The Bets Are in Shekels But the Game’s the Same

ANTE UP: From left, Dani Yochtman, Oded Paz and Eden Harel, three contestants on the Israeli version of ?Celebrity Poker.?

By Nathan Burstein November 6, 2008

It’s a form of *tzedakah *that the Sages probably didn’t have in mind: cash winnings from the Israeli version of “Celebrity Poker.”

ANTE UP: From left, Dani Yochtman, Oded Paz and Eden Harel, three contestants on the Israeli version of ?Celebrity Poker.?

Nevertheless, a number of Israeli charities and not-for-profit organizations stand to benefit from the November 1 premiere of “Poker Cochavim,” the Tel Aviv-based edition of the American series broadcast on Bravo. Participants in the Israeli version of the show include a mix of TV actors, athletes and musicians, with the series airing on Ego, a cable channel aimed at “hot-blooded” men between the ages of 18 and 45, according to the broadcaster’s Web site. Among the high-profile Texas Hold ’Em players will be Harel Moyal, second-season winner of the Israeli version of “American Idol,” and Eden Harel, a TV host who served as the first Israeli video jockey on MTV Europe.

Eden Harel’s husband, TV personality Oded Menashe, will be master of ceremonies for the new gambling show, following his successful stint on the Channel 10 cooking competition “Knife Fight.”

The Hebrew-language edition of “Celebrity Poker” follows a steady stream of foreign reality shows adapted for Israeli audiences. An Israeli version of “Survivor,” shot in the Caribbean, proved a hit earlier this year, and the ratings are currently dominated by the first Israeli edition of “Big Brother.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO