Why do sharks gather off Israel's Mediterranean coast? Shark scientist Dr. Leigh Livne studies them at Hadera, and her research on pregnant sharks made it into Sir David Attenborough's BBC series Asia. She also converted to Judaism, made aliyah, and runs Belle Aviv, Tel Aviv's nearly 35,000-member community for women.
On this episode of Yalla, Let's Go!, Erica Marom and Abbey Onn talk with Leigh about sharks in Israel, converting to Judaism, building a community, and building a life here.
Leigh grew up in an American military family, left the U.S. at 17 for a decade of study in England, and moved to Israel in 2014 for a PhD in marine science after an Israeli postdoc (and his cooking) convinced her to come. She explains what's really happening at the Hadera power and desalination site, how she and her research partner, Aviad, catch, rope, and sample adult dusky and sandbar sharks alongside the boat, and how she got a black eye at 39 weeks pregnant. She also opens up about her two-year Orthodox conversion with Rabbi Ariel Konstantyn at the Tel Aviv International Synagogue, making aliyah in 2020, and turning Belle Aviv from a Facebook group into a company.
Plus: whether sharks actually want to eat you. (They don't.)
Subscribe for more conversations with people who live, work, build, and stay in Israel.
KEY TOPICS
0:00 - Intro
1:28 - Welcome & Pulse Check: Abbey's Hadera Shark Swim and the Fishing Hook
3:40 - Meet Dr. Leigh Livne: Shark Scientist and Belle Aviv Admin
4:15 - Life Story in a Minute: Military Family, 10 Years in England, PhD in Israel
5:05 - Why Israel? An Israeli Postdoc and the Food
6:34 - Sharks in Israel: The Hadera Power Plant, Desalination, and Warm Water
7:31 - Tagging Dusky and Sandbar Sharks — and the One Male Who Keeps Coming Back
8:03 - Sir David Attenborough, BBC's Asia, and "All the Sharks Are Pregnant"
8:37 - How Shark Researchers Catch, Rope, and Sample Sharks
9:43 - Shark Research Injuries: A Severed Tendon and a Black Eye at 39 Weeks Pregnant
9:57 - Doing a PhD in Israel as an Immigrant: Funding and Mentors Dan Tchernov and Shai Einbinder
11:16 - Why She Chose to Convert to Judaism
13:07 - Orthodox Conversion at Tel Aviv International Synagogue and Making Aliyah in 2020
13:58 - Belle Aviv: How Tel Aviv's Women-Only Facebook Group Began
15:41 - "Military Operation": Cleaning Up Belle Aviv With 24 Moderators
16:23 - From Facebook Group to Company: Monetizing Belle Aviv
17:42 - Belle Aviv's First In-Person Signature Event
18:51 - Has She Ever Considered Leaving Israel? Europe, Asia, and Staying Put
20:14 - What She Loves Most About Israel: The Food
20:39 - Aliyah Advice: Calm Down and Believe in Yourself
22:24 - Finding Home: Too Much for England, a Puppy in Israel
22:53 - At 80, Looking Back: A Shark Career That Only Happened in Israel
23:40 - Shark Myth Busted: Do Sharks Want to Eat You? + Rapid Fire
#Sharks #Israel #Aliyah #DavidAttenborough #YallaLetsGo
RESOURCES
Follow Leigh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-livne-48357340/
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CREDITS
Hosts: Erica Marom, Abbey Onn
Executive Producer: Sarah Bard
Producer: Sofi Levak, Dalit Merenfeld
Video and Editing: Nadav Elovic
Music and Creative Direction: Uri Ar
Content and Editorial: Jackie Goldberg
Design: Nimrod Sapir
