A tale of tails: Diving into Israel’s mermaid community
Donning glittery appendages that can cost up to $800, a 1,000-strong community of enthusiasts are hooked on a growing trend
- In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 photo, Shir Katzenell and her son Erez, members of the Israeli Mermaid Community, pose for a portrait as they wear mermaid tails at their home in Or Akiva, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Wednesday, March. 6, 2019 photo, Limor Kahlon, right, and her daughter Yam, members of the Israeli Mermaid Community, pose for a portrait as they wear mermaid tails at their home in Netanya, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Friday, Feb . 22, 2019 photo, Udi Frige, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as he wears a mermaid tail at his home in Yahud, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 photo, Hadas Kellner, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Yahud, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 photo, Gal Amnony, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as he wears a tail at his home in Ramat Gan, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Tuesday, March. 26, 2019 photo, Vered Klein, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Ramat Gan, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Monday, March. 4, 2019 photo, Inbar Ben Yakar, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Kiryat Yam, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Ommer Globerman, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Ashkelon, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Monday, March. 4, 2019 photo, Ligal Shternhell, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Kibbutz Ein Carmel, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 photo, Adi Kazav, left, and Lied Adi Hagbi, members of the Israeli Mermaid Community, pose for a portrait as they wear mermaid tails at their home in Netanya, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Monday, March. 4, 2019 photo, Ligal Shternhell, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Kibbutz Ein Carmel, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Friday, March. 8, 2019 photo, Mor Barazani, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Modiin, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
- In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 photo, May Lighty Cohen, a member of the Israeli Mermaid Community, poses for a portrait as she wears a mermaid tail at her home in Herzliya, Israel. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
TEL AVIV (AP) — Last year, Shir Katzenell made a drastic life change, leaving a prestigious job in the Israeli army to pursue a childhood dream: becoming a mermaid.
Ever since getting hooked on Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” as a kid, Katzenell confided, she has longed to turn into one. While her friends moved on, Katzenell’s enchantment with mermaids endured. She fantasized about swimming underwater alongside fish in a 10-pound tail and sequined bikini. Then she actually gave it a try.
As it turns out, she’s not the only one.
Together with a friend and fellow mermaid-fan, Michelle Koretsky, she started an unlikely social scene: a group of aspiring mermaids in Israel, which has grown on Facebook to nearly 1,000 members. It’s the Israeli pocket of a worldwide community that she claims is gaining prominence.
“It was a crazy revelation,” said Katzenell. “I realized I was part of something big.”

Now, as a 34-year-old “full-time mermaid,” she sells brightly-colored tails, some with dizzying $800 price tags, and teaches people the skill of swimming in them.
The tail-clad group convenes regularly to romp in public pools across the country and participate in demonstrations to raise awareness about ocean preservation.
“Some come because they’re just interested or feel a special connection to the water. Others because they really dream of becoming mermaids,” Katzenell said. “They’ve often been embarrassed, told they were weird or crazy. But here they can find people who understand them.”
On a recent night at a Tel Aviv pool, dozens of mermaid enthusiasts slipped on their shimmering skin. Huddled on deck, they chatted about the latest developments in mermaid culture, including “The Little Mermaid” remake release date, silicone tail costs and relevant book recommendations. They glided through the water and splashed around, their glittery tails slapping against the surface.
One of the clan’s few mer-men, Yuval Avrami, marveled at how his fabric fin flitted in the water, describing it as a “dream come true.” He said he learned about the trend through transgender friends and became fascinated by “the transition from one species to another, the ability to inhabit a new, magical identity.”
Another member, an aerobics instructor named Udi Frige, said he had been swimming in the sea with his legs pressed together for decades, imitating mermaid choreography from the hit movie “Splash.”

Frige, 39, compared confessing his mermaid obsession to coming out in the LGBT community. “It’s my thing, it’s unique, it’s who I am,” he said. “It requires lots of difficult explanation, especially if people don’t know me.”
For others, it’s just a source of innocent joy.
“When I’m flying through the water with my tail, I forget all my worries,” said Koretsky, the community co-leader. “For that second, I’m a child again. I’m free.”
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
- Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock;
- Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and
- Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including exclusive webinars with our reporters and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel