entrepreneur Ari Leon Fruchter, aimed to raise awareness about the proliferation of Dead Sea sinkholes. The area has continued to suffer as freshwater dissolves underground layers of salt deposits causing the ground above it to collapse. More than 4,000 sinkholes have been identified on the sea’s western shores.

Fruchter tells NoCamels that bringing Tunick to Israel for one of his infamous mass nude photoshoots was an enlightening moment for him, turning him into an “evangelist of the Dead Sea.”

“A couple of years ago, I had this epiphany in my head. I said, ‘I can’t really save the Dead Sea. Yeah, I’m not a doctor, it’s dying. I can’t save it, but I can help preserve it through art,” he says, “Because something dying doesn’t mean it’s dead yet. There’s new life being formed here. It’s still a very, very significant place.”

To further continue this mission and contribute to Israeli society through art activism, Fruchter joined forces with photojournalist Noam Bedein and The Dead Sea Revival Project, an NGO founded by Bedein in 2016 to help rehabilitate the endangered region through art, education, and research.

Last year, the NGO partnered with online photography platform GuruShots to launch the world’s first international photo competition focused on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea Life photo competition was inaugurated on Earth Day 2020 (April 22) and more than 13,000 photos were submitted by May 21.

“We had participation from close to 4,000 photographers from 40 countries. I think almost 14,000 photos were submitted,” Fruchter tells NoCamels.

Nearly 9.1 million votes were cast on the GuruShots site for the best photo.

Meanwhile, 40 photographers who entered the competition were selected to take part in an exhibit at the Arad Cultural Center in the southern desert city of Arad, opening on Earth Day – Thursday, April 22 – exactly a year after the photo competition was launched.

Bedein and Fruchter selected a panel of judges to choose a winning photo from the 40 in the exhibit. The panel included Tunick, NYC-based photographer Casey Kelbaugh, Israeli wildlife photographer Roie Galitz, and curator and art consultant Keren Bar-Gil.

The judges chose a striking photo by Israeli photographer Alexander Bronfer as their winning photo, where a woman covered in Dead Sea mud, save for her piercing eyes, stares at the camera with the sea behind her. Bronfer won a $500 cash prize and a one-week stay for two in a Prima Hotel while attending the exhibit.

With votes from the audience, GuruShots chose Israel’s Mario Troiani as Top Photographer and the US’ Ronnie Turner for Top Photo, both with stunning photographs showcasing the Dead Sea in various seasons.

“Due to the coronavirus, having a physical exhibition became complicated, but we were very fortunate that the city Arad welcomed the initiative,” says Fruchter.

“We were ecstatic and did not believe in the magnitude of the mass public support we received in the photography competition from around the world,” Fruchter and Bedein said in a statement.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Arad Regional Council, GuruShots, Epson, Picture Perfect, and the Prima Hotels.

A new reason to head to Arad

A quiet and picturesque town sandwiched between the Negev and the Judean desert, Arad has always been known for its clean air, and as the place renowned Israeli author Amos Oz called home from 1986 until his death in 2018.

But while Arad is just 16 miles west of the Dead Sea, fewer people have made the city one of their stops on the way.

Living in Arad was a formative experience for Fruchter, who made his home there as part of the WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) program in 1997. The city was so meaningful to him that Fruchter and his family moved to Israel some ten years later, in 2007. His firstborn son is fittingly named Arad.

In 2019, as part of his quest to both preserve the Dead Sea and give back to the city that had made such an impact on his life, Fruchter set out to build a Dead Sea Museum in Arad.

“We’re trying to rebrand the city as a gateway to the Dead Sea,” he tells NoCamels, noting plans to build the physical museum close to the concrete-and-steel “Panorama” monument in the city by Israeli artist Igael Tumarkin located at the Moav Outlook.

“Something of this nature would completely transform the city, both economically and in terms of demographics,” he adds.

Three renditions of what the museum could look like can be found on the official website. One idea is to make it an international project floating in the Dead Sea. This means that anyone from Israel, Jordan, or the Palestinian Authority must travel an equal distance to get to it, Fruchter explains.

The Dead Sea Revival Project is currently working with government officials and architects — including Neuman Havner Architects, an Israeli firm that has already designed a building for the museum — to plan the project, but visitors can access it virtually to view the exhibit for free in a virtual, 3D-guided tour.

“We plan to have more exhibitions, but the idea is that the Dead Sea is so known around the world that very, very few people, even in non-coronavirus days have the actual opportunity to come here and visit it. So why not give them this actual opportunity to see it online? Then hopefully, one day when they come here we’ll have the physical museum they could actually visit,” Fruchter says.

SEE ALSO: 6 Natural Wonders You Need To Go And See In Israel In 2021

The photography exhibit opens on Thursday and will remain open until next year

“The Dead Sea Life Exhibition which we will be hosting for a year, presents an opportunity to invite all people traveling to the Dead Sea to stop in Arad and enjoy some culture,” said Nisan Ben Hamo, mayor of Arad.

“Arad is the natural gateway to the Dead Sea and we are honored to host this international exhibition,” added Ben Hamo.

The post New Photo Exhibit Focused On Dwindling Dead Sea Opens On ‘Earth Day’ appeared first on NoCamels.

At the same time, a tiny religious sect in Israel has kept its own culinary traditions alive for some 3,000 years, far from the limelight of cooking shows, cooking competitions, book releases, and award-winning restaurants in world capitals.

SEE ALSO: Chef Michael Solomonov Launches New Web Series For A Taste of Israel

This may soon change with the release of a new cookbook that looks at the foods and cooking traditions of the Samaritan community, an ethnoreligious group that traces its roots to the ancient Israelites and regards itself as the most loyal adherents of the Torah as transmitted to Moses by G-d. They are keepers of what they say are the oldest, hand-written Torah manuscripts in the world, penned in the Samaritan alphabet and considered scripture.

The “Samaritan Cookbook” is a unique journey into the kitchens and the history of this ancient sect, who according to belief, are descendants of the tribes of Ephraim, Menashe, and Levi. Their two biggest holidays are Sukkot and Pessah, both Torah festivals, when the Samaritans host hundreds of guests – Israelis, Palestinians, tourists – for elaborate, colorful ceremonies involving food and drink.

These events often make international headlines accompanied by striking photos of Samaritans dressed in traditional garb against the backdrop of Mount Gerizim – the holiest site according to Samaritan belief. The small community, fewer than 1,000 today (it numbered over a million centuries ago), is split between the southern Tel Aviv suburb of Holon and the town of Kiryat Luza, just outside the West Bank city of Nablus on the slopes of Mount Gerizim. Samaritans speak both Hebrew and Arabic and navigate a complex identity influenced by Jewish Israelis and Muslim Palestinians.

Rooted in Samaria, their cuisine is Levantine – similar to that eaten by Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese and other communities in the Levant – and relies on fresh, natural ingredients. The book features dozens of recipes that combine freshly-grown fruits and vegetables, meats from farm animals (chicken, turkey, sheep) and strong, flavorful spices used in Samaritan cuisine, with a rich farm-to-table (and butcher-to-table) tradition.

Dishes include a cauliflower with rice maqlouba, lamb meatballs with pine nuts, chicken with za’atar, a guacamole-like dip with a Middle Eastern twist, Samaritan knafeh, and a delicious-sounding sesame and anise cake. Arak and anise tea are the prevailing beverages.

“The book covers an ancient Israelite dimension: on the one hand, very traditional with a foot in history and in the past, but at the same time very modern and Levantine,” says Ben Piven, one of the editors of “Samaritan Cookbook” and a journalist who previously spent over a decade immersed in the societies and languages of the Middle East.

Piven worked with Avishay Zelmanovich, a scholar of Middle Eastern cultures and Jewish history, and Benyamin “Benny” Tsedaka, a Samaritan academic, author, lecturer, unconventional historian, and informal “secretary of state” for the community, as Piven describes him, to put together and publish “Samaritan Cookbook.”

The work was inspired by a 2011 Hebrew-language cookbook released by Tsedaka with 284 recipes gathered by dozens of Samaritan women, including Tsedaka’s mother and aunts. For “Samaritan Cookbook,” Piven tells NoCamels that the trio selected a few dozen recipes they felt would be most compelling for an international audience.

“We wanted to make this book accessible, with charming, simple recipes,” and ingredients and flavors that people could find easily, Piven explains.

The book is written in English, with recipe titles in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. It is divided into chapters – starters, mains, desserts, with special sections on Sukkot and Pessah and one on the Samaritan pantry, with must-haves such as anise, cumin, za’atar, paprika, and turmeric.

The Samaritan alphabet makes a special appearance in the cookbook, which also incorporates verses from the Samaritan Torah such as “By evening, you shall eat meat, and in the morning, you shall have your fill of bread. And you will know that I am the Lord, your God,” Exodus 16:12 (Samaritan version), and “A land of wheat, and barley, and grapevines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey,” Deuteronomy 8:8 (Samaritan version). These are the Seven Species for Samaritans, according to scripture.

The genesis of ‘Samaritan Cookbook’

Piven and Zelmanovich first met in Israel nearly 15 years ago. Around the same time in 2007, they connected with Tsedaka while working on a story on the Samaritan community, a popular topic with journalists in the region.

Their interest and passion for Mideast cultures led them to create One Semitistan, a cultural organization that examined the region’s linguistic heritage and the links between Semitic languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Amharic.

Meanwhile, they developed a rapport with Tsedaka and stayed in touch over the years. Piven had in the meantime moved to New York, and he and Zelmanovich met up with him in the city when he would be on his annual US lecture series.

In such a meeting in 2015, an initial plan for an English-language book on Samaritan cuisine started to formulate, Piven tells NoCamels, and the trio quickly got to work. The idea was to go beyond food and into the history and unique context of these ancient Israelites to explore who they are and how they survived all these years.

“Everyone loves good food. And food is often an entry into a community. We were interested in using the Samaritan model as an example of a cross-cultural bridge between Israelis and Palestinians, between Hebrew and Arabic, as a model for co-existence,” Piven says.

“We see beyond it being about food. There really is something about peace-building where if you can appreciate the same traditions, influences, and music, and languages, and heritage, you realize how much these narratives are intertwined,” he tells NoCamels.

“Samaritan Cookbook” lives in this concept of peace-building. The Samaritans have a divided identity where some live and work in Israel, and serve in the Israeli army, while others live in the West Bank among Palestinians with whom they share similarities. They straddle both worlds, Piven explains.

“It’s a window to understanding the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict, and a possible living solution where the land belongs to everyone,” he tells NoCamels.

The Samaritans “stayed on the land, unlike the Judeans who became a Diaspora people [due to conquest and persecution.] They are very tied to the land because they never left,” he says. “This was not the norm for either Israelis or Palestinians.”

This attachment is reflected in the cuisine and the traditions. Piven tells NoCamels that over the years, Samaritan cuisine has come to represent a sort of “median Levantine cuisine, a mix of all these places.”

Piven believes the “Samaritan Cookbook” will resonate with five main groups: coexistence supporters interested in bringing Middle Eastern communities together, scholars studying this one-of-a-kind ethnolinguistic sect, Christian communities interested in biblical heritage and looking to know more about “what Moses ate, or what Jesus ate” from the ancient Israelites, Jewish people fascinated by a distinct Israelite heritage, and foodies interested in the Mediterranean diet and its health benefits.

In the future, Piven, Zelmanovich, and Tsedaka hope to publish versions in other languages to reach more audiences.

“Samaritan Cookbook” is available for purchase through the publisher, Wipf & Stock, and on Amazon.

The post New Cookbook Offers Culinary Journey Into World Of Ancient Israelites appeared first on NoCamels.

A significant focus of her 30-year career has been dedicated to developing environments that combine art and design, and promote engagement and learning for kids. She not only tackles the concept, she also selects every element in the space, often developing her own unique furniture and accessories creations – soft hand-made dolls, toys, bean bags, pillows, chairs, custom hand-sewn textiles, rugs, and wooden playhouses, to name a few.

SEE ALSO: 4 Contemporary Female Artists To Keep An Eye On In 2021

Through her Tel Aviv-based studio, she designs children’s bedrooms, elementary schools, kindergartens, child-centric public spaces, and kids’ centers in hospitals and hotels. She also lectures internationally on pedagogical environments and recently published a bilingual book documenting her work on design and innovative learning spaces in the 21st century.

She draws inspiration from the works of famed Italian educator and physicist Maria Montessori, who developed an early education method and philosophy that bears her name. It rests on the belief that children have a natural desire to learn and that education should combine self-directing activities guided by highly-trained teachers, collaborative play, and hands-on experiences. A Montessori-inspired space would be designed from a child’s perspective to encourage creativity and independence – every element in the room should be accessible with a top focus on functionality and minimalism.

“I believe that design influences child development, and the work I do sees kids as they are naturally – learning and playing,” she tells NoCamels.

Hay’s immersion in this world began with the birth of her first child in the early 1990s.

“I found my calling when my daughter was born,” Hay says. “I call it the ‘big bang’ – I gave birth to a kid and a career,” she laughs.

At the time, she was back in Israel after spending some time in New York and London, where she earned a degree in art and design. She wanted to design a bedroom for her daughter but couldn’t really find what she was looking for.

“There weren’t that many options in Israel then, so I started the concept myself,” she recalls.

Hay believes “that the environment children grow up in is the ground on which their sensibilities develop, and that childhood should be treasured and celebrated.”

Hay applies this intuitive approach to everything she does. She designed her first piece of furniture for kids – a chair – in Nigeria, where she and her husband spent some time living and working as parents of young kids. She’d been to a market where blind sellers sell their wares and came across beautiful patterns that served as the source of inspiration for her hand-woven chairs, later expanding to children’s beds and tables.

Bedrooms, schools, and more

Back in Israel after Africa, her journey from designing private bedrooms and playrooms to schools and public spaces felt like a natural extension, she says.

“You want the kids to really experience the design and create engagement, learning, and fun,” Hay explains.

She describes six key guiding principles when working with schools. First, listening – there is a lot of conversation and dialogue with teachers, educators, and administrators on the educational philosophy of the school, and that drives the vision for the design, Hay says. Second, flexibility – the ability to move things around to accommodate different environments is a top priority. Third, learning and function – kids are given a range of options on where they could spend time for different experiences, and every element serves a purpose. Fourth, balance – equal weight is given to public space and more private spots, like nooks for reading or relaxing. This is especially important for kids with ADHD, for example, or children on the autism spectrum, Hay says. Fifth, technology – there is always an integration of some sort of tech into the spaces. And sixth, durability – there’s a strong emphasis on long-lasting, safe materials.

Hay’s recent work in the Bikurim school in Tel Aviv, the first inclusive school in the city, earned the 2020 social design award from Frame, an Amsterdam-based media company focused on design and architecture. The school caters to children with disabilities and learning difficulties, who make up about a quarter of the student body.

Hay designed two of the floors in the six-story building, home to about 500 students from grades 1-12. The space features bright colors, clean lines, a lot of wood, geometric nooks, and a yoga and meditation space.

“We wanted a design that works for everyone, and promotes equality and accessibility [it is wheelchair-friendly],” she tells NoCamels.

“This project gave us the opportunity to explore in-depth what happens when design meets pedagogy and how can we use design as a tool for social change – as a tool for promoting inclusion, and enhancing all children’s well-being,” Hay told Dezeen magazine in April after her win.

Another school space in Tel Aviv Hay helped redesign applied the same concept. The Hayarden school in the city’s Hatikva Quarter is housed in a building first built in the 1960s when the popularity of Brutalist architecture in Israel was at its height. The style is characterized by exposed building materials like concrete and favors function over design.

The school itself has over 300 pupils from kindergarten to sixth grade, and many kids from Israel’s migrant, asylum seeker, and refugee communities make up the student body population.

Hay, together with a team of local architects, overhauled the school’s communal spaces, the lobby, and the corridors, adding strong colors like bright canary yellow, fuchsia, and azure to the massive concrete walls and staircases – breathing new life into an otherwise drab environment. The lobby was sectioned into a few areas in different geometric shapes, allowing the kids to study, read, play, or just hang out in groups or in alone.

“We all strongly believe in the importance of aesthetic and designed learning environment for all children, especially in… disadvantaged areas, where school becomes a second home for these children who mostly don’t have the safe and intimate corner in their own home,” Hay writes.

She tells NoCamels that this project, done pro bono, felt like a service to a community that already suffers terribly. And there was great feedback from administrators.

“Design can be a tool for social change,” she says.

Hay has worked on designing a number of other schools, kindergartens, daycare complexes, educational centers in Israel, and has built design concepts for schools abroad including in Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US.

Therapeutic spaces

In recent years, Hay’s creativity and expertise have led her to connect with hospitals across Israel to develop spaces dedicated to children.

At Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv, for example, she designed a therapeutic- educational space in the surgical department for children aged 3-18 who are about to go through a medical procedure.

“Space affects moods and experiences,” she tells NoCamels. Kids about to have surgery may have worries and anxieties. The space helps them prepare though play in a welcoming, pleasant environment where they can be part of the process, Hay explains.

At the Abarbanel Mental Health Center in Bat Yam, Hay designed a “makers hall” where young patients can create arts and crafts. Activity stations include a clay kiln, a ceramic printer, a 3D printer, robotics, a space for textile prints, sewing machines, and an embroidery machine.

Hay writes that the space “encourages the joy of creation, while still maintaining a sense of peace and order without overstimulation.”

“We tried to use very durable materials, and a formalistic design language, combining geometric shapes with a limited color palette. It has the warm Scandinavian qualities with a lot of white, but also includes splashes of red and blue, encouraging smiles from all those who enter it,” she says.

And at the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Unit at the Dana Children’s Hospital in Tel Aviv, Hay created a center that “offers a playful refuge” that allows the children and their families to put aside their illness for a while.

This year, Hay is gearing up for the opening of the activity space she designed at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem, which features soft Ottomans, a “market” inspired by the city’s famous Machane Yehuda market, a cave, and a windmill.

For kids staying at hotels, “there can be a sense of displacement,” she says, and kids’ clubs and centers can be a “home away from home.”

Hay also designed a desert-theme child-centric space at the new Six Senses Shaharut resort in the Negev, overlooking the Arava valley. The soft camel-shaped poufs will likely be a crowd favorite.

Creative spaces for kids – The book

Hay recently published her first book, “Creative Space For Children,” after five years of hard work.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Comic Artists Release New Book Illustrating Relatable Family Adventures

The book is bilingual, with texts in English and Hebrew, and beautiful sketches and photos of her designs, with a dedicated chapter on her process of designing for children. It was five years in the making.

“The book was born out of a desire to take stock of my life’s work, and send my soul into the universe,” Hay says.

She hints that another book may soon be in the offing.

The post Kids Rule: Israeli Designer Creates Inspiring Spaces With Children’s Needs In Mind appeared first on NoCamels.

There are two main problems with booster seats that prevent children from staying properly secured while traveling: size and comfort. Typical booster seats are large and too inconvenient to carry around, especially if you need to place them in vehicles that aren’t your own (like for carpooling or hailing a taxi). Although the future of car travel looks to involve more ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles and less car ownership, car seats have remained bulky, and some are notoriously complicated to secure.

Moreover, even with the right support, kids find creative ways to avoid the protection offered by one-size-fits-all, adult-sized seat belts (by putting them behind their backs or under the arms).

SEE ALSO: 6 Israeli Innovations Feature On TIME Magazine’s 100 Best Inventions Of 2020

Jon Sumroy, a British-Israeli pharmacist-turned-marketer and entrepreneur, casually experienced these problems while living in the United States with his family in the early 2000s.

“When I was growing up in the UK, you walked to school or went on a bike. All of a sudden carpooling was a big thing. Everyone had a minivan and could fit six kids into the back, but no one had more than two booster seats,” says Sumroy.

He mused about the issue to friends but came to address it seriously only years later when he was back in Israel. A friend had sent him an article citing a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics which analyzed data on the percentage of kids in the US who don’t use a car seat when carpooling.

At that moment in 2012, he began developing mifold, a small, compact seat, as a side project in his garage with the understanding that the car seat should stay with the child, not the car. The seat is about 10 times smaller than a regular car booster, and fits comfortably in school bags, purses, luggage and glove compartments. It is designed for children aged 4 and up, and weighing at least at least 40lbs (18kg) and measuring between 40-57″ (1.01-1.44 meters) in height.

“Booster seats are designed to lift children up to meet the belt. I wanted to make a small, portable way to hold the belt down to fit the child,” he tells NoCamels.

Nearly a decade later, the original mifold has reached a milestone of one million units sold in 150 countries (as of January 2020), the company Sumroy founded, Carfoldio, developed additional offerings, and now holds 14 patents for its seats which have won multiple innovation, design and parenting awards. More recently, the company’s mifold hifold, a larger, high-back, fit-and-fold car booster seat, nabbed a spot on the annual list of 100 Best Inventions of 2020 by TIME magazine, published in November.

