Odelia Friedman

"It's clear to us that we will not enter the building before mid-2010," Odelia Friedman, Habima's co-CEO, told Haaretz.
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According to Friedman, the contractor is responsible for the damage and will repair it.
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Friedman says Habima is not involved at all in the construction, and the project is being handled by the Habima and Mishkan construction companies.

Today, it is occupied by Habima's two new directors, Odelia Friedman and Benny Tzarfati.
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Until recently, Friedman was the theater's chief financial officer and Tzarfati was its administrative manager.
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These spaces each open to a shared area in which Tzarfati and Friedman hold their work meetings as well as this interview, which they insist on holding jointly.
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Friedman: "The entry is natural for us.
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Odelia Friedman, 38, was born in Holon and studied to become a teacher at Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College.However, she did not complete her studies and decided to take courses in bookkeeping.Later, she also took management courses, including work at the College of Management in Tel Aviv.She started as a bookkeeper at Habima in 1988, when she was 22.Within three years she was appointed chief bookkeeper, and when she was 28 she became the theater's chief financial officer.She is married to an army career officer, and they have two children, aged 14 and 6.

Both Tzarfati and Friedman continually emphasize how they climbed the ladder from the very bottom rung.
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And Friedman responds, "You forget that this place did not look this way for 20 years.
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Friedman and Tzarfati say they work in harmony."We have worked together for 10 years," says Friedman."We come to meetings and discussions together, work through situations together and arrive at the right conclusions.We inform one another about matters related to finances, marketing and advertising," she says.

You are presenting a very rosy picture.

Friedman: "Sometimes one of us has one opinion and the other things sees differently, but it has never happened that we were unable to reach a joint conclusion.

Tzarfati: "Like in a good marriage."

Friedman: "We believe that this is a new model for public administration, a new generation in management, a generation that grew up in the theater.
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Friedman and Tzarfati caused quite a surprise when they submitted their joint candidacy last July to manage Habima.
...
Tzarfati and Friedman somehow emerged lily white from the infighting and managed to have the conflicting factions rally around them.
...
Friedman: "The good of the theater requires us to look at the present and future of Habima.
...
"The suit against him," adds Friedman, "was submitted by seven people, including Agmon, a theater employee and a few actors, who call themselves an action committee.
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Friedman: "There were disagreements between Agmon and the trustee that created a bad atmosphere inside and outside the theater, as well as with the government.
...
According to Tzarfati and Friedman, the relations with the current artistic director, Ilan Ronen, are good.
...
"We have good collaboration between us and we are involved in the artistic direction and the choice of repertoire," says Friedman.
...
The complaints voiced regarding political interference on the part of the government in the work of the theater are also rejected by Tzarfati and Friedman.
...
"On the contrary," says Friedman, "we get a great deal of help from the governmental echelon, starting with Minister Limor Livnat, the minister's assistant, Tzach Granit and the director general of the ministry of education, Ronit Tirosh.They help us with everything requiring a solution, such as the change in the theater's legal structure and the return of loans."

Habima has a deficit of some NIS 24 million after the government forgave NIS 10 million of debt.Friedman, as financial director, tries to minimize the size of the deficit, and that is perhaps the only moment in the interview when Tzarfati does not take part in the conversation.
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Friedman: "Uniqueness, nationalism and Israeliness.
...
Friedman: "Part of being a national theater involves the production of musicals.Musicals have been very successful in Habima.This year, we produced `King Solomon and Shalmai the Cobbler,' which is a musical of texts - that, for example, is a characteristic of a national theater."

You did that in cooperation with a private producer.Is that also a characteristic of a national theater?

Friedman: "He has the rights to the play.
...
Friedman: "We have proved that we are able to take on the management of the theater, and in the last two and a half months, we have done so with resolve.

