{
  "id": 2566748,
  "title": "‘Politicians come here too’: the Israeli taking BDSM out of the shadows",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/politicians-come-here-too-the-israeli-taking-bdsm-out-of-the-shadows",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-22T04:29:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ynetnews Culture",
    "slug": "ynetnews-culture",
    "url": "https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/byezeoudgx"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At 14 years old, Alexey Yagiv began experiencing a fascination with BDSM and felt that something was wrong with him. Fast forward to 46, and he now embraces this attraction as natural and has no desire to conceal it. Yagiv is the owner of Fetish Deal, one of Israel’s largest sex shops, and also produces Decadence, a collection of provocative BDSM parties. Between these ventures, he performs as his alter ego, Alexa Vanillit, a radical drag character who dares to boldly discuss sex without restraint.\n\nRecently, Yagiv launched a new showroom taking up several hundred square meters of space, purposely far removed from the conventional, secretive sex shops. The bright and expansive store houses thousands of products meant for individuals and couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, whether they adhere to societal norms or crave BDSM experiences.\n\nYagiv was born in Makhachkala, in the North Caucasus, and moved to Israel in 1992. Prior to his current profession, his fantasies were a source of shame and guilt, leaving him convinced that he was alone. However, with the advent of the internet at the age of 19, Yagiv discovered that he was not the only one with similar desires. This realization helped him accept himself and explore the BDSM world, connecting with people from various communities and experimenting with different aspects of the scene.\n\nEven though he realized others shared his interests, Yagiv still faced the challenge of revealing this part of his life to his family. Growing emotionally, he decided that he would not live his life twice and would do what made him happy, regardless of others’ acceptance. He expressed that even those who didn’t accept him would still be loved, but he would not be a Hanukkah doughnut—everyone did not have to like him.\n\nYagiv started frequenting the Dungeon club in Jaffa and other venues in Israel’s growing BDSM community in 2000. By 2010, his passion had transformed into a business, starting with producing parties, running a website, and eventually opening a small home-based shop, which gradually expanded. He admits he was initially terrified that his love for BDSM would fade once he turned it into his profession, but he is now very happy that he still loves the world of domination, fetish parties, and fulfilling his own fantasies.\n\nFetish Deal originated from Yagiv’s personal need for a shop with a wide range of products at reasonable prices. The high prices at existing stores prompted him to open a website and a shop out of his home. When the showroom moved to its current location, plans for both retail and storage space were initially made. However, the store soon outgrew the initial plan, leading to the demolition of walls and the relocation of the warehouse elsewhere.\n\nThe showroom’s lighting is meant to remove the darkness and shame often associated with sexuality and kink. Yagiv wants the store to be like a store in the Netherlands, where it is considered normal for couples to come in, purchase a sex toy, and enjoy it at home. The shelves are stocked with hundreds of brands and products designed for pleasure, stimulation, and BDSM play. Yagiv rejects the notion that sex toys are a substitute for a partner, emphasizing that they are tools meant to enhance life, not replace it. This attitude is evident in the way staff interact with customers, openly discussing products, bodies, and sexual sensations without embarrassment or judgment.\n\nYagiv’s store and parties cater to a diverse range of customers from all corners of Israeli society, including traditional and religious Jews, celebrities, television personalities, and notable politicians. When asked what politicians purchase from his shop, Yagiv jokingly replies that they buy masks to remain anonymous, but the store offers various products chosen with love, tested before deciding whether to continue stocking them.\n\nAmong the unusual sections in the showroom is a collection of tails designed specifically for sexual play. Yagiv explains the differences between them as if fitting a customer for running shoes, emphasizing that the tails are not attached to costumes but inserted and held in place by the body.",
  "summary": "Alexey Yagiv discovered BDSM as a teenager and thought something was wrong with him; today he runs one of Israel’s largest sex shops, produces kink parties and performs in drag, while pushing sexuality, fantasy and kink out of the shadows",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}