Carfoldio also maintains valuable partnerships with global retailers such as Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target, and the mifold reached the 4th spot on Amazon’s list of best-selling booster seats.

When developing the hifold, Sumroy says he was determined to deliver the same compactness and portability that are at the core of everything mifold offers. The hifold has adjustable head, torso and seat panels and offers seatbelt fit for children of all sizes from 33-100 lbs. (14-45 kg) and 36-59 inches (91.44 cm – 1.49 m).

“It has 450 components that all adjust and fold while keeping the performance top-notch. Compact, foldable, highly functional. It is an engineering marvel,” Sumroy tells NoCamels.

“The world today is going through a personal transportation revolution,” Sumroy said of the TIME magazine mention. “It’s time that booster seats caught up.’”

Carfoldio’s seats are now sold across the globe and have the approval of safety agencies on five continents, a testament to the fact that the old model of large, tough, rigid design is not the only recipe for safety. 

The company is now looking to branch into new products like baby seats and expand into new markets across the world. Notable in that regard are the connections that Carfoldio has formed with taxi companies and ride-sharing services. One such startup, Grab, has purchased 40,000 mifold seats to equip its vehicles in Singapore for young riders.

Bumps in the road to making mifold

Sumroy’s journey with Cardfoldio, like any new startup, was full of highs and lows, setbacks and leaps of faith.

His mifold prototype was made with home supplies, including a small foldable mat and three mountain climbing clips. The adjustable clips were designed to fasten the seat belt on either side of a child with an additional one to hold the belt just above the shoulder

He then booked a crash test for a few hundred GBP at a test lab in the UK to see how well it would work.

“I showed up and everyone there thought I had gone mad,” Sumroy says of the reactions the fold-up mat received. By the end of the test, his mat had met the required marks in all categories and the lab employees were gathering in the film room to watch the test run on repeat.

Sumroy, then a marketing professional, took his product to a design studio in Tel Aviv to get a price quote and quickly realized that his new hobby was becoming quite costly. He reached a decision to begin raising capital to start his business with a head full of will-power, determination, and a small success under his belt.

“Anybody I ever met, I told them what I was doing and asked them if they knew anybody who would be interested in investing,” tells Sumroy of his networking adventures during a six-month effort to raise seed money. After over 130 meetings, he raised $600,000 mainly from investors who had kids and could relate to the troubles Sumroy described.

Sumroy’s plans to develop the company on his own took a turn for the worse after he was badly injured in a traffic accident within a year of launching. To keep the operation functioning during his recovery period, he brought in additional employees sooner than he had planned.

After a second round of investment, the team was eager to gain traction and committed a sizable portion to launch a meticulously-planned crowdfunding campaign. Much effort went into gauging consumer needs and generating publicity to easily reach the campaign’s goal.

Mifold reached its goal within two hours in what would go on to become the most successful crowdfunding campaign for a juvenile product at the time. They raised close to $3 million by the time the campaign ended, pre-selling over 50,000 products in total.

The success was remarkable, but another obstacle was in the offing. “We hadn’t finished developing it, we hadn’t got any regulatory approval, we didn’t have a manufacturer in place and we were supposed to deliver them six months later,” Sumroy recalls.

The publicity went a long way in generating buzz and additional capital to grow the firm, and Carfoldio would go on to expand impressively.

Over the next few years, the company sold over $40 million worth of products, carving out its place in the car-safety industry, where it has big plans for more growth.

Throughout, one thing Sumroy has been encouraged by is the plethora of positivity and testimonials coming in from consumers.

“When you start designing a product, you get to test it in a lab, but to have parents explain how their children were safely secured during an accident is incredibly fulfilling,” he tells NoCamels.

The post Israeli-Made Compact, Portable Booster Seat Redefines Future Of Car Travel With Kids appeared first on NoCamels.

Online travel booking giant Booking.com recognized partners across 220 countries and territories around the world “who made travel experiences more memorable for travelers” as part of their Traveller Review Awards for the year.

The company presented over 1.14 million awards to hotels, apartments, rental car services, and destinations, including 3,109 awards in Israel

“The breadth and spread of winners in the Awards’ ninth year is a powerful testament to Booking.com’s partners’ dedication and resilience, as they managed to provide incredible travel experiences for people in every corner of the globe amidst a year of untold challenges for the entire industry,” Booking.com said in an announcement.

“As trips became fewer and further between, each and every trip meant more to travelers than ever before, and it has become even more important to celebrate the outstanding service that the Traveller Review Award winners displayed during a year like no other,” added Arjan Dijk, SVP and chief marketing officer for Booking.com.

In Israel, Rosh Pina topped the list with the highest percentage of total eligible properties in the city followed by cities like Akko, Mitzpe Ramon, Had Nes, Arad, Nazareth, Beersheba, Eilat, Caesarea, and Haifa. Rosh Pina and Mitzpe Ramon took the lead in the northern and southern districts, respectively, while Herzliya led the Central district, according to the divided rating.

Destinations were divided by the total share of Traveller Review Award 2021 winners when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city (accommodation only). Destinations also had to have an above-average amount of winners to be included on this list (50 award recipients or higher) and were curated for geographic spread.

Hotels remained the second most-awarded accommodation type globally for 2021, according to Booking.com. For the fourth consecutive year, four out of the five top-awarded accommodation types globally are unique places to stay, including apartments, holiday homes, guest houses, and bed and breakfasts.

In Israel, the most awarded accommodation types for 2021 include apartments, lodges, hotels, guest houses, and holiday homes. The accommodations that have won awards this year include Hameiri Estate suites in Rosh Pina, Zidan Sarai apartment in Akko, Desert Call in Arad, the Casa Rosa guest house in Eilat, Biazi Hotel in Jerusalem, Renoma Hotel in Tel Aviv, Pina BaGilboa in Bet Alfa, the Dalia Barama cabin in El-Rom, and more.  

SEE ALSO: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Waldorf Astoria Among Travel + Leisure’s Best of 2020 Awards

Recent Booking.com research shows that almost a third (32 percent) of Israelis have taken a trip to visit family and friends in 2020 and more than a third (33 percent) of Israelis traveled more domestically in 2020 when compared to 2019. This is in line with Booking.com’s global number of 32 percent, a number that they received after research conducted among a sample of 47,728 respondents across 28 markets.

“As road trips and domestic travel became more common over the last year, Booking.com understands the immense undertaking that its transport partners faced including increased customer demand in certain markets and swift introduction of increased cleanliness measures in between pick-ups, provision of masks and sanitizers, and minimizing customer contact and social distancing, among other initiatives,” the company said in a statement.

“On our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, our partners play such an impactful role in delivering amazing experiences to travelers and I know that with their tenacity, partnership and passion, we can rebuild travel together, and help more and more travelers to rediscover our beautiful world over time,” said Dijk.

The post Booking.com Names Rosh Pina Most Welcoming City In Israel appeared first on NoCamels.

The Michelin guide described Shabour, in Paris’ 2ème arrondissement, as a restaurant with “unbridled atmosphere, rough and ready decoration” featuring “creative cuisine with Mediterranean influences, generous and surprising, whose freshness gives it wings.”

SEE ALSO: Israeli Chef Assaf Granit’s Shabour Named Best Restaurant In Paris

The guide further recommended Granit’s “signature dish” of “haminados egg infused with black tea, covered in a sesame foam with a caper jus and garnished with a spoonful of caviar.”

Shabour was among six eateries in Paris that received their first Michelin stars this year, according to the announcement.

“This year chefs have truly earned it,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of Michelin guides, after a ceremony broadcast on Facebook Monday evening, according to AFP.

“It’s an occasion to shine a spotlight on all these talents, to encourage them, and to keep restaurant patrons motivated,” he added, amid the ongoing pandemic.

Restaurants have been closed due to the global crisis.

“This is crazy,” Granit told Israeli news site Ynet after learning of the Michelin award Monday. “As far as I am concerned, the best thing about it is that we are four partners from Jerusalem who had a vision, invested the money and dared to open the restaurant.”

“We are telling our story,” the celebrity chef added, “and Shabour is the connection between Jerusalem and Paris.”

The Michelin accolade comes a bit over a year after Shabour, which Granit co-owns with partners Uri Navon, the main chef, Dan Yosha and Tomer Lanzmann, was named the best restaurant in Paris by Le Figaroscope, the Parisian cultural and gastronomical guide published by the French daily Le Figaro.

Shabour is Granit’s second restaurant in Paris – his first, Balagan (loosely translated as “mess”), opened in 2017 – and 12th worldwide. He also co-owns award-winning restaurants in London and Jerusalem.

When Shabour first opened in September 2019, it earned praise in a lengthy article in Le Figaro. A month later, Forbes named it one of the 13 trendiest new restaurants in Paris. Shabour also won a major award at a restaurant competition by French culinary magazine Le Fooding.

The Jerusalem-born chef opened his first restaurant, Machneyuda, in 2009. He has described his cuisine as a “melting pot, just like Israel.”

Granit’s culinary career spans decades and has been constantly evolving, showcasing his multifaceted skill set. He was a scrupulous but good-hearted personality on three Israeli TV shows, including a local version of “kitchen nightmares” where he served up some tough love and hard truths. He’s the author of two cookbooks, gives regular lectures on the history of food, the restaurant industry, and culinary innovation, and provides custom workshops.

He’s also launched some social initiatives such as “Otto Ochel” (Food Truck) together with NGO Season of Culture, where he and a team drove around Jerusalem for over three weeks in a custom food truck, sharing the culinary heritage of the city from which he draws so much of his inspiration.

Liz Vaknin contributed to this report.

The post Israeli Chef Assaf Granit’s Paris Eatery Shabour Nabs 1st Michelin Star appeared first on NoCamels.

Sarah Peguine and Michal Freedman are the founders of Art Source, a platform that provides exclusive access to discover and buy contemporary Israeli art from leading and emerging artists.

“Which contemporary Israeli artist should I be watching right now?” 

This is the question the two of us here at Art Source get asked the most. 

SEE ALSO: Picture Perfect: 8 Bold Israeli Photographers Wowing Art Insiders

As art advisers, art world innovators, and former directors of two of Israel’s leading galleries, we have been deeply immersed in the local art scene for over a decade. We love sharing our point of view and expertise on the most exciting contemporary Israeli artists. In fact, we founded Art Source to give anyone in the world who is interested in the Israeli art scene exclusive access to discovering and collecting the best of what contemporary Israeli art has to offer. 

Today, we’re excited to highlight four female contemporary Israeli artists whose work we have followed for years, and who are planning great things in 2021.

Miriam Cabessa

In her immersive paintings, Miriam Cabessa uses her own body as a paintbrush. Referring to her work as “slow motion action painting,” Cabessa performs choreographed acts of painting, repetitively applying and subtracting sumptuous layers of paint into intimate compositions. In addition to exhibiting in several shows around Israel in 2020, Cabessa focused her time in the past year on creating a new body of work consisting of two series of paintings – a Bauhaus series and a Circle series.

These new works deal with carving out one’s space in the world. While Cabessa normally divides her time between Tel Aviv and New York, the recent COVID-19 travel restrictions have created an opportunity for her to rediscover her love for Tel Aviv and its iconic Bauhaus architecture. Cabessa’s Bauhaus buildings are not painted from observation or memory. Instead, she translates the landscape into her signature style and color palette. 

If the Bauhaus series is focused on the physical landscape and looking outward, the Circle series is in a way an antithesis; an exploration of a meditative state, turning the gaze inward. As with all of Cabessa’s paintings, the paint strokes in both series are dictated by the artist’s breathing pattern during the creation process. The Circle series invites the viewer to get drawn into its mesmerizing waves, and back out like a deep exhale.

Anisa Ashkar

Anisa Ashkar is an interdisciplinary artist engaged in issues relating to identity, social critique, and gender. Growing up in Akko, Ashkar studied calligraphy, a skill she has been utilizing in her iconic self portraits in order to document her ongoing artwork.

For decades Ashkar has developed the daily practice of using her own face as a canvas, writing on it in Arab calligraphy. Visible to all, but not understood by all, this artistic practice encourages viewers to engage in conversation with her and start a dialogue about what it means to be a female Arab artist in the state of Israel. 

Ashkar is the recipient of the prestigious Ann and Ari Rosenblatt Prize for Visual Art in Israel for 2020. She is currently working on her upcoming solo show, scheduled to open at Tel Aviv Artist’s House in April of 2021.

Khen Shish

Ever since her early childhood in Safed, Israel, nature always played an important role in Khen Shish’s life. Today, the multidisciplinary artist thoughtfully incorporates natural elements in her paintings, drawings, collages, and large scale installations. Her human-animal hybrids have become iconic images in contemporary Israeli art, prominently featured in the permanent collections of Israel’s major museums. 

In her expressive signature style, Shish does not shy away from bold colors like gold or bright pink, but rather embraces their intensity, symbolism and raw beauty. Despite the challenges, 2020 has been an exciting year in Shish’s artistic career, with an extremely successful solo exhibition at The Israel’s Museum’s Ticho House in Jerusalem, and we can’t wait to see what 2021 will bring!

Natalia Zourabova 

A rising star in the Israeli art scene, Natalia Zourabova is primarily a figurative painter and paints from observation. In her work, she recreates scenes that she is intimately familiar with, like the streets of her Tel Aviv neighborhood or home interiors. Color is central in Zourabova’s work; her palette and the mood of her paintings range from naturalistic to absurd. 

Zourabova is the recipient of prestigious Israeli and international art prizes, the most recent one being The Discount Bank Artistic Encouragement Award with The Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art (2019).

In 2011 Zourabova founded the New Barbizon artist collective along with four other prominent painters. Together they have exhibited at such venues as The Tel Aviv Museum of Art; Ein Harod Museum, Israel; and Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien in Berlin, to name a few.

SEE ALSO: Haifa Museum of Art Dedicates Entire Space To Turmoil Of COVID-19 Pandemic

In August 2021 the group is scheduled to present a large-scale exhibition at de Apple Museum in Amsterdam.

The post 4 Contemporary Female Artists To Keep An Eye On In 2021 appeared first on NoCamels.

Just before Israel’s second lockdown in September, the Haifa Museum of Art in northern Israel decided to explore the idea of space and how its definition was completely altered by the current pandemic.

Through the work of 50 local artists in nine exhibitions, the museum says it is the first to dedicate its entire artistic space to the COVID-19 crisis.

“I think there was an urgent need to respond to what’s happening,” Anat Martkovich, a curator at the museum, tells NoCamels.

Martkovich is one of five curators that worked on the cluster of exhibits throughout the museum, entitled Spaces in Turmoil. The other curators include Svetlana Reingold, Limor Alpern Zered, Yifat Ashkenazi, and Sagit Zaluf Namir.

Prior to the opening of the new exhibitions, the curators had the current theme of space in mind but had no idea they would focus on COVID-19. Then, Israel had its first lockdown.

“COVID-19 happened and our take on space changed drastically,” says Martkovich, “It became an exhibition that wants to deal with more emotional, cultural themes and feelings that have arisen during the crisis. And we’re doing it through the prism of space, through the thinking of space, and how it was drastically altered during this time of crisis,” she explains.

“We were suddenly stuck at home. So what space can you be in? What space can you occupy? Public space, private space, clean space, infected space, body space with droplets of infection, the idea of safe space, psychological space. All of these different aspects,” she adds.

“This exhibition cluster seeks to explore the familiar spaces that, in a time of crisis, can become strange and deceptive,” the museum said. “The cluster’s exhibitions address the various existential spaces in which cracks have appeared following the profound crisis now afflicting the entire world.”

The exhibits present a wide range of works from different periods in Israeli art with contemporary art shown alongside mixed-media installations, still photographs, and memes. Some works were created during the pandemic while others were earlier pieces that also fit the exhibition’s premise.

Some of the works challenge the concept of family and home while others target the idea of cyberspace or finding humor in difficult times. One artist explores the boundaries between man and animal while another explores feminism during the crisis. The exhibits also explore the growing influence of the virtual world on the human psyche to the point of disconnection from physical space.

One of the exhibitions featured among the cluster is a series of photographs by photojournalist Yuval Chen that examines the idea of human vs animal during the pandemic as it looks at bats in Israel’s urban landscape during the lockdown with fewer people on the streets.

At one time, bats were thought to be the source of the transmission of the novel coronavirus to man, but scientists have since said this may not be the case.

“You can look at the bat and for a small moment, the bat was a symbol of the pandemic. We all thought at the beginning that it originated from the bat,” Martkovich says, “Bats have a really strong place in the human imagination, as something otherworldly, as something of the night, or something which is dark. Fruit bats are actually quite harmless and good for us.”

The photographs by Chen are located near the entrance of the museum in a dark hallway where the artwork is illuminated by spotlights. The photos show empty streets devoid of humans with bats flying.

“It’s very important for him that you see the urban landscape but you don’t see people there,” Martkovich adds.

An exhibit curated by Martkovich called Lines of Light Ranged in the Nonspace of the Mind, based on William Gibson’s science-fiction novel Neuromancer explores the idea of physical space versus virtual space and the separation of body and mind.

“[William Gibson] basically invented the term cyberspace. [The book] is the first kind of cultural reference to what it is. I was interested in this access between being physically stuck at home and being virtually able to be anywhere,” she tells NoCamels, “In this sort of existence, we are stuck in this mediation between the screen and the rest of the world. It’s the idea of being in your chair, in front of your computer screen but being everywhere at the same time — doing your yoga, and then talking to your grandma, and then seeing an exhibition in New York. This is what’s happening now.”

Another highlight from the cluster is the exhibition called Feminine Difference, which sets out to spotlight the female body, a sort of “micro-territory” that has become a space for a wide range of experiences including intimacy, subversiveness, and repression, according to the exhibit. With the surge in reports of violence against women during the coronavirus crisis in Israel, the issue has become prominent and pressing.

Another exhibit, the Israeli Uncanny, curated by Svetlana Reingold, explores the anxieties of daily life as a threatening landscape. This exhibition seeks to address the threat that fills the familiar home space, as it is depicted in various paintings and installations by both veteran Israeli artists like Micha Ullman and Avital Bar-Shai and younger artists from different generations. The exhibit is based on the book “The Uncanny” by Sigmund Freud that coins the term as a psychological experience of something strangely familiar, rather than simply mysterious.

Bar-Shai’s husband Belu Simion-Fainaru is a well-known mixed-media artist originally from Romania. His installation, Black Milk, is said to be reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Last Supper,” with a twist. Fainaru sets up a table and chairs that belonged to his parents in Romania. The table is lined with white porcelain dishes filled with thick black liquid which looks like oil.

“People who have seen the exhibit have had to walk in with masks. I tell them,’Just take it down for a minute so you can smell.’ You can smell the oil you can really feel it,” says Martkovich.

The exhibit deals with home and the death of a home, she adds.

While Simion-Fainairu depicts the idea of home, Israeli artist Meirav Heiman’s explores the boundaries of personal space with her photographs that hone in on the new sense of family life while distancing or under lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic. In one photo, a family is seen bouncing off a trampoline mid-dinner, with their food and dishes flying around the room. In a dramatic photo from her Sisters of Mercy series, a couple is seen eating dinner in their bathtub.

“In her work, she had all these families stuck together, climbing on top of each other, doing acrobatic things, under the kitchen table, over the kitchen table, jumping. Literally, climbing on top of each other and it became so relevant. Became this is what families were doing stuck at home. This is the new reality,” Martkovich says.

Spaces in Turmoil opened to the public on September 5th, just days before Israel went into its second lockdown when all museums closed and were limited to virtual offerings.

While some museums have begun to open through to a coronavirus pilot program announced by the Health Ministry, the Haifa Museum of Art has not at the time of publication. The museum’s exhibits through tours and pictures can be found on its official website.

The post Haifa Museum Dedicates Entire Space To Turmoil Of COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on NoCamels.

There’s more good news, though. Last month, the Tel Aviv-based duo announced they were expecting their second child. And this week, the artists will release their wildly popular webcomic series One of Those Days as a first-edition hardcover featuring 272 vividly printed pages of their work, published by Penguin Random House. The book, which was previously available for pre-order on the Penguin Random House website and on Amazon.com, has already become Amazon’s #1 new release in the bookseller’s Romance Graphic Novels section.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Husband-And-Wife Comic Artists Win Global Influencer Award For ‘Married Life’ Illustrations

The couple’s ongoing series chronicles the life and love of Yehuda and Maya Devir as they take on the minutiae of marriage, the ups and downs of daily life, and the paradigm shift of new parenthood. 

“This book is an album of our memories, a collection of intimate moments from a relationship, a marriage, a family – just like yours,” the pair said in an email announcement for the hardcover. “We love hearing from fans around the world about how ‘the same thing happened’ to them as one of our comics or how they can totally relate to a particular strip.”

At the heart of the comics are “true stories from our personal life,” Yehuda Devir tells NoCamels in an email just before the official release of the book on November 10. “Actually, it’s everyone’s personal life, and that’s the reason so many people around the world can relate to it. It’s authentic, with no filters and the desire to be perfect like we see on social media today.”

