Nalaga’at (“Please Touch”) is a cultural center in Jaffa Port where the performers are deaf, blind, or deaf-blind. It is one of the most extraordinary theater experiences in the world, and it is housed in a converted warehouse overlooking the ancient harbor.
Theater of the Senses
The theater company was created in 2002, and the center opened in 2007 by theater director Adina Tal, Nalaga’at’s flagship production, “Not by Bread Alone,” features deaf-blind actors who knead bread dough on stage throughout the performance while telling their personal stories through sign language and spoken translation. At the end, the audience shares the fresh bread with the performers. The production has toured internationally and has been called one of the most moving theater experiences audiences have ever seen.
Dining in Darkness
BlackOut is the center’s restaurant, where guests eat a full meal in complete darkness, served by blind or visually impaired waiters. Without sight, every other sense sharpens: taste, texture, smell, and sound become the entire experience. Upstairs, Café Kapish is staffed by deaf waiters — customers order using basic sign language, with menus that teach the signs for each dish.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Nalaga’at is unlike anything else in Israel. Hoshen Tours arranges evening visits that combine the theater performance with dinner at BlackOut or Café Kapish, for an experience that challenges every assumption about how we perceive the world.