By GREER FAY CASHMANCinema City Jerusalem(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
■ IT WOULD be difficult for brothers Leon and Moshe Edry to guess how many movies they’ve seen over the years. As youngsters in Dimona, they would sneak into movie theaters to watch movies for free. As adults, they established a movie empire. They built cinema banks and are also distributors and producers of films, providing seed money for many Israeli movies – some of which have turned out to be international award winning productions.The Edry brothers are best known for creating Cinema City complexes in different parts of the country so that they can share their passion for movies with the general public. Not only that, but when a film is premiered in one of the Cinema City facilities, or when different organizations hold charity events in a Cinema City at least one member of the Edry family is on hand, and more often than not the family is numerically well represented.A new Cinema City was officially opened in Netanya this week at an investment of NIS 45 million. Leon Edry said that he was pleased to add to the Cinema City chain, which now exists in Glilot, Rishon Lezion, Kfar Saba and Jerusalem, thereby giving the residents of Netanya and surrounds a wide choice of films under one roof.The new Cinema City has 14 cinema halls, two of them VIP, and two equipped with the latest laser technology. Moshe Edry said that it was very exciting to be able to add another facility to Netanya’s entertainment landscape.■ THE GUEST speaker at the White City Friday night dinner tonight for young Tel Avivians in their 20s and 30s will be Canadian television personality Adrian Gold, who is currently visiting Israel.Gold was a fixture on Canadian television for almost two decades. Following a visit to Israel, she lost interest in promoting issues of style, and turned her attention to matters of substance. She is currently a popular lecturer across North America, and is a full-time teacher at the Village Shul in Toronto. She is the senior lecturer of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project.The White City Shabbat, held at the North Central Synagogue at 126 Ben Yehuda Street, is a joint project that also includes Hineni and the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. It begins at 4.30 p.m. with a Carlebach-style service, followed by a Kiddush with Beer on Tap, and subsequently the community dinner.Reservations must be made through the White City Shabbat Facebook page. Lone soldiers can enjoy a meal free of charge, but must also register in advance in order to ensure that there is sufficient food available.■ IN THE framework of their 60th anniversary celebrations of the City of Ashdod, the Corinne Mamane Museum of Philistine Culture, believed to be the only archeology museum in the world that is totally dedicated to Philistine culture, will open a new exhibition, Sand of Time on December 13.Visitors to the museum discover a new yet ancient reality side by side innovative high tech exhibits which take visitors from yesteryear to tomorrow. Curator Galit Litani ensures that in addition to its permanent exhibition, the museum displays temporary exhibitions on various aspects of ethnography.
The museum also features tastes and scents of Philistine culture in the Philistine Feast, which offers a variety of dining options from a complete feast to Philistine tea and sweets.■ KARATE CHAMPION Danny Hakim has forged relationships between Israeli and Palestinian youth by teaching them the martial arts under the heading of Budo for Peace.Hakim is a social activist and a philanthropist, and among other hats he wears is that of chairman of Kids Kicking Cancer Israel, a non-profit organization that provides weekly classes for children, both inpatient and outpatient, in mind-body techniques found in the martial arts. The instructors ease the pain of very sick children while empowering them to heal physically, spiritually and emotionally, and most important of all to regain their self confidence and to believe in their ability to overcome.Hakim is a veteran Australian oleh, as is Dr. Harvey Belik who is also heavily involved with Kids Kicking Cancer. The organization was founded by Rabbi Eliezer Goldberg and has been featured globally on Oprah, The Today Show, USA Today, and other leading TV shows.People wanting a good laugh while simultaneously supporting the work of KKC will have the opportunity this Saturday evening, when American comedian, actor, script writer and producer Elon Gold, appears in a KKC fundraiser hosted by comedian Benji Lovitt with a short presentation by some of the children in the KKC program (see Page 23).
