Music · radio

Marilyn Ambach’s Unwind Rewind radio episode 28 “Broken but on the mend”

 

1 Cat Stevens Morning Has Broken
2 Jasper Steverlinck Broken
3 Jake Bugg Broken
4 José González Broken Arrows
5 Neil Young Only love can break your heart
6 The Milk Carton Kids On the Mend
7 Milky Chance Stolen Dance
8 Alex Turner Stuck on the Puzzle
9 Phish Stash
10 Lior This old love
11 James Blake Vincent
12 Lambchop This Corrosion
13 Eric Clapton Let It Grow
14 Labi Siffre Bless the telephone
Music

My radio show Unwind Rewind episode 27 Babylon, Zion & Jerusalem

1 Alpha Blondy Jerusalem
2 Harry Belafonte My angel (malaika)- with Miriam Makeba
3 Blackmen Bluz Gabriella
4 Gabriel Rios Let It Go
5 Toy Suspicion
6 Netta accoustic version Toy
7 Queen Somebody To Love
8 Jasper Steverlinck Here’s to love
9 Warpaint Billie Holiday (Rough Trade Sessions)
10 Alt J Taro
11 Alexi Murdoch Someday Soon
12 Billy Joel Vienna
13 Don McLean Babylon
Music

Unwind Rewind special episode – Israel 70

Celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday it’s time to introduce you to some Hebrew classics

 

1 Kaveret Lamrot ha-Kol (In Spite Of Everything)
2 Gidi Gov Yesh Ei sham
3 Yitzhak Klepter Tzlil Mechuvan
4 Yehudit Ravitz Hayalda hachi yafa began
5 Arik Einstein Atur Mizrech
6 Navy choir Ma avarech
7 The high windows Hatishma Koli
8 Boaz Sharabi Chofshi vemeoushar
9 Hava Alberstein Lu Yehi
10 Matti Caspi There it Goes Again
11 Sheva Salam Shalom
12 David Broza Yihye Tov
13 Eviatar Banai Yesh Li Sikuy
14 Ora Sitner & Wannes Van de Velde Al Kol Eleh
15 Kaveret Nechmad

Press · Tel Aviv · Tourism

If you are also anti-anti-semitism…

i- PRO – AN IMPORTANT CROWD FUNDING PROJECT

i – PRO is a project meant to fight the plague of anti-Semitism spreading throughout Europe and the United States. How? By bringing non-Jewish trendsetters (aged 18-40) from different domains: mass-media, journalism, entertainment, business, high-tech industries and more, for a fully funded visit to Israel. Our plan is to expose them to the human element of Israel, meet up with Israelis and then later, allow our guests to share their experiences with thousands of followers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Instead of giving up lets fight back and contribute our part. Because nothing beats seeing things with your own eyes. Especially these days when your local media tend to be very one-sided against Israel. And unfortunately, I cannot blame the audience for watching and forming their opinions based on that information. But if they only knew… Together, we will make certain that Israel receives a fairer representation in the global media. Please click the following link to donate.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-pro-the-pro-israel-project

Entertainment · Israel · Tel Aviv

Hollywood Made in Israel

Today Fox Network is releasing its newest drama TV-series Tyrant created by Israeli director, screenwriter, and writer Gideon Raff and developed by Howard Gordon and Craig Wright. An amazing cast and crew I had the privilege of working and a great and first experience for Israel of its kind so far: the show was filmed mainly in a huge studio built especially in Kfar Saba with record breaking stages, technology and manpower.  It starts airing today in the US and in Israel on YES on June 26th. Read more about Tyrant on IMDBThe Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap.com

tyrant

Gideon Raff is currently also shooting another new project of his in Israel called Dig.

You may have heard of Israeli tv shows before: there have been so many Israeli creations sold abroad lately from TV formats like Rising Star to other drama series such as Homeland, In Treatment etc.

hatufimhomelandHomeland was inspired by Hatufim (which means Prisoners of War) and stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis and won many awards for Showtime. Hatufim as quoted in Haaretz newspaper: “Far more interested in the psyche of a country than a potential psycho returning from captivity”

Watch it: The first series of “Hatufim” is available via Hulu, while series 1 and 2 are available on Israeli DVD (Region 2), with English subtitles.

