ASIDE FROM the gala benefit show for Variety which takes care ofchildren with physical and mental disabilities, members of theentertainment industry are raising smaller amounts wherever they can.For example, Moshe Peretz and Paulina were dancing and singing in theHolon Mall and attracted lots of fans, many of whom made symboliccontributions. In return, Peretz handed out autographs to an adoringpublic. The couple even went inside the stores and serenaded SuperPharmcustomers.
IN THE cellphone era, it is almost impossible not to mix businesswith pleasure. Whoever doesn’t turn off the phone is bound to get acall in the middle of a meeting, at dinner or at the opera. And itdoesn’t stop there. High-tech entrepreneurs together with David and GuyHalfon together with lawyer Haim Reuven have come up with auser-friendly alternative. They recently opened the first in a chain ofBourse cafes along the lines of the British prototype, with thedifference that in Israel they will come under the Hebrew logo of CaféBursa. A screen on every table enables diners to “invest” in the StockExchange and spend the winnings at the café. Investments will belimited to relatively modest sums of not more than NIS 500. The pioneerventure is in Herzliya. The three partners plan to open another tenbranches in Israel by the end of this year and a sum total of 40branches worldwide at an overall investment of $10 million.
IF YOU’RE among those people who shop till they drop, you’d be wiseto do so in the triple tower Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv. No, this is notan advertisement for any stores in the mall, or the mall itself forthat matter. It’s just a way of informing the public that for the nextfew weeks there will be a concerted effort at the Azrieli Mall tointroduce the new, cutting-edge Cardiology Department at Sheba MedicalCenter to the thousands of shoppers and browsers who visit the malleach day. The heart-to-heart endeavor was spring-boarded at a galaevent hosted by David and Stephanie Azrieli on the top floor of theobservation deck of the circular tower, where a film of the CardiologyDepartment was shown and explanations of how the department functionsand the comprehensive treatment it gives with the most up-to-datestate-of-the-art equipment were given by the head of the department,Prof. Micha Eldar. David Azrieli, who was treated at Sheba and donatedthe funds needed to update the Cardiology Department, spoke movingly ofhis experience there and warmly thanked the doctors who had treatedhim.
IT’S A well known fact that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has anapartment in the Akirov Towers in Tel Aviv that were built by realestate tycoon Alfred Akirov. It seems that Barak simply cannot get awayfrom the Akirov influence. As part of his 68th birthday celebrations,Barak and his wife Nili spent the weekend in Jerusalem and stayed atthe Mamilla boutique hotel, which it just so happens is owned by AlfredAkirov
NO NAME is more publicly associated with Teva Pharmaceuticals than thatof Chairman Eli Hurvitz, the company’s former President and CEO. Hurvitz announced this week that he would be taking a three weeksleave of absence while recuperating from therapy for a serious illness.In the interim he will be replaced by Prof. Moshe Many, a veteranmember of Teva’s board of directors. The Petah Tikva headquarteredcompany which is one of the world's largest producers of generic drugs,has continued to do well since the departure of former CEO IsraelMakov, and there is no reason why it should not continue to do so inthe temporary absence of Hurvitz.
AFTER LAUNCHING their new spring/summer collection last week, theCastro Design group held a celebration at the Zizi Club in Tel Avivattended by third generation Castro heir Ariel Roter and hisbride-to-be Rotem Sela, along with lots of people from the fashion,modeling and entertainment industries, including among others YonatanWagman, Yael Goldman, Guy Gior, Anna Buckstein, Anat Harel, Galit Levi,Moti Reif, Guy Meiri and many more who were entertained by the Crazy Pgroup which had been brought from London for the fashion show, andnaturally stayed for the party. It’s been quite a fashion festival withlocal companies launching their new collections and global companiesopening up in Israel. New Guys on the block include French Connectionand H&M. Although the latter is selling fashionable items atcheaper prices than most other brands on the market, its prices arenonetheless higher in Israel than they are in Europe. Anotherinternational brand name rumored to be on its way to Israel is BananaRepublic, and GAP which opened its first Israeli franchise inJerusalem’s Alrov Mamilla Mall, is opening up in Tel Aviv this comingSunday, February 21 on the first floor of the Azrieli Mall. Don’trush. It won't be open to the public till 8 p.m.
YIDDISH ENTHUSIASTS who want to take a trip down memory lane tochildhood may find what they’re looking for at Leyvik House in TelAviv, today, Friday at 11.30 a.m. with the musical straight from NewYork ‘Schachter Tachter’ (Schachter Daughters). Binyamin Schachter andhis daughters will sing Yiddish children's songs of yesteryear.
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