Shimshon Shtrang

Shimshon "Shipi" Shtrang is best known as the long-time friend and assistant of the 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 demonstrations¹.

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 career¹.

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 Central Intelligence Agency, Shtrang was part of Geller's entourage. However, when the magician James Randi speculated that Shtrang helped Geller cheat, the Central Intelligence Agency denied Shtrang access to Geller during the experiments to ensure stricter controls¹.

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 years¹.