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Goth enthusiast Bar Yablonka. (Mark Oppenheimer) Goth in the First Modern Hebrew City By Adam Molner Tags: Goth, Tel Aviv, nightclub  It is midnight in the First Modern Hebrew City, but the scene in the Tel Aviv nightclub has the dark retro air of Goth. In fact, Goth has been around long enough here that Goth itself has become retro. "I'm not dressing Goth style for many years," says Von Elixir, who serves both as DJ and promoter of local Goth parties. His short hair and swanky dress shirt add evidence that he is Beyond Goth. These days, he says in his thick Russian accent, "I'm dressing much more elegant. I'm old for that. I'm not trying to look exhibit or something like that." Advertisement Among the guests is Angel Baron, who has been involved in the Goth scene for over a year. He enters dressed in a silk black shirt with a black pin-striped fedora sitting on top of his head. To top off the outfit, he sports a single glove and brandishes a cane. He prefers Goth parties to "regular" parties because they offer "different music, different kinds of people." Another guest, Alex Hash, has a different reason for attending. "I came to this party to pick up chicks." By day, Hash works at a cable company, where he dresses up in "normal clothes" and takes out his piercings. This stands in stark contrast from the way he appears now, dressed in black head to toe, with a piercing protruding from below his lip. The theme of tonight's party is Angels Versus Demons. It is clear which side guest Yasmin Farhadian is on. She is clad in a red devil costume: horns, a red top, and skirt so short that even a secular Jew might judge it immodest. She is asked what people tell her on the street as she walks to Goth parties. "They ask, 'Is it Purim already?'" Another guest, Arina Trachuk, says the problem is not what people say, but what they do not. "They don't have the guts to say, but they stare a lot, and actually, they piss me off." But to Trachuk, it's not all bad. "In one way you get flattered by it. If you go in the street regular, no one looks at you." In fact, Farhadian added, not all the reactions she gets are negative. "Some people say, 'Oh you made my day!'" How do your parents feel about you dressing up like this and going to Goth parties? "I know what mom said, she's quite nervous about it, but my father like[s] it," attendee Bar Yablonka says. Remarks Baron, "Well, my parents know me, they know I'm not one of the teenagers who took drugs, who get too much drunk, sure I like to drink alcohol, but I'm not a carried away like most of the teenagers." The party, slated to begin at the witching hour, peaks at about 1:30, when Von Elixir cranks up Engel by the German band Rammstein. The crowd goes wild, every voice singing along, including Von Elixir, conducting the entire event from the second floor. While the song has a decided unifying quality, there are no clear rules about what should be played at a Goth party. Though most partygoers are clearly enjoying themselves, one, asked if he's having a good time, offers, "Just okay." Why? "The music is ... I don't like it. There are popular songs in the scene and they aren't playing any of them." By 3:30, people are finally starting to sit down. One reveler is sleeping on a couch, despite the mega-volume techno music. The party, meanwhile is still going strong. A man in a Marilyn Manson shirt, who has been dancing in the same spot all night, shows no sign of stopping. One mystery remains, however. At this Angels vs. Demons affair, the demons far outnumber the angels, as befitting a Goth event. There are, however, two men wearing black pants, black shirts, and black wings, but even so, they appear more demonic than angelic. Before leaving, one newcomer stops to ask, "But, where are all the angels?" More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Stronger than its ills The 60th anniversary celebrations are accompanied by a bad taste. Rise in racism Israeli Arabs say institutionalized racism has increased.   1.   I know one Israeli black metal band 14:06  |  Rowan 06/05/08   2.   So, tell us where this is, maybe? 13:46  |  Alces 07/05/08

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