betipul1In Treatment is an HBO remake of the Israeli program Betipul starring Gabrielbetipuldvd Byrne as the therapist. Betipul was the first to put Israeli television on the global map. From Haaretz newspaper article “Found in Translation”: ‘The genius of the original was to utilize things Israel has in abundance (great actors, writers, people in therapy) to override what it lacks (budgets, studio space). The heart of the program – which ran for two seasons in Israel (one less than its U.S. remake), in 2005 and 2008 – was the late Assi Dayan. The actor-director portrayed Reuven Dagan, a Tel Aviv (where else?) psychotherapist, who sees the same set of clients over five weeks, as well as his own shrink (veteran actress Gila Almagor). “BeTipul” is often referred to as the most successful Israeli drama ever, partly for the sheer weight of awards it won locally, but also the number of remakes it spawned – 14 at last count, including a French-Canadian version in Quebec, plus others in Brazil and Romania.’

Watch it: The first series of “BeTipul” is only available on DVD in Hebrew, but the second series (Region 2, Israel) has English subtitles.


Hostages
also known as Bnei Aruba is an Israeli drama television series that was first broadcast on Channel 10 in 2013. The ten-part series was created by Rotem Shamir and Omri Givon and produced by Haim Sharir. In December 2013, BBC Four announced it had acquired the series. The show was sold to CBS and Canal+. More on Hostages in the Times of Israel article on this latest Sabra export TV. hostages

History · Israel · Tourism

Discovering Israel: Jerusalem, Dead Sea and the North

Here are some suggestions for those interested in discovering Israel. If you book a vacation for a week or ten days you can stay in Tel Aviv and enjoy the city and the beach life. Then take a few days to visit the country:

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Renting a car is easy and cheap (Suncar) and all road signs are in English, Arabic and Hebrew so you shouln’t worry about getting lost. If you only plan on visiting Jerusalem then you could use public transportation like the bus, the service taxis departing from Tel Aviv’s central bus station or the train. In Jerusalem make sure to visit the Old City including the Wailing Wall, the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Quarters in the narrow streets and the Church of the Saint Sepulchre. You should also visit Mount Scopus, the Mahane Yehuda food market, The Knesset (Parliament), Yad Vashem and the Eretz Israel museum. Contact us for more info and we can find you a guide in any language.

Food: MachneYuda, Mamilla, quick food joints                                                                                                               Accommodation: Mamilla, King David Hotel, Scottish Guesthouse, Dan Boutique Hotel

Get inspired and watch the Simpsons’ visit to the Holy Land

Courtesy of Aish.com

DEAD SEA

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The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and almost one of the official wonders of the world. It is a natural spa with many benefits for the skin. Located more than 400 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is an experience; from rubbing mud on your skin till floating in the sea reading a book.

Another amazing place to visit in that area is Massada. ‘Massada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau (akin to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, theSiege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families hiding there.’ (source: Wikipedia) You can walk the snake path up and down, many do it on sunrise or sunset for its beauty and also because of the heat. For the lazy ones: there is a cable cart.

Accommodation: Ein Gedi Hotel, Isrotel Dead Sea

IMG_1331view from Massada

CIMG3744Massada by sunrise

NORTH

In the North you can make various trips to the Galil (Nazareth, Sea of Galilea, Jordan River), to the Golan Heights, to Caesarea, Haifa and Acco. Many accommodation options vary from “Zimmer” (guesthouses or luxury bungalows) to resorts.

photo 3Sea of Galilee

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view from Sof Haderech somewhere in the North…

More info and customized visits on request: marilyn_josephine@ymail.com

 

Israel

Maccabiah Opening Ceremony in Jerusalem

And this is why I haven’t posted anything in two weeks. On Thursday July 18th we organized the opening ceremony of the 19th Maccabiah games. Major production, big success. You may say the Maccabiah games are like the Jewish olympics. Here are a few of my photos:

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From the official Maccabiah website

“MACCABIAH OPENING CEREMONY: PARADING IN A CELEBRATION OF NATIONS AND COLORS”

 The 19th Maccabiah begins tonight (Thursday), as some 9,000 athletes representing more 78 countries get ready to compete in 42 sports.

The 19th Maccabiah Games kicked off Thursday night with a gala opening ceremony at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium that was attended by thousands of spectators. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres were set to take part in the event to honor the 9,000 athletes representing 78 countries, the largest number of competitors ever at the Maccabiah games.

