Déjà vu trends
There is nothing new under the sun, we are told in Ecclesiastes. “What has been will be again. What has been done will be done again.”
This is particularly true in the world of fashion, where styles repeat themselves every few years with subtle changes in shoulder widths and hemlines. People who are old enough often have a feeling of déjà vu when they see something in a “new” collection that strongly resembles something they wore 20 years ago and more.
For several people at the gala annual fashion show by Shenkar College graduates at Expo Tel Aviv last Thursday night, there was definitely a sense of déjà vu upon seeing the broad, padded shoulders, the puffed sleeves, and the pantaloons.
Some of the outfits looked as though they had been created for female crew members in space odyssey movies.
The truth is that most of the designs for such shows are not intended as wearables, but as examples of creative talent.
They also hint at incoming trends. For example, although the usual browns, blacks and grays will be seen this winter, there will also be a riot of colors to help lift the mood at a time when the world is occupied with hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, a political swing to the Right in Europe and some other parts of the world, economic strife, heightened crime, and more.
The wearables were mostly coats and jackets – some oversized, some body-hugging, but all attention-getters.
No less interesting than the creations of the graduates were the outfits worn by the invitees, who included Shenkar students, teachers, trustees, patrons, and the who’s who of Israeli society, who had come to congratulate Gabriel and Etty Rotter, cochairmen of the Castro fashion empire, on receiving Shenkar’s life achievement award in recognition of their unstinting support of Shenkar for the past 25 years. This includes integrating Shenkar graduates into Castro design teams.
Standing out among the approximately 600 people milling about at the reception prior to the show was a female photographer in a burgundy hued, fully diaphanous, high-necked, long-sleeved, floor-length, lace gown over matching bra and panties.
Very popular with younger women were strapless bustiers worn with long skirts, but mostly with pants ranging in width from stovepipe to sweeping culottes and all between options.
Black and white dominated the color choices, both separately and together, though there was no shortage of gold and silver metallics. Mixed clashing prints were not pleasing to the eye, but trends being trends, and ugly being one such trend, there was no dearth in that direction either.
In short, we are living in a very eclectic fashion era in which big name designers no longer dictate what we wear, but cater to a variety of tastes.
The public relations for the gala event was handled by Ran Rahav, who arguably knows more people in Israel than anyone else, and has the gift of marrying his clients to each other for joint business or charitable ventures.
In this case Rahav was an important link in the chain that has enabled the recently established strong relationship between Phoenix, a leading financial services group, and Shenkar.
It’s not just a matter of the Phoenix Group giving its patronage to Shenkar, but actually working in a strategic partnership to ensure that graduates are fully equipped to run a business enterprise.
The partnership between Phoenix and Shenkar will also bear fruit in other directions, with the construction of a new campus based on the ecosystem. Work, social and cultural activities, alongside technological research and development will all take place under the one roof.
PR people are not often thanked publicly by their clients, but considering Rahav’s long association with Shenkar, it was not surprising when Orit Efrati, who chairs Shenkar’s board of trustees, included warm words of appreciation for Rahav in her speech.
Rahav was busy introducing Phoenix CEO Eyal Ben Simon to the many friends of Shenkar, who in most cases are also friends of the Rotter-Castro family. Considering that when everyone took their seats, there were some 600 people in the hall, he couldn’t get around to everyone, but introduced a lot of people to Ben Simon, who managed to keep a constant smile on his face.
Spotted in the crowd, were Israel Prize laureate Moshe Edery and his wife, Pnina; Eyal Waldman; Prof. Ronni Gamzu; Rishon Lezion Mayor Raz Kinstlich; Dov Kotler, the outgoing CEO of Bank Hapoalim, and his wife, Hagit; former Knesset speaker MK Mickey Levy and his wife, Nurit; Assaf Tuchmeir, chairman of Israel Canada, which is engaged in so many urban renewal projects around the country, and his wife, Miri; Gad and Etty Proper; Motty Reif, who produced the event; Chemi and Gila Peres; international designer and Shenkar graduate Kobi Halperin; former fashion design icons Gideon Oberson and Raziela Gershon and many others.
