PANIM: Faces of Art and Culture in Israel
May-June 1995
(PANIM is an informational bulletin produced by the Cultural and Scientific Affairs Division of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
BOOKS EAST AND WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH
For six days in March, Jerusalem hosted its largest book fair ever and was the literary capital of the world. Tens of thousands of people passed through the doors of the 17th Jerusalem International Book Fair and mingled among booths and displays from 56 countries. Vietnam, Turkey, Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, Singapore, Latvia, Kenya and Finland were among the first-time participants.
As if the mere presence of so many books and publishers wasn't enough, the Fair's program was also packed with symposiums, programs and unique exhibits. The jewel in the Fair's crown is the Jerusalem Prize, an award bestowed on a writer whose work expresses the idea of "Freedom of the Individual in Society." This year's winner was the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa.
The Aspen Institute Forum convened 12 world-renowned historians, publishers and authors to discuss "The Future of History: New Forces and Perspectives in the Study and Writing of History." The Editorial Fellowship Program gathered some 30 young senior editors from ten countries to discuss the future of publishing. Numbering among the Program's alumni since its inception eight years ago are publishers, chief editors and CEO's of several of the world's leading publishing houses. The Seventh International Symposium on Encouraging Reading convened experts to deliberate on steps to encourage reading in the age of TV and multi-media.
According to reports, Israel is second only to the United States in development and production of multi-media programs. This prominence was evident at the Fair which included a major emphasis on electronic publishing. The products displayed by 18 Israeli electronic publishers were greeted with much international interest.
The Vatican sent an exhibit of rare, original Hebrew manuscripts and incunabula, in addition to facsimile editions of important, illustrated medieval texts. The generous gesture was made possible by the recently-established relations between the Holy See and Israel.
This year also marked the first time that publishers from the Arab world took part in the Fair. Their participation was organized by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs. Publishers from Egypt, Morocco and Jordan displayed collections of Arabic books on subjects ranging from literature, poetry and religion to education, politics and cookery. Commenting on their participation, Zev Birger, the Fair's chairman, said, "I warmly welcome the participation of our Arab neighbors, as it constitutes an important step toward developing a deeper understanding among our peoples."
Mark your calendars: the 18th Book Fair will take place from March 30-April 4, 1997.
FILM
New Projects:
David Grossman's acclaimed novel "See Under: Love," will soon be brought to the big screen by British director Mike Newell, whose previous work includes "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Enchanted April." The story tells of the only child of Holocaust survivors who attempts to deal with the demons of the past and who, eventually, through his great-uncle's stories, rediscovers his humanity.
In the tradition of The Who's "Tommy" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall," Israeli rock group "Natasha's Friends," will film a rock musical based on their successful album, "Radio Blah Blah." To be directed by the award-winning Asher Tlalim ("Don't Touch My Holocaust,") the story centers around A. Wachsman, the schizophrenic manager of a pirate radio station.
New Films:
"Under the Domim Tree" (Etz hadomim tafus): This sequel to Gila Almagor's internationally acclaimed film "The Summer of Avia," follows the traumas and travails of a group of teenage Holocaust orphans living in a state-run boarding school in the early 1950's. Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 1995. Directed by Eli Cohen. Produced by Gila Almagor and Eitan Even.
"On the Edge" (Aharei hehagim): Set in British Mandate Palestine during the late 1930's, this film, based on the book by Yehoshua Kenaz, tells the story of a Polish immigrant family who moves to a rural settlement to work the land. Haunted by dark and dysfunctional relationships, the family members are doomed to a life of Kafkaesque loneliness and alienation as they try to fit in to the Zionist dream. Directed by Amnon Rubinstein. Produced by Eitan Even and Effi Atad.
ART
The Israel Museum: 30 Years Old
1995 marks the 30th anniversary of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. In honor of the occasion, the museum has received several major donations including a portrait by Amadeo Modigliani, "Jeanne Hebuterne, Seated" (1918). In June, the Museum will dedicate its third synagogue, this one from Cochin, India. Parts of the all-wood, ornately decorated synagogue date back to the 16th century. The synagogue's dedication will also mark the opening of an ethnographic exhibit on Indian Jews.
