Aluf (Hebrew: אלוף‎, lit. "Champion") is the term used in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of General, Air Marshal, or Admiral. In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word. Together, they constitute the five highest ranks in the IDF.

Rank order of Aluf and its derivatives[link]

• Rav Aluf (Hebrew: רב-אלוף‎) : the highest rank in IDF (Chief of the General Staff Rank), literally Arch-Aluf, Lieutenant General/General/Field Marshal
• Aluf: Major General (arms, branches, and regional commands)
• Tat Aluf (Hebrew: תת-אלוף‎),literally Sub-Aluf,  : Brigadier General (divisional and corps-level)
• Aluf Mishne (Hebrew: אלוף-משנה‎), literally Secondary-Aluf, : Colonel (brigade-level)
• Sgan Aluf (Hebrew: סגן-אלוף‎), literally Vice-Aluf, : Lieutenant Colonel (battalion-level)

Rav Aluf is usually translated as "Lieutenant General", but is often considered to equate to a Field Marshal or five-star General^{[citation needed]}, since it is the most senior rank in the IDF. The rank is given only to the Chief of General Staff (Ramatkal), so there can only be one active Rav Aluf under regular circumstances. However this could change in a time of war. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, retired Rav Aluf Haim Bar-Lev was called back into service, replacing Shmuel Gonen as the commander of the southern theater. Thus, along with chief of the general staff David Elazar (who succeeded Bar-Lev in that position the previous year), there were two people in active service holding the rank of Rav Aluf simultaneously.

Israel is essentially a land and air power, with the navy receiving less than five percent of the military budget. The three forces have the same ranks, although separate naval ranks were used for a short time in the 1950s; an officer who would be a General, Air Marshal, or Admiral elsewhere is an Aluf in any of the Israeli forces.

The term Aluf is taken from the Bible, where it was a rank of nobility among the Edomites, ancient Judea's neighbors (and often, enemies) to the south. It comes from an archaic root meaning "thousand"; "Aluf" is the one who commands a thousand people.

The non-Hebrew word "general" was also adopted into Hebrew (גנרל), and is used to refer to the generals of foreign armies. It can also be used colloquially in reference to a senior Israeli officer, in a derogatory sense—implying that the officer in question is over-officious, incompetent, or involved in internecine power struggles with other officers, sometimes referred to as the "war of the generals" (Hebrew: "מלחמת הגנרלים"‎), to the neglect of proper military duties. For example, in a speech made by the former Israeli Labor Party chairman Amir Peretz, he criticized two other party members who both hold the rank of "Aluf" (ret.): former Vice-Chief of General Staff, Aluf Matan Vilnai and former Commander of the Israeli Navy, Aluf Ami Ayalon, referring to them (and other former senior officers of the IDF) as "the generals and admirals":

"I look around me, and hear the voices, I look and I don't believe. Whenever a party does not win the status of a ruling party, the most respectable post is the Defense Ministry. And I hear the generals, and the admirals say: 'Why the Defense Ministry?' I hear the voices, and I am happy with myself, because this means we succeeded in changing the agenda in the State of Israel. The revolution is that a social general is no longer ruled out from being a minister of defense, and our generals yearn to deal with social issues."

—Amir Peretz, former Defense Minister of Israel, "Peretz authorized to appoint Labor ministers", ynetnews.com

See also[link]

• Israel Defense Forces ranks
• Mickey Marcus - the IDF's first Aluf.
• Yaakov Dori - the IDF's first Rav Aluf (Chief of Staff)

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Ivri Lider
Lider backstage at Webster Hall in New York City, May 2009
Background information
Birth name	Ivri Lider
Born	(1974-02-10) February 10, 1974 (age 38)
Origin	Givat Haim (Ihud), Israel
Genres	Pop rock, Rock, Adult contemporary
Occupations	Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Record Producer
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Helicon
Website	www.ivrilider.com

Ivri Lider (Hebrew: עברי לידר‎, born 10 February 1974) is an Israeli pop star ^[1] and one half of the duo TYP. He is one of the biggest-selling contemporary artists in Israeli music, and has won the Male Singer of the Year honor from Israeli national and local radio stations since entering the Israeli music scene in the late 1990s. He has sold more than 200,000 records.^{[citation needed]}

Early life[link]

While still in high school, Lider joined the group, Kach Ossot Kullan ("Everyone Does It This Way"), who performed at the Roxanne club in Tel Aviv.^{[citation needed]}

A commission to compose music for Kisses and October for Anat Danieli's dance ensemble was followed by an invitation from Ohad Naharin to compose the music for Kaamos, which Naharin choreographed for Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), a Dutch dance company. Lider subsequently composed the music for "Z\NA", for the Batsheva Dance Company. At the same time, he signed a recording contract with Helicon Records and began work on his first album.

