Ben and Jerry and Avi and Stacey among Israeli ice cream mavens.

Ben Cohen isn't chairman and CEO of Ben & Jerry's any more, but that didn't keep him from coming to Israel in March to open the latest Ben & Jerry's franchised store.

Avi and Stacey -- Zinger and Shard, respectively -- are the franchisee and Ids assistant. Their store in Netanya, a seaside resort near Tel Aviv, was the eleventh of a planned 22 when Cohen did the honors at its grand opening; others have opened in Haifa.

The Zinger franchise also sells Ben & Jerry's products to Israeli supermarkets, and to some 200 mini-markets. Zinger and Shani visit Ben & Jerry's headquarters several times a year to get help with ice cream recipes, technology, quality control, store design and operations, But the pair also use local ideas and ingredients -- as with Pesek Zman, a flavor adapted from a candy bar made by Elite, and a White Russian that substitutes Israeli Sabra orange liqueur for Kahlua.

Besides opening stores in Israel itself, Cohen is looking to expand Ben & Jerry's into Jordan. But Blue Moon, a home-grown Israeli chain, isn't napping. It opened its twelfth outlet in fashionable downtown Tel Aviv in March, and plans 17 by the end of the year, going head-to-head with the American chain.

Eitan Rivlin, general manager of Blue Moon, says his chain targets the entire family, from babies to grandmothers. To maintain quality service, it has a rigorous training program for employees, he adds; soon there will be a special school.

This summer Whitman came out with an ice lolly in red and green, shaped like a triangular slice of watermelon, and that's just the beginning. There are three types of Chocolida ice -- hard chocolate inside ice cream coated with nuts -- for example. There is the super-premium Magnum, its most expensive treat. There is Yogo, a yogurt ice cream in strawberry and vanilla flavors. And now the company has licensed the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for children's tie-in products.

Three other Israeli ice cream companies are also active. Tenne Noga has come out with a date and pecan ice cream snack; while Snowcrest has introduced pecan ice cream with a chocolate coating, plus miniature ice cream sticks for children. Strauss has Fantasia, a multi-layered treat of solid chocolate, chocolate and vanilla ice creams, and nut topping. Strauss also offers Monaco individual cups of vanilla ice cream with chocolate bits, and white chocolate ice cream on sticks.