The ceremony begun with a colorful parade of the athletes and the atmosphere in the stadium was enchanting. It was a celeration of music, colors and Jewish spirit from all over the world. Next to come, lighting of the Maccabiah torch, as well as performances by popular musicians from Rami Kleinstein and Harel Skaat to newer talents such as the Grammy-winning, Israeli-born violinist Miri Ben Ari; the Canadian-born singer Kathleen Reiter, winner of “The Voice Israel” and “The X Factor” (United States) finalist Carly Rose Sonenclar.

More info: http://www.maccabiah.com/

 

 

General · Israel · Tel Aviv · Uncategorized

High Telavivity – Take Five

In the spirit of John Cusack’s top 5 lists in the movie High Fidelity  here’s Tel Aviv in fives –part. 2

5 reasons to date an Israeli man

  1. he went to the army…you’ll always feel safe in his arms
  2. he will protect you from the bad local guys trying to rip you off thinking you’re just a dumb tourist
  3. he has this natural nonchalance slash indifferent attitude which is all you expect from a real man no?
  4. number 3 also means you like the way he dresses, like a real man
  5. he’s Jewish (http://marilynjosephine.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/dating-a-jew-or-two/)

5 reasons not to date an Israeli man

  1. just a few table manners and universal rules of politeness
  2. just a few fashion donts such as short sleeved shirts, these horrible black squared shoes, wearing underwear at the beach, socks not matching shoe choice, wearing tanga underwear instead of boxer shorts, etc etc.
  3. ars-alarm
  4. why talk so loud?
  5. ask me if I’m French…and then, when I say I’m Belgian, he may add “oh but what’s the difference”

5 reasons for an Israeli man to date an olah chadasha

  1. she loves everything about Israel always & anyways
  2. no fighting for whos family diners to attend on Shabbat & Holidays
  3. he always has a good reason not to have to join her friends: he doesn’t understand their language
  4. he can be sure he’ll have a month off when she goes to visit her family…and he has enough internationality in house so no need for him to travel anymore (saving money)
  5. think about the children’s passport(s)

5 annoying nicknames Israeli strangers call you*

  1. mami (with current variation to mamoush and mama and may creation confusion with mums/mothers)
  2. neshama (free translation: soul)
  3. hatsarfatiya – the frenchie (and then i go, no i’m belgium about 25794 times a day)
  4. kapara (free translation: honey)
  5. motek (free translation: sweetheart)

*all of those words are generally followed by shelli, meaning my: mami sheli, neshama sheli, kapara sheli, motek sheli.

top 5 Hebrew words

  1. sababa (cool)
  2. stam (literally this would mean: just, but in context it’s untranslatable, we’ve tried)
  3. bichlal (literally this would mean: general, but in context it’s untranslatable, we’ve tried)
  4. balagan (literally this would mean: chaos, but in context it’s untranslatable, we’ve tried)
  5. tachless (doesn’t it come from Yiddish? it means bottom line or to the point and it is a very needed word in a country where too many people just talk too much and not do enough)

5 reasons to blog about TLV

  1. we don’t live in a war zone
  2. we have internet
  3. we drive cars, not camels
  4. to show some positivity about this country!
  5. to show off the good weather – 300 days of sun a year

needless to post 5 things I love most in Tel Aviv as I’m in love with Tel Aviv

5 things I hate most in Tel Aviv

  1. people that take themselves way too seriously like Hipsters (and make me wonder if it’s Purim again)
  2. joukim* even when they’re dead and laying on their back with their legs up (*a jouk is a cockroach)
  3. street cats (for the smell and their cries at night)
  4. honking cars (as part of a more general noise problem in this city)
  5. these guys biking by and throwing spa&massage cards on the pavement

keepcalmisraeli

History · Israel · Tel Aviv

Yom Hazikaron & Yom Ha’Atzmaut Memorial Day & Independence Day

Yom Hazikaron is Israel’s Memorial Day, the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism. This sad day starts with a siren at 20h and is heard all over the country. For one minute, everyone stands still to commemorate the fallen. The official ceremony takes place at the Western Wall and the flag of Israel is lowered to half staff. The next morning, a two-minute siren is sounded at 11h and marks the opening of the official memorial ceremonies and private gatherings at cemeteries. Again, only sad songs on the radio and only war related TV broadcasts until about 19h. Then happens a weird transition from sad to happy, when Independence Day begins.

yomhazikaronbyTomerAppelbaum

indilYom Haatzmaut  is Israel’s Independence Day. On may 14th 1948 the (then future) Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel. indil2The official ceremony is held every year at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem but festivities are everywhere. Israel is now 65. In Tel Aviv there are parties all over town, on the streets, in bars, restaurants and houses. People are singing and dancing in the streets. When you live in the heart of the city, you have to go wander around and observe. And if you have a blog, even better, you can capture it on camera and share with the world. But photos and words cannot describe what we saw and heard. The happy atmosphere is omnipresent. It’s loud, people go wild and crazy and it goes on all night long. Bad sleep but good vibe. Luckily the next day is a holiday to recover.