Esther Knobel: "Refined Imagination" in Jewelry Design
Known in international design circles and exhibited around the world, Esther Knobel has, over the last 15 years, become one of Israel's most prominent jewelry designers. Her pieces explore the essence of ornamentation and self-adornment. Knobel's inspiration often come from her childhood memories. Her pieces have a certain sense of playfulness to them. Miniature figures, cars, shoes, pine needles and flowers have been among her subjects. An exhibition of her works is on display at the Israel Museum until the end of June.
MUSIC
New Releases in Israeli Pop Music
Three of Israel's most popular and enduring singers - Shalom Hanoch, Arik Einstein and Rita - have all recently released new albums:
Arik Einstein, an icon of Israeli culture, recorded "Filled With Love" (Yesh bi ahava) with composer/musician Shem-Tov Levi, over a period of three years. In the short time since its release, it has already established itself as a big success both on the radio and in the stores. Produced by Hed Arzi Records.
"Vi-o-lence" (A-li-mut) is the title of rocker Shalom Hanoch's latest release which is rapidly heading towards a gold record. All the songs on the album are by Hanoch. A local concert tour is being planned for the summer. Produced by Hed Arzi Records.
For the first time in four years, Rita, the pint-sized powerhouse, whose tremendous voice and heart-wrenching songs have mesmerized thousands, is back on stage with songs from her latest album "Great Love" (Ahava gedola). Produced by Helicon Records.
The Young Philharmonic Orchestra Marks First Decade
For the past ten years, the Young Philharmonic Orchestra has offered aspiring young musicians (ages 15-25) a place to obtain pre-professional training. Working around the army schedules of many of its members, the YPO teaches its musicians sight- reading and expands their repertoires. Drawing on the world-class resources of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the YPO benefits from their master musicians as well as from the occasional presence of conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur and Claudio Abbado. At the tenth anniversary gala concert in March, the YPO was joined by the IPO in playing Dvorak's Ninth ("New World") Symphony. The 80-member orchestra performs around Israel and abroad. This summer, it will return to Switzerland for the Verbier Music Festival where it achieved much critical success last year. Plans are also being made for concerts in Brazil in August this year.
SPOTLIGHT
Color Me Purple and Red and Green and Blue: Lea Nikel at Home
Few people on Moshav Kidron know Lea Nikel, the doyenne of Israeli abstract painting and this year's recipient of the Israel Prize for Visual Arts. "If you get lost, ask for my daughter," advises Nikel on the phone. Surrounded by well-groomed lawns and flowering shrubs, two house painters are refinishing the white exterior of Nikel's two-story home. "The artist?" one of them pauses between brush strokes, "She's inside."
Nikel, 76, opens the door in paint-bespattered sweats. "Coffee?" she half proffers, half orders, motioning to the stairs to her second floor studio, as she disappears into the kitchen. The studio is awash in light. A huge picture-frame window looks out on to the avocado orchards her son-in-law cultivates. Scores of finished canvases are neatly stacked against the walls; a workbench is covered with tools of the trade: brushes, knives, palettes and hundreds of tubes of acrylic paint. On a corner wall, a black and white Vishniak-style photo of a bearded man seems oddly out of place in this lair of creative activity. "My paternal grandfather, "Nikel explains as she settles down, coffee mug securely in hand. Asked if she comes from a religious background, Nikel lets out a throaty infectious laugh: "Don't we all?"
Born in Zhitomir, Russia, in 1918, Nikel was two when her parents immigrated to Palestine. She grew up in Tel Aviv, a "then treeless city of white houses and sand" and began painting when she was sixteen. Nikel studied for two years (1946-47) at the Stematsky-Streichman studio in Tel Aviv, but it wasn't, she says, until she got to Paris in 1951 that she began painting seriously.
Intending to stay only a year, Nikel remained for 11, and says it was the most interesting period of her life. It was in Paris that Nikel abandoned her early attempts at figurative painting and ventured into pure abstract expressionism, developing a style that is singularly her own.
Nikel likes to chat. She exudes an energy and vitality that are the hallmarks of her creations. Gardening, music, children (she has one daughter, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren), Jewish tradition she expresses a deep fear of religious fanaticism Nikel delights in the mundane and will discuss just about anything. Except her art. The mere mention of it and Nikel becomes visibly distressed and tense.
