И ENTERTAINMENT
PERFORMING ARTS
For the most detailed information on performance schedules and other activities
in the Tel Aviv area, see Tel Aviv Today, Events in Tel Aviv, and This Week in
Tel Aviv, all free at the tourist information office and major hotels.
The Suzanne Delal Center, 5 Yehiely St. , in Neve Tzedek, has indoor
and outdoor dance, theater, and musical performances. Take bus #8, 10, 25, or 61
from downtown or #40 or 46 from the central bus station. The center is best
known as the home of the Inbal and Bat Sheva dance companies, both of which
perform contemporary ethnic dances. (Box office open daily 9am-5pm. Inbal:
Bat Sheva: «517 14 71; NIS45-60, 20% discount
with foreign passport.) Beit Lessin, 34 Weizmann St. , has live jazz acts
(NIS30-70). The Tel Aviv Cameri Theater, 101 Dizengoff St. at the corner of
Frischmann St. offers simultaneous translation earphones during 8:30pm perfor-
mances on Tuesday. Habima Theater, 2 Tarsat
Blvd. the national theater of Israel, also offers simultaneous translation at some
performances.
In the same complex, the Mann Auditorium is home to the Israeli Phil-
harmonic Orchestra (box office «525 15 02) which plays modern Israeli works as
well as more internationally known pieces. Be prepared for a cough-fest like no
other when the orchestra pauses-the crowd of season ticket holders is older than
the auditorium.
There are also more than 40 movie theaters showing American and Israeli flicks.
Check the Jerusalem Post for English listings for the artsy Tel Aviv Cinematheque,
2 Sprinzak St. , at the intersection with Carlebach St. or the more
mainstream Chen Cinema in Dizengoff Sq.
VISUAL ARTS
Art galleries line Gordon St. between Dizengoff St. and Ben-Yehuda St. and are
scattered elsewhere throughout the city. The Stem Gallery, 30 Gordon St. («524 63
03), showcases artwork by a father and son team. M. Pollack, 42 King George St.
, near the Etzel Irgun Tzva'i Le'umi Museum, displays an extensive
collection of antique maps of the world.
□ SHOPPING
If there's one thing Israelis love more than 80s music, it's huge shopping malls. Azri-
eli Center, 132 Petah Tikvah Rd. , is the tallest mall in Israel-at least
for now-and has a huge movie theater with the latest American fare. (Open Su-Th
lOam-lOpm, F 9:30am-3pm, Sa 8-11pm.) Closer to the center of town, Dizengoff Cen-
ter overflows with stores, fast-food, video arcades, and two cineplexes. (Open Su-
Th 9am-midnight, F 9am-3pm and 8pm-noon.)
Plan your dream wedding or the debutante ball you never had in the ritzy shops
around Dizengoff St. and Sderot Nordau. Trendy clothing and jewelry boutiques line
Sheinken St. While many Tel Avivians fill their clubbing closets here, the price tags
can be rather steep. Remember, all it takes is one good accessory: tlSchwartz's
Fancy Feathers, on the corner of Rambam and Nahalat Binyamin, has wall-to-wall
feather boas. Two meters of their pure tactile pleasure go for NIS20-40. («272 36
52. Open Su-Th 9am-6pm, F 9am-2pm.)
For a more down-and-dirty shopping experience, head to the famed Shuk Ha-Car-
mel, at the intersection of Allenby Rd. and King George St. While waving polyester
undergarments and red plastic sandals, vendors extol their products' virtues to
strollers. Farther down from Allenby Rd. fresh fruit and vegetables go for the low-
est prices in the city. Near the shuk, Nahalat Binyamin, parallel to Allenby one
block closer to the sea, becomes a street fair on Tuesdays and Fridays. From 10am
to 4pm (weather permitting) local artists and craftspeople sell artsy jewelry, pot-
tery, original paintings, Judaica, kids' toys, and bizarre candelabras. Musicians and
mimes fill the cobblestone street to entertain those weary of shopping. Other bar-
gains can be found at Jaffa's flea market (see 81).