Music career[link]

His self-penned debut album, Melattef Umeshakker (Caressing And Lying), produced by Yo'ad Nevo, was released in 1997. The singles "Leonardo" and "Tamid Ahava" (Always Love) were chart toppers, and the album went platinum, selling over 40,000 copies in Israel.

Ivri Lider in concert (2005)

His second studio album, Yotter Tov Clum Mikim'at (Nothing Is Better Than Almost), was released two years later. Written entirely by Lider, who co-produced it with Nevo, the album included hit singles such as "Hultzat Passim" (Striped Shirt), "Hakos Ha'khula" (The Blue Glass), and the title track, "Yotter Tov Clum Mikim'at". The album went platinum.

Lider's second concert tour, Yotter Tov Clum Mikim'at, ran for 150 shows, and he won many prestigious awards, including Performer of the Year, awarded at the Israeli Music Industry's Tamuz 2000 ceremony.

The success of his first two albums and his tours established Lider as an important singer-songwriter of the younger generation.

In 2001, Lider produced Sharon Haziz's third album, Panassim (Headlights),and wrote the title song, which features them singing together.

In January 2002 Lider spoke openly about his sexual orientation in a cover-story interview to the daily newspaper Ma'ariv, which attracted a lot of attention. He later said, "On a personal level, I felt complete and happy with my life and who I am, and I didn’t see any reason to not talk about it. It seemed strange to have an interview and not to talk about it, about my boyfriend, about my life. On a less personal level, I felt it’s kind of my obligation. When you’re an artist and you’re doing well and you’re successful, you get a lot of love and appreciation and energy and good things from people, and I think you need to give it back. Maybe I can influence people and help younger people that struggle — help them to be able to change their views, and stuff like that."[1] Lider refused to be drawn into the debate about the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade.^[2] He did, however, accept a booking to play at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' "Fair Day" in Camperdown, Australia on Sunday, 21 February 2010.^[3]

January 2002 saw the release of Lider's third studio album, Ha'anashim Hachadashim (The New People). This time out, the production was a solo run for Lider, who came up with a new electronic sound. Ha'anashim Hachadashim produced a number of hits, including "Batei Kaffe" (Coffee Houses), "Al Kav Hamayim" (On the Water Line). and a moving rendition of Ehud Manor's "Geshem Acharon" ("Last Rain") that was especially recorded for the Shirutron, the annual fundraising program organised by the Galei Zahal and Galgalatz radio stations. Sales of Ha'anashim Hachadashim stand at over 30,000 copies.

During the same year, Lider collaborated with Idan Raichel, who was at the time playing keyboards in his band. Lider produced and arranged the song "Bo'i" (Come), which went on to become a major chart topper for Raichel. He also composed original music for a film that gay Israeli Eytan Fox dircted, the Gal Uchovsky film Yossi & Jagger.[2] The soundtrack included a cover of Rita's hit "Bo" (Come), sung by Lider. This new interpretation received positive reviews. and became one of 2003's most popular tracks on the radio.

In addition to his Ha'anashim Hachadashim performance, Lider also collaborated with the actress Meital Duhan. Their show "Love and Sex During the Days of Awe" combined music, theatre. and recitation that were especially put together for this show. He also published a book of poems he had written over the last decade. During the summer, he toured with Electro Live, a show in which he featured new treatments of many of his hit songs - with special electronic arrangements accompanied by innovative video art. Also in 2002, he received the Lyricist of the Year award from ACUM, Israeli's copyright collection society.

In 2004 Lider composed music for another Fox-Uchovsky film, Walk on Water, the soundtrack of which included a rendition of the classic Esther and Avi Ofarim hit "Cinderella Rockefeller" sung by Rita and Lider, as well as a remix of Lider's "Mary La'Netzach" (Mary Forever). During 2004 Lider collaborated with Gilad Shmueli, co-produced Gilad Seggev's debut album Achshav Tov (Its OK Now), and began working on his fourth album.

Right after he finished working on his new tracks, he decided to perform them to a live audience before actually putting them on the record, taking part in the festival of Ha'Psanter Me'are'ach (The Piano Presents). Singing his new songs accompanied only by a piano, he gave the audience a unique and intimate experience - an appetizer before the songs were arranged, produced, and recorded for the album.

Ze Lo Otto Davar (It's Not The Same Thing) was released in February 2005, and immediately became a success. The album had Lider deciding to use the computer as a recording device only, and created a clean and completely different sound. An orchestra of 40 musicians played the stringed instruments that can be heard throughout the album. The result was apparent early on when the first single to be released, "Zachiti Le'ehov" ("I Was Blessed To Have Loved"), became a major hit.

Lider and his band on tour in New York City, May 2009.

