The Ziratron - Revision history

Djando: /* A New Circus in Tel Aviv? */

2026-04-10T22:54:07Z

‎A New Circus in Tel Aviv?

Djando: /* The End of Israel's First Circus */

2026-04-10T22:53:34Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

Djando: /* The End of Israel's First Circus */

2026-04-10T22:52:40Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

Djando at 22:51, 10 April 2026

2026-04-10T22:51:02Z

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-04-10T22:48:30Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* The End of Israel's First Circus */

2026-04-10T22:36:00Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

Djando: /* The End of Israel's First Circus */

2026-04-10T22:30:17Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

Djando at 00:31, 9 April 2026

2026-04-09T00:31:21Z

Djando: /* Israeli Performers */

2026-04-08T23:07:07Z

‎Israeli Performers

Djando: /* The End of Israel's First Circus */

2026-04-08T23:05:10Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 In November 1958 the members of the Ziratron cooperative decided to build a permanent home for their circus in the neighboring (and much larger) city of Tel-Aviv. The land chosen for this purpose was then far away from the main areas of nightlife and entertainment; the building, envisioned to be a bona fide circus building, was designed by the award-winning architect Aharon Doron (1917-2012).
-Construction was supposed to last three or four months, and in June 1959 the Ziratron began dismantling its Ramat Gan ''construction'' with the intention of moving into the permanent Tel-Aviv building as soon as the work was completed. Alas, some disagreements, financial troubles and budget deficits soon halted the work on the circus building, and its skeleton was left deserted and unfinished.
+Construction was supposed to last three or four months, and in June 1959 the Ziratron began dismantling its Ramat Gan's ''construction'' with the intention of moving into the permanent Tel-Aviv building as soon as the work was completed. Alas, some disagreements, financial troubles and budget deficits soon halted the work on the circus building, and its skeleton was left deserted and unfinished.
 At that time the Ziratron was still supporting and rehabilitating wounded soldiers: A letter to the Israeli government dated March 10th, 1959 lists seven such men who were among the Ziratron's founders. Other records show that, during various times throughout the 1950s, the Ziratron supported thirty to seventy families of veteran, wounded, and discharged soldiers.

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 In 1964, five years after the construction of the Ziratron's Tel Aviv building had halted, its remaining skeleton was purchased by Israeli businessman Joseph Epstein and used for the construction of the "Cinerama" hall, where many films, concerts and other events were hosted for decades (the building was eventually demolished in 2016). In the beginning, there was some hope that the building could be used for Ziratron circus shows. But that hope never seemed to have come true.
-To the unsuspecting viewer, it seemed that the Ziratron had died when its ''construction'' was dismantled in 1959 and was replaced by the foreign circuses visiting Kikar Ha'Medina throughout the 1960s. But that was just an appearance: It was in fact still "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." that imported these foreign circuses to perform at Kikar Ha'Medina, even though their venue in Ramat Gan was no more. Strangely, however, the company was no longer doing business as the Ziratron; that name had completely disappeared from both marketing and programs and had been replaced by the name of the man who presided over the company and was its first and last director: "Impresario A. Berman" (Aron Berman).
+To the unsuspecting viewer, it seemed that the Ziratron had died when its ''construction'' was dismantled in 1959 and was replaced by the foreign circuses visiting Kikar Ha'Medina throughout the 1960s. But that was just an appearance: It was in fact it was still "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." that imported these foreign circuses to perform at Kikar Ha'Medina, even though their venue in Ramat Gan was no more. Strangely, however, the company was no longer doing business as the Ziratron; that name had completely disappeared from both marketing and programs and had been replaced by the name of the man who presided over the company and was its first and last director: "Impresario A. Berman" (Aron Berman).
 In 1967, Joseph Epstein (owner of the Ziratron-Cinerama building) went bankrupt, and the Israeli courthouse ordered his companies to be dismantled and sold&mdash;among which the Ziratron-Cinerama building. The following year, in July 1968, "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." went up for auction. It remains unclear whether at the time of the auction the company was owned by Mr. Epstein or by the veteran's cooperative; state records show that Mr. Berman started his own company in June 1969.