IMG_1344 IMG_1301      IMG_1376 IMG_1299 IMG_1366IMG_1385 IMG_1387 IMG_1402IMG_1394 IMG_1401    Photos taken with my Canon EOS M

History · Israel · Judaism

Yom HaShoah – the Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day

BETWEEN ISRAEL… (by Marilyn)

On Monday, Israel observed a national memorial day: the ‘Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day’ or as we call it ‘Yom HaShoah’. It is an annual day of commemoration for the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany (1939-1945).

Yom HaShoah starts at sundown. You start feeling the heavy silence weighing in. Radios play sad songs, tv stations only broadcasts World War II related films/documentaries, restaurants and bars are closed by law. There are official ceremonies like the central one in ‘Warsaw Ghetto Square’ at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Authority in Jerusalem. During the ceremony the national flag is lowered to half mast, the President and the Prime Minister both deliver speeches, Holocaust survivors and their descendants light six torches symbolizing the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust and the Chief Rabbis recite prayers. There are more ceremonies and services are held at schools, military bases and by other public and community organizations. 

At 10:00 am on Yom HaShoah, sirens are sounded throughout Israel for two minutes. During this time, people stop whatever it is they’re doing and stand still; vehicles stop, even on the highways, and the whole country comes to a standstill as people pay silent tribute to the dead.

Israeli police officers stand still as a two-minute siren is sounded before a ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem(c) Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu lays a wreath during a ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem

(c) Reuters

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People stand still on a street as a siren marking Holocaust Remembrance Day is sounded in Jerusalem(c) Reuters

I guess we each have our own individual way of mourning the deaths of our ancestors, family members and re-thinking the almost unbelievable stories from survivors. Most of the Jewish people around the world have grown up with the Holocaust being very present, sometimes loudly sometimes silently. It’s sad that even today people get away with denying it and that there is such a thing called neo-Nazis. Adolf Hitler had a plan he called the final solution -the endlösung- to decimate the entire Jewish people. During Yom HaShoah in Israel you realize: we are still here. The Holocaust is part of us, of our (hi)story and each time we try to imagine what it was like, we just can’t believe it nor contain it. Those black and white images of starving people, concentration camps and gas chambers. We are shocked time and time again. How could this happen? How could the world let it happen? Many have tried to understand, to explain and to analyze. In times like today when the world is plunged in hatred and anti-semitism is never far away, we must open our eyes and see what is going on. We must remember. Never again.

… AND BELGIUM (by Josephine)

As most of the European countries, Belgium also has an infamous Holocaust past. Between August 4 1942 and July 31 1944, 28 trains left the Belgian transit prison Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen. Over 25,000 Jews and Romas were deported, most of whom arrived at the extermination camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only 5% survived. Today, the Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights tells their story and most of all, keeps their memory alive.

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A giant wall filled with about 20.000 faces of men and women, young and old alike, staring back at me. It’s an uneasy sight: people who had a life still to live, or had lived their life already. Some of them happy, some of them weary. These could be the faces of our grandparents, our children, our friends and neighbors. These are the faces of the people who were deported from the detention camp Dossin in Mechelen, Belgium. Colored pictures for those who returned, grey for those who did not. The Dossin Kazerne is first of all a place of remembrance, “a material witness to a Belgian war story” as professor and curator Herman Van Goethem describes it. On initiative of a number of Jewish survivors, among them the late Sir Nathan Ramet, the transit camp Kazerne Dossin was turned into the Jewish Museum for Deportation and Resistance, to remind us of its infamous period. Since 2012, the Kazerne Dossin houses the Documentation Centre and a memorial to those who lost their lives. The permanent historical exhibition is now housed in a brand new building, designed by architect Bob Van Reeth, opposite the Kazerne Dossin. The new building is rich in symbolism: the windows for instance, are covered with more than 25.000 bricks, representing the number of deportees.