'We will be here for a long time' | Odelia Friedman and Benny Tzarfati are the national theater's new caretaker bosses.
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His partner in leadership, Odelia Friedman, started out as a bookkeeper. (Daniel Tchetchik)
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Today, it is occupied by Habima's two new directors, Odelia Friedman and Benny Tzarfati.
...
Until recently, Friedman was the theater's chief financial officer and Tzarfati was its administrative manager.
...
These spaces each open to a shared area in which Tzarfati and Friedman hold their work meetings as well as this interview, which they insist on holding jointly.
...
Friedman: "The entry is natural for us.
...
Odelia Friedman, 38, was born in Holon and studied to become a teacher at Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College.However, she did not complete her studies and decided to take courses in bookkeeping.Later, she also took management courses, including work at the College of Management in Tel Aviv.She started as a bookkeeper at Habima in 1988, when she was 22.Within three years she was appointed chief bookkeeper, and when she was 28 she became the theater's chief financial officer.She is married to an army career officer, and they have two children, aged 14 and 6.

Both Tzarfati and Friedman continually emphasize how they climbed the ladder from the very bottom rung.
...
And Friedman responds, "You forget that this place did not look this way for 20 years.
...
Friedman and Tzarfati say they work in harmony."We have worked together for 10 years," says Friedman."We come to meetings and discussions together, work through situations together and arrive at the right conclusions.We inform one another about matters related to finances, marketing and advertising," she says.

You are presenting a very rosy picture.

Friedman: "Sometimes one of us has one opinion and the other things sees differently, but it has never happened that we were unable to reach a joint conclusion.

Tzarfati: "Like in a good marriage."

Friedman: "We believe that this is a new model for public administration, a new generation in management, a generation that grew up in the theater.
...
Friedman and Tzarfati caused quite a surprise when they submitted their joint candidacy last July to manage Habima.
...
Tzarfati and Friedman somehow emerged lily white from the infighting and managed to have the conflicting factions rally around them.
...
Friedman: "The good of the theater requires us to look at the present and future of Habima.
...
"The suit against him," adds Friedman, "was submitted by seven people, including Agmon, a theater employee and a few actors, who call themselves an action committee.
...
Friedman: "There were disagreements between Agmon and the trustee that created a bad atmosphere inside and outside the theater, as well as with the government.
...
According to Tzarfati and Friedman, the relations with the current artistic director, Ilan Ronen, are good.
...
"We have good collaboration between us and we are involved in the artistic direction and the choice of repertoire," says Friedman.
...
The complaints voiced regarding political interference on the part of the government in the work of the theater are also rejected by Tzarfati and Friedman.
...
"On the contrary," says Friedman, "we get a great deal of help from the governmental echelon, starting with Minister Limor Livnat, the minister's assistant, Tzach Granit and the director general of the ministry of education, Ronit Tirosh.They help us with everything requiring a solution, such as the change in the theater's legal structure and the return of loans."

Habima has a deficit of some NIS 24 million after the government forgave NIS 10 million of debt.Friedman, as financial director, tries to minimize the size of the deficit, and that is perhaps the only moment in the interview when Tzarfati does not take part in the conversation.
...
Friedman: "Uniqueness, nationalism and Israeliness.
...
Friedman: "Part of being a national theater involves the production of musicals.Musicals have been very successful in Habima.This year, we produced `King Solomon and Shalmai the Cobbler,' which is a musical of texts - that, for example, is a characteristic of a national theater."

You did that in cooperation with a private producer.Is that also a characteristic of a national theater?

Friedman: "He has the rights to the play.
...
Friedman: "We have proved that we are able to take on the management of the theater, and in the last two and a half months, we have done so with resolve.

