Hooking Up, Israeli Style
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Be sincere. Stay fit. And don’t be afraid to nudge.
That’s the advice from Tel Aviv-born party promoter Eliad Cohen on “How to Hook Up With a Sexy Israeli” in this week’s issue of Next, a New York gay weekly.
Cohen’s “Tel-Aviv and Madrid-inspired” party, Papa, makes its stateside debut this Sunday. To mark the occasion, Next “asked the Chelsea-via-Tel Aviv resident just what it takes to get the attentions of the boys of Zion.”
How, the magazine asked, “can we possibly manage to land a kosher man for ourselves?” Step 1, says Cohen: Be sincere, be yourself. “We Israelis are famous for being direct, so it’s important for someone we’re with to be sincere, honest and just basically himself.” Second: Fitness is important. “We enter the army for three years when we’re 18. I think that the constant training instills an appreciation for physical fitness from an early age,” he tells Next. Number three: Get ready to go, go, go! “Tel Aviv is a very active city, so we’re always on the go.”
And finally, Don’t be afraid to be a little persistent. “Israelis have a nickname: Sabras. A sabra is a type of cactus that’s prickly on the outside but really sweet on the inside. We can be a little tough and argumentative on the outside, but inside, we’re attentive and sweet. Don’t always judge a book by its cover — something like that.”
