Miri Bohadana, who hails from Sderot, visits more often than almost anyone else in the entertainment industry.
By GREER FAY CASHMANMiri Bohadana 88 224(photo credit: Courtesy)
IN JUST over two weeks, Israel's song choice for the Eurovision Contest in Belgrade will be decided. Singer Boaz Mauda will sing five songs selected from 450 entries before the winning song is announced. One of the five, Ke'ilu Kan (As if You Were Here), was written by former Eurovision winner Dana International along with Shai Kerem. It's not yet clear if Dana International will join Mauda in a duet performance, but it's clear she's a fan. In an interview that she gave to an Irish radio station, the singer heaped praise on Mauda not only for his voice, but also for his looks and charm, saying she was sure he would wow all the girls in Serbia.
Mauda's televised performance will take place on February 25.
HAIR DYE and cosmetic surgery may help ward off some of the external signs of aging, but even celebrities are subject to the ravages of time. This was apparent last week at Channel 1's farewell tribute to Haim Yavin, where live commentary was interspersed with archival footage, enabling viewers to see well known television personalities as they were and as they are.
Not everyone ages the same way, however. Dan Shilon and Motti Kirschenbaum, who are both younger than Yavin, but have far less hair, kept making reference to his mane, which is still plentiful and carries only a smattering of gray. Actor Oded Teomi, who is just a fraction younger than Yavin, recently told one of the Hebrew tabloids that even though people are convinced he dyes his hair, he never has, and is only now beginning to go gray. It's possible that the same applies to Yavin, though old photos show him with darker hair than he has now. Color notwithstanding, there is also a rumor that Yavin wears a toupee. He proved it was nothing more than a rumor, however, when he leaned forward and pulled at his hair to prove it was real and rooted to his scalp.
MEIR PANIM chairman Dudu Zilbershlag, who is also the chairman of the haredi paramedical rescue unit Zaka, recently met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in his Jerusalem office as part of a Zaka delegation. In the midst of the meeting, a birthday cake was brought out for Zilbershlag and Olmert wished him a happy 50th.
Meir Panim provides for the needy all over the country, and in running the organization, Zilbershlag has become somewhat of a celebrity in his own right. He's developed close relationships with people from every strata of society, from philanthropists to the Prime Minister, the poor and the homeless. He also has a good relationship with most of the big names in Israel's entertainment industry, many of whom do benefit performances on behalf of the less fortunate. Zilbershlag has persuaded Illi Gorlitzky, Yona Atari, Hakol Over Habibi, Ido Tadmor, the Parvarim, the Ariel Choir, Shimi Tavori and Shalom Asayag to put on a benefit performance tonight, Sunday, at the Petah Tikva Cultural Center on behalf of Israel's senior citizens. The event will be attended by Israel's number one senior citizen, the eternally youthful Shimon Peres.
SPEAKING OF benefit concerts, all roads these days lead to Sderot, with politicians, spiritual leaders and entertainers finding their way to the besieged southern city. One of the most recent benefit performances included actress, television personality, fashion model and former beauty queen Miri Bohadana, who hails from Sderot and visits more often than almost anyone else in the entertainment industry.
