Zavta, legendary Tel Aviv venue celebrates 50

I was about 8 years old when on my way home from school I heard music arriving from an appartments building on Dizengoff st. I think it was no.212.
Instead of keep going home I forgot it all and entered the building's yard. What a wonderful site I found. About 10
people singing, rehearsing, the title of the band was Bazal Yarok, Green Onion, Cahim Topol was a band member.
This was the begining of a relation ship I keep alive for more than 45 years now.
As a member of the audience, as an artist manager and concert promoter, as a sound designer and friend to the wonderful people from the Kibutz movement Hashomer Hazair who called the place Zavta for progressive culture.
A term that may have lost it's core now days, but for decades served as the driving force for new music, theatre, poetry, stand up comedy and political/social panels.
I was at high school, Zavta moved to the corner of Mapu and Ben Yehuda st. This was a basement of another appartments building, about 250 seats.I used to sit and listen from the outside. I did not have the money to pay for a ticket.
This is how I first heard Chava Alberstein. She played her songs playing guitar, I new she is going to be Chava.
I wanted to get inside legitimatly, I had to find an idea that will make it possible for me to enter without paying.I also heard the Shlosharim with Shalom Chanoch, Chanan Yovel and the late Beni Amdursky.
At that time I played the guitar and had worked with the first artist as manager, I was 16 years of age, she was 15, her name Netanela, she is one of the greatest voices in the history of Israeli music, yet, apart from singing on the European sound track of Shindler's lists the great pieace by Chana Senesh, Eli Eli she did very little for her international career during the years.
At the time althogh still at high school, Ironi H, I was determind to make her a star. which I managed to do very quickly.
Rock music was every where. I saw the co existence with Israeli music, but the older generation felt thretened by the new rock music.
I have approached Shimon Menachem the manager of Zavta with an offer he could not ignore.
I will create an evening full of traditional Israeli music performed by a young band to include Netanela, Dorit Pendrich (Sade) and Eliuz Rabin. There will be modern arrangements.
Shimon invited Sasha Argov and Noami Shemer, the two dominent writers in the history of Israeli music to audition my band. We were accepted, I was about to produce for Zavta, what a great moment.
One day at Zavta I saw beaty as never seen before enters the door. They told me her name is Yona Elian, I will never forget that moment.
There was only one obstucle I did not calculate, the parents of Eliuz and Dorit did not allow them to perform professionally when at high school.
Well, I may lost the opportunity to produce for Zavta but from that moment on I became a member of th Zavta family and I never had to pay again to enter the temple of progressive culture.

At Zavta on Mapu street I herd the Cherchils, The Electric Sage with legendary Shlomo Mizrachi, Acharit Hayamim
with Miri Aloni, Eli Magen, Gabi Shoshan, Cherchil and Zohr Levi.
I heard jazz legend Mel Keller with Gideon Shemer, Chava Alberstein, Arik Einstein and more.

As I joined the army at 18 Zavta moved to it's current location in London Ministor. I was already a producer in my own right.
At Zavta I was presenting Tamuz togrether with Michael Tapuach and Amnon Zaban,a few months before Louis Lahav joined as producer I saw a double bill to include Tamuz , pre Lahav, and Arik Einstein and the Cherchils.
there were less than 150 in the audience. Today we could have a stadium sold out with those artists.

Later on we had Yoni Rechter and Avner Kener with Zohar Levi, than Mati Caspi and Netanela and many more.

In the late seventies I came in with Nurit Galron and in the Ninties with Noa, Achinoam Nini and gil Dor.

In the new Millenium i returned with Yehudith Ravitz and Izabo.

Today they celebrate 50 and I am not there, I did not know, It is too late to go after it is all over. Any way, in my heart I celebrate 50 years of Zavta, 50 yaers of great music, poetry, theatre, people, experiences.