On Wednesday evening, July 31, friends of Shenkar who missed out on the show last week can see an exhibition of the creations, which, unlike the fast-paced show on the catwalk, remain on view for long-term inspection. The exhibition can be seen at the Shenkar campus, 12 Anne Frank Street, Ramat Gan.
Ilan Beja, who heads Shenkar’s fashion department, will be on hand to answer questions.
Maskit exhibit at MUZA in TA
THERE MAY have been even more people at the opening of the Maskit exhibition in the Rothschild Center of the Eretz Israel Museum (MUZA) on Sunday. It was hard to tell because they were not seated, and they congregated in the entrance lobby, the hall adjacent to the lobby, and the upstairs exhibition area in which life-size mannequins were attired in original Maskit creations of the 1950s and the recent creations by Sharon Tal, who, together with her husband, Nir, and the late Ruth Dayan, who founded Maskit, revived what had been Israel’s flagship brand, but which had closed its stores in 1994.
Some of the invitees had actually worked for Maskit, and many of those present still had one or two Maskit garments in their closets.
One woman, on seeing a vintage empire line dress with long puffed sleeves exclaimed: “That’s what I wore when I was pregnant with my first baby.” In those days pregnant women usually camouflaged their condition and wore dresses with flowing silhouettes to hide the bump.
Variations of the Maskit signature desert coat designed by Fini Leitersdorf were on view along with the more modern, streamlined version designed by Sharon Tal. There were also examples of evening gowns and classic street dresses, again covering a 70-year span, and yet all the yesteryear creations were timeless and would not look out of place today.
Nir Tal, who conceived both the revival of Maskit and the exhibition, said that when he first met Ruth Dayan in 2012, he fell in love with her and with Maskit. He was sorry that she had not lived to see the exhibition. She died in 2021, a month short of her 104th birthday. But members of her family were present, including her grandson Lior, the son of actor and filmmaker Assi Dayan; and Racheli Sion Sarid, the daughter of politician, journalist, and author Yael Dayan.
Also present – along with MUZA’s chairwoman, Limor Livnat, its director-general, Ami Katz, and its deputy director and chief curator, Raz Samira – were Shachar Atwan, who did a magnificent job in curating the exhibition, and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on August 26. Huldai knew Ruth Dayan personally, and Yael Dayan served with him on the Tel Aviv City Council.
Maskit was born out of a need to provide employment and an income for immigrant craftspeople, who brought with them to Israel centuries-old traditions in weaving, beading, jewelry making, embroideries, Judaica items, and more. Films screened on the walls show them at work with the exquisitely beautiful items they created. The history of Maskit’s cultural legacy appears on wall placards in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
Guests leaving the complex were drawn to the fascinating museum shop, whose varied merchandise includes Maskit pottery items and bags.
In its heyday, Maskit’s unique fabrics were sold to leading French fashion salons such as Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Dior.
What many visitors may not realize is that all the vintage exhibits with their intricate embroideries and beadings were created by hand in a pre-digital age, which is what makes them such valuable keepsakes and museum pieces.
Always remember the Hostages
STILL ON the subject of Fashion, Jerusalem Post readers will this month receive a special kind of fashion supplement that will be edited by Erica Schachne, as if she didn’t already have enough on her hands editing the weekend Magazine and the local In Jerusalem supplement. But Schachne and the management of the Post feel that it is very important to give those readers for whom the joy of life has faded an assurance that we will dress up again – from tatters to triumph.
Some people, perhaps depressed by the fact that efforts to release the hostages have been stalled, may no longer be able to focus fully on other issues – including themselves. That’s what war does. It affects everything – the national mood, the economy, what we eat or whether we eat, the books we read, the movies we watch, and even fashion.
Designers create clothes that reflect the situation – military style, in military colors such as olive green and khaki with cargo pockets; summer-weight pants suits that look like hospital greens and whites; pinafores such as those worn in the days of Florence Nightingale. It’s a way of identifying with the status quo, yet with bright spots that signify hope for the future, combined with both the strength and vulnerability of women on October 7.
There will also be identity shirts modeled by four of the women who have been rescued or released from Gaza and one MDA hero.
