Writing About My Trip To Israel: A Note

I've been thinking a lot about how I should write about my trip to Israel. Israel is an emotional, political, historical, and spiritual topic for me, as it is for many Jewish bloggers. However, what I try to do with ModernTribe and this blog is present a different side of Israel. Aesthetics, beauty and cleverness in design, what is fresh and new in the design world in Israel (and the space of Judaica across the world), is the focus. I want to expose the world to a different angle other than what we usually see on the evening news or at Temple and thus give people another way to see and perhaps connect to Israel. Therefore, my blog posts about my trip will largely focus on design and culture. But know, dear readers, Israel moves me in all the other ways too. And a trip to Israel is, most importantly, about deepening ones understanding of politics, history, and spirituality. But, while doing those things, I urge you to notice and enjoy the very new and exciting things happening in design, fashion, art and architecture in this thriving nation.

In the land of Plushood

While strolling Dizengoff in Tel Aviv we spotted our Plushood friends, in their special, limited edition, black outfits. The pic above is of Delores in the window of a women's clothing and lifestyle store called Gusta.

Then we had the pleasure of finally meeting some of our Israeli friends in person. Shlomi Schillinger and Tamar Moshkovitz are the designers and creators of Plushood -- the animation series and the dolls we all know and love. We met at the newly developed Old Tel Aviv Port which is full of shops, restaurants, and nightclubs and coolly features an undulating boardwalk!



It was a very hot and sunny day -- thus the shiny squinty faces. But isn't Tamar adorable (on right)?

Twirling in Tovale's from Shenkin Street, Tel Aviv

You'll be hearing a bunch about my trip to Israel in the upcoming week. Quickly, I want to tell you about Tovale's clothing in Tel Aviv. I visited the location on Shenkin Street where Israeli designer Naama Chasin has both her women's clothing and her "Little" line for children. The children's clothing I couldn't resist buying for my daughter. My three year old is obsessed with twirling skirts and dresses and this skirt has enough twirl to satisfy even her. It's all handmade with serious skill and attention to detail. We couldn't step five feet without someone commenting on her outfit yesterday at the Virginia Highland Summer Fest -- and she wasn't even sporting the headband! The outfit was expensive: the whole ensemble cost around $150, more than I'd usually spend on an outfit for my child. About 5x more, actually. Ouch. You can see more of the Tovale's line on their flash heavy website, but unfortunately the 2008 line isn't yet online.