This was followed by "Nissim" (a common name in Israel), "Lehavin Et Hamayim" ("Understanding the Water"). and the album's title track. Sales of "Ze Lo Otto Davar" are in excess of 30,000. The album was also released in a limited double CD pack together with a bonus CD called Fight!, including electronic versions of some of Lider's hits such as "Bo", "Mary La'Netzach", and "Hultzat Passim".

The album gave rise to a tour in which Lider was accompanied by nine musicians, including a string quartet. The tour conveyed the atmosphere of the album, and included new arrangements of some of his hits. In the first show on the tour, which was held in Tel Aviv on April 21, 2005, in front of thousands of fans, he was joined on stage by Rita, Berry Sakharof, and Assaf Amdursky. The show was recorded for the Live album.

In October 2005 Lider received the "Male Singer of the Year" award from all the major national and local radio stations.[3]

Lider composed most of the of the soundtrack for the movie The Bubble, and sings the song "Loving That Man of Mine".^[4] He apperas as himself singing the theme song of the movie, the Gershwin classic, "The Man I Love". The ending credits of the movie feature another cover song by Lider, "Song To The Siren", originally by Tim Buckley. "The Bubble" was released in Israel in 2006, and in the U.S. in 2007.

In 2008 Lider launched a new Hebrew album and announced an upcoming English album. The music video for his English-language song "Jesse" has received a lot of airtime on LOGO TV, and Out magazine recognized him as a member of the "Out 100" for 2007.^[5]

For Israel's 2008 International Music Awards Lider recorded a quiet and melancholic version of Katy Perry's hit "I Kissed a Girl".

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Movie soundtracks[link]

• Yossi & Jagger (2002) - original score and theme song "Bo" (Let's)
• Walk on Water (2004) - original score and theme song "Cinderella Rockafella" duet with Rita
• The Bubble (2006) - original score, theme song "The Man I Love", and ending credits song "Song to a Siren"

Group members since 2005[link]

• Ivri Lider
• Yehonatan Sason Fridge
• Amir Rosiano
• Barak Kram
• Adiel Alexander Goldestein
• Roni Arditti
• Ariel Tuchman
• Yogev Mazouz
• Assaf Amdursky

See also[link]

• LGBT rights in Israel

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ivri Lider

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ivri Lider

• Official website
• Official YouTube channel

Aluf Benn (Hebrew: אלוף בן‎, born 1965) is an Israeli journalist, author and editor-in-chief^[1] of the liberal Israeli national daily Haaretz.

Born in Ramat HaSharon in 1965 he was originally named Aluf Bomstein, son of Atida and 2010 Israel Prize poet laureate Aryeh Bomstein (who publishes under Aryeh Sivan). His unique name, Aluf ("General"), was received in memory of his uncle General Horowitz who was killed in action in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli retribution operations of 1955.^[2]

Benn holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a degree from Tel Aviv University.^[1]

He began working for the paper Ha'Ir in 1986, and Hebraicized his surname Bomstein to Benn. In 1989, he moved to the newspaper Ha'aretz, where he served in various roles, including night editor, investigative reporter, head of the news division and wrote on security matters.

His articles have been published in a variety of international newspapers, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Foreign Affairs and Newsweek.

On August 1, 2011, he was appointed editor-in-chief of Haaretz.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Column archivve at Business Insider
• Column archivve at Foreign Affairs
• Column archive at The Guardian
• Column archive at Ha'aretz
• Column archive at The National Interest
• Column archive at Salon
• Aluf Benn on Charlie Rose
• Aluf Benn at the Internet Movie Database
• Aluf Benn at Journalisted
• Why Won’t Obama Talk to Israel?, Aluf Benn, The New York Times, July 27, 2009
  • White House response

Al Israel (April 16, 1935 – March 16, 2011) was an American film and TV actor who is best known for his role as the Colombian drug dealer "Hector the Toad" in the 1983 cult film Scarface. He also appeared alongside Al Pacino in Carlito's Way a decade later.

He was one of three original cast members to lend their voice talent to the popular 2006 video game based on the film.^[1][2] The game entitled Scarface: The World Is Yours has already sold more than 2 million units in less than 2 years.^[3]

Al Israel died on March 16, 2011 at age 75.^[4]

Filmography[link]

• Three Way (2004)
• Killer Snake (2004)
• Klepto (2003)
• God Squad! (2002)
• Attention Shoppers (2000)
• Broken Vessels (1998)
• Luz de la mission (1998)
• Driven (1996)
• Dangerous Minds (1995)
• Drop Zone (1994)
• Confessions of a Hitman (1994)
• Carlito's Way (1993)
• Marked for Death (1990)
• Body Double (1984)
• Scarface (1983)
• The Soldier (1982)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Al Israel at the Internet Movie Database
• Scarface at the Internet Movie Database