Humble beginnings

Yehuda and Maya Devir have known each other since their Israeli army service and began dating as students in the Visual Communications Department at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Art.

The pair have earned an avid and devoted following around the world since their illustrations were picked up in 2017 by Bored Panda, a Lithuania-based magazine that covers art, design, and photography.

Those illustrations, which have gone viral numerous times, have earned them over five million followers on Instagram and two influential awards in 2019, including a YouTube award, and The Most Creative Content Maker Award at the Inflow Global Summit 2019 Awards.

The couple has consistently been applauded for their images depicting real-life scenarios that occur as they navigate through the trials and tribulations of married life (dividing up chores, buying their first apartment, arguments) and family life (raising their first child, balancing career and toddler, finding time for intimacy.)

Last year, the Devirs told NoCamels that their baby girl, Ariel, was their “biggest accomplishment” thus far. The one-year-old has subsequently earned her own Instagram following, with over 360,000 followers, and worked her way into most of their illustrations.

The couple commemorated Ariel’s first birthday with an illustration showing her playing with a shoe while her parents spoil her with gifts she has no interest in. Other illustrations include the struggles of being a first-time parent — getting bath time right, teething, diaper changes, and trying to find alone time.

“The chemistry between us has changed because we are not just the two of us anymore,” Devir tells NoCamels of the effort it takes to find a balance between family and career. “We think as a family now and it takes a big part of the relationship out… And because our work is based on our personal life, it’s very challenging to stay effective all the time.”

Life is about to get much more demanding, with a second baby on the way. While Yehuda Devir says the first six months will probably be even more challenging, he is comforted by the advice the couple has received from many of their followers who relate to the artwork by sending their own stories of life experiences as well as pictures.

“Aw congrats!!!” Cherubella-Polymer Clay Artist (user @bella.enchanted.studios) wrote on Instagram when the Devirs announced they were expecting their second child, “Having a second baby has been such an amazing experience watching my son become a big brother. The love siblings have for one another is magical.”

Quarantine blues

While Yehuda Devir is the illustrator and graphic designer behind the artwork, he has always been quick to point out his wife Maya’s important contributions to their brand. Maya is a key element to the creation process, he has said. His illustrations often build on Maya’s original ideas and her input on artistic elements like composition and color scheme. She also runs the business and marketing side of the operation.

While the couple continues to sell separate volumes of their comics as well as other merchandise that includes bags, gifts, clothing, wallpaper, and even plush toys of themselves, they have also traveled extensively throughout the world giving lectures, workshops, and talks about themselves and their artwork. In March, like many others in Israel and around the world, they took a hard hit to their brand when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Illustrator Taps Hipster Concept To Create Eye-Catching Images Of Famous Figures

They made the most of the tough situation by doing what they are recognized for — putting out illustrations that address the difficulty of real-life challenges. There’s been at least one illustration of the Devirs cooped up at home during Israel’s two lockdowns and other illustrations where they try to manage working from home with a baby who is not in daycare.

The duo has had to move all of their lectures and workshops online.

“Creativity is the key word. Like everyone else, we have to be creative every single day to handle the changes, especially with the lockdown. Everything has to be shifted to online, and with a 1.5-year-old around the house, it is not easy. We have a lot of guilt around not giving her the attention she deserves due to work,” Yehuda Devir says.

The couple’s upcoming book tour has shifted online, as well as other events they had scheduled this year “but this is how life is today,” he says.

“We had to find creative ways to stay present in front of our audience by being online,” says Devir.

The post Israeli Comic Artists Release New Book Illustrating Relatable Family Adventures appeared first on NoCamels.

Kobi Levi, an Israeli designer known for his pop art style footwear and whimsical bags, has also been creating during these challenging times. And he’s crafted some memorable works inspired by the health crisis.

“I always say [my designs] are a part of reality.They always reflect what’s going on. Every time I create a new design, it comes from whatever’s around me. Whatever I see,” the designer tells NoCamels.

His newest designs, handbags which examine the lockdown and masks quite literally, “happened naturally,” he says. When the first lockdown was imposed, “I realized that the most ‘deserted’ kind of accessory that can be in this kind of situation is a bag. Nobody needs a bag from room to room. Even with shoes, you walk the dog, you go grocery shopping,” Levi explains, “I’m just looking at it from a different point of view and with a sense of humor about it.”

SEE ALSO: Cover Up: 10 Innovative Types of Face Masks That Were Developed In Israel

Levi’s first design since the start of the current health crisis in Israel was a handbag in the shape of a lock, playing on the word lockdown and because he “saw locks everywhere.” His second design, a bag with the familiar shape and light blue color of a medical mask, was created because Levi occasionally saw people walking down the street carrying their masks like handbags.

“Even on my website, where I usually write my inspiration, I couldn’t even write the word inspiration next to the mask. I can’t say it’s inspiring to me,” Levi says, “I just said it’s designed after the most famous accessory of 2019-2020.”

Kobi Levi’s Lock Down metallic leather handbag is priced at $800 while the Face It mask handbag costs $265.

Kobi Levi’s worldwide fame

Kobi Levi’s creations have appeared in museums, art galleries, and exhibitions around the world including at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, the National Museum of Art in Tokyo, high-end department store Selfridges in London, the Dutch Shoe Museum and earlier this year as part of an exhibit in Israel’s Rishon Lezion Museum marking 100 years of women’s suffrage in Rishon Lezion, one of the first Hebrew settlements in Israel. Levi was the exhibit’s host artist and presenter.

Also earlier this year, conceptual fashion designer Jo Cope contacted Levi to create a shoe for an exhibition called Shoes Have Names. The exhibit, in collaboration with Shelter UK,  a registered charity that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing in England and Scotland, aimed to use the power of craft to bring awareness to homeless individuals. While Levi created his shoe for the exhibit back in March, due to the pandemic it was not presented until September at London Craft Week.

Levi created a red shoe (as every shoe in the exhibit was red) and called it Home Void because it featured a hole in the shape of the house. Levi said he decided to take out the generic home symbol from the shoes to create a void showing that one assumes a home is something that should be there for everyone but this is not always the case.

“It’s a very subjective kind of theme — home. It means everything. For each one of us it has different shapes, different feelings. For me to take this big word and talk about it in different ways — I took a general home shape, like a logo, a square home shape logo, but I didn’t want to design with it. I wanted it to be there but not be there,” Levi explains, “So I took it out of the shoe.”

He added that the straps of the red shoe form an X shape to once again point out that not everyone has a home.

Many of Levi’s designs will also be exhibited in the upcoming Guangzhou Design Week in Guangzhou, China from December 3-6.

Shoe master

Back in 2010, Kobi Levi took photos of all the shoes he had handcrafted and posted them onto a blog page. The page was a hit and Levi, who graduated from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem in 2001, decided to open a studio in Tel Aviv. By the following year, he was selling his shoes to the public.

That same year, CNN referred interviewed Levi and referred to his designs as “wearable sculptures.” He told the US news channel his shoes can be inspired by a number of things including an iconic image of an animal or character, a situation frozen in time, or a play on the shape of the foot itself.

Then the celebrities came calling. Nicola Formichetti, fashion director for Lady Gaga, sent Levi an email inquiring about his Double boot for use in Gaga’s music video “Born This Way.” Self-proclaimed shoe lover and actress Whoopi Goldberg has contacted Levi on more than one occasion to add to her shoe collection and has worn his banana peel slip-on shoes. Singer Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas also used two pairs of Kobi Levi’s shoes in a music video.

Also, Levi created shoes specifically for Israeli singer Netta Barzilai who wore them as part of her look at the Eurovision Song Contest final in 2018, where she won first place for Israel.

Some of his top extravagant shoes include square heels shaped to look like two cats going at it, chewing gum heels featuring a stretched piece of gum attached to the heel (currently sold out on his site), and more than one pair of flesh-colored XXX shoes with heels that look like men’s and women’s private parts. Levi’s newest shoe, Blossom, is a classic open flower heel based on pictures he took of flowers near his home.

When asked if he could choose any celebrity to wear his shoes, Levi said Madonna. He says her work is like “endless creativity from the start of the 80s. It’s not just one thing, it goes well, and then you disappear. She’s a very passionate person to continue and to take your own kind of way of creating and keep it going with different directions, different aesthetics, different collaborations. I really liked that.”

Madonna inspired one of Levi’s most interesting shoes, which he created as an homage to her Blonde Ambition tour in the early 90s. The shoe features synthetic hair in the style of a high ponytail and a point that looked like the performer’s iconic cone bra, which was Madonna’s look at the time.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Designers Mark 100 Years Of Women’s Rights With Evocative Shoes

Levi’s shoes require weeks of intricate craftsmanship from the first sketch to the 3D printing to the actual creation of the shoe. Prices for Levi’s shoes range from $265 to $2800 on his shop.

The post Israeli Designer Creates Bags Inspired By Pandemic’s Most Famous Accessory appeared first on NoCamels.

Israelis have been required to wear face coverings in public since April as part of a mandatory directive issued by the Health Ministry. And the government has recently ramped up its public campaign to drive home the importance of wearing face masks.

While the disposable kind is a choice for many, especially in Israel, others have opted for more stylish options or plainly professional, functional ones.

Like in other parts of the world, Israeli designers and entrepreneurs have gotten creative and seized the opportunity, delivering new creations both from workers in the fashion and textile sector, who suddenly found themselves jobless due to lockdowns and social distancing, and from the high-tech, health, and innovation sectors, who have always proven that necessity is the mother of invention.

From masks for fashion fiends to rechargeable masks for hospital workers, here are some of the notable face mask offerings from Israel.

Sticker Mask

A 3D-printed, anti-viral nanotech sticker developed at the Technion, which adds protection to masks worn by medical workers, went into mass production in Israel in mid-August.

The “Maya” was developed at the university by  by a research team led by Professor Eyal Zussman of the Technion’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and under the clinical guidance of Professor Samer Srouji, the director of the Maxillofacial Surgery Department at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. The sticker, first announced earlier this year, was done in collaboration with the COVID-19 National Emergency Team of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D).

The sticker is printed using a special 3D printing technique developed by the Technion team and is made up of nanometric fibers coated with disinfectants.

The adhesive, which is fixed to the outer surface of the medical mask, looks like an exaggerated label. It is meant to “provide extra protection for medical teams now battling the coronavirus,” said Prof. Srouji said in a Technion video.

Sealing Mask

Israeli Noam Gavriely, who helped the Israel Defense Forces develop gas masks during the Iraq War, has created a new kind of protective covering that “seals” the face and blocks more than 99 percent of coronavirus-sized particles, he told Times of Israel in August.

His ViriMASK, said to exceed the protection of an N95/Surgical Mask, certainly makes a statement. But while it isn’t super attractive, it does combines maximum comfort and maximum protection against micron-size particles, bacteria and viruses, and aerosols.

The mask, which straps completely around the eyes, nose and mouth and seals as well as a gas mask or diving mask, according to Gavriely, has exceptional ventilation and integrated eye protection. The price for one is $70.

Anti-Viral Mask

Ramat Gan-based company Sonovia has created patented technology that mechanically infuses metal-oxide nanoparticles onto textiles during an ultrasonic-assisted impregnation process with the specialized chemical compound, which turns the textiles into highly effective blocks against bacteria and fungi. This novel, ultrasound-based antimicrobial coating is applied to fabric and textiles.

The SonoMask from the Israeli startup has been shown to be at least 99 percent effective in neutralizing the SARS-COV2 virus within 30 minutes of exposure, according to lab tests, the company announced in June.

Sonovia has sent samples of its antimicrobial fabric to two medical labs in China as well as to healthcare facilities in Israel. It is conducting a pilot at Adler Plastic in Italy to use its product in vehicles and public transport.

In August, Team Start-Up Nation, the first Israeli cycling team to compete at the Tour de France, announced that its members will wear the SonoMask during the annual bicycle race.

Reusable Mask

In May, a group of Israeli scientists announced they had submitted a US patent for a reusable, self-disinfecting protective face mask developed at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in late March.

The product was created by Professor Yair Ein-Eli, Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering. He developed a reusable face mask that can be disinfected in a controlled manner using heat, a process that destroys pathogens accumulated on the mask, making it reusable. Professor Ein-Eli’s research group created the mask prototype and tested it together with Professor Debbie Lindell and Prof. Oded Beja from the Faculty of Biology

The university says the group is currently in talks with industrial companies for the commercialization of the mask.

‘Read My Lips’ Mask

Wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth presents an obstacle for people with hearing disabilities who read lips to communicate with others. Enter the “Read My Lips” face mask, a covering developed by a high school robotics team from Dimona mentored by Maayan Levin, who joined forces with Ben-Gurion University doctoral student Carolina Tannenbaum-Baruchi and a researcher for the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response.

The transparent mask, that does not fog up, was made through “hours of conversation, messages, video clips, and attempts,” Tannenbaum-Baruchi says.

The masks will be given to people with hearing impairments and medical teams for this community. The group is looking for production and funding partners to mass-produce the mask. The project was conducted under the auspices of the BGU Coronavirus Task Force.

Social Impact Mask

Kuchinate is a 300-female strong collective of African asylum-seeking women living in Tel Aviv. The supportive community collective targets African refugees, who don’t have clear status in Israel and don’t receive benefits from the local government, and aims to empower them. Many are single mothers, or survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse.

The collective is made up of 85 percent Eritrean women, but also includes women from Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Ivory Coast.

Kuchinate means crochet in Tigrinya and the women in this collective create crochet home decor products, such as baskets, poufs, and rugs. But since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the collective has undergone a shift.

First, like much of the rest of the country, the NGO has moved its products online because tourists and visitors were no longer able to visit the Kuchinate studio. The biggest shift, however, was from crocheting to sewing, once face masks became highly in demand.

Marketing Director Ruth Garon tells NoCamels that after applying for emergency funding, the United Nations supplied women with sewing machines in their homes. A volunteer came to teach those women how to sew masks. Since then, the women have used traditional African fabrics to create striking face coverings in a variety of vibrants colors and prints.

The masks were first created by a team of just five women which has since grown to about 25 women. There are also lessons twice a week to teach other women in the collective how to sew.

The breathable cotton masks are double-layered and suitable for men and women. They can be shipped locally or internationally. Prices start at NIS 100 ($29) for a pack of three.

‘Feel Good’ Mask

Sisters Sarina and Rachel Rofe, who grew up in Hong Kong and now live in Israel, started The B.O.D. as a personal way to continue the legacy of the mother they lost nine years ago. She was the ultimate advocate for the “Feel Good, Do Good,” lifestyle, Sarina Rofe tells NoCamels, and the mantra has become the sisters’ ethos and driving force behin the clothing brand.

The B.O.D., which stands for The Board of Directors, began their mission of comfort, ease, and individuality by creating diverse and adjustable jumpsuits, which they called suits. Masks were not in their original plan, but the sisters saw a need for them as the pandemic made an impact on the world. Rofe says they started sewing masks one by one at home and then went into full production, using the most sustainable methods they could, which meant leftover pieces of jumpsuit materials on hand.

The masks, which come in prints like Citrus Dion, Geo, and Polka de Pink, are double layered, washable, reusable, and made from either cotton or rayon. They go for about $15 for one mask, or $40 for a three pack.

All proceeds made from these masks are being donated to causes supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the US.

Luxury Mask

A wealthy Chinese entrepreneur from Shanghai has asked Jerusalem-based jewelry brand Yvel to create what could be the world’s most expensive protective mask in a custom order. The entrepreneur asked that the mask fulfill three conditions — it should be the priciest mask in the world, it should have the highest levels of filtration, and it should be delivered by the end of the year.

At a price tag of $1.5 million, the mask has been made of 18k gold and set with 3,608 natural diamonds at a total weight of 210 carats. It is also based on the N-99 respirator, a face mask that claims to filter at least 99 percent of airborne particles.

Israeli jewelers Orna and Isaac Levy say Yvel aims to have the mask delivered personally to the customer by December.

Sea Mask

Designers Doraya Avital Kancepolsky, a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and Oryan Asher specialize in designing and manufacturing small collections of hand-crafted products based on their lifestyle at sea. Both designers live in neighboring boats on the Tel Aviv Marina.

The pair’s mask brand Fishi Fish, came to fruition after the Health Ministry announced their mandatory directive that all Israelis must wear masks outdoors. Kancepolsky said that night she was already sewing samples to put up for sale.

The masks are black and adorned with studs and patches featuring handmade design elements such as a fish skeleton, a fish eye, or a heart. Customers can also order masks with no design. Masks typically run from NIS 48 to NIS 90 ($14 – $27.)

Fashion Mask

When most weddings in Israel came to a screeching halt due to new restrictions, 28-year old Yarden Oz was out of a job. The bridal gown designer decided to take the opportunity into her own hands and began using her fabrics to design a collection of stylish masks that she hoped could bring some color to unprecedented times and support the economy.

The brand Happy People was born, with an array of masks in various prints, designs, and fabrics. Zebra stripes, comic book, and sequined masks are just a few of the vibrant masks that are currently offered at NIS 69 to NIS 99 ($20 – $29) a pop.

The post Cover Up: 10 Innovative Types Of Face Masks Developed In Israel appeared first on NoCamels.

The photo, “Kids’ Game,” was taken by renowned Israeli photographer Yossi Eshbol, one of the top nature photographers in Israel and around the world, who has documented nature and wildlife in photographs for over 30 years.

The photo was chosen among 49,000 global entries in what is considered the largest wildlife photography competition in the world. Winners and highly commended entries were selected by a panel of international judges from the UK, Spain, Germany, US, and Sweden in a number of categories.

The overall winner of the competition was announced on Tuesday, October 13 during a virtual ceremony that was live-streamed from the Natural History Museum in London where The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, declared Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His image, “The Embrace”, featured a wild Amur tigress hugging an ancient Manchurian fir in a Russian forest.

Finnish teen photographer Liina Heikken won the Young Wildlife Photographer of The Year award for ages 15-17. Her photo “The Fox That Got The Goose” follows a fox on one of Helsinki’s islands that “won” a goose after fighting with other hungry cubs over it.

Photographers were allowed to submit a total of 25 photos in the competition to be evaluated in 16 categories. Judges announced winners in categories that ranged from animal portraits, animal behaviors, and animals in their environment to plants and fungi, oceans, wetlands, and photojournalism.

For categories such as Photojournalist Story Award, Rising Star Portfolio (ages 18-26), and Portfolio Award (ages 27 and up) photographers were required to submit at least six and up to 10 images.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the internationally renowned competition that recognizes, rewards and celebrates the work of talented photographers, from amateurs to professionals.

All photographers compete for acclaim and monetary awards. Winners in various adult categories received cash prizes and personalized certificates.

The ibex that jumped…

Yossi Eshbol was the only Israeli photographer to be recognized as part of the competition this year.

The acclaimed nature photographer from Zichron Yaacov tells NoCamels he actually took the ibex photograph with his Nikon D4S camera about two years ago in the Spring.

Mitzpe Ramon “is one of the most interesting places to photograph,” Eshbol explains, because it’s one of the easiest areas to move “unmediated” and see scores of ibex looking for food. Those ibex go up to the cliffs because that makes it difficult for their predators to reach them and they have specially designed hooves that enable them to jump, he says.

“When I realized a mother and her kids were doing this, I waited for them. I never saw the mother jump, but I saw her kids jumping at a great height. As soon as I saw this happening I started shooting with my professional camera that can perform a series of very fast shots in one click. This is what allowed me to get such good photos.”

“What I really liked about this photo is not necessarily the jump itself but the fact that the brother was waiting on the other side as a guide. It was beautiful, watching the twin waiting for his brother,” he adds.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Photographer Wins 2020 iPhone Photo Award For Stunning New Zealand Shot

Eshbol says the original title of the photo had something to do with this concept, but that the editors of the competition changed it to “Kids’ Game.”

The Nubian ibex, a desert-dwelling mountain goat is found throughout parts of the Middle East, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, and Israel. Less than 3,000 ibexes are estimated to remain in the wild and about half of them in Israel, making their home in the Judean desert and the Negev.

Eshbol tells NoCamels this is the “fifth or sixth time” he has entered the competition in the last 15 years.

In the last two weeks, Eshbol has been working on a project photographing the migration of birds on the shores of Ma’agen Michael, a kibbutz in northern Israel on the coast between Haifa and Hadera.

“Two or three mornings a week I go down to the beach. I need to be close to them and then I can take a photo of them at about 20 meters away,” he says. “The birds come from the tundra areas and many arrive at the beach exhausted and looking to replenish their energy.”

“It’s very special that they come to our beaches,” he says.

Eshbol is a self-taught nature photographer who became interested in the field in the late 1970s after accompanying a friend during a conservation project run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

After retiring from the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel in 1986, Eshbol became an independent photographer. In 2005, Eshbol was a runner-up in a “Nature Photographer of the Year” competition held by The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington, for his photograph of a Common Tern bird family.

