Updated: November 2026 · Written by Yaron Frezi, a mentalist who has performed at corporate events for 24 years, in Hebrew and English
A corporate event in Israel runs on a Sunday-to-Thursday work week, around Shabbat (Friday sundown to Saturday night) and around a holiday calendar that moves every year, so check dates before you book anything else. Much of the hotel and venue catering is kosher, which affects the menu more than the program. For mixed-language groups, the entertainment that works best is the kind that doesn't depend on wordplay: visual, interactive acts in one shared language, usually English, scheduled early in the evening while guests still have energy after a day of touring.
In this guide
I'm an Israeli mentalist, and over 24 years I've done more than 4,200 shows for employees, managers and clients of 185 companies and organizations, in Hebrew and in English. A good part of the English work is for groups that land in Israel for a few days: an incentive trip, a conference, a management offsite. Their planners usually know events inside out, but not Israel. This guide covers what I see foreign planners and DMCs get caught by, including things that have nothing to do with me.
When can you hold a corporate event in Israel? Weekends and holidays
The Israeli work week runs Sunday to Thursday. Friday is a short day: many businesses close around midday, and Shabbat begins at sundown. Until Saturday night, much of the country slows down, and in most cities public transport largely stops. For planners this means two things. Thursday evening is a natural "end of week" night out, and Friday evening dinners are possible but need careful timing with venues, transport and suppliers who observe Shabbat.
The holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, so their Gregorian dates change every year. These are the dates that matter for groups arriving between December 2026 and the end of 2027:
| Holiday | Dates (Israel) | What it means for your program |
|---|---|---|
| Hanukkah | Evening of 4.12.2026 to 12.12.2026 | Business as usual, but it's peak season for company parties. Book entertainers early. |
| Purim | 23.3.2027 (Shushan Purim 24.3, observed in Jerusalem) | A festive, costume-heavy day. High demand for performers. |
| Passover | Eve 21.4.2027; first day 22.4; intermediate days 23-27.4; seventh day 28.4 | Holiday week. Plan around closures and leavened-food rules in kosher venues. |
| Holocaust Remembrance Day | 4.5.2027 | A day of national mourning. No entertainment. |
| Memorial Day / Independence Day | 11.5.2027 / 12.5.2027 | No entertainment on Memorial Day, which flows straight into Independence Day celebrations on the evening of 11.5. |
| Shavuot | Eve 10.6.2027; holiday 11.6.2027 | A short holiday that falls on a Friday this year, so it merges with Shabbat. |
| Tisha B'Av | Eve 11.8.2027; 12.8.2027 | A fast day of mourning. Check with your local partner before scheduling a celebration. |
| Rosh Hashanah | Eve 1.10.2027; 2-3.10.2027 | Two-day holiday, combined with Shabbat this year. |
| Yom Kippur | Eve 10.10.2027; 11.10.2027 | The country comes to a near standstill. No events. |
| Sukkot | Eve 15.10.2027; intermediate days 17-21.10; Simchat Torah 23.10 | Holiday week, similar to Passover in planning terms. |
A holiday "on Wednesday" really starts on Tuesday evening. If your gala dinner is on the eve of a holiday, expect suppliers to want to finish early, and expect local staff to want to be home. Moving the main event one night earlier usually solves it.
Kosher, Shabbat and other basics foreign planners ask about
None of these is a reason to avoid Israel. They are simply things to put in your planning document early, before the venue contract is signed:
- Kosher catering. Many hotels and event venues are kosher. In practice, meat and dairy are not served in the same meal, so a meat dinner ends with a non-dairy dessert. Ask the venue which kosher certification it holds if some of your guests keep kosher strictly.
- Shabbat in kosher hotels. Some services, such as live cooking or certain events in public areas, may be limited on Friday night and Saturday. Ask the hotel what is and isn't possible before you build the program.
- Supplier availability. Not every supplier works on Friday night or Saturday. Ask each one directly, including the entertainment.
- Sound and noise. Outdoor events near residential areas may have time limits. Your venue or local partner will know the rules for that location.
- Invoices and VAT. Israeli suppliers issue a tax invoice. Ask whether quotes include VAT (18% in Israel) and how the supplier invoices a foreign company.
- Language on site. Hotel staff and most professional suppliers speak English. Drivers and smaller vendors may not, so keep a Hebrew-speaking coordinator on your team.