His partner in leadership, Odelia Friedman, started out as a bookkeeper. (Daniel Tchetchik)
...
Today, it is occupied by Habima's two new directors, Odelia Friedman and Benny Tzarfati.
...
Until recently, Friedman was the theater's chief financial officer and Tzarfati was its administrative manager.
...
These spaces each open to a shared area in which Tzarfati and Friedman hold their work meetings as well as this interview, which they insist on holding jointly.
...
Friedman: "The entry is natural for us.
...
Odelia Friedman, 38, was born in Holon and studied to become a teacher at Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College.However, she did not complete her studies and decided to take courses in bookkeeping.Later, she also took management courses, including work at the College of Management in Tel Aviv.She started as a bookkeeper at Habima in 1988, when she was 22.Within three years she was appointed chief bookkeeper, and when she was 28 she became the theater's chief financial officer.She is married to an army career officer, and they have two children, aged 14 and 6.

Both Tzarfati and Friedman continually emphasize how they climbed the ladder from the very bottom rung.
...
And Friedman responds, "You forget that this place did not look this way for 20 years.
...
Friedman and Tzarfati say they work in harmony."We have worked together for 10 years," says Friedman."We come to meetings and discussions together, work through situations together and arrive at the right conclusions.We inform one another about matters related to finances, marketing and advertising," she says.

You are presenting a very rosy picture.

Friedman: "Sometimes one of us has one opinion and the other things sees differently, but it has never happened that we were unable to reach a joint conclusion.

Tzarfati: "Like in a good marriage."

Friedman: "We believe that this is a new model for public administration, a new generation in management, a generation that grew up in the theater.
...
Friedman and Tzarfati caused quite a surprise when they submitted their joint candidacy last July to manage Habima.
...
Tzarfati and Friedman somehow emerged lily white from the infighting and managed to have the conflicting factions rally around them.
...
Friedman: "The good of the theater requires us to look at the present and future of Habima.
...
"The suit against him," adds Friedman, "was submitted by seven people, including Agmon, a theater employee and a few actors, who call themselves an action committee.
...
Friedman: "There were disagreements between Agmon and the trustee that created a bad atmosphere inside and outside the theater, as well as with the government.
...
According to Tzarfati and Friedman, the relations with the current artistic director, Ilan Ronen, are good.
...
"We have good collaboration between us and we are involved in the artistic direction and the choice of repertoire," says Friedman.
...
The complaints voiced regarding political interference on the part of the government in the work of the theater are also rejected by Tzarfati and Friedman.
...
"On the contrary," says Friedman, "we get a great deal of help from the governmental echelon, starting with Minister Limor Livnat, the minister's assistant, Tzach Granit and the director general of the ministry of education, Ronit Tirosh.They help us with everything requiring a solution, such as the change in the theater's legal structure and the return of loans."

Habima has a deficit of some NIS 24 million after the government forgave NIS 10 million of debt.Friedman, as financial director, tries to minimize the size of the deficit, and that is perhaps the only moment in the interview when Tzarfati does not take part in the conversation.
...
Friedman: "Uniqueness, nationalism and Israeliness.
...
Friedman: "Part of being a national theater involves the production of musicals.Musicals have been very successful in Habima.This year, we produced `King Solomon and Shalmai the Cobbler,' which is a musical of texts - that, for example, is a characteristic of a national theater."

You did that in cooperation with a private producer.Is that also a characteristic of a national theater?

Friedman: "He has the rights to the play.
...
Friedman: "We have proved that we are able to take on the management of the theater, and in the last two and a half months, we have done so with resolve.

Habimah Theater managers, Benny Tsarfati and Odelia Friedman, claim there is no problem with the acoustics in the auditorium and that the problems that existed were fixed years ago when an amplifier system was installed.
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Tsarfati and Friedman say the large auditorium will be refurbished during the second stage, but have a hard time saying when that will be, how it will be done and to what extent.
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The Noga Auditorium, which the Habimah directors Tsarfati and Friedman are interested in, has 870 seats but it is the home venue of the Gesher Theater.

One of the decisions made by the theater's managers, Benny Tsarfati and Odelia Friedman, is that starting from this evening, any resident of the north who presents an ID card will be invited to theater performances.