Eliad Cohen

Eliad Cohen:  The Perfect Man

By Alexander Rodriguez

You probably haven’t met Eliad yet, but you know his face and you certainly know his muscles.  If you were to put a magic list of the perfect man together, you’d have Eliad – tall, dark and handsome, body of the Gods, charming smile, a military man turned nightlife master complete with family values, a sense of humor and a seriously cute accent.  You won’t find him on Grindr, but you will find him roaming the city as one of Los Angeles’ newest residents, tearing it up every Friday at Revolver in West Hollywood at Amigos…and yes, we’d love to be his amigo.  We’d bend over backwards. 

Born and raised in Israel, he served in the military and started a gay revolution in Tel Aviv – founding PAPA, one of the top three gay parties in the world, now with more international locations.  He sprung on the scene as a fluke, gracing the covers of magazines and gaining gay adoration status overnight from a group of first time modeling pics done by passing photographers. 

GED Magazine got an exclusive chat with Eliad, where we chatted about coming out, muscles vs smarts, and blind dating. This Insta-hottie is a sweetheart with a funny personality and a warm heart. Read on to find out more.

What kind of kid were you growing up?  What group did you hang out with in high school?

I was very competitive, I played football, basketball, and competed in Jujitsu – I was number three in Israel in Jujitsu.  When I went to high school, I started to study theatre.  The theatre group was my best friend, but I was friendly with everyone.  Everyone knew me, I was the funniest guy in school.

What are some of the biggest benefits do you think you gained being raised in Israel?

I grew up in northern Israel in a city called Akko – there’s only 60,000 people that live there.  My family raised me in a very simple way.  I learned to enjoy the small things in life.  Even now, when I live in a different country or a different place, I still know to appreciate the small things and this kind of education that my parents gave me, is something I will always have with me.

You came out at age 20 to your parents.  What was your coming out like?

It was kind of a shock for my family because I was with girls every day.   I had a girlfriend, I was a very sporty guy, I was competing, I was a fighter in the army. My family is from the north of Israel, and to them, the image of a gay person was that you needed to be the stereotype – they need to wear pink and they needed to behave in a certain way.  So, they didn’t know exactly how to handle it at first, but after a while they accepted me.  My mom would even come and stay with me in Tel Aviv with my ex-boyfriend and she would cook for us and spend the weekend with us. She told me – “whatever makes you happy, makes you happy.”  She wanted to see me happy. 

It is a requirement to serve in the military in Israel – are there the same feelings that gay people don’t belong in the military like the conservative United States?

No, there are a lot of gay people.  Even if you say that you are gay, the government says of course, there’s no problem you should go to the army!  It’s a must and doesn’t matter if you are gay – they accept everyone.

How is Eliad the person most different than Eliad the persona?

So my persona is the party producer, at all the parties, travelling around, but that’s my work.  When I don’t work, I love staying at home, spending time with my family, my friends, going for nice hikes, dinners and movies – more chill.  When I don’t work, I normally don’t go out. 

Your career started by being featured in magazines – when was the first time you realized you were gaining a fan base?

So until I was 21, I had never done modeling before and I had never cared about how I looked.  Then I moved to Tel Aviv after the army and started working at a bar.  Two photographers from Berlin asked to take pictures of me, literally my first professional pictures, and they put me on the cover of Spartacus Gay Guide.  Well, suddenly, they told me to come to Berlin to do promotion and I see buildings with my face – I was completely shocked!

Do you ever feel overshadowed by your looks and muscles when it comes to your smarts and business abilities?

I never let it overshadow.  It’s the opposite, I think.  I’m sure it has helped me to get to know people and people who follow me first, they follow me because – you know, they don’t know me – they follow me because of the body and the healthy lifestyle.  But when people get to know me, they get to know that this is just one part of me and see that I can be super funny and super easy going.  I never take myself too seriously and I think this is my secret to success.  If I was taking myself seriously, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

You co-founded Gay-ville, a gay friendly vacation rental service in Tel Aviv – how safe is the LGBT community in Israel?

Tel Aviv is one of the most open-minded cities in the world.  To be gay in Israel is completely fine.  People would never hurt you.  I guess in some cities, in the north, some people will see someone gay, they might laugh but they will never hurt you or do something wrong.  Tel Aviv, on the other hand, literally everyone is gay there!  Couples hold hands in the streets, kiss in restaurants… you see it everywhere.

Are you single?

Yes, I am.

You have moved to Los Angeles!  What are the biggest surprises you’ve had about the city?

Los Angeles is completely different from everything I knew before.  I was living in Madrid for four years and before that, Tel Aviv.   In the center of Madrid or Tel Aviv, everything is walking distance.  In LA, everything is so huge, moving from place to place can take one or two hours.  But the people are super friendly, super nice – the weather is amazing.  There’s so many things going in the city.  And what I love most about LA, which is completely different from Madrid or Tel Aviv, is that everything starts early and finishes early. I really like this lifestyle.

You have organized popular parties that have gone international!  What sets your parties apart from other nightlife events?

I started PAPA party nine years ago, at Tel Aviv Pride.  It became one of the three largest gay parties in the world, very very quickly.  Because the most important thing at a party – besides the music, besides the show, is always to keep good energy,  to make people feel themselves and feel free, keep the attitudes at home.  And just come and have a good vibe.  My parties have a face, a person, me. I am there in person, I’m on stage, I’m on the dancefloor and taking pictures with people all together. 

I started, every Friday at Revolver in West Hollywood, a party called Amigos with deep house music.  It’s a new project that I’ve started, that has done very well that I am very excited about. 

You are now delving into the world of comedy!  What inspired you to pursue comedy? 

Before the army, I was the funniest guy in school.  I loved the theatre, and I loved to write and perform shows. Then I went into the army and it kind of cut-of everything.  When I finished with the army, I started with the nightlife and the parties and I’m really missing this part of me – being funny and silly and laughing at myself. 

What makes you laugh the most? 

Laughing at ourselves.  Laughing at the small day to day things.  When I see people taking themselves too seriously, this is funny.  Because in the end, everything is easy-going… we are the ones that make things so much more complicated than they are.

Who are your biggest inspirations in comedy?

Sarah Silverman, she’s my idol. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Happy.

Rapid Fire:

Celebrity Crush: George Clooney

First body part you notice in a man: Eyes

Guilty pleasure binge food:  Sweets/chocolates. 

Favorite place in Israel: The beach.

Worst date:   I don’t remember.  I’m not going a lot on dates, seriously.  I will tell you something, I never go on blind dates – I like meeting face to face. I’m not using any of the apps – I’m meeting people at the gym, at the shopping mall, I like to meet people in real life and see them, their body language.  So, I’m not really going on bad dates. LOL.