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 In 1964, five years after the construction of the Ziratron's Tel Aviv building had halted, its remaining skeleton was purchased by Israeli businessman Joseph Epstein and used for the construction of the "Cinerama" hall, where many films, concerts and other events were hosted for decades (the building was eventually demolished in 2016). In the beginning, there was some hope that the building could be used for Ziratron circus shows. But that hope never seemed to have come true.
-To the unsuspecting viewer, it seemed that the Ziratron had died when its "construction'' was dismantled in 1959 and was replaced by the foreign circuses visiting Kikar Ha'Medina throughout the 1960s. But that was just an appearance: It was in fact still "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." that imported these foreign circuses to perform at Kikar Ha'Medina, even though their venue in Ramat Gan was no more. Strangely, however, the company was no longer doing business as the Ziratron; that name had completely disappeared from both marketing and programs and had been replaced by the name of the man who presided over the company and was its first and last director: "Impresario A. Berman" (Aron Berman).
+To the unsuspecting viewer, it seemed that the Ziratron had died when its ''construction'' was dismantled in 1959 and was replaced by the foreign circuses visiting Kikar Ha'Medina throughout the 1960s. But that was just an appearance: It was in fact still "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." that imported these foreign circuses to perform at Kikar Ha'Medina, even though their venue in Ramat Gan was no more. Strangely, however, the company was no longer doing business as the Ziratron; that name had completely disappeared from both marketing and programs and had been replaced by the name of the man who presided over the company and was its first and last director: "Impresario A. Berman" (Aron Berman).
 In 1967, Joseph Epstein (owner of the Ziratron-Cinerama building) went bankrupt, and the Israeli courthouse ordered his companies to be dismantled and sold&mdash;among which the Ziratron-Cinerama building. The following year, in July 1968, "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd." went up for auction. It remains unclear whether at the time of the auction the company was owned by Mr. Epstein or by the veteran's cooperative; state records show that Mr. Berman started his own company in June 1969.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:51, 10 April 2026
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		+	[[File:Ziratron_Pin.png\|right\|300px]]
	==Israel's First Circus==		==Israel's First Circus==

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 <Gallery>
 File:Ziratron_Pin.png|Ziratron souvenir pin (c.1955)
 </Gallery>
 [[Category:Circuses|Ziratron, The]][[Category:History|Ziratron, The]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:36, 10 April 2026
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−	'''This article has been adapted from the original on "The ~~Holocaust: An~~ Escape Act" website''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com theescapeactshow.com])	+	'''This article has been adapted from the original on "The Escape Act" website''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com theescapeactshow.com])

	==Image Gallery==		==Image Gallery==

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:30, 10 April 2026
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	'''This article has been adapted from the original on "The Holocaust: An Escape Act" website''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com theescapeactshow.com])		'''This article has been adapted from the original on "The Holocaust: An Escape Act" website''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com theescapeactshow.com])
		+
		+	==Image Gallery==
		+
		+	<Gallery>
		+	File:Ziratron_Pin.png\|Ziratron souvenir pin (c.1955)
		+	</Gallery>