A program that has the group touring until 15:00 on Friday and then expects a full-service lunch, a guide and a bus back to the hotel can fall apart because suppliers are closing for Shabbat. Put the heavy logistics on Sunday to Thursday, and keep Friday light.
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat or the Dead Sea: how the venue shapes the entertainment
I'm not going to recommend specific hotels here; your DMC knows the current options and rates. What I can tell you is how each type of location changes what works on the night:
Tel Aviv
Hotels, rooftops, restaurants and event halls, with Herzliya a short drive north.
- Works well for: welcome dinners, cocktail receptions, conferences
- Watch for: noise in open spaces, guests who want to go out after dinner
Jerusalem
Historic venues and hotels, often with a more formal feel.
- Works well for: gala dinners, groups with a cultural or religious angle
- Watch for: Shabbat begins earlier in Jerusalem than in other cities, and many venues observe it strictly
Eilat
Resort hotels on the Red Sea, often booked as a full package.
- Works well for: incentive trips, relaxed evening shows in the hotel
- Watch for: tired guests after a day in the sun, so keep the show early
Dead Sea
Resort hotels in a remote area, so the group stays in one place.
- Works well for: a captive audience with nothing planned after dinner
- Watch for: travel time for every supplier, which affects their quote
Wherever you are, the same physical rules decide whether a show works: guests seated close, facing the performer, with no food being served during the show. More on that below, and in my guide to shows in hotels (in Hebrew).
A group of about 90 cyclists and their partners at the Leonardo Club hotel in Eilat, roughly half of them professional riders. A resort crowd on a group trip is a different audience from a conference hall, and the show is adapted to it. I wrote about that evening here (in Hebrew).
Entertainment options for mixed-language groups
Incoming groups are rarely one language. You might have a US head office, a European sales team and the Israeli local staff in the same room. Before you pick an act, ask one question: how much of it depends on understanding every word? Here is how the common options compare:
| Option | Depends on language | Interaction | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live band or DJ | Low | Dancing, if the crowd is in the mood | Late-night parties after the formal part |
| Local music or drumming workshop | Low | High, everyone takes part | Team-building with an Israeli flavor |
| Stand-up comedian | Very high (wordplay, local references) | Low to medium | Groups that share one language and culture |
| Keynote speaker | High | Low | Conferences with a content goal |
| Strolling close-up magic | Low | High, small groups at a time | Receptions, cocktail hours, gaps between courses |
| Mentalism stage show | Medium (one shared language, visual moments) | Very high, volunteers on stage | A shared moment the whole group talks about |
If you only remember one thing from this table: a comedian who kills it in Tel Aviv in Hebrew will not necessarily work for your group in English, and a great English-language comedian may lose the guests whose English is a second language. Acts built on visible moments, where people see the impossible happen in front of them, travel better.
Why an English-speaking mentalist works for international groups
A mentalism show is built on techniques, illusions, psychology and mental exercises, performed with volunteers from the audience. That structure has a few advantages for a group of mixed nationalities:
- The key moments are visual. When a number written before the show matches what three guests chose on the spot, nobody needs perfect English to feel it.
- Your people are the stars. Almost every segment uses volunteers, so the VP from Chicago and the engineer from Haifa end up on stage together. That's what guests talk about at breakfast.
- It mixes the group. Strolling magic at the reception breaks the habit of each team sitting with its own colleagues.
- It can carry your message. For corporate events, the company name or a message that matters to you can appear at a surprising moment in the show. Before the event we meet in a short online call, so I can adapt the script and write jokes about your company, not generic ones.
- It adds a local touch. As my English page puts it, an "outsider" will add a fresh feeling to your event. For a group visiting Israel, an Israeli performer with an Israeli edge is part of the trip.
That conference is a good example of what international organizers look for. It was the third time I was invited to perform at the university's conferences, the audience included guests from abroad, and the show ran in English. You can read the full story (in Hebrew).
A show in English at Andrew's 50th birthday (2016). This is what an English-language audience looks like in one of my shows.
"We held a bar mitzvah in a hall with guests from abroad, and everyone loved Yaron the magician"
SARA MIKE, translated from Hebrew, from the reviews on my home pageMy international experience, on the record
Planners rightly ask for proof. Here is exactly what I've done abroad and for international audiences, without the marketing gloss:
- Los Angeles: performed at the "Magic of Israel" special week at the Magic Castle in Hollywood (2010).
- India: a Suzuki press conference in Jaipur, at the launch of a new model.
- Italy: luxury events in a real 300-year-old palace during the masquerade season.
