Tamar Pross

From the outside looking in, Tel Avivians seem to be part of this secret society ruled by slang; like Fight Club, only instead of a shirtless Brad Pitt swinging punches at you, it’s the locals swinging Hebrew sayings left and right – all of which you don’t understand.   The most common word you’ll hear on the White City streets – after ‘ke’ilu’ – is ‘eizeh.’ “Ah, eizeh! I know that one…it mean’s which!” You’ll scream out proudly. But which ‘which’ is the right which? Why does that ‘which’ mean ‘what’? And why is this ‘kef’ tacked onto the end of it?   Well, that’s where Citizen Café, Tel Aviv's new urban ulpan, steps in. With their guide to 7 essential ‘eizeh’ phrases, you’ll fit right in with the dog-walkers, marathon runners and too-cool-for-Aroma hipsters waiting to order their ‘café hafuch’ (cappuccino) in no time.     איזה כיף- Eizeh kef Wait! This one wasn’t in my guidebook!? While its literal translation is ‘what fun,’ ‘eizeh kef’ has no real English equivalent. It can be used when your baby cousin gets excited over his LEGO tower falling: “Aw, eizeh kef!” when what you really wish to say is “Aw, I wish I still got that excited over plastic blocks.” Or, it can be used in a sarcastic light, as in: “Oh, I have so much work to do, eizeh kef!” Both instances are usually accompanied by an over-egged round of applause.   איזה באסה- Eizeh bassa This is definitely the coolest way to express disappointment in Hebrew. Meaning ‘what a bummer’ or ‘that sucks,’ this expression is i