	[[Category:Circuses\|Ziratron, The]][[Category:History\|Ziratron, The]]		[[Category:Circuses\|Ziratron, The]][[Category:History\|Ziratron, The]]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
-Although there is a long tradition of Jewish circus families and Jewish-owned circuses, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe, Israel, which has welcomed many Jewish circus performers among its population, doesn't have a circus of its own&mdash;although circus schools are beginning to appear, and it organized an international circus festival in 2015. However, there has been one genuine Israeli circus in existence for a few years after the State of Israel's creation in 1948.
+Although there is a long tradition of Jewish circus families and Jewish-owned circuses, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe, Israel, which has welcomed many Jewish circus performers among its population, doesn't have a circus of its own&mdash;although circus schools are beginning to appear, and it organized an international circus festival in 2015. However, there has been one genuine Israeli circus in existence for a little more than a decade after the State of Israel's creation in 1948.
 ===The Ziratron===
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 In November 1958 the members of the Ziratron cooperative decided to build a permanent home for their circus in the neighboring (and much larger) city of Tel-Aviv. The land chosen for this purpose was then far away from the main areas of nightlife and entertainment; the building, envisioned to be a bona fide circus building, was designed by the award-winning architect Aharon Doron (1917-2012).
-Construction was supposed to last 3-4 months, and in June 1959 the Ziratron began dismantling its Ramat Gan ''construction'' with the intention of moving into the permanent Tel-Aviv building as soon as the work was completed. Alas, some disagreements, financial troubles and budget deficits soon halted the work on the circus building, and its skeleton was left deserted and unfinished.
 At that time the Ziratron was still supporting and rehabilitating wounded soldiers: A letter to the Israeli government dated March 10th, 1959 lists seven such men who were among the Ziratron's founders. Other records show that, during various times throughout the 1950s, the Ziratron supported thirty to seventy families of veteran, wounded, and discharged soldiers.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ===Israeli Performers===
-Like all circuses, the Ziratron showcased an international cast of performers, but it had also a core of Israeli artists. Two of these Israeli artists were Zila and Charlie Klein. Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1927, Zila met Charlie when she was 18 years old; one year later, she married him and joined the circus with him. Charlie Klein was born in Hungary in 1907. He survived World War II by way of street performing, hiding his Jewish identity and traveling throughout Europe for a few years, until he managed to escape Europe for Israel. Charlie was a clown, stilt-walker and an acrobatic base. Zila was an acrobat, dancer and a skater, both on regular skates as well as ice skates. She performed at the circus until her daughter was born when she was thirty-one, at which point she retired.
+Like all circuses, the Ziratron showcased an international cast of performers, but it had also a core of Israeli artists. Two of these artists were Zila and Charlie Klein. Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1927, Zila met Charlie when she was 18 years old; one year later, she married him and joined the circus with him. Charlie Klein was born in Hungary in 1907. He survived World War II by way of street performing, hiding his Jewish identity and traveling throughout Europe for a few years, until he managed to escape Europe for Israel. Charlie was a clown, stilt-walker and an acrobatic base. Zila was an acrobat, dancer and a skater, both on regular skates as well as ice skates. She performed at the circus until her daughter was born when she was thirty-one, at which point she retired.
 Another colorful character in the Ziratron was Zippora Zabbari (born 1908), a middle eastern dancer, trick roping artist and horse rider. Born in Israel she left for Prague when she was 21. Known there as "Miss Palestine," she dipped her toes in sawdust for the first time, picking up horse-riding and trick roping. Zippora later moved to Berlin where she further developed her circus skills. She performed these as a duo with her husband, a circus artist. Zippora escaped Germany for Israel on the eve of World War II.
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 Avi Koren, an Israeli lyricist and translator, was just five years old when the Ziratron first opened. He and his friends used to sneak into the circus frequently, blending in with paying audience members. He left a description of his experience: "Inside the tent, which was boiling in the summer and leaking in the winter, we witnessed the whole wide world: Acrobats walking on tightrope, flaming torches in their hands, above them only a roof of canvas and beneath them only a net; dogs leaping through flaming hoops; monkeys sucking on baby bottles; dancing horses, bowing down to the instructions of the fairest of circus ladies... And once they had ridden out to the sound of the orchestra, bowing their heads towards the audience, in came Muky & Alex, 'The World's Funniest Clowns'… Muky & Alex&mdash;one hoarse and the other mute&mdash;would fall, tumble, flip, pour water on each other, and get tangled up in the net."
 While the Ziratron was founded and managed by Israelis, most of its cast was international. Among many famous circus artists who performed during the 1951-1952 season were the beautiful and talented equestrienne [[Benji de La Cour]] (Benji and her husband [[Yves de La Cour]] were regulars of Paris's famous [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)|Cirque Medrano]]). There were also [[The Marconis]] (Pierre and Lucien Guillon) who had a spectacular aerial act, and the [[Trio Royal]], a Dutch jockey act composed of siblings Rita, Isabella and Bent Brunn, who performed under the watchful eye (and ''chambrière'') of their father, Joseph Brunn.
 ===Change of Times===

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 ===The End of Israel's First Circus===
-Over the following years, throughout the 1960s, Kikar Ha'Medina replaced the Ziratron tent as the main venue for visiting circuses, including [[Circus Medrano-Svoboda]] that came almost every year (brought to Israel by impresario Jakob Ori). In fact, there were so many circuses performing at Kikar Ha'Medina that it led to a popular saying: "The State of Israel is like the State Square: half the time circus, half the time mud".
+Over the following years, throughout the 1960s, Kikar Ha'Medina replaced the Ziratron tent as the main venue for visiting circuses, including [[Circus Medrano-Swoboda]] that came almost every year (brought to Israel by impresario Jakob Ori). In fact, there were so many circuses performing at Kikar Ha'Medina that it led to a popular saying: "The State of Israel is like the State Square: half the time circus, half the time mud".
 In 1964, five years after the construction of the Ziratron's Tel Aviv building had halted, its remaining skeleton was purchased by Israeli businessman Joseph Epstein and used for the construction of the "Cinerama" hall, where many films, concerts and other events were hosted for decades (the building was eventually demolished in 2016). In the beginning, there was some hope that the building could be used for Ziratron circus shows. But that hope never seemed to have come true.