NEW YORK (JTA) — A Hebrew version of Playboy magazine is coming to Israel.
Attorney Daniel Pomerantz, an Israeli immigrant from Chicago, has negotiated the rights for the Israeli version of the men’s magazine, Haaretz reported. There is no launch date yet but eventually it will be available in print and online.
“We went to Hefner’s estate with the Israeli team to learn from the Playboy experts,” said Pomerantz, speaking of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. “Hefner was very excited that there was a word [for bunny] in Hebrew – it proved that there is a cultural link between the Playboy brand and Israeli culture."
The magazine will have articles from international versions of Playboy translated into Hebrew, and also will feature Israeli writers. The nude models featured also will be Israeli.
Pomerantz said the magazine will be "sexy" but "not about sex."
"It will be inspiring and broadcast quality and beauty," he said. "For me this is an opportunity to show the world the nice side of Israel, the culture here."
The Israeli version will cover leisure areas for men such as gadgets, style and food, as well as investigative and feature articles on culture, sports, politics and economics.
Circulation of Playboy, which was founded in 1953, has dropped in recent years, to 1.5 million last year, amid increased competition.
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