'It's a way to cope': Jerusalem anime convention gathers amid threat of Iran attack

Standing in a red wig in Jerusalem’s crowded International Congress Center (ICC), Alice Or Salhon, a 17-year-old cosplayer from Ashdod, is nervous in advance of Thursday’s Animatsuri anime convention (cosplaying means wearing the costume of a specific character). 

“I was really worried the convention wouldn’t happen today,” she says. But, in spite of ongoing fears of an Iranian attack, furries, cosplayers, anime fanatics, and Japanese culture lovers showed up in droves. A procession of costumes, fursuits, and colorful synthetic wigs turned heads on the beige stone streets of Jerusalem as attendees made their way to ICC. 

“I’m really excited there are so many creative people here,” Salhon says. 

The event featured various craft and fashion vendors, manga and anime booths, a cosplay contest, lectures, and panels.

Animatsuri is one of three annual anime conventions that take place in Israel, each attracting hundreds of Japanese cartoon and culture fans. Attendees describe Israel’s anime community as “tight-knit” but “widespread.” Events like these give this niche community a much-needed escape from their daily lives, offering a space where they can fully embrace their love of Japanese pop culture in an inclusive and welcoming environment.  

Salhon, cosplaying as Makima from the anime Chainsaw Man, attended the event with multiple friends. Since the war, there have been fewer gatherings for cosplayers, but overall, she says, her life in Ashdod hasn’t been heavily impacted. 

Commenting on the war, jewelry maker Alisa Tunis says, “The younger kids don’t really understand it; but it’s better that way.” 

She reflects that this might be her last year selling her handmade jewelry and crafts. The war has affected her deeply. This, combined with her mental health issues, has made it hard for her to talk to customers. Still, she says the conventions give the anime community a healthy outlet.

Anime and cosplaying as 'a way to cope' with ongoing situation in Israel 

“You dress slutty, or as a furry, or as an anime character, and it’s a way to cope,” Tunis explains. 

Because of her mental health struggles, Tunis was exempt from military service. She spent the time working and says she’s now looking to go to university to study psychology. Ideally, she would like to make and sell jewelry full-time, but competing with brands like Temu and Aliexpress, which sell similar products at far lower prices, makes it difficult. 

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Tunis says, regarding fast fashion brands. “I understand the scheme. You order stuff from the factory, and it’s cheaper, but I choose my morals.”

Noy Petel and Mayu, jewelry and craft sellers at the event, have been practicing Gyarus for over a decade. 

Gyaru culture began in Japan and is most known for its racy, over-the-top, hyper-feminine fashion. Petel and Mayu are gaijin Gyaru, meaning Gyaru from overseas – or any practicing Gyaru not in Japan. 

“It’s more than fashion,” Mayu says. “It has history, slang, brands, music, and magazines.”

The two met during their IDF service but knew of each other beforehand from Gyaru blogs.

“We went to the army with Hello Kitty bags and bento boxes,” Petel reminisced. 

Petel and Mayu’s advice to girls looking to get into the subculture is to “take it seriously, and to do it properly.” “It needs to be a big part of your life,” Petel says.

Petel runs a pop-up shop on Dizengoff in Tel Aviv called Raspberry Cute and Groovy. She says business is a bit slower than usual, due to the threat from Iran, but didn’t think it had impacted the convention.

She emphasized that the point of Gyaru culture is to have fun and mentioned the group’s tagline: “Get wild and be sexy!”

“I don’t watch the news,” Petel says. “I just live my life. What can I do?” 

THE WAR deeply impacted the Gyaru duo, both losing multiple people close to them on October 7. One of Mayu’s friends, Almog Sarusi, is a hostage in Gaza. Mayu recalls, fondly, the last time she got to see him and his partner Shahar Gindi, who was killed at the Nova Festival. 

“I didn’t know that was the last time I had to see my friends,” Mayu says. She was supposed to attend the Nova music festival, but backed out due to the cost of the ticket because she had a flight booked to Japan.

She also lost her friend Alon Werber, who was killed at the festival, and her friend Guy Iluz, who was taken hostage and later killed.

After October 7, she posted about the tragedy and shared how the war affected her.

“People turned on me and threatened me,” Mayu says. “Only because I’m Israeli and because I’m Jewish.”

Although she had a business page on Instagram, she turned her account private due to the overwhelming amount of hate she received. 

Despite the online attacks, she traveled to Japan to spread awareness about Israel and to share her perspective with other Gyarus.

“I’m a proud Zionist,” she says, holding up a large pink bedazzled Star of David necklace she is wearing.

Mayu and other loved ones of the deceased are planning a therapeutic trip to India in their honor. The friends who were murdered were on a trip to India back in 2020 but had to cut it short due to the pandemic. In their honor, Mayu and other loved ones plan to finish the trip for them.

Along with the trauma she’s faced since the war, Mayu has made connections with other Jewish Gyarus in the Diaspora and lights up when discussing them.

“We have a deeper connection,” she says.

To learn more about their journey or to donate, visit their page at giveback.co.il/project/80000.