CITIZEN CAFE
ABOUT CITIZEN CAFE
Citizen Café is a leading new-style Hebrew ulpan, offering language- culture-lifestyle courses, lectures and events to smoothly integrate the international community into the local Tel-Avivian culture. Today, Citizen Cafe caters over 800 students each year and includes clients from Embassies, Google, Facebook, Waze, My Heritage and The Jewish Agency.
ABOUT TAMAR PROSS
Tamar Pross is an Israeli/Australian entrepreneur and public speaker, currently living in Tel-Aviv. She is the Founder & CEO of Citizen Café. Prior to this she founded, Slippers, a high-end concierge company that created the latest luxury services for some of Israel’s largest corporations including Leumi Card, Orange and Ariel Management Group. Before her time in Israel Tamar worked as an Executive Global Account Manager at the renowned Quintessentially Lifestyle Group in London, where she also lead the company’s leading account, Chelsea football Club.
Tamar is also an accomplished producer and in 2012 launched a series of two documentaries on Gilad Shalit, where she both followed the family during his years in captivity by Hamas and Gilad himself after his release in an historical prisoners exchange deal. Tamar holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University, Australia, Majoring in Economics and was also the Student Union Vice President 2007 (Off Campus Worldwide). She also studied French at the Sorbonne University in Paris and is a trained Enneagram coach.
CAMELTARY (Camel Commentary)
Making Connections, One Word at a Time.
We have spent so many years trying to expand our communication efforts into a worldwide network. Social medias and innovative technology allows us to see and speak to billions of people around the world instantly.
Some people in Israel can’t even talk to the person who serves their morning coffee.
Tel Aviv is a startup nation attracting people from England, America, Sweden, Russia, and more. There is a plethora of languages and cultures that all travel to catch some of that Israeli Chutzpah.
Thankfully, Tamar Pross is there for immigrants – ‘Olim’ – with Citizen Cafe. The organisation is dedicated to teaching people the language and culture of Israel in a way that benefits each individual.
“The key to effective language acquisition is to enjoy learning it,” Pross explains. “We focus on the conversational and listening methods for our students.” Citizen Cafe was founded after Pross realised that conventional government programs designed to teach Hebrew weren’t working. “Entrepreneurs, diplomats, artists – they all want to integrate into the culture of Tel Aviv. They want to feel connected.”
Classes at Citizen Cafe are divided into two 90-minute sessions per week – making sure you have time to chase other dreams while here in Israel – such as a steady job or, you know, a house. Statistically, very few people stick with ‘ulpan’ classes long-term, but for most, including this writer, Citizen Cafe is the last ulpan they will ever attend.
“It’s about so much more than just learning the language,” explains Tamar Pross. “Today we work with embassies, offer social events, and host talks for our students monthly. It’s about embracing and learning the cultural differences each country has to offer.”
Inspired by her time in London, UK, Pross admits that the culture can take some getting used to for non-Israelis and particularly non-Jews. “We have two extremes – aggressive and loving. We will always be there for you!”
Moving countries and cultures is hard work. Tamar Pross at Citizen Cafe has built a company that embraces these challenges and pushes its students into the wonders that Israel has to offer.
For some, those wonders begin with their morning coffee.
James Spiro