- Title: ISRAEL: Hebrew Playboy magazine hits the newsstands
- Date: 5th March 2013
- Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (MARCH 5, 2013) (REUTERS) PLAYBOY ISRAEL MAGAZINE COVER
- Embargoed: 20th March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVAA1IMMFRWF5LBMNNQDM4W5X8YS
- Story Text: The first Hebrew version of Playboy magazine hits the newsstands.
The first Hebrew version of Playboy magazine hits the newsstands in Israel on Wednesday (March 6).
Playboy magazine has been available in Israel for many years, but the launch of Playboy Israel will see a magazine featuring Israeli girls for the first time, and articles written in Hebrew from right to left, about subjects relevant to Israel.
Many parts of Israeli society live by strict religiously moderate Jewish or Islamic rules so reaction to the magazine in the Holy Land has been mixed, but Israeli model Natalie Dadon, chosen to be the first magazine cover girl, said that there was a misunderstanding about what Playboy stood for.
"There is a lot of opinions outside, there is people telling me why are you doing that, and they are like open their eyes like I am doing something very wrong." she said, "There is people that are very proud of me, also there is all kinds of..but we are in Israel everybody thinks it's very monetary but that's not really what it is, it's an amazing magazine as I see it."
Owner and publisher of Playboy Israel, Daniel Pomerantz, who hails from Chicago, where Playboy was started, said the magazine was perfect for a country like Israel.
"When I started visiting Israel I saw that there was no Playboy magazine, but the brand was very well known and popular, and I thought to myself, Israel is a very complicated country, a beautiful country, people are very interested in politics and economics, and there are many beautiful people and fashion, and it's exactly like Playboy, a complicated, beautiful magazine for a complicated, beautiful country." he said.
Marine Terametz, a dancer, has been chosen to be the magazine's first famous 'Playmate', and says she is proud to be associated with the famous brand.
"It's very exciting to be part of the family of Playboy, after I met the people I really felt like they were a family. it's the first time it's happening in Israel, and the first time that an Israeli girl is being Playboy 'Playmate'." she said, "I'm very proud and privileged to be a part of it."
Playboy magazine was launched in 1953, circulation peaked at over 7 million copies in the early 1970's but has dropped to around 1.5 million copies following an increase in competition and the availability of adult content on the internet. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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