His photographs have been published in Israel and around the world in exhibitions, international photography competitions, photography books, newspapers, and textbooks. He is considered a pioneer in his field.

Winning photos

Eshbol’s photo was “Highly Commended” in the Behavior: Mammals category. Chinese photographer Shanyuan Li won the category for his photo, “When Mother Says Run,” of a rare scene of playful Pallas’s cats, small wild cats scattered throughout Central Asia. The photo took six years to capture.

There were also winning photos in other Behavior categories including for Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, and Invertebrates.

Ecuadorian-based Spanish photographer Jamie Culebras won in the Amphibians and Reptiles category for his photo, “Life in the Balance,” of a “glass frog,” or Manduriacu frog found only in a small area in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Walking four hours to reach their location, Culebras claimed the first-ever picture of the species feeding, according to the museum.

In other categories, Danish zoologist and mammal researcher turned wildlife photographer Mogens Tolle won the Animal Portraits category for his photo, “The Pose” of a proboscis monkey posing as if in meditation.

Chinese photographer Songda Cai won in the Underwater category for his photo “The Golden Moment” featuring a diamondback squid that changed color as Cai photographed it during a night dive.

The Photojournalism and Photojournalist Story Award, examining relationships between humans and the natural world, had images that were striking and even sometimes disturbing. The winner of the Wildlife Photojournalism award was an image called “Show Business” by US photographer Kristen Luce of a polar bear wearing a wire muzzle during an ice-rink show in the world’s only polar bear circus.

UK-Australia photographer Paul Hilton won the Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award for his images featuring a chimpanzee entertaining the crowd at the Animal Olympics in Shanghai, China, a Sumatran orang-utan held in a house in Indonesia, a young Asiatic black bear lying on his back and spinning fire sticks as part of circus entertainment at a safari park in Guangxi, China, and a macaque being held at an Indonesian animal market.

The images are currently being showcased in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum and will remain there until June 6, 2021, before they embark on a world tour to international venues in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, and more.

All winners and highly commended entries of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition can be seen on the National History Museum’s online gallery.

The 2020 competition opened for entries on Monday, October 19 and closes on December 10. The competition is open to photographers of all ages and abilities.

The post Renowned Israeli Wildlife Photographer Honored For Striking Ibex Photo appeared first on NoCamels.

Meanwhile, the company’s Israeli-born co-founder Adam Neumann, who left WeWork last year amid controversy, has invested $30 million in Alfred Club Inc., a startup that provides apartment buildings with services such as concierge-like staff and software to manage maintenance requests and other paperwork, according to Bloomberg.

Neumann co-founded WeWork in New York in 2010 with Miguel McKelvey, and the company grew quickly, conquering shared workspaces worldwide in under a decade across nearly 30 countries. Today, WeWork has locations in 150 cities and 38 countries around the world.

The firm hit a highly publicized rough patch last year ahead of an expected IPO that quickly fell apart and tanked its valuation – at its height, WeWork was valued at $47 billion. There were also widespread allegations of misbehavior, including self-dealing, on the part of Neumann.

Neumann was offered a reported $1.7 billion in bailout funds to cut ties with WeWork from Japan’s SoftBank, WeWork’s biggest investor and backer. SoftBank then announced a deal to buy 80 percent of the ailing company that included a commitment of $5 billion in funding and a tender offer for another $3 billion for shareholders outside of Softbank. These included Neumann, employees, and other investors.

SoftBank withdrew the tender offer in April and Neumann filed a lawsuit against the Japanese company a month later for breach of contract. The lawsuit is pending.

In March, SoftBank gave WeWork a valuation of $2.9 billion based on a discounted cash flow method, down from $7.3 billion in December 2019, according to CNBC.

Since last year, WeWork has placed itself on a path toward recovery, announcing new leadership and business strategies, and now restoring the original name.

WeWork said the move “reflects the significant progress WeWork has made on strengthening its foundation while executing against its strategic goals under new executive leadership,” according to a company statement.

The co-working space provider said it has had some success despite the coronavirus health crisis and is on a path toward profitability. In recent months, WeWork has divested non-core ventures, rightsized its global portfolio, and improved its balance sheet, while continuing to deliver on its space-as-a-service offering with safety and flexibility, the company said.

In August, WeWork launched (and subsequently expanded) a pilot of its new On-Demand offering, a pay-as-you-go product that gives new customers convenient access to workspaces where and when they need it. The company also rolled out All Access, a subscription-based model that provides members with the ability to work from any WeWork location.

In addition, WeWork rolled out a new business solution for US members, offering for small- and medium-sized businesses with access to a suite of services such as payroll, hiring, and healthcare

“We want to be strategic. We want to be innovative. We want to be impactful. We want to be WeWork,” Sandeep Mathrani, the company’s new CEO, wrote in an internal memo reported by Reuters.

Since Neumann’s exit, Mathrani has hired new management “to steer the company to profitability,” according to Reuters. It has also slashed its cash burn rate and obtained a $1.1 billion commitment in new funding from SoftBank.

The post We Company Restores WeWork Name; Israeli Co-Founder Invests In New Property Startup appeared first on NoCamels.

Israeli cuisine initiatives are bursting with this country’s traditional flavors in online cooking workshops, subscription snack boxes and follow-along video tutorials.

“You can’t travel right now but you can still get the physical taste of Israel in your home kitchen,” says Harry Rubenstein, a pastry chef and food tour guide who runs online Israeli cooking workshops. “During this time, when people aren’t able to visit Israel, this is a great opportunity for them to get a taste of Israel in their own homes. And not by watching a YouTube video but by interacting with someone in Israel.

SEE ALSO: Delicious Experiences: Israeli Online Platform Brings International Cuisine To Your Home

“People are under lockdown and they want something to do. It’s not like watching a video. You can ask questions in real time,” he says.

Rubenstein’s cooking workshops, which range from private to pay-as-you-can, include how to make Israeli dishes, tricks he has learned from his pastry chef studies, and the history of the dishes. 

Most importantly, Rubenstein makes sure that everyone taking part in the online workshops can access all the ingredients from their home countries. “Using high-quality and accessible ingredients,” he shows people how to create “authentic local cuisine.” 

Israel’s food scene is famous, after all. The diverse food culture is bursting with flavors. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel was listed by international media as a must-visit foodie destination for 2020.  

“People miss travel. They are literally craving the tastes of their travels and the places they love,” Inbal Baum, a foodie entrepreneur and founder of Delicious Israel food tours, tells NoCamels. “It’s a hard time, people are thinking about where they want to be, where they had amazing memories with their families, where they got to have great experiences and Israel is at the top of the list for so many people.”

Indeed, Israeli food is exciting, delicious, and memorable. NoCamels offers this list of how to enjoy a taste of Israel in your own home:

Harry Rubenstein – Harry’s Baked

Rubenstein’s cooking workshops spotlight the multicultural fabric of Israel. While he can teach how to make hummus or challah, Rubenstein prefers to present the history behind ethnic dishes that have become staples of the Israeli culinary scene and show how to make them. 

He has taught online classes on how to make arais/arayes (Middle Eastern meat-stuffed pita pockets), shakshuka (eggs poached in tomato-based sauce), and sambusak (savory stuffed pastries). 

“I like talking about the history of the ingredient and how it came to be used in Israel, whether it is a local ingredient that the Palestinians have been using for many years or it’s something that was brought from Iraq or elsewhere to Israel,” he tells NoCamels. “I’m trying to bring that knowledge of the ingredients, not just how to use them but the history, too.”

A food tour guide before Covid-19 hit, Rubenstein also shows and tells about local food items viewers can sample when the borders open once again. 

His workshops are not just about eating but about learning, too.

“If there is a recipe that has pomegranate molasses in it, I’m clearly not going to have pomegranate molasses in the recipe because that’s not so accessible, especially during the lockdown. But I will show what it is and talk about the specialty store at which I bought it in the Levinsky Market. I will show it to them and explain how it’s made and how it’s used,” he says. 

This inside knowledge is Rubenstein’s calling card. And he’s only too willing to share it with the online community. 

Phyllis Glazer – Healthy Comfort Food

Repeatedly dubbed by local and international media as the Israeli guru of healthy cooking, Phyllis Glazer brings nutritious Israeli cuisine into your home via online cooking workshops.  

Glazer – a chef, writer, TV personality, and best-selling cookbook author – tells NoCamels that her personalized workshops focus on the “healthy” aspects of “quality Israeli food [which is] delicious and interesting.” 

She builds vegan and vegetarian menus around Israel’s ethnic and culinary traditions, adding “a touch of mom” to every recipe. That “touch of mom” she says, belongs to the multicultural roots of Israeli culinary traditions hailing from places as varied as Bulgaria, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Ethiopia and Europe.

“There was a time when people were embarrassed by their mom’s ethnic food. Today, what makes the food winning is that touch of mother’s cooking,” she says.  

Glazer offers personalized culinary classes through her website and an Israeli Vegetarian Delights cooking workshop via Cuiline online cooking platform. 

Instantly Israeli – Delicious Israel  

Delicious Israel, a culinary tour and tastings platform, brings the ABCs of Israeli food and spirits to the comfort of your own home or office environment. 

From classic shakshuka to Israeli style whole-roasted cauliflower to sabich from scratch or chicken shawarma, the Delicious chefs offer online step-by-step guidance.

The online cooking workshops simmer memories of Israeli tastes for those who have been here before as well as stir up new foodie encounters for those who have yet to come. 

“Food is memories, smells are memories and tastes are memories,” says Baum, founder of Delicious Israel and Delicious Experiences platforms offering virtual food tours and online cooking workshops.  “We’re able to recreate those memories. We’ve also done food experiences for people who were supposed to come to Israel and aren’t able to. We can create new experiences as an exploration for their future trip.” 

The Delicious Israel team has also put together whiskey tastings, working with Israeli craft companies to provide this distinctive sensory experience. Virtual tours of the distillery can be included. 

Israeli snack subscription – Pinuk Box 

Snack subscription boxes continue to hold popularity the world over, especially as traveling is on hold but cravings continue.

Pinuk Box is the newest Israeli initiative to offer monthly treats from Israel.

The Pinuk Box, ‘pinuk’ in Hebrew means ‘indulgence,’ is a parcel of goodies comprising a variety of snack foods from the country’s top brands, nostalgic treats, classic chocolate bars and most loved varieties of chips. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has made delivering the packages a bit trickier but the service is running, with subscribers as far away as Aruba happy to receive their snacks whenever they arrive. 

Matan and Yaniv, the two guys behind the new initiative, started Pinuk Box to “supply the Israeli taste to Israelis” living abroad who missed the “taste of home” and “anyone else who likes Israeli snacks.” 

Matan, who preferred not to share his full name, lives a digital nomad life and travels and works from around the world. Presently based out of Poland, he says that he really misses his “favorite tastes of Israel, such as Turkish Coffee, Bamba, Bissli, sunflower seeds, etc. I was looking for them everywhere, and it was very hard to find them,” he tells NoCamels, noting he builds websites and runs social media ad campaigns for companies. 

When COVID-19 hit, and his friend, Yaniv, lost his job due to the lockdowns, the two set out on an adventure to supply munchies-seekers with Israeli snack foods. 

Like many other subscription snack box initiatives, Pinuk Box has linked itself to a charitable cause: lone soldiers. “Pinuk Box is pleased to offer support and donations as we stand strong with Israel and the IDF,” reads the company’s website. 

Bamba, a peanut butter-flavored puffed maize treat, is the king of Israeli snack foods, with some one million bags produced every day. It is one of the many healthy snack food choices. Israel is also famous for its wafers, Milky chocolate pudding, flat pretzels and marshmallow chocolate Krembo treat.

Snack Crate, a global snacks monthly service, also includes Israeli snacks in its mix.   

Artisan Assortment – Israel Pack, Mashu Mashu

The subscription box services go beyond snack foods. Israel Pack and Mashu Mashu offer curated boxes with an assortment of Israeli artisan-made honey, date spreads, teas, spices and oils. Many of the items are organic, and all are kosher. 

Chef Mentor – Cooking Workshop Series

The cooking workshop video series, Chef Mentor, has a lineup of the best Israeli chefs offering secrets, tips and insights into how to make the creamiest mousse, juiciest hamburger, airy breads and cured meats. 

A NIS 97 monthly ($28) fee grants viewers access to four half-hour-long videos (which are in Hebrew with English subtitles), focusing on the food style of their choice. 

SEE ALSO: Israel’s Only Food Tech Hub Has Something Cooking In The Kitchen

Among the chefs in the series are pastry chef Uri Scheft of Lehamim Bakery,  elite cuisine chef Meir Adoni, and Kosher Elegance chef Efrat Libfroind, among others. 

Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. www.vivaspress.com

The post A Taste Of Israel: Satisfy Your Craving With A Click appeared first on NoCamels.

Founded in 2012, Selina combines affordable accommodation, co-working spaces, fine dining, wellness, and volunteering initiatives in 76 locations across Latin America, the US, and Europe. In April 2019, the company raised $100 million in a Series C round by a number of investors.

SEE ALSO: The Israeli Dream: Hospitality Startup Selina Redefines Work And Play For Digital Nomads

Remote Year was founded in 2014 and offers packages for participants to live and work in a new city each month for the program’s duration, allowing professionals to embrace the remote work movement.

As part of the acquisition, Remote Year will continue operating as its own brand and will use Selina’s catalog of properties spanning 19 countries and three continents to improve its customer experience. Selina will also leverage Remote Year’s community of professionals and remote workers as it focuses on longer-term stays and its remote work offering.

Together, Selina and Remote Year said they will work to tailor products that fit the needs of this expanding market. Both companies already represent two leading brands in travel and remote work categories and the acquisition aims to strengthen their prospects.

The acquisition is one of a number of moves Selina says it is making to “double down on its stay, play and ‘work from anywhere’ model” including the recent launch of Selina’s subscription-based travel packages.

The company’s new offering is geared to answer an all-time high demand for remote work solutions, with approximately 40 percent of employees expected to utilize a remote working model in the future, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG.)

The work from home (WFH) shift is also a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selina has launched three different programs including the Nomad Passport for those who want to purchase multiple stays ahead of their travel, SelinaCoLive for the remote worker who wants to live/work at a Selina property for an extended period of time, and the B2B Remote Work Pass for the frequent remote worker looking to stay at a Selina property for a fixed period of time per month, and is paid for by their employer.

Each subscription package enables travelers to move freely between Selina properties, either regionally or globally, inclusive of accommodations, coworking spaces, daily wellness activities, weekly laundry and discounts for food and beverage, with prices starting at just $180 per month in some locations.

“At Selina, we have always supported flexible remote work models and believe they result in an increase in productivity and a reduction in turnover for businesses,” said Museri, who serves as Selina’s CEO. “With the acquisition of the Remote Year brand, and the launch of our subscription-based packages, it’s clear that our business model is one designed for this new age of working, and is well-positioned to support not only long-standing digital nomads but also a new generation of remote workers that are being offered more flexible work environments by companies looking to attract and retain talent.”

Sam Pessin, Remote Year co-founder and CEO, said: “We could not be more thrilled to join the Selina family. We have previously partnered with Selina in multiple markets over the last few years, and look forward to utilizing their global team and infrastructure to power our best programs yet.

Meanwhile, Selina announced on Wednesday that it invested an undisclosed sum in the Israeli-founded e-scooter sharing company LEO along with other top investors.

The company said it was “building upon its commitment to provide guests with an enhanced and culturally-driven experience while staying at a Selina property.”

This investment will enable Selina to expand the range of experiences it offer to guests while allowing LEO to leverage Selina’s global reach to scale their presence and grow their community, the companies said.

“In Selina, we realized that green and “open-air” transportation will replace traditional mobility options like busses, cars, trains. There are many reasons for this, but we know that many travelers, even more after this pandemic, have tighter budgets, and sometimes renting a car is not an option. Also, in urban cities, people are less excited to use traditional transportation to get around. That’s why we decided to partner with LEO,” said Museri.

He added that the partnership will “not only will enhance our guest experience but open the doors to a new chapter for micro-mobility and hospitality.”

SEE ALSO: Goldman Sachs Names Selina, Venn Co-Founders Among ‘100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs’

“Just like the sharing economy has managed to disrupt entrenched industries across the world, micro-mobility represents another notable area for expansion of these services, now combine it with hospitality, and you will have endless possibilities,” said Kfir Ben Shushan, co-founder of LEO. Kfir Shushan and his brother Dror own a majority stake in LEO and scooter supplier INOKIM.

Selina plans to introduce LEO scooters into all its locations in the next two years. LEO will allow guests to access the scooter-sharing service when traveling the world, making it easier to get around and explore surrounding areas. LEO scooters will be available in Selina locations in Israel, Mexico, and Brazil by the end of the year.

LEO’s shared scooters are available in Eilat in partnership with the Fattal hotel group, as well as the Dead Sea area.

The post Hospitality Startup Selina Acquires Remote Year, Invests In E-Scooters appeared first on NoCamels.

Shimoni is the Israeli illustrator who has captured world leaders and cultural visionaries with a new spirit in Hipstory by Amit Shimoni, an illustrated series of over 50 real-life figures drawn as modern-day hipsters. The Tel Aviv-based artist admits that beyond embodying powerful digital pop art, the images have become a unique way for a new generation to connect with political and historical icons of the past and present.

“The idea was to create a sort of mirror for me and for the people around me, that was supposed to make you think about our generation in comparison to [the leaders of] other generations,” he tells NoCamels.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Photographer Highlights More Obscure Female Biblical Figures In New Book

Using the idea of the hipster concept, Shimoni explains that his artwork “came from a point where I felt like I was a global consumer and had no ideology. The only thing that I was interested in is what’s cool now,” he explains, “I decided to turn these leaders into hipsters because, for me, the hipster is the paradox of being unique but eventually, acting as part of the herd.”

“I saw that people could really understand this type of language,” he adds.

Shimoni has since modified his Hipstory illustrations of world leaders, presidents, cultural icons, social activists, artists, and performers into wall prints, coasters, mugs, puzzles, postcards, and billboards. In 2017, he worked with Laurence King Publishing to publish a postcard book featuring 20 of his illustrations. The book, called Hipstory: Why Be A World Leader When You Could Be a Hipster? is still available on Amazon.

Shimoni’s Hipstory work has been featured in a number of global campaigns. In 2015, The New York Times asked him to “hipstorize” Hillary Clinton as part of a Women Empowerment event, where she was the guest of honor just days before announcing her presidential election campaign. In 2017, he drew Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg for her re-election campaign.

And in 2018, he collaborated with Mexican brand Konrad Sputnik to create a “Go-Vote” campaign for the Mexican national election. Shimoni created five new illustrations of leading Mexican presidential candidates. The portraits were printed on t-shirts with the hashtag #YOSIVOTO or “I Vote.” The campaign went viral on social media and Mexican celebrities posted photos of themselves in t-shirts featuring their candidate of choice.

Recently, Shimoni collaborated with US lawyer and social activist Meena Harris, niece of VP candidate Kamala Harris, for her Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, an initiative that supports women’s organizations and is inspired by the Maya Angelou poem. As part of the collaboration, Phenomenal sells t-shirts with Shimoni’s images of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hillary Clinton, US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, and civil rights leader John Lewis under the world VOTE to inspire buyers to go to the polls.

Shimoni only began working with Phenomenal after he had already created new Hipstory illustrations of Biden and Harris. He tells NoCamels that he reached out to his social media followers, asking them to help him decide who to draw for his next female illustration. Many followers suggested Harris, he says.

Besides having his Hipstory artwork featured as a design concept for restaurants, conferences, city streets, and college campuses across the globe, including in Australia, Iceland, and Israel, Shimoni regularly runs pop up shops in various locations and hosts talks for tourists and international students out of his design studio in Old Jaffa, overlooking the Jaffa Port.

While the ongoing global health crisis, has severely impacted his business, going as far as to cut his income in half, Shimoni is eager to start again once visitors start traveling to Israel more consistently.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Photographer Wins 2020 iPhone Photo Award For Stunning New Zealand Shot

“Normally I work with a lot of stores and they just don’t work right now. I work a lot with Taglit and other organizations that bring tourists to Israel for lectures and they buy gifts for their family and friends,” he says.

Shimoni says the biggest surprise is the effect his illustrations have had as an educational tool for teachers and students — bridging the gap between a traditional way of teaching history and the vitality of pop culture.

“My ambition is to spark the curiosity of students and to make them interested,” he says, “I see the power of this project to communicate with a young audience and they understand it. For me, as a student, I was never interested in history or politics. Heavy textbooks didn’t communicate with me. Now I see how teachers and parents are teaching with my illustrations and I love how it bridges the gap. “

Some of Shimoni’s most well-known drawings include current political figures and world leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Queen Elizabeth II, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as well as former leaders like former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and former Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

He has taken it further by creating illustrations of cultural icons and entertainers including Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, actress Marilyn Monroe, and even Santa Claus, as well as a collection of iconic painters and artists such as Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Pablo Picasso.