Clothes are worn for appeal, not only in terms of what they look like but also what makes us feel comfortable – a knitted sweater, a caftan, tank tops or dresses, faded jeans... everyone has their own thing. Some of these, too, will be featured in line with the theme of the project. There will also be jewel-colored evening gowns designed by Ronen Chen.
Other participating designers include Hadas Khur and Alon Livne, who designed the dress that Eden Golan wore at the Eurovision Song Contest. Styled by Itay Bezaleli, it prompts the impression that sophisticated use has been made of bandages.
War also has a profound effect on religion. Those who become religious change their lifestyles and modes of dress, and this, too, will show up in this fashion project.
The whole idea is to find another angle for drawing attention to the hostages and keeping them in our thoughts.
FOLLOWING their Katif conference in Yad Binyamin on Monday morning, August 5, former residents of Gush Katif and northern Samaria will head for Jerusalem for an evening presentation by Efrayim Manshari, who was born in Gush Katif and will speak on how the forced evacuation 19 years ago (which former residents refer to as the expulsion) has affected Operation Swords of Iron. His address, in Hebrew, will be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation.
Sponsored by Moreshet Yisrael, the event will take place at the Dati Leumi Synagogue at 22 Hai Taib Street in the capital’s Har Nof neighborhood. The minimum donation for entry is NIS 50.
All proceeds are in support of the Katif Bride project, which was initiated very soon after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gush Katif because so many families had no income for a long period of time. The funds were used to provide brides with kitchen essentials, bed linen, and a few extras. There are still impoverished brides among the Gush Katif evacuees. Not every family has been able to rehabilitate itself.
Aftermath of Majdal Shams attack
IT TOOK a most painful tragedy such as the deaths of 12 Druze children for the nation to focus its attention on the vulnerability of all the communities, Druze, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian, living on the Golan Heights. As President Isaac Herzog noted in condemning the attack on Majdal Shams, “Hezbollah, armed and funded by Iran, does not distinguish between child or adult, soldier or civilian, Jew or Muslim, Druze or Christian.”
Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif lashed out at the government and the army for ignoring the needs of the northern communities, despite the daily barrage of rockets and drones from across the border.
The national reaction to the horrible manner in which 12 Druze youngsters met their deaths was indicative that change may be in the offing, and that budgetary allocations toward Druze and other minority communities will be increased.
What all these communities want, in addition to a more generous and understanding attitude on the part of the Finance Ministry, is an amendment to the Nation-State Law, which in its present wording gives them a feeling of exclusion rather than inclusion. They want to feel a sense of belonging. This is denied them in the two clauses which state:
“The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people in which it fulfills its natural, cultural, religious, and historical right to self-determination.
“The right to exercise national self-determination is unique to the Jewish people.”
What would it hurt to add a sentence to the effect that the State of Israel is also the national home of all its citizens, who have the right to practice the religious and cultural traditions of their ancestors? This would not detract from it being a Jewish state. It would simply acknowledge that Jews are not its only citizens, and that non-Jews are entitled to the same rights as Jews.
IFCJ begins new funding initiatives
AS PART of its ongoing financial and practical support efforts, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has announced two new funding initiatives to support IDF soldiers who were wounded in battle.
An allocation of close to NIS 2 million will be directed to help wounded vets with purchases of clothing, electric appliances, accessible furniture, and food cards. The second project will provide for the distribution of “support kits” that are delivered to wounded soldiers to help them during the time of hospitalization and rehabilitation.
“This war has exacted an extremely heavy cost on our younger generation, with many thousands of soldiers, who dropped everything to fight on behalf of all of us, experiencing life-changing injuries,” said IFCJ President Yael Eckstein.
“Beyond the current physical toll of these injuries, many of these wounded veterans will face lifestyle challenges that will make their rehabilitation and financial independence that much more difficult.
“Our commitment, and the commitment of the hundreds of thousands of IFCJ donors around the world, is to ensure that we are addressing those needs and offering them the practical support they deserve in light of the incredible sacrifices they have made.”
The programs are being implemented in partnership with the Friends of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, and will include distribution of the support kits in rehabilitation departments in hospitals all around the country.
