Portraits: Turning 30 in Tel Aviv

Adi Assif-Gutman

36, architect – www.ygaa.net

In summer, we sometimes come to the office in flip-flops. No one's surprised.

After studying architecture at the Bezalel School of Fine Arts, I continued my studies at Harvard. When I returned from the United States in 2010, I joined my partner's architectural practice. Together, we wanted to move on from commercial projects to public projects such as schools, museums and neighbourhoods. It was difficult at first, because we had no experience. But we built up a reputation. Today, we're working on new town projects. In two or three years' time, we will be embarking on the construction of North-West Tel Aviv, a new large-scale district. There is a shortage of housing and rents are high. So we need to do something about that. What I like about Tel Aviv is that working relationships are very relaxed, not to say friendly. In the summer, we sometimes come to the office in flip-flops, which doesn't surprise anyone.

The address she loves : the café-bookshop Tolaat Sefarim, 9 square Rabin.

Matan Liberman

27, co-founder of the start-up Semperis – www.semperis.com

Here, the tech community is pulling together.

After high school, like all Israelis, I went into the army where I got a job as a computer developer. Then a friend suggested that we start our own business, Semperis, a software company specialising in disaster relief. I was only 24, I didn't know anything about anything. I had to learn how to raise funds. Joining the Microsoft Accelerator helped us a lot. That was three years ago. Now we have twenty employees in Tel Aviv, three in New York, and more and more customers. In Israel, people have an entrepreneurial spirit. 90 % of start-ups that manage to raise a million dollars end up failing; but you start again and in the long run, you succeed! In the beginning, I had to appear credible despite my age. So when I met clients, I wore a suit and tie. On the other hand, for informal meetings with tech people, I'm relaxed. Here, the tech community sticks together.

The address he loves : the Simta bar, 122 rue Dizengoff.

Hagit Kassif

32, fashion designer, founder of the Roomeur brand – www.roomeur.com

I was 27 and I wasn't afraid of failure.

After studying at the Shenkar School, in 2011 I moved to New York, where I worked for Diane von Fürstenberg for a while. Then I went back to school at the Royal College of Art in London. That's when I decided to create my own brand. I was only 27 and I wasn't afraid of failure. I created Roomeur, a play on the words 'rumour' and 'roommate'. My showroom and design were in New York, my production in Tel Aviv. My collections quickly found their way into the Curve shop and New York Fashion Week. I created eight seasons of women's ready-to-wear, but when I got divorced a year ago, a new idea came to me: why spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress that you only wear for a few hours? So I launched a line of dresses that were a bit country, natural, very much in the Israeli spirit. It was so successful that I had to put my ready-to-wear collection on hold, but I plan to start it up again soon. What I love is the contact with the customers. They tell me their story, and I dress them personally. Then they send me their friends. Recently, my dresses have become available to buy on the Etsy website. It's a joy to go beyond the Israeli and American borders...

The address she loves : in its neighbourhood, the Delicatessen café at 79 rue Yehuda H-Levi.

Esther Olive

29, co-founder of Secret Gardens Tours – secretgardenstours.com

The people here have chutzpah, that kind of directness that makes everything so natural.

I came to Israel for love. I was doing voluntary work in a Nepalese orphanage when I met my Israeli boyfriend in India. I dropped everything to join him. That was five years ago. I didn't speak a word of Hebrew and knew nothing about Israeli culture, but I learned quickly. As I had studied languages and tourism in France, I got a job in a travel agency. But I soon realised that tourism in Israel was struggling to get off the beaten track. The same tours were always on offer, and for too many groups. So, with my friend and colleague Judith, an Italian, we decided to launch our own agency, Secret Gardens Tours, a year ago. The concept: to dust off tourism in Israel and introduce people to the many faces and cultures of this beautiful country. We put together à la carte programmes, often themed, always upmarket. We target excellent hotels, original activities, exceptional or unsuspected sites, and offer our customers the chance to meet the people. Travelling without meeting people is absurd. Especially here, where human relations are so easy and the people so open and friendly. They have chutzpah, that kind of directness that makes everything so natural. It's one of the things I love most about my adopted country!

The address she loves : Café Rothschild 12, on the famous Avenue Rothschild.

Nimrod Assif

41, self-employed lawyer – www.combatscam.com

In Israel, there really is an entrepreneurial spirit.

I spent five years in the United States in the early 2000s, passing the bar in New York and working at a major law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell. Then I wanted to return to Israel to put the experience I had gained to good use. When I set up my firm, I thought I would offer a new speciality in Israel: class actions. This involves taking companies to court on behalf of a group of people, usually consumers. It took me two years to taste the fruits of my labour. I knew it was risky, but that didn't stop me from taking the plunge. Obviously, going from being a salaried employee on Wall Street to practically nothing was destabilising. But in Israel, there really is an entrepreneurial spirit. That carried me along. And I knew that the services I was offering were innovative. Now I have clients all over Europe... They hear about me by word of mouth or in the newspapers. The cases are very complex and therefore interesting. I've never hesitated to ask for help from lawyers who are more senior than I am. To chat, I take them to my favourite hummus restaurant in old Jaffa.

The address he loves : Abu Hassan hummus restaurant, 14 rue Shivtei Israel, Jaffa.

Mor Cicurel

30, chef and owner of Moonshine Bar and Night Kitchen - www.nightkitchen.co.il

In Tel Aviv, everyone is looking for new places and new concepts.

Eight years ago, after the army and a long trip to South America, I wanted to immerse myself in Tel Aviv's nightlife. I started as a barman, then manager. I became interested in the art of cocktails, which was something new for me. Then, two years ago, I opened my own bar, Moonshine, in the spirit of Prohibition America, with lots of original cocktails. When I saw that Moonshine was popular, I wanted to cook. So I learnt on the job in a chef's restaurant, Night Kitchen. But after six months, I thought the place needed to be made more fun. So I spoke to the founder, took a share in the business and helped change the atmosphere. Now, the atmosphere is both select and relaxed, the idea of 'dinner with friends'. And I keep coming up with new ideas, which is crucial in Tel Aviv, where everyone is looking for new places and new concepts. Here, nothing is formal: I leave the kitchen, I talk to the customers, who become my friends. I work, but I also feel like I'm celebrating with them...

The address he loves : Beer Bazaar, a truly unique beer bar in the original spirit of Tel Aviv. 142 avenue Rothschild.

Danna Yekel

39, interior designer

The spirit of Tel Aviv: live intensely, at full speed.

I started working as an interior designer ten years ago, when I was still a student at Shenkar, the fashion and design school. When I finished my studies, I was already working on projects to renovate and decorate flats in Tel Aviv. It was very motivating because, like me, my clients were young and had tight budgets. It was a time when people were starting to buy slightly run-down flats in the heart of Tel Aviv.
There was so much to do! Today, the city continues to be transformed. There are lots of beautiful old buildings that can be turned into wonderful things. That's what really motivates us here: the enormous potential. I wanted to move on to more ambitious projects, involving architecture as much as decoration. So I went back to school to become an architect. I'm more and more interested in houses, because I want to follow a project that's going to be a success.
from A to Z. As I have three children, I have to be careful about the pace of my life. Sometimes I wonder how I manage to do everything at once. But that's really the spirit of Tel Aviv: to live intensely, at full speed. As I don't have an office, I often invite my clients to meet me in cafés. It's perfectly normal here.

The address she loves : the South Tel Aviv district and the NUNII shop, 42 square Ha-Medina.