I am extroverted to the extreme but even the most outgoing people are faced with the daunting task of meeting the locals when they travel.
This summer I first came to Tel Aviv as an American and a native English speaker. And I managed to take my interpersonal skills to the next level.
The food, the art, the incessant use of electric skateboards… Life is different in Israel.
However, from each new experience I keep the best, which until now has been meeting different people and sharing stories with them.
In this note I highlight seven people that I met by chance and that can give a little insight into the incredible social life of Tel Aviv.
Mush Lazar
On a personal adventure through Tel Aviv I came across the beautiful and luxurious gallery miss d. As he admired the incredible variety of pop art present there, the artist Mush Lazar entered the place with his most recent piece.
The artist Mush Lazar at Miss D Gallery in Tel Aviv. Photo: Samantha Baron
It was “Ziggy Stardust,” a colorful tribute to David Bowie that now hangs behind the gallery’s reception.
The mixed media piece was born as a sketch on Lazar’s iPad. The artist posted the drawing process on his Instagram account where his followers can see it.
After the initial stage, Lazar cut out the 3D parts of the drawing, using oils and pencil to make the colorful doodles and smiley faces.
He also added some of his favorite Bowie quotes and lyrics.
Lazar told me that he wanted to incorporate elements in “Ziggy Stardust” that would “come out of the frame.” There are bright lightning bolts that surround Bowie and extend beyond the physical limit of the work.
Detail of “Ziggy Stardust” by Mush Lazar. Photo: Samantha Baron
Lazar shares his adoration for Bowie with his father, who owns a hardware store in northern Israel.
This artist did not participate in the family business because he suffers from Crohn’s disease and the doctors recommended a less stressful environment. That led him to art.
Olga (last name unknown)
I met Olga at her community garden, where my summer program helped with cleaning and maintenance.
Together with her husband Yehoshua, they dedicate their time and energy to organizing a beautiful garden for their community.
During the pandemic many young families especially appreciated that site.
On the left, Jordyn Tobasky, Olga, Julia Aroesty and Samantha Baron in the urban garden. Photo: Samantha Baron
With my friends Jordyn, Julia and I decided to work in the garden with Olga, who exudes a natural and immediate friendliness.
Although she had no gardening experience, Olga was willing to show us what to do there.
Olga took us for a walk in her garden, showing us how to grow fruits and vegetables, we tasted bright red tomatoes, brought cucumbers to our house, and learned about grapes, lemon trees, and even passion fruit.
He always listened to our concerns and gave us meaningful lessons about food. One is that some green beans are naturally purple but turn green when cooked.
On the hour-long bus ride to our house, each of us carried different herbs that Olga had picked and given to us.
Though we stood out for our exhaustion, muddy bodies, and large bunches of fresh herbs, the three of us traveled with smiles on our faces after meeting a wonderful new friend.
Sagiv Lugasy
Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market -Shuk HaCarmel- has a lively atmosphere, but professional bartender Sagiv Lugasy and his juice stand may take the prize as the most colorful and fun spot.
Sagiv Lugasy’s work tools at Fruits & Co. Photo: Samantha Baron
The building where Lugasy works today houses not only his juice stand but also his home. There it is possible to find Lugasy sunbathing with his eyes closed and a soft smile on his face.
I couldn’t help chatting with him as he danced around the flowery cocktail stand called Fruits & Co..
His playful energy mirrors the upbeat vibe of his drinks stand.
The “Blushing Arak”, one of Lugasy’s unique creations, is described as “sweet and fruity” and contains arak, lychee, almonds, sumac and berries.
Lugasy told me that his favorite drink is his “Thailand”, a tart and spicy mix of gin, fresh ginger, lemongrass and elderflower.
Check it out to see if they’d drink it too!
Shira Barzilay/Koketit
“The world is my canvas” is the mantra of Shira Barzilay (39), also known as Koketit.
Based in Tel Aviv, this artist has almost half a million followers on Instagram and a Web page where he sells his work to the whole world.
Barzilay has already collaborated with publications and brands such as Vogue Portugal, Harper’s Bazaar, Cartier, Zara and Elle Norway.
Expressionist, minimalist and nonconformist, Barzilay also uses technologies and virtual reality in many of his mixed media creations.
“Koketit” comes from the French word flirty, which in Spanish means flirty. As a fashion illustrator and blogger with more than ten years of experience, Barzilay used Koketit as an avatar that represented a female and, of course, flirtatious character.
She also continued to use Koketit to represent her and her art.
It will soon release the Koketit NFT collection called “Elements”. Most of the pieces feature a female figure interacting with the four elements (water, earth, fire, and air) to illustrate how the figure’s emotional state could reflect nature and vice versa.
