Jerusalem — When Israelis are not glued to watching the distressing news broadcasts in this country, they go to the other extreme and choose escapism to deal with the tense situation.
Believe it or not, the second most watched type of television shows in Israel are trashy Argentinean telenovellas — fake-looking soap operas where each actress is thinner and more stunningly beautiful than the next, where everyone is rich and successful, and where the story-line is so far-fetched that it is quite unbelievable in any country, let alone here.
So popular are these cheaply made daily series, that there are even two whole cable channels dedicated to the genre — Viva and Viva Platinum — and one of the top locally-made shows is a direct rip off of these soaps with a definite Israeli twist.
In fact, it is so widely known that South American-style dramas are the focus of many people’s lives here that it is difficult for the actors from these shows to stay away. They have no choice but to visit Israel in order to keep their huge fan base happy.
Aside from the Viva Channel’s glitzy Oscar-style awards ceremony, which was held here last year and brought into town the top stars for the occasion, the most recent visitors from Argentina came to Israel last week.
Felippa Columbo and Camilla Bodonov, two of the young stars from the show “The Chiquititas,” were given five-star treatment during their three-day trip, appeared on just about every TV chat show and were glamorously pictured in every newspaper.
Inexplicable craze
While not strictly a telenovella, “The Chiquititas” is just further proof of this inexplicable craze currently gripping this country. Probably the most popular pre-teen show broadcast here, this kitschy children’s drama deals with the tragic lives of fabulous-looking but obviously downtrodden orphan children.
Although the story and acting leave a lot to be desired, Columbo and Bodonov’s visit here had almost every Israeli kid aged 9 to 13 breathlessly watching their TV sets in order to catch a glimpse of their idols.
The whole country was in such a frenzy for their visit that even my editor, who should have been focusing on more pressing issues such as the security situation and terrorist attacks, was dragged into the arena by his pre-teen children who begged their father to use his sway and snag them some much coveted autographs.
Of course, the honor of tracking down these two adolescents and beating out the thousands of fans to try and get their autograph was bestowed upon me — The Jerusalem Post’s arts and entertainment editor.
It’s all office politics, I know; but to get ahead, one must do what one has to do, right?
Like most other adults, I only had a vague awareness that these teens were even in the country. However, I did manage to track down the public relations company organizing their trip and proceeded to degrade myself and beg for a couple of autographs for my boss. Two of each, I explained to what is usually a friendly and upbeat woman, so his kids don’t get jealous of each other.
“I am sorry,” came her kind but frantic reply, “But I have nearly 500 screaming kids standing outside my office all waiting for autographs too, I just can’t do it.”
Next I tried my photographer, who would be on the scene later in the day, to try and get snap-shots of these unlikely stars. He said he would try, but did not seem enthusiastic about his unusual assignment.
It seemed like it just wasn’t going to happen and in a flash I realized that this phenomenon was just far to big for me to handle. I would just have to admit to my boss that I had failed him. Let him deal with his kids! There was no way that I would beg further for something from some second-rate, spoilt actors.
Plus, in the big scheme of things it just did not seem that important.
It still amazes me, after eight years in this country, that something so trivial can become so important to people living in the middle of a war zone. And with so many terrible and depressing things taking place, how can people just play along with such silliness?
In the evening as I sat down to watch TV, by accident I caught a glimpse of the two innocent-faced stars and decided that perhaps I was being a little too harsh and too cynical. There is something to be said for people just wanting to live their lives in a normal and fun way despite the problems around them.
And who can blame the people of Israel, especially the kids, for wanting the typical things that children living in more normal countries would want?
I suppose it is only natural that these people, whose lives are filled with constant terror, should work so hard to find some way to escape — even if it’s only through trashy soap operas.
Moreover, why shouldn’t these young actors from “The Chiquititas” be treated as quality stars and given the royal treatment here? After all, not only did they risk their lives to come to Israel — something even a lot of diaspora Jews and supposed Zionists will not do at the moment — but by coming they also brought with them something a little lighter, a little happier and helped people to take their minds off the situation even if it was only for a few days.
Oh, by the way, the photogra pher did manage to get their autographs, and my boss’s two young children were not the only ones pleased.
Former Chronicle assistant editor Ruth Eglash lives in Mevasserat Zion and is the arts and entertainment editor of The Jerusalem Post.
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