HE'S NOT the Barber of Seville, but until very recently he was the legendary barber of Upper Nazareth. Now Alex Gedelkin is the mayor – at least until a final decision is reached on his indicted predecessor Shimon Gapso, who was suspended by the Interior Ministry and is on trial at the Haifa District Court. Gapso has been charged with taking bribes; there have also been allegations of racism against him. The Upper Nazareth Municipal Council voted to install Gedelkin as interim mayor. If Gapso is found guilty, it is highly possible that Gedelkin, if he acquits himself well, will remain in office until the next municipal elections. Gedelkin's late mother established the family-operated barber shop, where Gedelkin helped out as a boy and where he returned following his army service. Following his mother's death, he continued to operate the business and earned a reputation as an excellent barber. But for the foreseeable future, his scissors will remain idle. A MEGA-NATURE party that began last Friday night in the Jordan Valley started off with thousands of very happy people who danced the night away, and were prepared to continue dancing throughout Saturday, but were prevented by police from doing so. During the night, the temperature was just fine, but once the sun came up in the morning the temperature changed radically and several of the merrymakers collapsed – some from dehydration, but others from various injuries and from drug abuse. All in all, some 40 people received medical treatment and of these, seven – one in serious condition – were taken to hospitals. Police put a stop to the revelry, much to the annoyance of young people who had come from many parts of Israel. Jordan Valley Council head David Elhayani was also angry that the Afula police had stopped the fun, pointing out that organizers had obtained all the requisite permits, there was no violence and considering the size of the crowd, the number of people taking drugs was minimal. The police had gone into panic mode for no logical reason, he said. LAST OCTOBER, Ashkelon-born opera singer Daniella Lugassy was shocked when YouTube removed a video of her singing Fix You, only a few days after it had been uploaded. The reason given for the removal was that Lugassy had violated its guidelines on nudity and sexual content. There was no nude scene in the video, and although some might regard Lugassy's fashion-model face and figure as sexy, there was no sexual content either. Compared to Miley Cyrus, who appears completely nude and suspended from a wrecking ball, Lugassy's performance could be considered conservative. An amazing soprano who sings pop opera in addition to classical opera, Lugassy, who has appeared in opera halls and on concert stages in Israel and abroad, including clubs such as Barby and Zappa, has a global following. Not everyone in Israel is familiar with the strikingly beautiful Lugassy, so Channel 1's Alon Sharvit decided to introduce her to the wider Israeli public, and took her back to the teachers who had initially helped train her voice. Together with the television crew, she walked in on a choir lesson, was warmly embraced by her teachers and applauded by the choir – whose members individually told Sharvit that they aspired to be another Daniella Lugassy. The feature also included a visit to the spacious home that Lugassy shares with her husband, Omer Shvili, and their infant son. The camera crew was permitted into her large dressing room, which in addition to racks and closets of stunning outfits features a wall-towall, floor-to-ceiling shoe rack with dozens of pairs of shoes and boots in assorted colors and styles. The feature was shown on Channel 1's weekend round-up, causing anchorwoman Ayala Hasson to remark that Imelda Marcos (once the first lady of the Philippines), who was reputed to have one of the largest personal shoe collections in the world with more than 3,000 pairs, was in danger of being out-done. Lugassy is the Sabra product of a French father and an American mother. WHEN ONE of the nephews of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau was married in Bnei Brak last week, there were many whispers over the uncle's absence. He did eventually show up but very late, and was very apologetic. He had been doing one of the things that rabbis are supposed to do – uniting a couple in wedlock according to the Laws of Moses and of Israel, at Ronit Farm. In this case, it was also an act of noblesse oblige. The bride, Efrat Aharonovitch, is the daughter of Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch. Ronit Farm, off the highway north of Herzliya en route to Netanya, is not exactly a hop, skip and a jump from Bnei Brak, and there is often traffic congestion on that part of the highway, which accounts in part for Lau's late arrival at his nephew's wedding. Still, better late than never. THE JERUSALEM Marathon resulted in yet another triumph for Kenya, with Kenyans taking first, second and third places, just as happened in the Tel Aviv marathon at the end of February. The winners in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv ran in record time. Ronald Kimeli Kurgat, 28, completed the run in two hours, 16 minutes and nine seconds. Second and third places were taken by Patrick Wachira Muriuki, 24, with a time of two hours, 16 minutes and 35 seconds, and Luka Kipkemoi Chelimo, 37, with a time of two hours, 18 minutes and eight seconds. The winners in the Tel Aviv Marathon last month were Ezekiel Koech, in the record time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 40 seconds, with fellow Kenyans Keter Emmanuel Triop and Sammy Limo taking second and third places. Yet another Kenyan, Margaret Mjugna, was the winner on the women's side, clocking in at 2:44:20.