"A painting has its own language," she says tautly. "You have to read art the way you read a book." Nikel's canvases have been compared to a Beethoven string quartet, a Stravinsky symphony, a bird singing; they have been described by critics as "marvelous madness," and as a "salute to optimism as a way of life."
"Optimistic?" asks Nikel, wryly bemused. "Well, I'm glad if my paintings bring people joy." Patches of bright color, spontaneous scratches and drippings, sweeping brush movements, Nikel's abstractions are not anchored in images even remotely actual or concrete. Likening her work to "theater of the absurd on canvas," for Nikel, they simply represent another reality. "A type of utopia," she unbends enough to offer.
If Nikel lives in relative anonymity on her daughter's moshav "maybe people here don't like art" she has won over the art world without conforming to trends or passing mannerisms. Her work has been exhibited in cities throughout North America and Europe and a 45-year retrospective is currently being featured at the Tel Aviv Museum.
After years of urban living (Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Safed, Paris, Rome, New York), Nikel's friends predicted she and her husband, Sam she won't
talk about him either wouldn't last more than three months of country living. It has been eight years. Nikel goes abroad once a year "to
keep up with things" and gets to Tel Aviv on a weekly basis. She
rarely visits Jerusalem, which she considers the most magnificent city in the world, and also the most stifling. "The light in the capital is unlike any other," she remarks. Then chortling, Nikel confides: "Maybe it's too holy for me."
Shelley Kleiman
SHALOM - SALAAM
Yair Dalal Makes Music for Peace
After Amnon Abutbul, a young Israeli soldier, received a serious head injury during his military service in the Gaza Strip, he felt compelled to express his feelings about the conflict and about the need for peace. Together with Fatchi Kasem, an Arab poet from Nazareth, he composed the song Zaman Al-Salaam ("Time for Peace.") Musician/composer Yair Dalal added a verse in Hebrew and last year, the song was produced as a CD single and played on radio stations worldwide. The song, sung in both Hebrew and Arabic, was performed by Yair Dalal and a chorus of Palestinian, Israeli and Norwegian children at the Peace Concert in Oslo, Norway, on the first anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the P.L.O. Dalal also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony for Rabin, Peres and Arafat in December, 1994.
As a musician and a peace activist, Dalal puts his oud where his mouth is. In addition to teaching ethnic music at an Arab-Jewish community center in Jaffa and leading a children's choir from Beit Hanina, Jerusaelm, he has continued his collaboration with Palestinian, Israeli and Norwegian musicians in a project initiated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). For two intense weeks in December, 1994, two Israelis, two Palestinians and members of the Norwegian group "Bel Canto," lived and worked together in Bykle, Norway, where they recorded nine pieces. The recordings will soon be released, as will a documentary of the creation process. The group expects to tour Norway and the Middle East with their repertoire.
The Norwegian project includes Dalal's composition, "A Mantra for Peace," which was recently performed at the opening celebration of the International Poetry Conference in Jerusalem. Using Yehuda Amichai's poem, "An Appendix to the Vision of Peace," Dalal orchestrated a musical prayer. Amichai read the words of his poem over the gentle singing and chanting of two Arab singers, Rim Bana from Nazareth and Saed Sweti from Jericho, and the acoustic accompaniment of Dalal's group.
Journey to Morocco: Israeli Artists Visit Their Origins
It was the first time for singer/musician Shlomo Bar and for poet Tsipi Sharour. Poet Erez Biton, head of the International Mediterranean Center in Israel, had already been back once before. The three Israeli artists of Moroccan descent visited and performed in their ancestral land during the third week of March. As part of a larger delegation headed by Minister of Economics, Prof. Shimon Shetreet, the Israeli artists participated in an international conference for people of Moroccan heritage. A performance tour then took Biton, Sharour and Bar to Marrakech, Fez, Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca. In each place, the response by their Moroccan hosts was warm and enthusiastic. Local artists, politicians and members of the Jewish communities came, intrigued to hear Israeli music and poetry so tied to the Moroccan landscape that had until recently only existed as remote images in the artists' minds.