Expanding on this theme, Shimoni says he is currently working on a science series featuring scientists that have changed the world. The new collection will feature illustrations of Marie Curie, Jane Goodall, Nikola Tesla, and Stephen Hawking.

“The power of the image to make people act and think – for me as an artist to see the power of the image that I created to make an influence is the biggest joy of my creation,” he says.

It all started with Israel

As part of the Hipstory series, Martin Luther King, Jr. wears a baseball cap, a gold cross-chain, and a camo top over his toothy grin. Queen Elizabeth II has flowers in her hair and a customized word necklace. Artist Pablo Picasso dons a gold earring and a low-cut nautical tee to show off a number of tattoos. Marilyn Monroe wears dark makeup, ombre hair, a chain necklace, and a graphic tee that shows off her shoulders.

But before he embarked on a mission to illustrate world leaders and cultural influencers, Shimoni was a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, working on a final project that would create hundreds of illustrations for a theme park that was to open in the Negev in 2014.

When Shimoni realized the detailed project was too involved, he shifted gears and drew a collection of 12 Israeli leaders as hipsters. And he was met with positive acclaim.

“I couldn’t believe the reaction. Young and old were inspired and everyone had something to connect with. Everyone had their own perspective of the series,” he told NoCamels in 2015.

Five years later, Shimoni continues the painstaking and intricate process of creating illustrations using computer technology. Shimoni draws each of his portraits on a graphic computer tablet and then perfects the texture and coloring on Adobe Photoshop.

Even as he pursues other endeavors — Shimoni tells NoCamels he wants to study tattoo design and convert part of his studio into a tattoo shop — the illustrations are an ongoing project and Shimoni hopes they will continue making an impact on the world.

“The idea is to bring people who made history and are making history right now to the forefront,” he says, “If I can create something that can get people to look and want to know more, then I’ve made the best connection between the customer and these leaders. This is my greatest creation.”

The post Israeli Illustrator Taps Hipster Concept To Create Eye-Catching Images Of Famous Figures appeared first on NoCamels.

The round brings TetaVi‘s total funding since the startup was founded in 2016, to over $11 million. The fresh funding will be used to expand TetaVi’s studio network, widen its geographic reach, and advance new products, the company said in a statement.

TetaVi’s tech solution includes cameras, software-as-a-service, a portable studio, and post-production and training that enables customers to quickly generate quality 3D digital holograms, for an endless array of applications. The company says companies from a wide range of fields including entertainment, telecomms, professional sports, and the music and fashion industries, are using its technology to enhance their respective offerings and deepen the engagement among customers and users. Production studios using TetaVi are able to prepare immersive media, enabling accurate and portable VR, AR, and XR production 50-70 percent faster than traditional methods, the company says.

TetaVi’s has commercial studios in NY, LA, and Tokyo and an R&D center in Tel Aviv.

“We view this latest funding round, raised during a time of significant financial uncertainty, as a vote of confidence by our existing and new investors in the growth of the immersive experience market and our ability to cater to its evolving needs,” said TetaVi CEO Gilad Talmon. “The funding will allow TetaVi to enhance our current capture studio offering and will enable us to add highly qualified personnel required in order to widen the scope of our volumetric video capture solutions.”

Sean Lee, global business strategy executive officer at ADWAYS said the strategic investment “will strengthen TetaVi’s relationships within APAC [Asia Pacific], an important region for spearheading the company’s advancement. We are witnessing immersive media, virtual entertainment and concerts becoming part of the mainstream culture and we have chosen to invest in TetaVi because of its market approach and technological progress.”

The post TetaVi Raises $6M To Help Businesses Create Realistic 3D Holograms appeared first on NoCamels.

Green, a designer who attended the Bezalel Academy of Art and worked in Japan before opening her independent design studio in Israel, nabbed the award for her development of an outdoor fabric that cleverly combines embedded solar organic PV cells which create both light and shade and can be used in urban settings such as umbrellas and canopies of varying sizes.

SEE ALSO: Sustainable Innovation: 6 Top Trends Driving The Israeli Cleantech Landscape

Dubbed Lumiweave, the solution offers a “workable approach” to climate change and shows how textiles can be used to support the environment and reduce rising temperatures by offering shade and lighting.

“Coming together with the Women4Climate Tech Challenge and a wider audience focused on today’s climate challenges is a unique opportunity to bring technology, design and urban stakeholders together,” said Green in a statement. “This will provide Lumiweave with a platform for promoting innovative design solutions for tempering the urban environment.”

Green won the challenge alongside engineer Lorena Gordillo Dagallier from Cambridge, UK, and Meiling Gao and Vivian Bi of Clarity Movement Co., an environmental cleantech startup based in California.

The challenge, in its second year, was organized by Women4Climate, a group of mayors, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, scientists and activists that aims to enhance women’s participation and leadership in building a sustainable future. The Women4Climate Tech Challenge is a joint initiative by C40 Cities and the VELUX Group, a Danish manufacturing company that specializes in roof windows and skylights.

The city of Tel Aviv joined C40 Cities 2017 among 96 cities that represent one-twelfth of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economy. 

Green’s innovative product will be implemented in her hometown of Tel Aviv.

The four women will split a $50,000 cash prize, sponsored by the VELUX Group. 

Women-led climate tech

The C40 Women4Climate Tech Challenge was founded to support and promote diversity and inclusion in technology, innovation, and the environment sectors. Projects in the competition address urban sustainability, mobility, food, waste, water, building, urban farming, air quality solutions and are meant to deliver measurable impacts. They must also have the potential to be scalable in other cities; and be led by women.

“This challenge really emphasizes that women-led solutions for sustainable development and climate action are important for shaping the cities and communities that we would like to live in. The VELUX Group is very proud to have been the sponsor of this second inspiring challenge,” said Ingrid Reumert, VP, global communications, sustainability & public affairs, VELUX Group, “Congratulations to these women for their innovative solutions that will now gain momentum to come to life in cities around the world.”

Tel Aviv Mayor Run Huldai said: “One of the most pressing issues of concern regarding climate change in Tel Aviv-Yafo is the rising temperature, a great challenge that we will be contending with in the coming years.

“Lumiweave’s solar shading structures can bring a unique solution to this problem. We are thrilled to work with Anai Green to test the solution where it is most needed,” he added.

The other three winners will implement their products in Lisbon, Stockholm, and Los Angeles.

SEE ALSO: 6 Israeli Cleantech Companies Putting Sustainability At The Top Of Their Agenda

Gordillo Dagallier’s initiative “open-seneca” is a mobile air quality sensor network that will be installed throughout the city alongside educational workshops. It was chosen as the winning project by officials in both Stockholm, Sweden and Lisbon, Portugal, and will be implemented in both of these cities.

Gao and Bi will see their initiative “Clarity – Smarter Buildings for Healthier Communities” implemented in Los Angeles. Clarity is a smart, low-cost air monitoring unit that can be used both indoors and outdoors to provide real-time air quality data that cities can use to monitor and best protect public health. The unit studies extreme pollution and records air quality data which can be measured and controlled to create healthier communities.  

The post Tel Aviv Designer Wins Climate Tech Award For Solar Shade-Giving Fabric appeared first on NoCamels.

In Unorthodox, Haas’s character Esty Shapiro is a 19-year old Jewish woman living unhappily in an arranged marriage among an ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Following a series of difficulties, she flees to Berlin where her estranged mother lives, and begins to abandon the lifestyle she was born into.

Haas was the first Israeli actress to receive an Emmy nomination in the outstanding lead actress category.

The German-American Netflix series debuted on Netflix in March 2020. It was the first Netflix series to be primarily in Yiddish and was inspired by the 2012 memoir “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots” by Deborah Feldman.

The Emmy Awards were held Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, hosted by late-night TV personality Jimmy Kimmell, with nominees tuning in virtually from across the world via special kits sent to them that included high-definition cameras and microphones, US magazine reported. The show featured pre-taped segments and live streaming.

“Are you familiar with homeschooling? It’s gonna be kinda like that,” Kimmell joked in the opening.

Even though the show was largely online, nominees still got dressed up. According to US celebrity gossip magazine Just Jared, Haas wore a Chanel navy blue, embroidered organza and chiffon bustier dress with a black sequin embroidered belt from the Spring-Summer 2020 Haute Couture collection.

The post Netflix Series ‘Unorthodox’ Nabs Emmy For Outstanding Directing appeared first on NoCamels.

While many women of the Bible are rarely mentioned by name (and the ones who are only make up 5.5 to 8 percent of the text,) Israeli photographer Dikla Laor tells NoCamels she wants to make sure all of the females of the holy book have their time in the spotlight.

“Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears.” Jeremiah 31;15

“Some people say that the Bible doesn’t give enough place to the women, that most of the stories are about the men. The men are the kings,” Laor explains, “I actually see it differently. Even though the women have small parts or don’t have much text to describe them, you will see that what they say and what they do affects the future, affects the kings, affects us.”

With a digital camera and the backdrop of the stunning Golan Heights landscape, Laor is on a mission to prove it. Since 2013, Laor has created intricately staged photographs featuring every single woman from the Hebrew Bible. She jokingly admits to NoCamels that the project, which has already spanned seven years, will take her a “lifetime” as she continues to create photos showcasing the 200 women highlighted in the text.

She’s off to a good start.

“And Dina the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne onto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.” Genesis 4 34

Moren than 81 characters will be featured in two thick tomes filled with eye-catching photographs documenting Laor’s interpretation of those women in dress, appearance, and behavior. The first book, “Women in the Bible on the Golan Landscape”, has 41 striking photographs including Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel, as well as the lesser-known but still recognizable names like Miriam, Abigail, Dina, Ruth, and the Queen of Sheba.

The second book, which is not yet published, and which has only 20 photos to its credit so far, will have even less familiar names like Egyptian queen Taphenes, and Shaharaim’s wives Hushim, Baara, and Hodesh. There is no doubt that for Laor, these less recognizable names are just as notable.

“And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, who Tahpenes weaned in Pharoah’s house; and Genubath was in Pharoah’s house among the sons of Pharoah.” Kings A 11, 20

Women of the Bible

The first book was published in April 2019 to much acclaim — copies have sold out across the world, Laor says — which spurred the Israeli photographer to continue her quest. The newer photos, some with multiple women in one frame, will be part of her second book, which she aims to complete in two years, rather than six.

Laor says she did not anticipate the immense popularity of her first book, which has buyers from across the globe. Due to the first book’s international acclaim, the second book will be in English orientation, meaning left to right (with Hebrew translation.

“And she said Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah could give children suck? for I have borne him a child in his old age.” Genesis 21, 7

For all of her photographs, Laor styles the photoshoots herself, working with real women, not models, and choosing the fabrics and colors of their dress carefully. Most of the women she chose were friends, and some were family members. Sarah and Isaac were played by her mother and young son. Adding extra significance to the photo is the 130-year old cloth worn by Laor’s mother, which she said belonged to her grandfather in Tunis.

Laor herself took on the role of Hanna, Samuel’s mother, clad in blue which she says is for purity.

״Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.״ Samuel 1:2;19

In the picture, Laor, as Hanna, is sewing a robe for her son, which is the story from the Bible. “Why did I choose to mention that she is sewing his coat? Anytime that Shmuel (Samuel) is mentioned, he’s always wearing a coat,” she says, “And when he died, and the witch brought his soul before the king, she tells him, ‘I’m seeing an old man with a coat.’ That’s how you knew it was him. What it means is that his mom’s influence was so strong, that it was with him his whole life and even after his death.”

Setting the scene for Biblical art

Laor has lived in the Golan Heights since 2005 and shoots her photographs there because she says its unique and diverse setting, including mountains that change with the season, dried earth in the summer, and green in the winter, give her a lot of variety to showcase as the background of her work.

“The son of Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; he had Taphath, the daughter of Solomon to wife…Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath, the daughter of Solomon to wife,” king 1, 4, 11, 15

While she knows exactly what she wants out of the picture, including what the model will look like, what she will wear, and what she will be doing, Laor says she often has to wait for the right time in the season, to capture the right moment.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Photographer Brings Female Biblical Figures To Life With Magnificent Images

“Eighty percent of the pictures are being taken in the south of the Golan Heights, where I live,” she says. “These are archeological places, and natural places — not many pictures are taken at water sites. I usually take the pictures where it’s yellow and dry. Unless I want to say something that means procreation and giving birth and new life. That’s where I’m going to take the pictures in the winter when it’s green.”

Laor decided she would use her second book to focus on more of the unknown stories from the Hebrew Bible, featuring women — what she calls “characters from the back of the Bible.”

“And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered; and when she heard the tidings, that the ark of God was taken, and that her husband and father-in-law were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth; for her pains suddenly came upon her.” Shmuel 1 4 19

While most people know the story of Noah’s Ark and the flood that occurs in Genesis, fewer know about the wives of the sons of Noah. They are named in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), and Laor sees them as part of the rebirth of a new world.

“The cover of my first book was Eve. Because she is the mother of all humankind. After the flood, all of humanity died. So the wives of his sons are the Eves of the new generation.”

Laor showcased this by clothing the wives in green to represent birth and new life.

‘Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wives, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee…and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.’ Genesis, 8, 16-17

Laor says the last picture she shot (prior to publication of this article,) was the picture of Manoah’s wife, an unnamed figure in the Book of Judges who becomes Samson’s mother. A barren woman, according to the story, an angel appears to reveal her pregnancy.

The photo is very special to Laor because she was the one to make the wings of the angel featured in the photograph. She created them based on a frame of cardboard, iron, and foam. When the frame was ready, she covered the entire surface with feathers and furry fabrics and then painted it in shades of black and brown.

In Laor’s interpretation, Manoah’s wife is dressed in dramatic colors of red and blue, which she explains is meant to make her look similar to Mary, the mother of Yeshua (Jesus). According to the story, Manoah’s wife conceived Samson through the angel.

“and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat int he field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.” Judges 13, 9

“That’s why I chose to dress her like Mary, to say that she was giving birth from God,” Laor says.

“When you see the image for the first time, sometimes you judge it technically. But as long as you see it and go learn about the stories, you will discover new things about the picture. Why did I make this decision? Nothing about it is spontaneous. With every picture, there is something to tell,” she tells NoCamels.

The post Israeli Photographer Highlights More Obscure Female Biblical Figures In New Book appeared first on NoCamels.

In Israel, state-of-the-art aerial vehicles are being taken to another level — with the development of an air ambulance that can “fly anywhere, land anywhere” — in an effort to save lives.

Israel’s Urban Aeronautics, a company using internal rotors and advanced aerodynamic tech to develop the next generation of hydrogen-powered flying vehicles, announced this month it has signed an agreement with the US-based emergency air response service Hatzolah Air to develop, produce, and market its CityHawk aircraft for emergency medical service (EMS) applications.

SEE ALSO: Boeing Eyes Israeli Company’s Patented Propulsion Tech For ‘Flying Vehicles’

Hatzolah Air is the aviation arm of Hatzolah, an EMS organization founded more than 50 years ago with divisions in several countries, including the US and Israel. The formation of the Hatzolah Emergency Air Response Team was announced in May 2019 at the 50th Year Hatzolah International Conference in Jerusalem.

Hatzolah provides national and worldwide air transportation for those in need due to medical, humanitarian, and disaster relief reasons.

Hatzolah Air President Eli Rowe said that based on the company’s initial estimates, it can “foresee a potential market of at least 800 CityHawks for Hatzolah and other EMS operators, with the possibility to save thousands of lives every year.”

Urban Aeronautics’ CEO and founder Rafi Yoeli tells NoCamels that one of their largest investors, the US-Israel firm Besadno Group, initiated a meeting between the two companies for potential future collaboration.

“One of Hatzolah’s most important goals is be somewhere within minutes. Unlike helicopters, we can land anywhere within minutes,” Yoeli says. “We fit like a glove in their vision of being minutes away to improve the care of patients. They want to be equipped with the best aircrafts.”

Yoeli says the two companies are in a relatively early-stage of their collaboration but that they are “trying to form a framework of what that will be.”

While Urban Aeronautics is a commercial company and Hatzolah is a non-profit organization, “we believe in the same values,” Yoeli adds.

CityHawk eVTOL

Hatzolah is interested in Urban Aeronautics’ CityHawk, a six-passenger vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) flying ambulance which holds a pilot, patient, another companion, two EMT personnel, and life support equipment. It is meant to be used in search and rescue operations as a flying ambulance where a helicopter would be dangerous or useless, such as evacuating people from burning buildings or collecting civilians from bomb-riddled areas.

The CityHawk eVTOL has no external wings or rotors, resulting in “unparalleled” flying and landing access under any weather conditions, the company says. It features Urban Aeronautics’ internal rotor Fancraft technology, which utilizes powerful ducted fans in combination with advanced aerodynamic technologies that result in superior control, stability, speed, safety, noise reduction, and sustainability.

Hatzolah Air will be taking a leadership role in the marketing of CityHawk to other EMS and rescue organizations worldwide under a distribution agreement with Urban Aeronautics, the parties said.  

Urban Aeronautics is currently working on certification from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for emergency use of its CityHawk aircraft. The development of the CityHawk is planned to be completed and ready for production within the next three to five years. Yoeli tells NoCamels that while production could take as long as five years, prototypes will be available sooner.

“We are excited to partner with Hatzolah Air on the development of our CityHawk EMS vehicle,” said Yoeli in a statement, “Its compact size will enable it to land in the middle of a busy city street, making it a perfect fit for medical evacuation missions by dramatically decreasing the time it takes to arrive on-scene, treat and transport sick or injured patients to appropriate medical facilities.”

Next-generation emergency medical services

Urban Aeronautics has been building the next generation of flying vehicles since 2001.                         

The Yavne-based company has already found success with the development of the Cormorant, an unmanned VTOL aircraft built for various military, civil, and emergency response missions.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is set to be launched in 2021. Its prototype has had 300 successful autonomous flight tests, according to the company.

The vehicle is a single-engine passenger drone by Urban Aeronautics subsidiary Tactical Robotics. It would be capable of flying and operating inside complex and natural environments where it can be difficult for regular helicopters or other aerial vehicles to maneuver or land, the company has said.

The aircraft can conduct emergency response missions such as delivering food, water, and supplies and can also carry up to four patients for medical evacuations.

Earlier this year, American aerospace multinational Boeing announced an agreement with Israel-based Tactical Robotics to explore the company’s Fancraft technology through its autonomous unmanned VTOL aircraft.

The vehicle can reach speeds of up to 115mph (185 km per hour), an altitude of up to 18,000 feet (about 5.4 km) and can carry as much as 1,100 pounds (almost 500 kg), the company previously told NoCamels.

“Cormorant represents the first in a family of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that can fly and land where no other aircraft can,” Yoeli said at the time. “We can think of no better partner than Boeing to help us develop this product and utilize the Fancraft technology to its full potential.”

Two months after the Boeing announcement, Urban Aeronautics teamed up with Singapore-based urban air mobility service Ascent Flights Global Pte. Ltd (Ascent), to bring the CityHawk to market.   

SEE ALSO: Ride & Fly: US-Israeli Startup To Begin Testing Flying Vehicle In 2020

Ascent is Asia’s first technology-powered urban air mobility service that enables users to book individual seats on chartered helicopters in several southeast Asian countries. 

“The partnership with Urban Aeronautics is a great step forward in line with our objective to democratize sustainable urban air mobility,” said Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, founder and CEO of Ascent. “In addition to providing flights by the seat, and our commitment to climate neutrality, partnering with the industry pioneer in low-emission VTOLs brings us one step closer to doing so. “

The post Urban Aeronautics To Develop Emergency Response Flying Vehicle With Hatzolah Air appeared first on NoCamels.

A wealthy Chinese entrepreneur from Shanghai has custom-ordered what may be the world’s most expensive protective mask with a price tag of $1.5 million to keep coronavirus droplets at bay. And Israeli jewelers Orna and Isaac Levy, founders of the Jerusalem-based jewelry brand Yvel, are on it.

The mask is made of 18k gold and set with 3,608 natural diamonds at a total weight of 210 carats. It is also based on the N-99 respirator, a face mask that claims to filter at least 99 percent of airborne particles.

SEE ALSO: Fashionable Face Masks Are The Accessory Of The Future, Say Israeli Designers

These features fulfill some of the conditions set by the unnamed buyer, a longtime customer of the jewelers now living in the US, including that the mask be the priciest in the world thus far and that it provides the highest levels of filtration. A third condition was that the mask is delivered by the end of the year, the Levys said.

The planning and designing of the mask took about a month, Isaac Levy tells NoCamels via email. “We had to make sure it fits the human face and meets all requirements of an N-99 full functioning mask, but once we had the model ready we able to start the designing process which is our favorite part of the work,” he says.

Producing the mask is taking a few months and the jewelers are aiming to have it done by mid-October “and to deliver it personally to our customer” by December.

The order has required intensive production and the making of the mask has been entrusted to 25 jewelers and diamond setters carefully selected from Yvel and working in shifts, the company said in the announcement.