- Bulgaria: a team-building trip of Alpha Tau Medical, which took me along to perform on one of the evenings.
- New York: an open-ticket show for Israelis living in the city.
- Cyprus is also on the list of places I've performed.
- In Israel, in English: conferences, company events and family celebrations with guests from abroad. Companies on my client list include Apple, Amdocs, Siemens, HP, Samsung, Toyota, Suzuki and El Al.
I'm also Israel's champion of magic and telepathy, from the official championship of the Israeli magicians' society in 2012, with a card routine that is still part of my stage show. And I make a point of showing long, unedited videos from real shows, not just a polished highlight reel. You'll find them on my videos page.
"It was amazing! I'm full of appreciation for how you handled all the challenges in this show!"
Doron Miraz, a manager at Apple, translated from Hebrew, from the reviews on my home pageHow booking works: from first message to show night
For DMCs and planners working from abroad, the process is short and can be done entirely by phone, WhatsApp and email:
- First messageSend the date, city or hotel, group size, the language of the audience and what the evening looks like. I reply to every message within 24 hours at most.
- Short call and a tailored quotePrices depend on the type of event, the length of the show and the location, so you get a tailored quote after a short call. Long travel, for example to Eilat or the Dead Sea, is part of that quote.
- Choosing the formatStrolling close-up magic, a stage show of up to 60 minutes, a trade show booth, or a combination: strolling at the reception and a show after the first course is cleared.
- Online meeting to tailor the contentWe go over your company, your message and the people in the room, so the show feels made for this group.
- Venue and schedule checkWe agree on where I perform, seating, sound, and where the show fits in the evening. I arrive 30 to 60 minutes before, depending on the type of show. I bring my own equipment, and a sound system when needed; a power point near the stage area is preferred, but I can work without one if I know in advance.
- Show night and paymentPayment is at the end of the event. Deferred payment terms for companies are possible only if agreed in advance.
A tax invoice, a licensed dealer certificate, confirmation of bookkeeping and tax withholding, and third-party liability insurance. Ask for them early so accounting doesn't hold up the booking. Israeli producers can find more in my producer kit (in Hebrew).
One more thing that matters to planners who can't see the show before they book: in events where the conditions are checked and agreed in advance (good visibility, good sound, suitable seating, no food on the tables and no other distractions), I offer a simple commitment. Not satisfied? Don't pay.
Yaron Frezi is an Israeli mentalist and Israel's champion of magic and telepathy (Israeli magicians' society, 2012). For 24 years he has performed more than 4,200 shows for employees, managers and clients of 185 companies and organizations, in Hebrew and in fluent English, in Israel and abroad. More about Yaron in English.
FAQ: corporate entertainment in Israel
What days of the week are best for a corporate event in Israel?
Sunday to Thursday evenings, with Thursday night a common "end of week" night. Friday evening events are possible, but many suppliers and venues observe Shabbat, which begins at sundown on Friday, so check availability early.
Which Israeli holidays should incentive planners avoid?
Yom Kippur (11.10.2027) and the national days of mourning, Holocaust Remembrance Day (4.5.2027) and Memorial Day (11.5.2027), are not suitable for entertainment at all. Passover and Sukkot weeks need extra planning because of closures and holiday rules. Remember that every holiday begins on the evening before.
Does kosher catering limit the event program?
Mostly it affects the menu: meat and dairy are not served together, so desserts after a meat dinner are non-dairy. In kosher hotels, some activities may be limited on Shabbat. Ask the venue before you finalize the program.
What entertainment works for a group that speaks different languages?
Acts built on visual moments and participation, such as strolling close-up magic and a mentalism show in one shared language, usually English. Stand-up comedy and keynote talks depend much more on language and local references.
Can Yaron perform at hotels in Eilat, the Dead Sea or Jerusalem?
Yes. Yaron performs all over Israel, from the Golan Heights to Eilat. For particularly long journeys the price may rise slightly to cover travel costs, and this is included in the tailored quote.
How long is the show, and can it be adapted to our company?
The full stage show runs about 60 minutes and can be shortened by arrangement, for example when there is a dinner or a presentation. For corporate events, the company name or a key message can be woven into the show, after a short online meeting before the event.
Bringing a group to Israel? Let's plan the evening they'll talk about.
Tell me the date, the hotel or city, and how many guests, and you'll get a tailored quote after a short call. Replies within 24 hours.
Not satisfied? Don't pay. Under performance conditions we check and agree on together in advance.