For the Israeli artists, the nine days in Morocco presented a unique opportunity to experience first-hand, the source of so much of their artistic heritage and inspiration. It was also a very personal journey. Bar found his family's old home in Rabat and Sharour discovered her grandfather's grave in Marrakech.
Most importantly, the trip, sponsored by the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, was another chance to strengthen the cultural understanding between the two countries. Contacts were established with Moroccan writers, musicians and theater people who expressed interest and a willingness to participate in the International Mediterranean Center's annual conference on cultural dialogue in Israel in September.
New Hebrew-Arabic Magazine Opens "Windows" to the Younger Generation
"Open a window and look upon things, both familiar and new." This intriguing invitation is extended to the children of Israel and its neighboring countries. It is made by a brand-new, bilingual monthly magazine, "Windows: Magazine for All Children," a labor of love that was four and a half years in the making. Following the praise and positive response to the premier issue, the second issue will be published in April.
Steering completely away from political subjects, the magazine's goal is to encourage social change and the breakdown of stereotypes through the media. The magazine format represents a long-term effort that can effectively reach thousands of children, of grammar and middle school ages, on a regular basis. Rather than talking about peace, the concept of editors Ruti Atzmon and Alia Abu Shamis is to "live peace."
Looking through the magazine, one gets the feeling that it belongs to children. Five children (ages 12-13), three Arab and two Jewish, all from Tel Aviv-Jaffa, comprise the editorial board. The magazine hopes to involve more children reporting from all over the country in the near future. When asked whether children have responded to the personal appeal to share their ideas with the magazine, and through it, with other children, Atzmon responds with a resounding "Yes!" Children write about themselves and send in their own poetry, stories and drawings. The magazine's subject matter spans the breadth of a child's curiosity, from sports and magic to music, art, science and environmental issues. It exposes children to other peoples and lands as well as taking them on kid-guided tours through places of interest in Israel. All of this in a bilingual format that also encourages language study.
With an eye on the future, Atzmon envisions another, similar, publication for high school students, as well as encounters and even radio and TV programs. "Windows" has no political affiliation and is published by its own non-profit organization. With assistance from the Ministry of Education, it is distributed to Arab and Jewish school children. Beginning with the April issue, the magazine will also be available in stores and by subscription.
Salam Aleicum: "A Musical Compilation to a Casbah Beat"
NMC Records recently released the first Israeli compilation composed entirely of Arabic music. Salam Aleicum, which includes 13 of the top Arab artists hailing from around the world, was sent to The Voice of Palestine (Jericho) and to Radio Amman and Radio Morocco. Featuring artists such as Amina (Tunisia), Sapho (Morocco), Cheb Mami and Khaled (Algeria), Natacha Atlas (Belgium/London), Loop Guru
(Pakistan/London) and the Palestinian group Sabreen (East Jerusalem), the album covers the latest Middle Eastern pop, rock, rai and other rhythms. Producer Eli Grunfeld first conceived of the compilation. Although it took a year and a half of personal contacts to obtain the necessary rights to the songs and artists, the end result is a reflection of the changing times, both politically and culturally.
EVENTS
SPRING IN THE CAPITAL: THE ISRAEL FESTIVAL 1995
Bringing together an impressive collection of the world's finest performers in all fields of the arts is all in a year's work for Micah Lewenshon, artistic director of the Israel Festival. Israel's most prestigious cultural event gets under way in Jerusalem from May 20-June 10. The festival boasts 65 different productions by 1000 artists, both international and Israeli, during its run. Although no common thread runs throughout, the 50th anniversaries of the death of composer Bela Bartok and of the end of World War II are both recurring themes this year.
Several major productions have been commissioned by the Festival, including, as in previous years, a new work by Batsheva Dance Company's artistic director, Ohad Naharin. This year's piece, Z/na, will be the Festival opener. "Jerusalem isn't Tel Aviv" is the name of a solo musical show commissioned from entertainer Yossi Banai. Singer Miki Gavrielov will be joined by Jordanian musicians for his acoustic tribute to the peace. Itzik Weingarten will premier his new, autobiographical monodrama entitled "Muhamed-Mendel." Evenings of Israeli jazz and student theater are also part of the program.