The unusual mask was ordered as an “act of financial support” for Yvel, the company indicated. The company’s factory and center in Jerusalem were closed at the outset of the outbreak in Israel in early March, according to government guidelines, and its 150 employees in Israel (and the US) were out of work.

The order, Levy tells NoCamels “was placed by one of our loyal and close friends who understands the value of ‘giving back’ that we share with everyone around us.”

“He placed this order to bring business back into the company and provide a source of living to the Yvel employees. It was a gesture. We are talking about a very wealthy man whose only interest was to show support to this company and its people,” he says.

Yvel was founded in 1986 and produces unique free form designs. “While most jewelry designers design a piece of jewelry and then look for a pearl or stone, at Yvel we first look for the pearl or stone and then we fashion the jewelry around it,” explains Isaac Levy on the company site.

Face mask fashion has exploded over the past few months as the protective gear is now a must in many countries, specifically in public places and workplaces. It is also an accessory that is likely to stay with us for some time as the coronavirus continues to take its toll on a global scale.

But most designers have gone for beautiful, colorful prints, unique embroidery, and soft materials.

At 270 grams (about half a pound), the gold-and-diamond mask is certainly heavier than average, and definitely more solid.

“The mask is a full functioning mask but being made of gold and encrusted with diamonds, it would most likely a collectors’ item rather than something you wear to dinner with friends, although we won’t know until the mask will be finished,” Levy tells NoCamels.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Scientists Submit Patent For Self-Disinfecting, Reusable Mask

Asked if the company expects to make more such masks, he says: “We are certainly up for the task. Why, are you interested in placing an order?”

The post Israeli Jewelers Design Custom, $1.5M Diamond-Encrusted Face Mask appeared first on NoCamels.

The awards program celebrates travelers’ favorite hotels, restaurants, beaches, airlines, and experiences around the world, honoring close to 5,000 unique businesses this year, out of the nearly 9 million listed on Tripadvisor. Winners were calculated based on the reviews, opinions, and ratings collected on the platform in 2019, all pre-pandemic.

The travel, hospitality and food industries were hit especially hard since the COVID-19 crisis began earlier this year.

SEE ALSO: Jerusalem, TLV, Waldorf Astoria Among Travel + Leisure’s Best Of 2020 Awards

“This has been a tough year for our industry, but the global desire to go and explore, whether the destination is an hour away or across the world, remains strong,” said Lindsay Nelson, chief experience and brand officer at Tripadvisor. “The Travelers’ Choice program is one way that travelers and diners can benefit from the real-life experiences of other people so they can plan their perfect trip that meets their needs, budget, and style.”

This year, awards and recognitions fell under the Travelers’ Choice umbrella in two main groups: Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best, representing the most exceptional and highest-rated top one percent of all listings on Tripadvisor; and the Travelers’ Choice winners, representing the top 10 percent of all listings on the platform.

Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and fine dining

To start, in the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best group for top trending destinations worldwide, the city of Tel Aviv ranked ninth out of 25. The city is described as a “youthful, modern metropolis with a diverse population” with a “thriving arts community.” Kochi, India ranked first in this category.

In the top 25 fine dining restaurants worldwide, Uri Buri, the popular seafood eatery located in the northern Israeli coastal city of Acre (Akko), ranked 23, up two spots from last year when it made the same list in 25th place.

The famous restaurant took the first spot in the top 10 best fine dining restaurants in the Middle East. It is followed by the Magdalena Restaurant, an eatery in the northern Israeli town of Migdal that serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes such as lamb dumplings and seared salmon with tortellini for main, and knafeh and kadayif for dessert. Katy’s, a small French-style restaurant in Jerusalem, ranked 5th on this list.

In the top 10 experiences for the Middle East section for the Travelers’ Choice Awards, The Jerusalem Boutique Tour from Tel Aviv nabbed the 10th spot. The tour offers guests a curated, intimate tour of the Old City on a day trip to Jerusalem. It is the only tour operator from Israel featured on the list. The Premium Red Dunes & Camel Safari with BBQ at Al Khayma Camp in Dubai took first place in this category.

“I started this tour in 2018. It has some differences with the competition which make a huge difference for the modern traveler,” said Menno de Vries, founder of Jerusalem Boutique Tour, in an email to NoCamels. “We leave about two hours later, we do not switch buses and we have no forced visits to souvenir shops, instead we have coffee stops.”

During the tour, guests can explore the Old City and learn about important historical and religious sites. The tour allows people to bring their luggage along, so the tour can double as a transfer from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Guests choose from various starting points in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Israeli hotels win Tripadvisor travelers’ hearts

In the various hotel categories for the Travelers’ Choice Awards, Israeli businesses raked in the prizes.

The U Coral Beach Club (Fattal) and the Isrotel Lagoona, both in Eilat, ranked 14th and 24th, respectively, in the top 25 hotels for families worldwide. The Isrotel Lagoona also ranked 17th in the top 25 all-inclusive resorts internationally, and second in the all-inclusive resorts in the Mideast section. The U Coral Beach Club came in third in this last category with two more Eilat hotels – the Leonardo Club hotel and the Isrotel Sport Club – making the list in the 5th and 8th spots.

Tel Aviv hotels The Vera and Market House (Atlas Group) ranked 8th and 21st, respectively, in the top 25 hotels in the Middle East category. The Vera, a post-industrial boutique hotel offering guests a uniquely Tel Aviv hospitality experience, also ranked 16th in the top 25 luxury hotels in the region. The Rothschild Hotel in Tel Aviv took the 22nd spot in this category.

The list with, by far, the most award-winning Israeli hotels was the Top 25 Small Hotel – Middle East where hotels in Israel took 15 out of the 25 spots. These included the Rothschild 71 in the first place, followed by The Rothschild Hotel in second. The Efendi Hotel in Acre (owned by Uri Jeremias, the own of Uri Buri), the 21st Floor Hotel in Jerusalem, and the Villa Carmel Boutique Hotel in Haifa also made the list.

SEE ALSO: Israeli Startup That Connects Travelers With Local Doctors Gears Up For A Post-Corona World

Israeli hotels also nabbed awards in the Top 25 Hotels for Service – Middle East, winning seven of the spots in this category.

The post Israeli Hotels, Eateries Win Top Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards appeared first on NoCamels.

One such initiative is Delicious Experiences, an aptly named platform that connects foodies in one-on-one sessions with Michelin-starred restaurateurs, James Beard Award winners, bestselling cookbook authors, and other acclaimed culinary professionals. And it won’t break your budget.

“People are craving these kinds of global experiences,” says Inbal Baum, who founded Delicious Experiences with her husband, developer/consultant/entrepreneur, Tal Ater. “People want memorable, fun experiences. We’re creating the possibility for this.”

SEE ALSO: Delicious Israel: Off-The-Radar Tel Aviv Restaurant Picks To Start Off 2020

Indeed, social distancing and lockdown rules had a very sudden and substantial impact on many sectors. For the food and hospitality industries, typical after-work drinks, weekend get-togethers and dining out dates came to an abrupt halt.  

“The pandemic sort of forced the hospitality industry to rethink the way we operate, the use of technology was underutilized and I think there will be an expansion of its use to build and create experiences and relationships,” says award-winning Singapore-based bartender Joseph Haywood, who teaches an online workshop on how to create signature cocktails.

For Baum, international travel to Israel was a key part of her company, Delicious Israel, which offers guided food tours around the country. Thinking how to pivot and save her business, she decided to go online with virtual food tours. (Those have proven popular.)

But the notion that the “internet world” is borderless, sparked the idea for the new Delicious Experiences foray. The platform launched in late May from Tel Aviv, but it always had its sights on the global audience. 

“This is an online platform and we can offer mixology experiences out of Singapore, authentic cooking from Portugal, pasta making with chefs from Italy… We can have classes at all times,” says Baum. 

And it seems people want classes “at all times.” Online courses have surged in popularity since restrictions to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic became more widespread. Since March, web searches for online cooking classes, specifically, have shot up 300 percent, according to Google Trends.

People still want to feed their souls. 

Sourdough bread, banana bread, meatloaf, strawberry daquiris, margaritas, homemade ice cream, challah bread and naan bread recipes top global searches between March and July, according to Google Trends.  

You can say the world’s cuisine is a click away. 

Some chefs, mixologists, food authors and sommeliers pivoted to teaching online classes as their main gig while others choose to donate the cost of an online workshop to humanitarian causes.

“The point of the Delicious Experiences class is that I’m there to coach you through the experience. I offer not just my expertise but my patience and my empathy. My goal is that you finish the class with more confidence in the kitchen than you had when you started. The cheesesteak is just the delicious vehicle for making that happen,” says chef Ari Miller, who offers a workshop on the platform dedicated to Philadelphia flavors including how to make soft pretzels and the popular sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. 

“With many restaurants and bars experiencing temporary closures or a change to operations, I wanted to help the cocktail enthusiast still experience flavorful drinks, even if it is in the comfort of their own home,” mixologist Haywood tells NoCamels, about the craft cocktails class he offers. 

COVID-19 restrictions vary from city to city, country to country. But even as society is slowly reopening, individuals, corporate teams and communities are continuing to turn to digital courses and virtual tours.

After all, breaking bread together has always been part of the human story and is an important part of culture.

“People are open to new kinds of experiences online,” says Baum. “Zoom fatigue is not relevant to what we’re offering. You’re not just watching the screen, you’re active. When you’re in the kitchen cooking or sipping cocktails, you’re engaged. Even online, there is a feeling of togetherness even if you’re not physically there together.”

Miller, who honed his culinary skills in Tel Aviv, and now serves as executive chef of Musi (one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America) and Frizwit (home of the cheesesteak named Best in Philly), agrees that feeling togetherness online is possible.

“Togetherness is something that is created in different ways. Now, togetherness is a sense of community and that can be built virtually. It’s not new to the COVID-era but it’s more common now,” Miller tells NoCamels.

“You can make the same dish with friends all in their own homes and be together by sharing this meal. Samin Nosrat’s ‘The Big Lasagna’ is an excellent extreme example of that,” he says, referring to the American chef’s Instagram Live lasagna project in May that called on people to cook together online.  

Online cooking classes lack the excitement of a restaurant or bar ambiance. For Haywood, the video conferencing technology still allows us to enjoy one another’s company and share good conversation over food.   

“I am a firm believer that the social aspect of restaurants and bars are just as important as the actual food and cocktails themselves. While many places have converted to delivery models for food and cocktails, it still misses that touch of personality. I think Delicious Experiences fills that gap, by not only pleasing the taste buds but giving the human interaction that we all want as well,” says Haywood.

Baum is not trying to replace the dining out experience. But she is sure the culinary platform she built is not a temporary alternative but rather a “kind of experience that is going to stay.” 

Miller, who recently re-opened his restaurants in the US, agrees. 

These online classes are “in response to the COVID-19 reality but with a vision that extends past it,” Miller tells NoCamels via email. “Even when travel resumes, this is still a fun, quick respite from daily life anywhere in the world, without having to hop on a plane for a whole vacation. It’s a Sunday afternoon with some friends. And you get to grow a bit as a cook. It’s not just about the food, it’s also the technique.”

SEE ALSO: Israel’s Only Food Tech Hub Has Something Cooking In The Kitchen

Indeed, online culinary classes allow people to experience foodie fun from around the world while adding techniques to their repertoire. And they support the chefs, mixologists and sommeliers who saw their industries in pieces.

Says Haywood: “So many industries have been hit extremely hard at this time, as a mixologist or any member of the hospitality industry it has been extremely humbling to see the amount of support for restaurants and bars by their local communities all around the world.”

Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. www.vivaspress.com

The post Delicious Experiences: Israeli Online Platform Brings International Cuisine To Your Home appeared first on NoCamels.

The winners were announced on Wednesday. The Grand Prize Winner and Photographer of the Year Award went to British street photographer Dimpy Bhalotia for her image “Flying Boys.” First, Second and Third Place Photographer of the Year Awards went to Artyom Baryshau of Russia with “No Walls,” where blue stripes fade into an even bluer sky; Geli Zhao of China for an untitled image of sheets catching wind on a cloudy day; and Saif Hussain of Iraq with “Sheikh Of Youth,” a portrait of an elderly man caught between aspects of himself.

There were also award winners in 18 categories such as Animals, Architecture, Children, City Life, Environment, Landscape, Lifestyle, Nature, Panorama, People, Portrait, Still Life, Sunset, Travel, and Trees.

All photographers compete for the four IPPAWARDS Photographers of the Year Award, as well as second and third place entries. The top three winners receive a prize to be announced later.

Futerman, 22, was the only Israeli photographer to have won a prize this year.

He was traveling and volunteering in New Zealand for three months when he took the award-winning photo of the Kea with his iPhone XR.

“The picture actually happened mostly by chance. I was hiking up the Kepler Track in the South Island of New Zealand, one of the most well-known tracks in the country. As I reached the summit of Mt. Luxmore, I kneeled down to take a photo of the magnificent landscape. Suddenly, this amazing kea landed right in front of me and I managed to capture this frame. The kea is the only alpine parrot in the world and is very prominent around New Zealand,” he tells NoCamels in an interview.

Futerman, who dabbles in photography as a hobby between working two jobs in security and digital marketing, says he entered the competition because he knew he had a winning photo and wanted people around the world to see the beauty of this creation, he tells NoCamels.

“I actually heard of the competition from searching the web. I wasn’t too worried as I knew the photo I had was a special one. I usually don’t enter competitions, unless I think there’s a real chance I might win,” he says.

“Honestly, New Zealand is so magnificently beautiful, it’s hard to take a bad photo,” he adds.

First place in the Nature category went to Lisl Li from China for his “Untitled” black and white photograph of a waterfall shot on an iPhone 7 Plus. Third place went to Jiawen Wu from Singapore for his photo “Journey to the Lava Field” taken in Hawai with an iPhone 6.

The IPP Awards is the first and longest-running iPhone photography competition. First founded in 2007, IPPAWARDS has celebrated the creativity of iPhone photographers since the iPhone first began to inspire and engage users worldwide. For over a decade, IPPAWARDS has annually selected the very best shots among thousands of images submitted by iPhone photographers from more than 140 countries around the world.

Winners are selected by esteemed jury members in a multi-step process.

Members of the jury review all entries and judge images on the basis of artistic merit, originality, subject, and style and ultimately decide the winners.

Photographers are only allowed to use an iPhone or iPad with the use of add-on lenses permissible. It was also permissible to use any IOS apps.

This year marks the 13th Annual Awards with submissions
from thousands of photographers from all over the globe.

The work of the top winner and the first, second, and third place Winners on each category are publicized on IPPAWARDS online gallery and any published IPPAWARDS materials. All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each category receive an IPPAWARDS certificate. IPPAWARDS judges will also award several Honorable Mentions.

Entries for the 14th annual IPPAWARDS are already being accepted. Deadline for entries is March 31, 2021.

The post Israeli Photographer Wins 2020 iPhone Photo Award For Stunning New Zealand Shot appeared first on NoCamels.

The program is based on an annual survey that asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe and rate “airlines, airports, car-rental agencies, cities, cruise ships, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands, islands, tour operators, and safari outfitters,” according to the magazine.

This year, the travel survey closed on March 2, just before widespread orders to stay at home were implemented across Europe, the Middle East, and later, the United states, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The results reflect our readers’ experiences before the pandemic, but we hope that this year’s honorees will inspire your trips to come — whenever they may be,” Travel + Leisure Associate Editor Hannah Walhout wrote in an article highlighting the winners.

Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, the high-end hotel just minutes away Jaffa Gate and the Old City, ranked third in the magazine’s “Best City Hotels in North Africa and the Middle East” category.

Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities, Travel + Leisure wrote.

The first spot in the category went to the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai, which the magazine calls a landmark in the city’s skyline. Travel + Leisure says this hotel is “iconic” and that it “excels at pure, unadulterated luxury” thanks to a private beachfront, Michelin star chefs, and a massive 18th-floor spa, according to the magazine.

In the “Top Resort Hotels in Africa and the Middle East” category, the Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon in southern Israel ranked third, moving up two spots from last year’s awards where it came in fifth in the same category. Two years ago, it also placed third.

The Kasbah Tamadot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco ranked first in this category for the second year in a row. Travel + Leisure said it was “ideally located for seeing Morocco’s more rustic side” and praised its isolated location (one hour from the Marrakesh airport) and authentic on-site restaurant.

In the “10 best cities in Africa and the Middle East” category, Jerusalem ranked fifth, slipping from second place last year, and Tel Aviv ranked sixth, for the second year in a row. Marrakesh, Morocco came in first, moving up from third place last year, while Cape Town, South Africa came in second, Fez, Morocco came in third, and Beirut, Lebanon came in fourth respectively.

The magazine praised the top cities in Africa and the Middle East for their “incredible diversity.”

It was also noted that Jerusalem is a WBA Hall of Fame honoree. The designation means that Jerusalem has been voted onto this specific World’s Best Awards list consecutively for the past 10 years.

Tel Aviv ranked sixth on the list for the second year in a row. Even as the city started a local campaign to offer deals to Israelis who book overnight stays at the city’s many hotels, Tel Aviv’s tourism industry has been hard-hit by the ongoing pandemic. Many of its cultural events, including the city’s annual Pride Parade, have been postponed or canceled.

The post Jerusalem, TLV, Waldorf Astoria Among Travel + Leisure’s Best Of 2020 Awards appeared first on NoCamels.

They are opening back up to a changed world: one where dividers are placed at checkout counters, temperature checks, limits to the number of people allowed inside a space, and masks and hand sanitizers at every corner.

SEE ALSO: Fashionable Face Masks Are The Accessory Of The Future, Say Israeli Designers

While cultural establishments such as museums and art galleries have been using the lockdown to hone in on their virtual offerings, like guided tours and webinars, they are also beginning to open their doors to the public.

NoCamels features six museums and galleries that will welcome patrons this summer with new exhibits.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art held its opening event on Monday, June 1, saluting medical teams in Israel and inviting them to view the museum’s flagship exhibits.

The museum closed its doors in March, just days after the opening of “Jeff Koons: Absolute Value – From The Marie and Jose Mugrabi Collection,” the acclaimed American artist’s first solo exhibit in Israel. The exhibit will reopen on Tuesday, June 2, with Koons’ pop-art sculptures from different parts of his career spanning the last three decades on view in the museum’s largest exhibition space, the 850-square meter gallery in the Herta and Paul Amir Building.

Alongside Koons’ works are exhibitions by international artists like William Kentridge, Rachel McLean, and Raymond Pettibon, solo exhibitions by Israeli artists Karen Russo and Daniel Tsal, as well as group exhibitions of international art, and exhibitions from the museum’s Israeli art collection.

The reopening of the museum includes a virtual exhibit in New York City’s Time Square, held in conjunction with the Israeli-owned New York gallery ZAZ10TS. The exhibit, which is a tribute to Israeli art, will also be broadcast on the museum’s social media pages.

The museum will offer a new voice guide app for visitors who want to practice social distancing and tickets will be sold online.

“Jeff Koons: Absolute Value – From The Marie and Jose Mugrabi Collection,” Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Now until October 2020, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays from 12pm to 6pm, Thursdays from 3pm to 9pm and Fridays from 10am to 3pm.

Design Museum Holon

The Holon municipality declares face masks to be the new “cultural heroes” (Hebrew) of the era, and will be on display in the gardens of the Design Holon Museum as part of an outdoor exhibit called “Face: Safe” from June 10. The exhibit features masks created by several designers, artists, and groups that reveal their own design-oriented version of the “new normal.”

Participating designers include multidisciplinary artist Mimi Ziv, a lecturer at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art , Meital Kapta Elyakim, a coordinator at the Association of the Deaf in Israel, Franklin Tavares, a Brazilian-born fashion designer based in Tel Aviv, and Prof. Tamir Shafer, head of the Visual Communication Department at the Holon Institute of Technology.

“In the new reality that we have embraced, as masking becomes a must, it was clear that the masks would ignite the imagination of designers, fashion houses, and creative people around the world,” said curator Rafi Vazana, ‘“Making lemonade out of lemons has become a motto, and designing masks created an occupation for designers around the world and gave them the opportunity to create something unique, with a personal motto and aesthetic.”

The museum itself has yet to reopen.

Face: Safe, Design Museum Holon Gardens, June 10 – August 31, 2020

Bat Yam Museum of Art

The Bat Yam Museum of Art will reopen on June 6, with a solo exhibition by artist Eli Petel entitled “Since Measurements Began.” The exhibit was originally scheduled to open on March 19, but was shut down along with the rest of the museum just two days prior when a general closure was announced in Israel due to the coronavirus crisis.

In the exhibit, Eli Petel delves into the inseparable link between interior and exterior, and the realization that they are one. The first move he initiated upon entering the space, was opening up these obstructions of the museum building, which is often described as a Brutalist floating pavilion constructed in 1961. He tore down the dry board partitions and reopened the windows.