Shira Barzilay, also known as Koketit, creates 3D art at home. Photo: Samantha Baron
Barzilay’s house is a work of art in itself: from flower pots to framed drawings and sandals, almost everything is stamped with Koketit’s iconic face drawings.
I watched as Barzilay put on his VR headset, turned on his TV, and drew a two-dimensional piece, then brought it into the three-dimensional world.
With the headphones on, Barzilay can virtually walk through his art or draw around it.
In no time, the woman created 3D structures with multiple faces and colorful doodles as impressive as the ones she sells for thousands of dollars.
Barzilay edits the creations in an app called Sketch Fab and then sells them as 3D models or prints them as sculptures.
The artist allowed me to experience drawing with virtual reality and her openness gave me an incomparable life experience: existing in a 3D art world.
elana langer
“Reading the Torah will expand your mind more than any trip you can have with drugs.” This line struck me during my first conversation with Elana Langer, who approached me near Gordon Beach.
Elana Langer on the coast of Tel Aviv. Photo: Hanna Agar Karlstad
Outgoing and outspoken, Langer introduced herself and filled me in on nights out. Meditation on Torah Beach which she organizes. A week later, we met for coffee.
Langer’s deep connection to energy, spirituality, and Torah amazed me. To start the conversation, the facilitator asked me about my personal life, and her candor established a reality that secured her role as her confidant.
Langer noted that my summer in Israel continues with my Israeli grandmother leaving Tel Aviv at a similar age. In a matter of minutes, he connected my summer in the country with a recycling of family history.
While the Torah is often associated with Orthodox Jews, for Langer it is an energy that all Jews can tap into. She views Shabbat (Saturday) as an escape from reality rather than just a Jewish celebration in traditional terms.
“If you work with the Torah in its structure and follow it, Shabbat can open up new dimensions like any substance. Shabbat shows you how people relate through structure. It is a journey through time. We leave the modern world and disconnect from everything and when you light your candles you connect to an ancient way,” Langer told me.
With those explanations, Langer altered my perspective on Shabbat and I not only learned more about spirituality and time but also gained a mentor and a friend.
Jessie Cohen
Jessy Cohen is pure spark: she works as a media director for ITravelJerusalem and as the boss of one of my friends.
We met at Design Week in Jerusalem but made a real click on the 40-minute train ride back to Tel Aviv.
It was night and around 10pm I wasn’t sure I’d have time to change out of my work clothes and leave the Design Week brochure at home before meeting up with friends.
Jessy looked at me as if there was a simple solution to this even simpler problem. Then she began to tear out the Hebrew and Arabic pages of the booklet.
“You can’t read this anyway, so trust me!” he told me.
After reducing the size of the brochure, he folded it up tightly and stuffed it inside my bag. Then she moved on to my clothes.
Jessy took notice of the fanciest blouse I was wearing and transformed my outfit. She tied the ends of my shirt in a knot and leaned back against her seat.
“I do this all the time. You have to keep moving and be ready for anything,” she told me with a nonchalant smile.
She inspired what my friends and I call the “Jessy says yes to everything” attitude. Her openness and willingness to invite us to events continues to inspire me in how I take on the adventure and spontaneous experiences of this summer in Israel.
Natalie Feldesman and Itzik Mor
the videographer Natalie Feldman and the photographer Itzik Mor saw its hallucinatory projection on a hill outside the Eretz Israel Museum along with hundreds of spectators who came to see the work performed for the recent Tel Aviv White Night.
Screening of Natalie Feldesman and Itzik Mor at the White Night in Tel Aviv. Photo: Samantha Baron
“We wanted to create a hallucination of different caves and moons, and add a performance. The work tells a story but it is also always liquefying and being reborn”, they explained.
When I asked them about the title of the mass, they laughed. “Wow, we don’t have a title. We were so busy thinking about the screening itself… This is not something we will show over and over again, it was created for this amphitheater,” they said almost in unison.
Using Mor’s expertise in archaeology, the artists looked to the museum’s history for inspiration. “The first excavation there found an altar for the sea god of the ancient cultures that lived on these lands. We take it as a reference. I deal a lot with archaeological finds, so the general idea was to create an alternative space for people to lie down and relax,” Mor explained.
In turn, Feldesman added that they are a couple in real life and that the projection was their first collaborative piece.
Natalie and Itzik’s project exhibited at Tel Aviv’s White Night, June 2022. Photo: Samantha Baron
The seven people I have just written about represent just a microcosm of the sea of unique and diverse individuals I have met and will continue to meet.
I hope they also inspire everyone who reads this article. Yes, to venture out and meet new people.
From what I learned, the worst that can happen is that someone is not interested in interacting with others but most of the time it is possible to learn something new about yourself, a plant, a work of art, a projection in a museum or where whatever the world and its inhabitants take us.