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The permanent exhibition is divided in four parts. My guide, Patsi Ambach-Dewilde, unfolded the history and the ill fate of the Belgian Jews floor by floor. The first three floors cover photographs, documents and testimonies to illustrate the life of Jews (and gypsies) in Belgium before the war, the increasing discrimination and exclusion and the organized destruction of Jews and gypsies in the camps during the war. These 3 floors give a perspective on what the Holocaust meant to Belgians and Belgian Jews alike. The stories make you feel angry and sad, confused and even vulnerable: how can this have happened? But the Museum does not stop here. It also brings up the topic of rehabilitation, coming to terms with the past and Human Rights in general.  I learned that after the liberation, there was no place for Jewish suffering. Survivors simply did not talk about their grief, let alone discuss the things they witnessed and what had happened to them in the camps. They simply had to learn how to live with it. But the most interesting debate this Museum tries to stimulate is this of the Holocaust and Human Rights. By explicitly incorporating human rights not only in the name of the Museum, but also as a general topic, it broadens the context of the Shoah. Not only Anti-Semitism, but intolerance in general are always with us. Attempting to place the Shoah beyond itself by addressing values such as tolerance, respect and responsibility is also one of the keystones of the new Museum, which will leave its visitors with only one idea about the Holocaust: “Never again.”DSC_8465

 

Watch a video about the Museum on Holocaust and Human Rights, Kazerne Dossin by Fans of Flanders with Patsi Ambach-Dewilde here.

A very big thank you to Patsi for her beautiful tour (seriously guys, if you want a guide for this Museum: ask for her https://www.kazernedossin.eu/EN)

Dedicated to Nathan Ramet, Regina & Adolf Predinger-Wechsler, and the millions of people who lost their life due to racism, hatred, discrimination and genocide everywhere and anywhere. May they never be forgotten.

L.Cohen song The Partisan about The Resistance

Architecture · Art · beauty · Fashion · History · Photography · Tel Aviv

“Lady of the Daisies” – Lea Gottlieb

“Lady of the Daisies” is a tribute to the work of Israeli fashion designer and entrepreneur Lea Gottlieb. Founder of worldwide swimwear brand Gottex – famed for the Seven Suit that sold over one million pieces in 1985 alone – Gottlieb was a prominent and exceptional swim and beachwear designer and innovator of Israel’s textile industry. The exhibition opened with an exclusive VIP launch at the Design Museum in Holon and is running till May 4th. Galit Gaon, Chief Curator at the Museum explains: “This homage to the work of a trailblazing woman who led a vision of design and industry in Israel is an important evolutionary step in the life of the museum. Lea Gottlieb put Israeli fashion on the map with her elegant and flattering designs that have sold to over 80 countries.”

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Lea Gottlieb emigrated from Hungary to Israel in 1949 with her husband Armin who owned a raincoat factory. Lea immediately understood that raincoats were not as appropriate for the climate of the Middle East. Still water-minded, she started sewing swimsuits which launched to instant success in 1956. Gottex was innovative and sophisticated, with products sold in over 80 countries. Over the years, Lea Gottlieb’s designs have featured on the covers of the world’s most prestigious fashion magazines. Prominent figures who have worn her designs include Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Queen Noor, Mrs. Nancy Kissinger, and movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Brooke Shields. Lea Gottlieb continued to design a new collection every year up to 2002. Work on the exhibition began more than six months ago with the process of sorting and selecting pieces from her archives. She also visited the museum to assist in determining the content before she passed away at the end of 2012; she was 94. A memorial book for Lea Gottlieb will be available in 2014.

The exhibition showcases the history of Gottex swimwear through costumes, inspirational photographs, films and catalogs. The main gallery includes swim and beachwear designs in addition to works of art that acted as original inspiration. Curated by fashion researcher Ayala Raz, this aspect of the exhibition pays direct homage to the life and work of Lea Gottlieb. It is known that Lea Gottlieb loved flowers, partly because they had helped her save her life from the Nazis in her native Hungary. When out in the street, she often held a bunch of flowers up to her face, so that Nazis would take her for a regular peasant girl. Flowers figured prominently in Gottlieb’s fabric designs, usually in bold, eye catching colors. She was particularly fond of hibiscus. Sophistication was the name of the game.