In recent years, IFCJ support for Friends of the IDF Disabled Veterans has provided food, clothing, and adapted vehicles and transportation for wounded soldiers to get to and from activities.
Since the outbreak of the war, the IFCJ has contributed more than $75m. in dozens of different social and civilian defense efforts. Among these were the installation of more than 200 sheltered units in northern communities, armored emergency response vehicles, and millions of shekels in first aid and security equipment for local response teams.
Safwan Marich, director of IFCJ’s Safety and Emergency Response Division, said, “Our partnership with the Friends of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization over the past three years has supported those who have given of themselves, body and soul, to fight for our country.”
Adi Strauss, chairman of the Friends of the IDF Disabled Veterans, said: “IFCJ has been a long-standing partner with the Friends of the IDF Disabled Veterans, and together we are blessed to be able to provide ongoing support for the many heroes who have sacrificed so much for the sake of our land and its people.”
IFCJ plans fundraiser
IFCJ IS one of several organizations that support soldiers on active duty, those who are wounded, those who are on the course to rehabilitation, and longtime veterans who are living with the scars of war.
Of all the ministries that Israel has now, and has had in the past, there has never been a ministry for overseeing all the needs where philanthropists can put their money. Thus, hospitals, universities, and research units receive mega donations in the millions of shekels or dollars, while the needs of smaller organizations or institutions receive a pittance, if anything.
Among organizations that are giving consideration to the smaller organizations and institutions is the Australian Jewish Funders, headed by Eli Nossbaum. An AJF delegation was in Israel approximately half a year ago, and will be back in mid-September as guests of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, at an event whereby founders of leading social purpose organizations pitch their business models directly with event attendees through an innovative Shark Tank-inspired framework. Small donations are given to numerous early-stage social purpose organizations and not-for-profits.
Participants in the TASE-hosted event will pay NIS 250 per ticket to participate and will receive two vouchers upon arrival. The vouchers will be used to implement their decisions on how their contributions will be allocated to SPOs.
There are literally thousands of SPOs in Israel dedicated to education, sport, music, art, amateur theater, helping Holocaust survivors and other senior citizens, plus many other causes.
The late Prof. Eliezer Jaffe, a stalwart of the Hebrew University’s School for Social Work, wrote a book called Giving Wisely which served as the Israel guide to nonprofit and volunteer organizations. He personally checked the credentials of every entry, and included only those that had not in any way been tainted by corruption.
An updated version of this book is sorely needed, as SPOs continue to multiply. Not all are genuine. It has been mentioned before in this column that there are scam operators that flood social media with hard-luck stories, provide an address to which donations should be sent, but no real evidence of who the recipients really are.
The life of Martin Indyk
AMONG THE people who published condolence notices following the death last week of former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk was current US Ambassador Jack Lew, who posted on X the death of his longtime friend and colleague.
Indyk, who twice served as US ambassador to Israel under the Clinton administration, was the first US ambassador of the Jewish faith to serve in Israel. Lew is the most recent, with four others between them: Dan Kurtzer was the second, followed by Dan Shapiro, David Friedman, and Tom Nides.
Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, also published a condolence notice, in which he wrote: “I knew Martin for decades and worked with him extensively. I always had a high regard for his scholarship, his contribution to Israel-US relations, and his dedication to advancing peace in our region.”
Six-week festival coming to Jerusalem
WITH INCOMING tourism a long way from recovery, the Jerusalem Municipality, together with the Jerusalem Hotel Association and others, has launched an advertising and marketing campaign to boost domestic tourism to the capital.
Within the framework of this campaign is a six-week festival, from August 14 to September 26, in which there will be concerts, theater performances, and lectures throughout the city, with events geared to a variety of tastes.
One of the highlights will be a recital by singer and dancer Yasmin Levy and musician Shaanan Streett, in a performance at Mishkenot Sha’ananim of Ladino and Spanish songs, and a conversation on what she gleaned in her father’s house.
The festival will culminate with slihot, penitential prayers.
Additional information is available at www.sidratarbut.artgreerfc@gmail.com