An Israeli magician, Hezzi Dean, is trying to break magician David Blane's record for staying inside an ice cube. The attempt drew crowds at Tel-Aviv’s Rabin Square.
Dean resolved the issue of going to the toilet by inserting a catheter and an enema. He only wore jeans and shirt inside the cube to keep him warm for the full 64 hours he planned to stay.
[Hadassah Mizrahi, Dean's Grandmother]:
"We are thrilled to see this moment when he would achieve the world record. Here's all this crowd that loves him… everybody's waiting for the moment he emerges as a winner before his family, friends, country and the world."
Dean is the only magician in Israel who performs so-called "extreme magic" – stunts that put the performer's life at risk and requires a lot of physical and mental preparation.
[Tal Alaluf, Paramedic]:
“We checked his heart rate and other basic medical parameters. He's already been inside for 48 hours and looks okay. He's a bit exhausted now. We communicate with him by hand movements and ask him questions. He answers with yes or no.”
Dean is the only Israeli to have won the title of European Champion for magicians. He’s become a sensation, and some of the spectators think this is just another magic trick of his.
[Danny Nevo, Passer-By]:
“Whether it's a trick or not, it really doesn't matter. In two minutes, I'll be out of here and forget about it. If it's okay with him then it's fine by me, and if he's breaking a record, then good for him.”
There is close surveillance of Dean’s condition whilst he’s in the cube.
[Tal Alaluf, Paramedic]:
“Every 10 minutes or so we go around him and talk to him to see that everything is okay. So far he says he's fine.”
And the Guinness Record was eventually broken. Dean emerged healthy from the cube.
"The soul has shown that it can be stronger than the body."
Whether that was magic or not, the Guinness Record of staying inside an ice cube was still broken.
NTD News, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