The exhibit is comprised of about 30 works that can be called photographs. Mostly taken in the street, in the market, or in the studio, the photographs capture mundane moments and sights devoid of an aura, including mud and filth accumulating around a drain, banana peels in various stages of rotting, or the metal grille on the studio door. Every detail and manifestation is valuable and requires accuracy and attention, Patel says.

“Since Measurements Began,” Bat Yam Museum of Art, June 6 – October 10, 2020, 10am-4pm

Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art

The Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art reopened May 18 with an exhibit that had first opened just before the museum had shuttered as part of the country’s coronavirus lockdown. “Portrait Time II,” a group exhibit focusing on portraits and their significance, is comprised of seven solo exhibitions by Leonid Balaklav, Iddo Markus, Jan Rauchwerger, Aharon Shaul Schur, Elie Shamir, and Michal Mamit Worke, and a show of Portraits from the Collection. These exhibitions, which originally planned to close in June, will now be on display through August 2020.

“Portrait Time II”, The Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Now until August 2020, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 am. – 2 pm. and Tuesday and Thursday, 4 pm. – 8 pm.

Galerie Charlot

Galerie Charlot was created by Valérie Hasson Benillouche in 2010 in Paris to promote innovative contemporary art practices. Particularly sensitive to emerging art forms, Galerie Charlot focuses on the relation between art, technology and science. In May 2017 Galerie Charlot opened a second space in Tel Aviv-Yafo.

As the gallery slowly reopens, it focuses on digital art with an exhibition that first opened in February by Ron Aloni and Antoine Schmidt called Data Thread. Data Thread is a reflection on digital art, questioning the notions of “palatability” in various artistic forms and practices. The exhibit aims to find the link between the artists. Schmitt’s pixels create movement, ripples, and a ripple through generative artworks using new technology tools. Ron Alon’s metal segments are punctuated with weaving forming endless knots.

Tel Aviv-based artist Ron Aloni sculpts organic forms sometimes linked to the marine or astral universe and through weaving, creates forms that are both aerial and whose presence reflects a force. His sculptures, which are wall-mounted, suspended, or simply placed on the ground, have colors linked to metallic material and fluorescent. Parisian-based artist Antoine Schmidt creates installations that address the processes of movement in all of their modalities.

“Data Thread – Ron Aloni – Antoine Schmitt, Galerie Charlot, Saturdays, 11am – 3pm, Now until June 27, 2020

Tower of David Museum

Jerusalem museums are taking their time to reopen. The Tower of David Museum located in the Old City will reopen on June 17 with a new exhibition that will take visitors through a musical journey of the last 150 years in Jerusalem. Visitors will be able to enjoy all the open spaces including the courtyard of the citadel and the moat.

There is a new audio guide for the Kishle excavations that will allow people to delve into Jerusalem’s history and discover the foundations to King Herod’s palace.

The museum recommends that visitors check its website for the most up to date details and opening times.

The post Culture and Masks: Israeli Museums and Galleries Reopen With Fanfare appeared first on NoCamels.

Officials have recommended against buying traditional N95 or surgical masks, mainly because they want to leave them for the health care workers. In recent weeks, Israel has faced a shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks, for medical workers though that has changed in recent weeks due to shipments from China, and deliveries coordinated by the Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency.

Meanwhile, fashion designers, artists, seamstresses, and textile industry workers are suddenly finding themselves out of work, like 25 percent of Israeli population currently jobless. Besides not being able to open their businesses, general spending on non-essential items such as clothes, art, and jewelry has been affected. Many in the industry have felt compelled to help the best way they know how.

While there’s been no official call in Israel on the apparel industry to make face masks, unlike in New York, many of these fashion and fabric experts have started their own initiatives to make them — using patterned cloths, unique patchwork, and fun-loving designs.

Tel Aviv-based fashion entrepreneur Dana Kira and restauranteur Alon Levi saw both of their businesses come to a grinding halt when lockdown measures were put in place last month amid the coronavirus outbreak. They were both looking for what to do next when, separately, they contacted a mutual Batel Bar Giora, a fashion designer with Israeli brand Feyge. She made the connection between the two after realizing they had the same idea — to create handcrafted face masks from reusable cloth.

The idea behind their product is to make colorful and quality cloth masks that can be reused, in order to minimize waste, and give people an alternative to disposable masks, which are necessary for health care workers, Alon Levi writes in an email to NoCamels.

Kira contacted fellow designers in Tel Aviv, such as Amit Shalom from Israeli brand BoBo who donated leftover materials from their businesses. This gave the duo a supply of fun, colorful and unique designs. All masks are sewn locally.

“It is very important for us to make our masks accessible so anyone can afford them,” explains Levi. The masks are sold at two apiece for NIS 68 ($19). A range of masks is found on the brand’s Instagram page. Free delivery is available anywhere in Israel.

They aren’t the only ones who found themselves looking to fill a void. Ruth Lenk, a Netanya-based quilter and art teacher started a Facebook page in November to sell her quilts. Sewing masks only followed when she created masks for family members to follow the Health Ministry’s directive.

Lenk tells NoCamels she was encouraged by those family members to start selling those masks on her page, The Creative Adult, and decided to launch an initiative to donate a mask to a hospital worker every time she sold one. She says she is also looking to donate masks to elderly care facilities and programs for at-risk kids. Lenk sends photos of options to customers who choose what they like and says she has been overwhelmed by the interest she has received.

Yarden Oz, a 28-year old wedding and evening dress designer who has designed bridal gowns for some 400 women, found herself without work when Israeli wedding celebrations were limited to small numbers and then banned altogether. She decided to take the opportunity to design a collection of fashionable fabric masks that “will bring some color and joy to this era” and support the battered economy, she writes on the official website of her brand, Happy People. Her mask designs are also found on her Instagram page.

Some designers have even drawn inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea. Doraya Avital Kancepolsky, a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art of Design and Oryan Asher specialize in designing and manufacturing small collections of carefully hand-crafted products based on their lifestyle;
both designers live in neighboring boats on the Tel Aviv Marina. They named their brand, Fishi Fish.

The pair came up with the idea to make masks some two weeks ago when health authorities announced it would be mandatory for people to wear them outdoors. Their masks are typically adorned with patches featuring handmade design elements such as fish skeletons or eyes. Customers can also order masks with no design.

“It all happened really fast,” Kancepolsky tells NoCamels. “I spent all night sewing samples and by the next evening we had already put them up for sale.”

“The new situation imposed by the coronavirus obligates us to reorganize and adapt to a new and unfamiliar lifestyle. If six months ago I would have left the house with such a mask on my face, people would either think I’m crazy or suspect that I’m about to rob a bank. But the mask is going to be an inseparable part of our apparel in the next few months,” she adds.

Face masks from Israeli design schools

Students and faculty from textile and design departments at two of Israel’s top design schools have also created their own stylish masks as the new “accessory of the future.”

Ori Topaz, an independent designer and researcher at The David & Barbara Blumenthal Israel Center for Innovation and Research in Textiles, also known as CIRTex, at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, recently created a DIY video to show viewers how to make a mask at home that is both functional and stylish. The video was prepared as part of a group collaboration to promote “effective steps in the reduction of the spread of coronavirus,” she tells NoCamels.

The group, which brings together researchers of different expertise, includes partners such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D).

Topaz initially prepared a DIY video with sewing, but quickly realized that in order to make the video more helpful to the general population, a video also needed to be made without it.

“The first step was to give a quick and easy way of protection without the need for using a sewing machine. Later on, we would recommend a list of household anti-viral materials, which can be used with the insert layer of the mask. With these materials, we can elevate the mask protection of the person wearing it. These materials are still being tested,” Topaz says.

Topaz created a pattern that can help create the shape of the mask and includes a pocket that is filled with tissue to give it an extra layer of protection. Topaz says researchers from the group are currently testing a list of household products that contain active ingredients for disinfection that can be integrated with the tissue layer.

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design student Yael Mordecay found herself in a unique predicament when a protective face mask she created as part of a first-semester project that dealt with future scenarios became a smart and stylish aid for a world problem that is hitting the entire world.

“I decided to deal with air pollution, which will become a significant issue in the future. The course’s main focus was wearable technology, so I looked for wearable protection against air pollution and how I can make people more aware of it,” she tells NoCamels.

“The mask is built on the same principles of the N95 masks that are also capable of filtering coronavirus,” she explains. “The case for the mask has two functions — the first is a sensor that monitors the air around it and notifies the user when to put on the mask. The second use is the UV light that turns on once the mask is inside the case to keep it sterile for repeated use.”

One of the most unusual elements of the mask is that it is strapless. This is done using a special adhesive that is usable on the skin and reusable after the mask is taken off. Mordecay said she wanted the mask to be “comfortable, light and compact” for everyday use.

She says it was a “coincidence” that the outbreak began to occur so soon after the course ended.

“My mask can help people who feel awkward about putting on a normal white medical mask to the point that they might choose to not put on a mask at all. For example, you can look at glasses as a medical aid for people with bad eyesight but it is a fashion accessory nonetheless,” she says.

The post Fashionable Face Masks Are The Accessory Of The Future, Say Israeli Designers appeared first on NoCamels.

With only takeout and delivery options left, industry operators are scrambling to find ways to cope with the challenges in an effort to minimize financial and other losses.

SEE ALSO: Nurturing And Tough: The Israeli Women Blazing Trails In Tel Aviv’s Culinary Scene

The new reality that hospitality professionals are facing poses a myriad of challenges. Delivery platforms like Wolt and 10bis collect an average of between 20 and 30 percent of the cost of a menu item, making it difficult for businesses to turn a significant profit on those orders. When the only orders coming in are from those platforms, it is very challenging for businesses to afford to stay open.

With the unfortunate turn of events, restaurants, bakeries, cafes and local makers that were previously not offering takeout or delivery options have embraced the solution as a way to keep a small part of their staff employed, and the majority of their customers satisfied. However, the onboarding process with such service providers does take time and, now more than ever, longer wait periods are to be expected due to the exorbitant number of sign up requests coming in.

“In the past couple of weeks, tens of restaurants, most of which do not have any delivery capabilities of their own, have approached Wolt to enlist our delivery services. In order to keep up, we have had to hire hundreds of couriers. We’ve also adapted our onboarding process to be completely virtual. We are trying to take care of everyone’s needs, so we have also instituted a financial relief plan for any Wolt couriers, who operate as freelancers that have tested positive for the coronavirus since we know they cannot and will not work,” shares Dvory Kerzhner, publicist for Wolt Israel.

Kerzhner tells NoCamels that Wolt is helping “many restaurants increase their customer base and reach new audiences.” Many of the eateries find Wolt’s service beneficial as “they do not have to set up and operate their own delivery system (at a very high cost), but rely on an existing platform that offers fast and high-quality delivery so that customers are satisfied and keep ordering again and again.”

Wolt’s customer base of over 700 restaurants turned to the company’s delivery platform even before the pandemic and know its “many benefits,” Kerzhner says. Wolt allows “small and large businesses to continue to make a profit even during a crisis like the one now.”

Some owners have had to shut down operations altogether, citing a variety of reasons. Prominent Tel Aviv fixtures such as Hudson Brasserie, Claro and Taizu, have all closed their doors to the public, posting statements on their social media accounts with a shared message that, due to the new rules, they can no longer stay open without posing health risks to their employees and customers, but that they hope to be back as soon as the situation improves.

In reality, the fine dining establishments halting operations are just not well suited to undertaking the sharp pivot required to stay in business. Restaurants that serve elegantly plated dishes, placed on freshly pressed white linens and priced above the market average, are not offering an experience that can be replicated with take-out containers on someone’s cozy living room couch. On the other hand, with no indication of how long this pandemic will last, it remains too early to tell if some of the operators will need to rethink their decisions in the coming weeks.

Switching gears

Meanwhile, a fair number of proprietors in the food and beverage industry have risen to the coronavirus-occasion, making swift and significant changes in their concepts and daily offerings to do so.

Trendy restaurants like Nit Noi, a brand new Asian fusion pop up located in the Tel Aviv port’s Shuk Tzafon farmers market, have switched to takeout only, whereas only days ago, guests were encouraged to dine at the counter. Hospitality giants like R2M Group have expanded delivery offerings for their Delicatessen and Bakery concepts to cities like Ramat Hasharon and Herzliya, recognizing the demand for high-quality baked goods outside of Tel Aviv, too.

Savvy modern farmers like Yarookale have made it possible for customers to order fresh salad greens, herbs and edible flowers to their homes instead of dropping by their south Tel Aviv location, providing access to nutritionally dense foods in a time when most people have been stockpiling boxes of pasta and other shelf-stable grocery items.

Another company, ASHI, that generally wholesales fresh fruits and vegetables only to commercial clients like restaurants and hotels, has made the switch to home deliveries in light of the recent situation, too.

“We will make it work, we have no other choice,” says Jo Yaish, who owns the company along with husband Boaz. “We can deliver our fresh produce directly to the clients’ doors. They can pay through an app or credit card, so there is zero contact. People are extremely worried that food will run out, or that they will be unable to buy what they need to feed and take care of their families. We will ensure that customers know we can provide what they need, that day or the very next day, and for fair, low prices.”

But even successfully making lemonade from a really bad batch of lemons has its obstacles. Revenues are tight, and some owners have had to lay off many, most or all of their employees to keep overhead at a minimum. To try and mitigate this problem, the Israeli National Insurance Institute has offered unemployment benefits to employees laid off due to the coronavirus closures, with their web servers temporarily crashing on Tuesday after over 100,000 visitors tried to apply for assistance in a short period of time.

Fear of contamination between couriers and customers runs deep, and restaurants have had to repeatedly emphasize the stringent sanitation methods that have been implemented in light of recent events. Companies like Wolt have also stepped in to guarantee the option of contactless delivery, easing the minds of wary customers and enabling controlled support for quarantined ones.

Some spots, like Pizza Porto in Tel Aviv, have been sponsoring sarcastic posts such as, “We’re sorry. We don’t understand. Why is everyone complaining about this beer? What’s wrong about not going to work, sitting in bed and watching Netflix and, most importantly, ordering our food through Wolt, without getting out of your pajamas? If you ask us, it’s a dream come true.”

Another hurdle these foodpreneurs are facing head-on is designing an effective marketing strategy. At a time when people may be feeling like the end of the world is near, creating engaging content that feels appropriate, and is reflective of the current situation, can be difficult.

Others have been releasing content that plays on the panic-buying that so many Israelis are guilty of committing, including the rush to purchase all of the toilet paper. Abulafia Bakery, with locations in Tel Aviv and a flagship location in Jaffa, teamed up with Wolt to offer frozen versions of their famous baked goods for home delivery, with a promise to include “an exclusive roll of toilet paper” with all orders.

Fast-casual outlet Yashka, named by Fodor’s as one of the best Shawarma spots in Tel Aviv in 2018, is also offering a free Corona beer perk, for any orders exceeding 80 shekels.

Israel’s new normal

Restaurant, coffee shop, bakery, grocery and bar owners are not the only ones having to deal with this “new normal.” Freelancers working within the food and hospitality realms have had to reinvent their day-to-day as well, pivoting their business models to attract new work, as old jobs, opportunities and contracts have died out with the spread of the novel coronavirus.

For someone like Yotam Ben Bassat, owner of the brand Culinary Host, transitioning from catering large-format culinary events, such as weddings and festivals, to cooking from home for the neighboring area was his piece de resistance, a daring attempt to salvage what’s left of a platform that has been banned in totality for legitimate fear of spreading the virus.

“I’ve always been an optimistic person. I’m just staying focused on this new model with the goal of succeeding. So far, my regular clients have embraced this approach and I hope to reach a new and diverse clientele through this effort as well,” Bassat tells NoCamels via email.

In contrast, chefs like Felix Rosenthal of Felix Chef Kitchen that specialize in family-style meal delivery, and already have a strong client base, have added additional dates to their delivery calendars to keep up with the growing demand for food catered by private chefs. 

Perhaps the most innovative concept being brought to life amidst this crisis is a live wine-tasting hosted by Dor Zalel, founder of the Facebook-based Foodies Community. What makes this exploratory wine session unique is that each participant receives a delivery of three bottles of wine, paired with complementary sensory aromatics, to their home, and then, at the right date and time, tunes in to a live Facebook webinar with a prominent local sommelier that virtually guides them through the tasting.

“It was very ironic. We scheduled this webinar over two months ago, long before this coronavirus dilemma entered our lives. We curated this platform to match what we saw as a growing desire from people who want to experience culinary events or attractions without leaving their homes, or having to attend with the same group of people, over and over again. And then the coronavirus hit,” Zalel tells NoCamels.

When asked about how he thinks the program will fare, he says that on one hand, “the crisis reaffirms the need for more workshops like these. On the other hand, we are all stuck in a place with little to no financial certainty or guarantees for our personal wellbeing, and people are hesitant to make concrete plans given the current state of affairs.”

Time will tell

The rate at which the Israeli government is adapting regulations to effectively fight the COVID-19 pandemic may be painful for citizens to internalize. Some have been treating public safety stipulations as mere suggestions. At a live press conference on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted to having seen photos and videos of Israeli citizens at the beach, eating out and, in response, made a desperate plea. “This isn’t a child’s game. It is a matter of life and death. In this pandemic, love means keeping your distance.”

If the situation does not improve soon, the measures put in place for businesses in the food and beverage spheres may worsen to the point where most businesses will have to shutter completely.

According to the owner of Shroitman Bakery in Tel Aviv, chef Eran Shroitman, his business will never have to close because the government considers it to be a provider of an essential and basic food item: bread.

SEE ALSO: Get A Taste Of Israeli Hospitality – And Delicious Meals – With These Social Dining Initiatives

“In the event of a complete and total economic shutdown, we must continue to bake our breads in support of the community and people that need this sustenance the most,” he explained. The highly regarded baker tells NoCamels that business has been slower than usual. But the bakery will soon be introducing home deliveries to help alleviate the decline in in-store sales.

Not having a dedicated governing body that is responsible for representing the Israeli restaurant industry nearly guarantees that, especially in times like these, there is almost no one to advocate for them, encourage innovation and fundamentally support the many hundreds of small to medium-sized business owners facing economic instability. The only option for these foodpreneurs is to band together and share resources, but only time will tell if what they have managed to put together will be enough to endure what is to come.

The post Israeli Foodpreneurs Adapt Culinary Concepts To Coronavirus Reality appeared first on NoCamels.

Hours and days at home have many capitulating to Netflix or mindlessly scrolling social media while attempting to keep children busy.

While museums, clubs, and other recreational establishments have also closed, they’ve made a dedicated effort to stay on the radar, not only to connect with their patrons but also to offer those cooped up at home some options amidst a harsher reality.

NoCamels highlights six of these institutions, programs, apps, and courses and how they’re helping to offer comfort and entertainment and infuse culture into Israel’s new normal.

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Google Arts & Culture has partnered with over 500 museums and galleries to feature virtual tours and online exhibits from the most famous museums around the world.

Among prestigious names such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, is The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Google’s platform gives a detailed description of the museum — perhaps best known for housing the Dead Sea Scrolls — and allows viewers to experience virtual reality tours from the museum.

The museum offers one online exhibit called “Questions of Identity,” as part of the platform, featuring historical costumes from the museum’s collection. It also has galleries made up of paintings of Israel, sculptures, ceramics, and more.

NoCamels spoke to Professor Ido Bruno, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the museum, about other virtual projects on the agenda now that most tourists have left the country (Prof. Bruno said they made up 50 percent of the visitors) and residents are staying home.

“We are looking at opportunities for what to do in this situation,” Prof. Bruno tells NoCamels, “One of them is to augment our remote facilities.”

Alongside the museum’s official website, which features descriptions of all the exhibits in the museum as well as galleries of permanent collections, the staff is in the midst of creating a mini-website devoted to interactive live broadcasts, new formats of virtual tours (self-guided and guided), and innovative ways to present material from the museum including discussions with curators, artists or professionals from the museum’s laboratories involved in the extensive restoration of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other projects.

SEE ALSO: Israel To Shutter Schools, Universities As Fear Mount Over Coronavirus Spread

Members of the staff have been filming at recently opened exhibitions, which the public has not had a chance to see due to the coronavirus outbreak. The filming,  conducted in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s directives, is aimed at bringing the exhibits to the public through remote viewing and online access to all of the museum’s contents.

Professor Bruno says to expect the launch of this additional website in the coming days.

Tower of David Museum

Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum was set to launch an immersive VR and AR gaming experience at their location in the heart of the Old City next week. It was a project they had been working on for two years. But alas, the spread of COVID-19 has thrown Israel for a loop and all of the country’s museums, including this one, have closed.

In cooperation with Blimey TV, the extended reality (XR/VR/AR) and 360 production studio housed in the museum, and OccupiedVR, a Canadian full-service VR/AR/XR production house, as well as the TOD Innovation Lab, and in what the TOD museum calls “the most complex volumetric VR project produced in Jerusalem to date,” the viewer can now “travel” to Jerusalem from his own home. This virtual reality documentary, dubbed The Holy City, portrays Jerusalem’s Old City through a transcendent stereoscopic 360 degrees.

