# Shimshon "Shipi" Shtrang Shimshon "Shipi" Shtrang is best known as the long-time friend and assistant of the [[Israel|Israeli]] psychic [[Uri Geller]]. Their association began when Shtrang was a thirteen-year-old boy at a government-run summer camp, where Geller, recovering from [[Six-Day War]] injuries, performed [[Telepathy|telepathy]] demonstrations[^1]. Shtrang was mesmerized by Geller's abilities and asked if he had any other tricks. Geller insisted they were real and showed Shipi how he could bend a metal spoon by concentrating and saying, "Bend, bend, bend." This early exposure led to Geller's first paid appearance at Shipi's middle school, marking the beginning of Geller's public career[^1]. As Geller's career progressed, Shtrang became his assistant, often participating in his demonstrations. During Geller's testing at [[Stanford Research Institute]] (SRI) by the [[CIA]], Shtrang was part of Geller's entourage. However, when the magician [[James Randi]] speculated that Shtrang helped Geller cheat, the [[CIA]] denied Shtrang access to Geller during the experiments to ensure stricter controls[^1]. Shtrang continues to live on the compound of Geller's home in Sonning-on-Thames, England, and later in Jaffa, Israel, along with Geller's wife, Hanna (who is Shipi's sister). He has been Geller's friend and assistant for forty-eight years[^1]. ### Footnotes [^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.