Under the title, "Singing Peace to Jerusalem," some of Israel's most well-known singers will gather to sing songs of peace in a special Festival event marking Jerusalem Day (June 28). Among the artists are the fusion group Habreira Hativit and singers David Da'or, Nurit Galron, Dani Litani, Gali Atari and David Broza, accompanied by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Oratorio Choir.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva will perform a concert of works by Jewish composers who perished in the Holocaust.
Artists from 18 countries are participating in the Festival, including Japan, Uganda, Russia, Poland and Jordan. Peter Brook brings his "The Man Who," a theatrical production based on Oliver Sacks' "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat." Covent Garden Opera's Carmen, soloists from the Kirov Opera, the Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg, the Trisha Brown Dance Company, the Guarneri String Quartet, Jordi Savall's viola da gamba, Spanish guitarists Paco de Lucia and Pepe Romero and singer Joe Cocker are but a small sampling of the Festival's offerings.
Founded in 1961 by the late Aaron Zvi Propes, the Festival is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Arts, the Municipality of Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Foundation, the Jewish Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism.
Teatronetto: A Celebration of Solo Theater
What began six years ago as a fringe curiosity has evolved into an important annual theater festival and competition. For four days, the Teatronetto takes over the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv for a marathon of monodramas. 11 productions were chosen this year out of the 100 pieces submitted. Most were premieres of new productions written especially for the festival. Many were personal in nature and written by the performers themselves.
This year's repertoire reflected an emphasis on women's issues and featured, for the first time, a predominance of women on the "Netto" stage. "Martha," about choreographer Martha Graham was performed by screen actress Ronit Alkabetz. Anat Ben-David interacted with video monitors in "The End," her retelling of the myth of Narcissus. In "Ben-Shitreet's Baby," two inmates raise a baby in their prison cell. "Jordan" is based on the true story of a woman awaiting the court's decision regarding her indictment in the murder of her child. And Gail Parent's "Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York" was reincarnated for the occasion in decidedly Israeli form in "Shira Levine is Dead and Living in Tel Aviv."
The festival and competition was sponsored in part by the Municipality of Tel Aviv and by the Ministry of Science and Arts.
CULTURE BRIEFS
"A Day in the Life of ISRAEL"
The 13th book in the popular international series has been released in English (Collins Publishers, San Francisco) and Hebrew (The Ministry of Defense Publishing House). On May 5, 1994 - the first day of official peace between Israel and the P.L.O. - 62 photographers, from Israel and abroad, shot some 100,000 frames in the span of 24 hours. Of these, 200 were chosen for publication.
"Pollard: The Patriots:" The Cameri Theater's New Production Raises Eyebrows
Historical dramas have become very popular in Israel recently. After the successes of Gorodish and Fleischer, the Cameri Theater brought the touchy story of Jonathan Pollard to its stage. Israeli playwright, Motti Lerner ("The Kastner Episode,") tackled the task of dramatizing the Pollard affair. His play, and interpretation of historical events, attracted a lot of controversy when it first opened, much of it surrounding the concern for its impact on the personalities involved. Beyond this, however, lies an intriguing drama. Albert Einstein's ghost and Anne Pollard's ficticious rich uncle have been added to the cast of characters to comment on the events and point out dramatic divergences from actual facts. The actors' uncanny likeness to their real-life counterparts adds an eerie touch to a soul-searching theatrical experience.
Weekly Cable TV Show Brings Israel into the Living Room
Every week, for half an hour, "Jerusalem On Line" broadcasts the latest news and current affairs from Israel. Since its timely start, just before the Gulf War, in 1990, this slick English language television magazine, hosted by former CNN Middle East correspondent, Michael Greenspan, has been providing a mix of topical studio interviews and special on-location reports about anything from politics to culture and arts to tourism, and much more. Produced by Carl Perkal for the Information Department of the World Zionist Organization, the show is broadcast in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa. Reaching into more than 50 million homes, it is carried by some 350 TV and cable stations, including leading American satellite and cable networks such as the Southern Baptist Conference's FamilyNet, City University of New York (CUNY) and Public Broadcasting System (PBS) affiliates. Plans are currently being made for a Spanish language version of the show.