The Ziratron - Revision history

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-04-12T00:47:57Z

‎Image Gallery

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

2026-04-11T20:29:08Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

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

2026-04-11T20:28:53Z

‎A New Circus in Tel Aviv?

Djando: /* Change of Times */

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‎Change of Times

Djando: /* Israeli Performers */

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‎Israeli Performers

Djando: /* Israeli Performers */

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‎Israeli Performers

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-04-11T20:24:54Z

‎Image Gallery

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

2026-04-11T20:14:53Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

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

2026-04-11T20:14:21Z

‎The End of Israel's First Circus

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2026-04-11T20:13:07Z

‎Image Gallery

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 File:Ziratron_Pin.png|Ziratron souvenir pin (c.1955)
 File:The_Ziratron-Aerial_view.jpg|The Ziratron (1955)
 File:Polish_State_Circus_in_Israel.jpg|Polish State Circus Poster (1960)
 File:Program_Bulgarian_State_Circus_1966.jpg|Bulgarian State Circus Program (1966)

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 ===The End of Israel's First Circus===
-[[File:Program_Bulgarian_State_Circus_1966.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Bulgarian State Circus program (1966)]]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]] (later, [[Medrano-Casartelli]]) 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".
+[[File:Program_Bulgarian_State_Circus_1966.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Bulgarian State Circus program (1966)]]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]] (later, [[Medrano-Casartelli]]) 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.

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 ===A New Circus in Tel Aviv?===
-[[File:Polish_State_Circus_in_Israel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Poster for the Polish State Circus (1960]]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).
+[[File:Polish_State_Circus_in_Israel.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Poster for the Polish State Circus (1960]]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'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.

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 ===Change of Times===
-[[File:Josephine_Baker_at_Ziratron.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Josephine Baker at The Ziratron (1954)]]A big organizational change seems to have occurred in 1954: The company previously registered as "Ziratron Workers Cooperative, Ltd" has either been dissolved or rebranded, and had become "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd". While the Ziratron continued to do business under the same name, the change was evident in the kind of entertainment they now produced: Starting in 1954 the Ziratron also hosted plays, boxing matches, musical concerts and more, as its popularity rose further.
+[[File:Josephine_Baker_at_Ziratron.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Josephine Baker at The Ziratron (1954)]]A big organizational change seems to have occurred in 1954: The company previously registered as "Ziratron Workers Cooperative, Ltd" has either been dissolved or rebranded, and had become "Ziratron Public Entertainments Company, Ltd". While the Ziratron continued to do business under the same name, the change was evident in the kind of entertainment they now produced: Starting in 1954 the Ziratron also hosted plays, boxing matches, musical concerts and more, as its popularity rose further.
 A notable performance was that of the world-renowned black entertainer, French Resistance agent, and civil rights activist Josephine Baker in 1954. The American industry entertainment magazine ''Variety'' reported Ms. Baker's performance thus: "[The Ziratron's] attraction for the two weeks in December was Josephine Baker, who gave two performances daily to sellout audiences. Prices were 50c (for children) to $3. The government gets 40% of the intake. "

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 Alex was only fifteen years old at the time, and he left his home to join the circus. Later he became a soldier in the Red Army and was captured during WWII and sent to a concentration camp in Transnistria. He survived the camp and, in 1945, came to Israel. There he met Muky (1889-1981), born Ya'akov Goldstein in Sofia, Bulgaria. He had been a professional clown all his life. In 1950 the Ziratron's director, Sam Kalinhof, introduced him to Alex. Muky was thirty years older than Alex, and much more experienced, and Alex became his student and stage partner.
-When the Ziratron was created, Muky & Alex became its household clowns and performed in all its shows. They each had a well-defined character: Muky was a wise and funny clown, whereas Alex was a naive and serious clown, and it was "he who got slapped". Eventually they added a third clown to their team and worked as a trio with Charlie Klein on his stilts.
+[[File:Ziratron_Program_(1954).jpg|thumb|left|400px|Program for the 1954 Season]]When the Ziratron was created, Muky & Alex became its household clowns and performed in all its shows. They each had a well-defined character: Muky was a wise and funny clown, whereas Alex was a naive and serious clown, and it was "he who got slapped". Eventually they added a third clown to their team and worked as a trio with Charlie Klein on his stilts.
 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."

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 ===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 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.
+[[File:Muky and Alex.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Muky & Alex with friend (1951)]]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.
-[[File:Muky and Alex.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Mukt & Alex with friends (1951)]]The Ziratron's beloved clowns were [[Muky and Alex]]&mdash;whose full stage names were Muky Mukyon & Alex Alizon (roughly translating to Muky Clown & Alex Cheerful). Alex (1919-1991) was born Akiva Rokenstein in Chernivtsi, Romania (today Ukraine) to a family of carpenters. From a young age he was funny and excelled at balancing tricks and was spotted by a professional clown from the Chernivtsi Circus who was so impressed by Alex that he invited him to become his assistant.
+The Ziratron's beloved clowns were [[Muky and Alex]]&mdash;whose full stage names were Muky Mukyon & Alex Alizon (roughly translating to Muky Clown & Alex Cheerful). Alex (1919-1991) was born Akiva Rokenstein in Chernivtsi, Romania (today Ukraine) to a family of carpenters. From a young age he was funny and excelled at balancing tricks and was spotted by a professional clown from the Chernivtsi Circus who was so impressed by Alex that he invited him to become his assistant.
 Alex was only fifteen years old at the time, and he left his home to join the circus. Later he became a soldier in the Red Army and was captured during WWII and sent to a concentration camp in Transnistria. He survived the camp and, in 1945, came to Israel. There he met Muky (1889-1981), born Ya'akov Goldstein in Sofia, Bulgaria. He had been a professional clown all his life. In 1950 the Ziratron's director, Sam Kalinhof, introduced him to Alex. Muky was thirty years older than Alex, and much more experienced, and Alex became his student and stage partner.

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 File:Muky_and_Alex.jpg|Muky & Alex with friend (1951)
 File:Josephine_Baker_at_Ziratron.jpg|Josephine Baker at The Ziratron (1954)
 File:Ziratron_Pin.png|Ziratron souvenir pin (c.1955)
 File:The_Ziratron-Aerial_view.jpg|The Ziratron (1955)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:14, 11 April 2026
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	After many incarnations, thus came the end of the Ziratron. The cooperative founded by veterans in November 1949 that captivated so many audiences throughout the 1950s and 1960s ceased to exist. It paid its very last debt to the legal receiver in July 1973.		After many incarnations, thus came the end of the Ziratron. The cooperative founded by veterans in November 1949 that captivated so many audiences throughout the 1950s and 1960s ceased to exist. It paid its very last debt to the legal receiver in July 1973.

		+	==A Note on The Source==

	'''''This article has been adapted from the original on ''The Escape Act'' website''''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com/blog/extra-israels-first-circus theescapeactshow.com])		'''''This article has been adapted from the original on ''The Escape Act'' website''''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com/blog/extra-israels-first-circus theescapeactshow.com])

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:14, 11 April 2026
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−	'''This article has been adapted from the original on "The Escape Act" website''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com/blog/extra-israels-first-circus theescapeactshow.com])	+	'''''This article has been adapted from the original on ''The Escape Act'' website''''' ([http://www.theescapeactshow.com/blog/extra-israels-first-circus theescapeactshow.com])

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