Grapevine: With a Greek song in their hearts

Celebrities galore showed up at one of galleries in Neveh Tzedek to celebrate the latest move in career of fashion designer Galit Levy.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Women in a wig shop (photo credit: Kaplan Medical center)
Women in a wig shop
(photo credit: Kaplan Medical center)
■ HER COLLEAGUES in both the electronic and print media have justifiably heaped kudos on television reporter and radio current affairs anchor Ayala Hasson for her scoop on the Harpaz- Ashkanazi-Galant revelations, which is a first class example of investigative journalism. The problem is that Hasson has become so involved with the case, and almost obsessive in her desire not to have any of her theories disproved, that she did something very uncharacteristic for her by practically muzzling State Prosecutor Moshe Lador on her weekend Channel One program. She barely allowed him to complete a sentence, butting in again and again whenever he tried to defend or explain the actions taken or not taken by his office. Her argumentativeness not only spoiled the program for listeners, but also detracted from her otherwise good record.
■ ISRAEL’S TROUBADOR of Greek music Yehuda Poliker had always dreamed of singing with Haris Alexiou, widely reputed as one of the greatest of contemporary Greek singers. When preparing his new album, he was happily surprised when she agreed to sing the original Greek version of “Everything Reminds Me,” which he would complement with the Hebrew translation.
Grecophile Yaron Enosh brought the two of them together by phone recently on his weekly Friday program on Reshet Bet. Alexiou and Poliker engaged in an excited conversation in Greek. Alexiou told Enosh that Poliker has done great things for Greek music and that she regards him not merely as a singer of Greek songs, but as a true Greek singer because of the emotion that he puts into his singing.
Beyond their mutual admiration for each other, the singers share another commonality. Although Internet sites give their dates of birth as being two days apart, each confirmed to Enosh that they were born on December 25, 1950. Fans of Haris Alexiou will be able to catch up with her at her next performance in Israel on October 20 at the Caesarea Amphitheater. Needless to say, Poliker will be there to cheer her on.
■ MANY PEOPLE who might not ordinarily be found on a university campus, showed up at the Smolarsz Auditorium at Tel Aviv University to celebrate the 60th anniversary of AKIM, at a benefit evening at which singers Shiri Maimon and Shimon Buskila, who performed gratis, wowed the crowd and received thunderous applause not only for their talent but for their generosity of spirit. But they were not the only ones who were applauded. Two of AKIM’s own singers, Laura and Arieh, mounted the stage and sang “Hatikva” with Maimon and Buskila. The pride reflected in their faces transferred itself to the audience, with nearly everyone understanding the enormity of the effort involved. There was hardly a dry eye in the place. AKIM, chaired by former Israel Security Agency chief Ami Ayalon, currently cares for 34,000 intellectually challenged people.
■ CELEBRITIES GALORE showed up at one of the charming galleries in Neveh Tzedek to celebrate the latest move in the career of fashion designer Galit Levy, best known for her wedding and evening creations.
Like so many other fashion designers world wide, Levy has expanded her horizons and has moved into home wares, starting with a range of bed linens commissioned by Vardinon.
Fashion models, people from stage and screen as well as several well-known representatives from the business world came to see and be seen, as well as to admire Levy’s work.
Among them were photographer Keren Gillerman, lawyer Benny Don Yichye, singers Mira Awad, Kobi Peretz and Moshe Datz, dancer/choreographer Claude Dadia, businessman George Akirov, world famous model agent Betty Rockaway, television personalities Michal Amdurski, Tal Man and Hani Nachmias, fashion models Shirli Buganin, Moran Gross and Galit Farber, advertising guru Yafit Greenberg, sexologist Iris Bar- On and MK Gila Gamliel.
■ ONE GOOD deed leads to what may become an abiding friendship.
Tal Menal, 24, of Tel Aviv and Lior Prugen 22, of Rishon Lezion were each blessed with beautiful long hair. Through hairdresser Eli Ben Zikri who volunteers to make wigs for Kaplan Medical Center cancer patients who have lost their hair while undergoing chemotherapy, the two, who met by chance in his salon, decided to cut their own hair short and to contribute their tresses to Ben Zikri’s project. The young women struck up an instant friendship and promised to remain in contact with each other. Menal has just completed her studies in chemistry and Prugen is about to take up her studies in medicine.