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The second gallery focuses on contemporary design and Creative Director Molly Grad’s transformation of the Gottex brand in recent years. A specially commissioned model designed by Molly Grad is presented. This unique piece is accompanied by Grad’s sketches, illustrations and quotes to represent her world of inspiration. Grad explains, “The illustrations in the exhibit are like my fingerprints, a representation of my personal process and primary experience as an artist and creator. They are not indicative of a specific moment or time, but rather an ongoing approach. I have always drawn, ever since I was about three years old. Wherever I go, I always bring a pencil.”

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Focus on

Focus on: Magali Pinchasi

We always like to hear stories about how people get inspired, develop their talents and chase their dreams. It’s even more interesting when the story is about a young girl from Antwerp who found her inspiration in Tel Aviv. This particular story is about Magali Pinchasi, a young creative girl with a passion for jewelry, fashion and color. I met Magali in a little coffee bar. Modest but proud and continuously smiling she talks about her life, her jewelry collection and her connection to both Antwerp and Tel Aviv.

423398_10151036661998429_581808444_n22 year old something Magali Pinchasi has been fascinated by jewelry ever since she was little, which isn’t all that surprising since her dad works in the diamond industry. Magali holds a degree in communication sciences and did her internship in Public Relations. After graduating from University she took a jewelry design course at London’s Gemological Institute of America, but it was a vacation in Tel Aviv that did wonders for Magali’s inspiration. While walking past the little souvenir stalls in Neve Tzedek, an idea started to develop: creating unique mix & match jewelry that would not only suit everyone, but would also be affordable for everyone. Back in Antwerp she ordered a whole lot of rope and trinkets and started making bracelets. Why rope? “Rope has unlimited options: colors, textures, etc. It’s a very affordable material for a large audience. Rope is very flexible and manageable. Since I make every bracelet myself , it’s much more interesting time-wise.”

A night out made Magali decide to turn her hobby into an actual jewelry business. “I constantly wear my own bracelets. One night, a girl approached me at a party and asked me where I got them from. This was the push i needed to actually get my bracelets out there.” Magali named her brand “BE by Magali Pinchasi”. “BE stands for Beautiful and Belgian, since all the jewelry is 100% made in Belgium”. She started selling the bracelets online on her website. Magali quickly build a reputation by using social media. Soon bloggers contacted her and not much later Magali scored an interview for Steps City magazine. This interview was proof that her business was getting more and more serious and orders started pouring in. Her collections are now being sold in stores such as Princess Blue (Antwerp) and Blue Rose (Wilrijk). Every bracelet is handmade by Magali herself, which makes every piece even more unique. Customers can also personalize the bracelets if they want to by filling in the request form online.

Magali

Onlangs bijgewerktFor the new collection Magali will use diamonds in her bracelets. “My first motivation is to create, to discover new things. That’s why I work with diamonds, but with every intention to stay affordable. A diamond doesn’t have to be expensive. I don’t want to be a high-class brand. I want to create a more luxurious line within BE that remains affordable for a larger audience. And of course it would also remain as colorful as the other collections.” How about an international career? “I don’t dare to dream of an international business just yet. For now I prefer to keep production in my own hands – literally. But if Colette in Paris would ask me if they can sell my bracelets, i wouldn’t refuse! (laughs)”.

When Magali is not working our creating, she likes to walk around in Antwerp. “Every Saturday afternoon I go to the city, to shop or to walk around and watch people. I think Antwerp is a very cosy and fashionable city with a lot of diversities. There are so many kinds of people, it’s inspiring to just sit down and watch them pass by.” Her affordable mix&match-policy is not limited to her brand. When it comes to her own style Magali likes to combine Belgian brand Essentiel with Zara. “I like everything, as long as it’s colorful.” And what about Tel Aviv? “My grandmother lives in Tel Aviv, I visit her every Summer. I love to walk around Neve Tzedek, have pancakes at Benedict or just enjoy some sun at Golden Beach. Actually, I’m a big fan of all the Tel Aviv classics (smiles). Even though I could never live there, Tel Aviv is important to me. It’s where I found my inspiration.”

BE by Magali Pinchasi can be found at:

  • Princess – Meir 51 – Antwerp
  • Princess Blue – Schrijnwerkersstraat 7 – Antwerp
  • Just Folie – Turnhoutsebaan 186 – Schilde
  • Blue Rose – Jules Moretueslei 402 – Wilrijk
  • Vandenbalck Optics – Bondgenotenlaan 57 – Leuven
  • Zappas – Boornstraat 50 – Bornem
  • and of course online!