“For the first time, the holiest sites of Jerusalem have been captured using both volumetric scanning, and Stereo 360 VR filming. In the most complex volumetric VR project produced in Jerusalem to date, an inter-faith team of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim innovators has brought their unique perspectives to the magic and wonder of Jerusalem,” a statement from the museum said.

Using cutting edge 3D video and audio capture technologies allowed the team to capture real environments in unparalleled detail, and through exclusive relationships with key local religious figures, according to the museum’s statement. The team was granted unforeseen access to key Holy sites throughout Jerusalem; including The Western Wall, The Holy Sepulchre, Al-Aqsa mosque and The Dome Of The Rock.

For the first time since 1992, three monotheistic religions (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) were supposed to have celebrated their holidays Passover, Easter, and Ramadan all within the same month, with Jerusalem pilgrims expected in the thousands. The coronavirus pandemic has restricted public gatherings and travel to Israel, but this virtual tour can be accessed on the TOD website from April 9 to 24 — the first day of Passover, through Easter weekend, and until the first day of Ramadan — on the TOD website free of charge.

Tel Aviv Museum

The Tel Aviv Museum is closed as of March 15 in accordance with the new guidelines, but patrons are invited to browse the website and social media networks for premium content such as virtual tours, varied video, audio guided tours, live broadcasts, courses, and lectures.

View this post on Instagram

☄️The Cosmos is now open @telavivmuseumofart through the end of May. Documentation by Gideon Levin @181maalot Interactive tour and full documentation available online. Link in bio ☄️ “First, I would like each of you to ask one question. Just one. Because you can’t answer more than one question at once. Indeed, if each of you asks one question, there will be numerous questions and not one, but for the time being, as we begin our conversation, it is possible. Don’t think that I know everything. Not even much. I only hope I can clarify something for you which will give you a certain measure of satisfaction. Here, you see the world. The world you see is a fraction of the cosmos. An extremely small, tiny fraction”. Avigdor Hameiri, The Cosmos: Astronomy for Youth and for Everyone (Tel Aviv: Sinai, 1955)

A post shared by Yonatan Vinitsky (@yonatanvinitsky) on Feb 18, 2020 at 1:18am PST

Currently, the museum has a 3D virtual tour of The Cosmos by artist Yonatan Vinitzky at the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art. The Cosmos is an installation that spreads over three floors, offering a model of an exhibition. Sixteen elements of the exhibit are designed at a 1:1 ratio but their very existence as concept and matter is a model. The title of the installation is taken from a book by Avigdor Hameiri (published 1955), which was the first attempt in Hebrew to communicate astronomy to adolescences. The curator of the exhibit is Dalit Matatyahu.

The weekend right before the museum was closed, thousands of visitors came to see the pop art sculptures of popular US artist Jeff Koons. The exhibition, “Absolute Value,” from the collection of Marie and Jose Mugrabi, presents a selection of large-scale works from different periods in Koons’ life. Photos from the exhibit can be seen on the museum’s Instagram page.

Tel Aviv Art Studio

The Tel Aviv Art Studio, known for its popular paint nights with a glass of wine, is offering pre-recorded classes for adults free of charge (found on the studio’s YouTube page in the coming days). The studio will also have live videos on its Facebook page — one was just uploaded on Monday about art materials that can be used in the home — and private classes for one-on-one sessions or small groups.

The studio’s founder, Natasha Gutman, has led art projects from her living room since she made aliyah in 2009, and when others started getting involved they encouraged her to open a space. Eleven years and four locations later, Gutman and her business partner Michal Berman opened the current studio near Dizengoff St. in December 2019.

“It’s about keeping connections with the locals,” she tells NoCamels.

Online Classes at Tel Aviv University

TAU Online – Center for Innovative Learning, founded by the university’s former president Prof. Joseph Klafter, is offering a variety of online classes where students, or anyone looking to study something new, can learn from the comfort of their own home and potentially learn academic credit.

For some classes, students can enroll through Coursera, the American online learning platform, for free or pay $49 to earn a certificate, though the courses are specifically offered by Tel Aviv University. Other classes are run through Campus IL, a national initiative run by Digital Israel in the Ministry of Social Equality and the Council for Higher Education to enable everyone in Israel to acquire education or in collaboration with other universities.

Unique classes offered on TAU Online range from modern Israeli history and the Middle East to information security, computer languages, and psychological science, to name a few. Students can choose from classes like The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem to Economic Growth and Distributive Justice.

TAU Online was founded in 2013 with the aim of redefining the university’s pedagogical vision and to adapt it to the digital age. Since its formation, the center has launched a variety of initiatives, developed projects, and built partnerships in order to make academia more accessible to a wider public.

Travel Trailer Israel

Travel Trailer Israel is a video library designed as a preview of Israel for tourists and travelers who are thinking about visiting. Through the series, found on the Travel Trailer app, the most popular and important sites around the country are shown, giving the traveler the visuals he or she needs to make informed decisions.

The library was developed by Uri Goldflam, a licensed tour guide and educator with over 27 years of experience who spent three years developing the videos and app before launching it last month. Goldflam told NoCamels he noticed that for every 10 Israelis who visited the country, there were 10 or so who didn’t. He also says he wanted to show travelers who were wavering on whether to visit an unfiltered version of Israel, the one you don’t see in the media.

Goldflam says that when people decide to come to Israel, they are usually hit with an overload of information. At about 90 seconds each, Travel Trailer videos are short, concise, and help portray Israel in a realistic but positive way.

Goldflam also says Travel Trailer is relevant to people who want to teach others about Israel. He encourages Israelis spending time at home to go through the library and use it as an educational resource. While Goldflam is only beginning to roll out travel videos and develop the app’s social media sites, he says he wants to eventually include more about Israeli society, culinary locations, and more.

SEE ALSO: Israel In Numbers: Snapshot Of A (Largely) Happy, Healthy Educated Nation

Goldflam says Travel Trailer can be the perfect tool for planning a future trip.

“The coronavirus will eventually be over. People will want to travel again,” he said.

The post In Coronavirus Isolation? 6 Ways To Get Your Culture Fix From The Couch appeared first on NoCamels.

And they are by far not the only ones. In Israel, female chefs like Naifa Mulla of experimental culinary platform L28 and Game of Chefs series winner Avishag Levy are just a few who have stood out for their creativity. 

In Tel Aviv, more specifically, a number of female chefs, restaurateurs and heads of hospitality groups are slowly redefining the local food culture, and blazing new trails in the city’s thriving dining scene while helping other women in the field.

SEE ALSO: Eat, Play, Love: An Insider’s Guide To Tel Aviv’s Hottest Restaurants And Hotels In 2019

Ruti Broudo is a prime example. As the co-founder of R2M, one of Tel Aviv’s largest and fastest-growing hospitality companies, Broudo oversees seven hotel and restaurant concepts in the city including Brasserie, CoffeeBar, Disco Tokyo, Herzl 16, and the acclaimed Hotel Montefiore.

Over the course of her career, Broudo has spent time in New York, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Paris to draw inspiration for the concepts that she has successfully transplanted in Israel. “My ambitious mentality and business-focused mindset has allowed me to recognize opportunities and to take the risks which I am passionate about. This has been the approach for all of our properties, as well as to add something aspirational and authentic that has not been done before in Tel Aviv,” Broudo tells NoCamels.

And she’s quite aware of the glass ceiling she has shattered. “I have broken down the general stereotype that comes with owning and operating a hospitality group. Although my partner is male, we are equals in this business. I hope that I can lead by example and empower other women to pursue whatever it is they want. Times are changing,” says Broudo on International Women’s Day 2020, marked on March 8.

Merav Barzilay, owner of organic, vegetarian institution Meshek Barzilay in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood, says she is doing what she can to promote talented women from within. “If given the choice between two equally capable and experienced candidates, I will almost always go with the woman. I try to hire women, support female farmers and makers, and host pop-ups and workshops with fellow female chefs. Women get a bad rap for being crazy or emotional, or whatever it is they say about us. But, generally speaking, I find women to be effortless to work with,” Barzilay points out. 

“Israeli women are nurturing, but tough, and that’s how I approach my restaurant from a business perspective,” Barzilay tells NoCamels.

From a culinary perspective, she adds, “our people are known for turning Israel, a country awash in swamps and endless expanses of desert, into some of the most agriculturally productive land and soil in the world. We respect our land and know how to cultivate it. That appreciation and diligence inform everything about Meshek Barzilay.”

“We have so many different climates in Israel – the lush Golan, the cool Jerusalem hills, the hot, dry desert, the salty coast. We produce so much for such a small country, and our agricultural technology is some of the best in the world. The food system does more than impact our cooking, it is our cooking. We have a hyper-seasonal menu. We only serve what grows within our borders, and that leaves plenty to choose from,” she emphasizes.

Meshek Barzilay’s winter menu includes a soup of mushroom broth and roasted chestnuts, cabbage steak with homemade feta, and a winter citrus salad. The restaurant’s breakfast menu – and Israeli breakfast is hailed worldwide – offers an asparagus omelet, chickpeas and cauliflower shakshuka, and of course Israeli salad with raw tahini (seaweed and sprouts are optional.) Meshek Barzilay also has a Delicatessen, with a prepared food bar for takeaway or delivery, an organic grocery, a shake counter, and a bakery.

Vegan and fresh in Tel Aviv

For chefs like Shirel Berger of vegan eatery Opa, in Tel Aviv’s Levinsky Market, opening a restaurant in Israel was a deliberate choice.

“There is something in the earth here that is really good. The climate, the vegetables and fruits are top-notch – better than anywhere I’ve ever traveled to. The potential for agricultural progression here is huge. This is why I chose to open in Israel and not anywhere else,” she tells NoCamels.

Although Berger spent time staging at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s famous New York City outpost, ABC Kitchen, the plan was always to come home. “My work at ABC Kitchen really pushed me from every direction to become a perfectionist. It was one of the most defining moments of my culinary career.”

Opa is quite unique in Tel Aviv – a city known as the “vegan capital” of the world – combining plant-based and health-conscious offerings with fine dining and minimalism both from a culinary perspective and decor. White onion with plum vinegar and golden berries, and white yam in fermented mushroom stock with aged apple vinegar and chives are just of the few items currently on the seasonal menu.

Berger makes the fruits and vegetables on each dish the focal point and works to creatively enhance the flavors through salting, dehydrating, braising and fermenting techniques. Each dish is centered around one main ingredient – the fruit or vegetable – which is then transformed into different elements like sauces, jams, and dressings.

Israeli hospitality

From street food to fine dining, the melting pot of food cultures in Israel is as diverse as it is abundant, and it almost always begins with a story from home, from childhood.

“Growing up in Israel with a traditional upbringing and a sense of Israeli hospitality is definitely where it began for me,” says Broudo. “Every week, we would prepare for Shabbat at my parents’ house, and I would always help my family cook and set the table to prepare for our guests. Hosting was instilled in me at a very young age, and I look at hospitality as bringing people together and creating cherishable moments.”

SEE ALSO: Delicious Israel: Off-The-Radar Tel Aviv Restaurant Picks To Start Off 2020

Barzilay’s journey is also rooted in family history. She first opened a restaurant in 2002 in Yarkona, a small, agriculture-based moshav in central Israel established in 1932 with the help of her grandparents. Her connection to her community and the land and its products led her to develop the “farm-to-table” approach and eventually open a restaurant in Tel Aviv.

The desire to broaden culinary horizons and find true success stems from a long and complicated Jewish history, Barzilay explains.

“Israelis have incredible palates. We like real food and we like bold flavors, a variety of textures, colors and aromas. Dry, flavorless food – it depresses us. With everything we have been through generationally, we really do not believe in deprivation,” she says.

The post Nurturing And Tough: The Israeli Women Blazing Trails In Tel Aviv’s Culinary Scene appeared first on NoCamels.

“Believe the hype — these incredible spots (that travelers love) saw the biggest spikes in top reviews and ratings last year,” TripAdvisor said on its Trending Destinations page.

The Travelers’ Choice Awards, first established in 2002 by the global travel platform, is based on reviews of “the very best of travel chosen by millions of travelers around the world.” Besides restaurants, travelers also choose the best destinations, experiences, hotels, attractions, beaches, and airlines.

So far, TripAdvisor has released 2020 award winners for Popular Destinations, Trending Destinations, Emerging Destinations, and Beaches.

“A youthful, modern metropolis with a diverse population, Tel Aviv dates back only to 1909. Clubs, bars, a thriving arts community, gay life and beaches attract artists, musicians and young professionals to Tel Aviv’s more secular scene,” the Tel Aviv entry reads, noting that visitors should take in the UNESCO-designated Bauhaus architecture and explore the cultural exhibition pavilions of the Eretz Israel Museum, historic Independence Hall Museum, bustling Carmel Market and Old Jaffa’s boardwalk.

The top spot on the list went to Kochi (Cochin), India “where sunset strolls, sampling fresh fish from seaside vendors and boat rides through the islands just offshore top visitors’ to-do lists.” That city was followed by Luzon, Philippines, and Porto, Portugal in second and third places respectively.

Brazil’s Porto Seguro and Gramado, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Da Nang in Vietnam, Zakynthos in the Ionian Islands, and Krakow, Poland rounded out the top 10.

Tel Aviv has already been included in a number of top travel lists in 2020, including Forbes magazine’s20 Destinations for 2020, as well as Google’s ranking of Tel Aviv among its top trending destinations worldwide this year. Also, The Washington Post chose Tel Aviv to be its first Israeli city included in its local guide series. And the BBC’s Good Food magazine chose the city-by-the-sea as one of its top 10 destinations for foodies in 2020.

The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality recently unveiled a “Master Plan” aimed at making the city even more attractive to international travelers. The plan includes better branding, an upgraded tourism infrastructure, more accommodation options, and efficient, integrative management.

According to the plan, the goal is to focus on improving these aspects and focus on developing more distinct and unique offerings.

The post Tel Aviv Among TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Trending Destinations appeared first on NoCamels.

On the heels of a powerful year for tourism in 2019, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality recently unveiled a “Master Plan” detailing the city’s needs to make it a top holiday destination: better branding, an upgraded tourism infrastructure, more accommodation options, and efficient, integrative management.

SEE ALSO: Can A Tel Aviv Getaway Help Mend A Broken Heart?

“The work on the Master Plan included an in-depth examination and analysis of the city from a tourism perspective. We carefully assessed our assets and advantages but were also unwavering in confronting the challenges and flaws,” said Eytan Schwartz, director of media and communications at the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.

According to the Master Plan document, Tel Aviv said tourists have complained most about the high prices, the traffic jams and the lack of an efficient transportation system, the lack of affordable lodging, and the general uncleanliness of public spaces.

The goal is to focus on improving these aspects and focus on developing the more distinct and unique offerings.

Schwartz said Tel Aviv’s “unique DNA” as a tourist destination “rests on three pillars: the ancient city – Old Jaffa – which is our main attraction; the new city – Tel Aviv – which is characterized by phenomenal urban vitality; and, of course, the beach – with its extraordinary qualities.”

Indeed, for its 20 Destinations for 2020, Forbes magazine hailed Tel Aviv as a place where “ancient history and modern living meet in the bustling beach city along Israel’s Mediterranean coast.”

Of course, Forbes was just one of dozens of travel magazines and media sites the world over to splatter superlatives on Tel Aviv’s vibe and appeal as a tourist destination. The Washington Post chose Tel Aviv to be its first Israeli city included in its local guide series. The BBC’s Good Food magazine chose the city-by-the-sea as one of its top 10 destinations for foodies in 2020. And Google ranked Tel Aviv among its top trending destinations worldwide this year.

In addition to all these accolades, Tel Aviv snagged the spotlight in 2019 when it hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, which was the largest international event ever held in the city in its 110 years of existence. 

“In the past few years, we have been witnessing a tourism miracle,” said Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor Ron Huldai. “Tel Aviv-Yafo used to be a small city that only few tourists visited. It remains a small city, but one whose name is now recognized globally, and many people want to experience.”

SEE ALSO: Delicious Israel: Off-The-Radar Tel Aviv Restaurant Picks To Start Off 2020

“This Master Plan aims to sustain the tourism boom, manage it prudently and plan wisely for the future. Tourism in Tel Aviv-Yafo is a highly important economic engine for the city and the entire metropolitan area,” said Huldai.

Tel Aviv’s Master Plan calls for promoting new attractions every year and making existing content accessible for tourists with better information centers, guiding facilities, language services, and transportation infrastructure.

Niche tourism markets

The city’s initiative will gear toward specific niche markets including tourism from China, religion-specific tourism and “silver tourism” focused on drawing older tourists (most tourists are between 25-45, according to the municipality).

The city said that, amid the potential of attracting Chinese tourists, it will increase efforts to “customize the Tel Aviv tourism product to the unique characteristics of the Chinese market, including the adoption of ‘China Ready’ service quality standards by tour operators in the city.” (China-Ready entails having signs and content in Chinese at major sites, accepting Chinese methods of payment, and being mindful of cultural differences).

Tel Aviv believes it will also welcome more Muslim and Arab tourists in the coming years, both from the region and from Western countries, and Jewish tourists interested in the city’s Jewish cultural offerings.

The plan calls to focus on upgrading museums and other Jewish heritage sites while increasing “the scope of tourism experiences related to Jewish history and the Jewish religion.” For example, the ambitious plan calls for the establishment of a museum dedicated to the accomplishments of the Jewish people, one for the “linguistic miracle” that is Hebrew, and synagogue tours.

And finally, the city said it will make efforts to draw in senior citizen tourists, a niche that has been steadily growing worldwide.

‘Jogging on water’ and a floating amusement park

In 2019, Tel Aviv celebrated 100 years of Bauhaus with the grand opening of the city’s official White City Center, the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation established its “Israeli Innovation Center” exhibition space, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History opened its doors, and Bloomfield Stadium, finished extensive renovations, and continues to accommodate sports and cultural events.

But it is proposing major projects such as a jogging course on the water, a floating amusement park for kids, and a beach zipline into the water.

In other parts of the city, like Yarkon Park (Ganei Yehoshua), the plan calls for creating a campsite for affordable, alternative lodging, developing community tourism that brings together locals and residents in Jaffa (Yafo), Neve Tzedek, and the Yemenite Quarter, and promoting existing cultural institutions in the city center such as the Cameri Theater and the Israeli Opera.

The plan defines 17 “tourism zones” across the city, half of which already exist, and half which will see added tourist attractions in the coming years.

These zones, according to the plan, will be given priority in future tourism development.

More hotels and rentals

The enthusiastic plan outline also cites that it will add new hotels amid a projected increase in the number of tourists who spend the night in the city. According to calculations based on annual growth of between 2.3 percent and 7.5 percent, the city says it may welcome between three million and 5.5 million tourists for an overnight stay by 2030.

There will also be a focus on converting existing buildings into hotels in industrial and business districts and the plan calls to give “greater preference” in the coming years to these projects given the financial incentives to developers and the shorter amount of time it takes to set it up.

Regulating and improving the rental market for tourists is also in the cards, according to the plan. Tel Aviv is among the 10 most expensive cities in the world to rent an Airbnb apartment with some 17,000 such rental properties available across the city at prices that are “among the highest in the world.”

The Master Plan indicates that the municipality will begin taking “active measures to reduce the number of apartments that have in effect become hotels.”

“The Municipality encourages residents to host tourists in their homes or to rent out their apartments while they themselves are vacationing somewhere else. But it objects to the new situation which has emerged, where thousands of apartments are no longer available on the rental market for Israelis and cater solely to tourists,” the plan reads.

To maintain a rental market that balances between the tourist demand and the residents’ quality of life, the city “will take steps together with the Government of Israel to regulate apartments that are rented only to tourists.”

To ensure that locals don’t suffer the same fate as other over-touristed cities like Amsterdam or Barcelona, the Tel Aviv plan puts an emphasis on sustainable development and takes into consideration the wellbeing of city residents including preserving the character of the neighborhoods and communities in which the tourism operates.

“The municipal vision for tourism aims to position our city as a leading urban destination, while constantly renewing the tourist product and prioritizing the concerns of the city’s residents. We believe that the key to creating a good city for tourists is in finding the right balance between the needs of the locals and those of the visitors,” said Udi Carmely, City Engineer at the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.

Nationwide tourism boom

And it’s not just Tel Aviv that’s enjoying a tourist boom, in 2019, Israel welcomed over 4.5 million tourists and the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport welcomed 24 million international passengers, which was an increase of 1.6 million compared to 2018.

In mid-February, the 26th International Mediterranean Tourism Market took place in Tel Aviv, drawing tour operators and travel agents from 40 countries to the city to discuss domestic and international tourism business. 

There are 140 airlines with direct flights to Tel Aviv, according to the municipality spokesperson. The main countries flying to Israel, according to 2019 data, and comprising over 50 percent of the passengers, were from Turkey, United States, Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Russia, UK, Spain, and Ukraine. 

Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. www.vivaspress.com

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