Yasmin DeRowe

Yosef, 28, Musician/Producer & Yosi, 30, P.E. Teacher   Although they haven't been together for long, Yosef and Yosi share so much more than just their first name. Both come from traditional Jewish orthodox families and have found their way to Tel Aviv, Yosef in his early twenties and Yosi a couple of years ago.   They met on Instagram to find out that Yosi's release date from the military fell on Yosef's birthday, that both have an older brother named Dudu, and that Yosi works at a restaurant called "Yosef and David" (Dudu being the nickname for David).   They currently live together in the what is probably the trendiest neighborhood in town, Florentine, on Matalon Street by the Levinsky Market. They have a cat named Sammy (which is also, by chance, the name of Yossi's father). Yossef is a musician and producer, while Yossi is a P.E. teacher. Together they make up an energetic power couple, quintessentially Tel Avivian, that make you wonder, really, what's in a name?       Meet more TLV Couples

Marcelo and Georgia Szporer, 50, Co-owners of Café Origem   What is the secret to a good cup of coffee?    High quality coffee beans, roasted and ground just right, the water temperature, and some will even say the actual serving cup. If you ask Marcelo and Georgia another necessary ingredient, and no less important, they'd have to say love. © Boris Chernykov, Flea Studio The two came to Israel from São Paulo, Brazil about a year and a half ago, and shortly thereafter opened their own coffee shop, Origem (meaning “origin” in Portuguese), on Dizengoff Street. What brings a couple operating a successful chain of coffee shops in Brazil to leave it all behind and travel thousands of kilometers to the Middle East? Marcelo and Georgia came to Israel following their eldest daughter who had decided to make Aliyah and serves today in the IDF’s home-front command. In retrospect, although Brazil is their homeland, in Israel, in Tel Aviv, so they say, they feel the most at home. © Boris Chernykov, Flea Studio Meet more TLV Couples

Niv Schwartz, 29, Business Consultant & Yael (Yifeng) Zhou, 25, Journalist  Yael (Yifeng) and Niv’s story is more than just your average "love conquers all" narrative; it’s about blending, harmonizing, two distinct cultures, Chinese and Israeli, and coming together to create their own unique language.   Following a professional encounter at Tel Aviv University, they spent their first date at a restaurant with two Chinese tourists that Niv had saved from a scam that day, and since then, a little more than two years ago, they have been together. © Boris Chernykov, Flea Studio With Niv’s perfectly spoken Chinese and formal demeanor and Yael’s acquired Israeli ‘chutzpah’ they epitomize Tel Aviv’s melting pot mentality. When asked what they like most about living in Tel Aviv, they answered: “It’s those little things that start trending...the ones that can all of a sudden turn into a big deal.” The same can be said of their own personal story, a chance encounter that bloomed into a loving relationship.  Meet more TLV Couples

Eyar Blumberg, 29, Pilates Teacher & Nicolas Cascallar, 40, Ninja Eyar and Nicolas share a belief in the power of motion to motivate the body as well as the soul. What started as a chance encounter at the Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theater – while Eyar was working there as an usher and Nicolas was performing – developed over time into a journey towards a common way of living.   When they met about a year later, entirely by chance, while riding their bikes on the streets of Tel Aviv, they realized that there’s definitely room for deepening their acquaintance. By the way, Eyar and Nicolas continue riding their bikes religiously around all areas of Tel Aviv from their apartment of the last 2.5 years in the southern Shapira neighborhood. © Boris Chernykov, Flea Studio The dynamics between Eyar and Nicolas reflect to an extent the neighborhood where they chose to live: renewable, eclectic, fundamental. Their energy is pleasant and at the same time, interesting. Their choice of movement as a way of life corresponds with the motion that we have witnessed in recent years in neighborhoods like Shapira, which has been drawing a young, creative crowd these past several years. Their apartment doubles as Eyar’s studio. Nicolas uses a unique method, combining different schools and approaches, and prefers training outdoors. And yet, once a week, they meet at the apartment to train together following Nicolas’ approach. The apartment is not big, and the studio takes up a large pa