PANIM- JULY-AUGUST 1995

(PANIM is an informational bulletin produced by the Cultural and Scientific Affairs Division of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)

NEW ISRAEL OPERA RAISES THE CURTAIN ON ITS FIRST ORIGINAL WORK

The New Israel Opera, celebrating its tenth anniversary, commissioned a full-length work, in Hebrew, from composer Josef Tal and librettist Israel Eliraz. "Josef" has its world premiere at the beginning of July, towards the end of a season which also saw the inauguration of a brand new opera house in Tel Aviv.

What has the new work to do with the biblical tale of Joseph? "Very little," replied Eliraz in a polite understatement. Based loosely on Franz Kafka's short story "Metamorphosis," it is a parable of approaching catastrophe as envisioned by a terrified young man. "It could have taken place during any European war, but we made it the First World War," continued Eliraz. "Josef sees the need to change. He can't go on as he has always done, getting up in the morning and having breakfast. The war forces him out of his room and destroys him."

Projected images of the protagonist's nightmares, evocations of the biblical Joseph's dreams, enhance the production's visual concept. Tal's music, in contrast to his previous works, contains no electronic elements. Rather, his orchestral palette is fairly conventional, with the music forming part of the drama within the protagonist's dreaming mind.

Opera being the exceedingly costly undertaking that it is, the New Israel Opera waited until the end of its first decade to commission a new work. In the meantime, composer and librettist have both amply proven their abilities abroad. "Josef" is the fifth opera completed by Tal and Eliraz. Three previous works had their premieres in leading German opera houses during the 1970's: Ashmedai, Die Versuchung ("The Experiment") and Der Garten ("The Garden"). Massada 967 was featured in the Israel Festival of 1973. Currently, the pair are hard at work on a sixth opera for the city opera of Rostock, Germany.

In terms of style and theme, "Josef" is located in the mainstream of contemporary international culture. The "Israeli" content is found mainly in the number of local singers featured in the cast and, of course, in the language. Gabi Sadeh, a tenor of considerably more than local note, sings the title role. Other cast members include Monte Jaffe, Robin Weisel- Capsuto, Sharon Rostorf, Yaron Windmuller, Vladimir Braun and Linda Pavelka.

Gary Bertini, artistic director of the NIO, will conduct the work. The stage director is David Alden, whose sometimes controversial conceptual interpretations have been seen at the English National Opera, as well as in Israel.

The premiere of "Josef" is a cultural landmark. It demonstrates the extent to which mainstream Israeli art has become de-localized. Maturity and competence have brought in their wake an international perspective.

Jay Shir

FILM

NEW RELEASES:

"In the Name of Love" (Beshem ha'ahava): One daughter, one mother, two lovers and a betrayed wife, who, in the name of love, make each other miserable. The film follows the characters through one hot and sweltering night in a crowded Tel Aviv apartment where their ties and lies are revealed. Produced and directed by Idit Shechori.

"Lovesick" (Holei ahava beshikun gimmel): Actor Moshe Ivgi ("Shuru," "Cup Final," "The Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein") returns to the screen in this tragi- comedy about the hopeless pursuit of unattainable love. In the midst of a housing project in the north, Victor, the quirky operator of the local pirate cable station, crosses the line between courtship and harassment when a new girl comes to town. Directed by Savi Gabison. Produced by Anat Asulin.

MUSIC

The Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva received the National Council for Culture and Art's award for the best performance of original works by Israeli composers. The orchestra won the award for its interpretation of Jan Radzynski's work "Encounters" (1988), conducted by Christoph Campestrini.

LITERATURE

The Portuguese literary magazine Ler, in cooperation with the Israeli embassy in Lisbon, has devoted its latest issue to Hebrew literature.

In celebration of Yehuda Amichai's 70th birthday, the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature has compiled a new bibliography of the poet's works in translation. Drawn from the multilingual database maintained and updated by the Institute, the bibliography includes thousands of translations into 29 languages as well as criticism, reviews, interviews, short stories and other entries. The bibliography is available from the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature.

NEW BOOKS IN TRANSLATION:

Italy:
Yitzhak Orpaz: "Ants" (Stampa Alternativa)

France:
Orly Castel-Bloom: "Where Am I?" (Actes Sud)
Shulamit Lapid: "Local Paper" (Fayard)

Germany:
Dorit Orgad: "The German Unit" (Ali Baba)
Yoram Kaniuk: "Aunt Shlomzion the Great" (Devorah)

Holland:
Yoram Kaniuk: "Adam Resurrected" (Meulenhoff)

Sweden:
Ortsion Bartana: Collection of poems (Studie Kamraten)

THEATER

The Cameri Theater held its US premieres of Hillel Mittelpunkt's Gorodish and Yigal Even-Or's Fleischer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in May. Gorodish, about a prominent I.D.F. general's fall from grace following the Yom Kippur War, and Fleischer, about the conflict between secular and ultra-orthodox Jews, were performed in Hebrew, with simultaneous translation through headsets. Both productions and translations were lauded in reviews by the New York Times and other papers.

"He Has His Own Words" (Yesh lo milim mishelo), a homosexual drama that made waves when it played locally, will be shown at the Edinburgh Theater Festival in August.

CORRECTION:

The albums "Vi-o-lence" (A-li-mut) by Shalom Hanoch and "Filled With Love"

(Yesh bi ahava) by Arik Einstein and Shem-Tov Levi were produced by NMC, and not as printed in the May-June edition of "Panim." Our apologies.

SPOTLIGHT

NATIVE BARD: DAVID BROZA SINGS TO A NATION

If folk-rock singer David Broza speaks English like, well, you know -- um -- a New Yorker, if his propulsive guitar-playing carries strains of Spanish flamenco, and if his sometimes throaty, other times crooning inflections call to mind a mix of Bob Dylan and James Taylor, Israelis have no qualms about claiming Broza as their very own.

Rightfully so. Switch on the radio, chances are you'll hear David Broza. One of Israel's top performing artists, two-time winner of the David's Harp Award, Broza's all-night concerts at Masada have become an annual mecca for rock enthusiasts, while his 1983 triple platinum album "The Woman by My Side" (Ha'isha she'iti) remains the all-time best seller in Israeli music history.

Broza doesn't rest on his laurels. Jockeying back and forth between Israel and the United States, Broza gives some 250 concerts a year, has a dozen albums to his credit, scores of singles and many fans. At 40, he has the energy level of a 15-year-old.

"That's probably why teens identify with me," suggests Broza, who has just released a song about the dangers of drinking and driving. Ask him one question, he'll answer five all in one breath and probably sing a song along the way. No promoting necessary. "I can just keep on going," says this powerhouse. An hour with David Broza is like a week with anyone else.

He likes audiences. "I try to project the image, you know, of an artist into his thing someone who's out there to entertain himself, first of all," Broza says. His "thing" includes virtuoso guitar performances in which his fingers seem to take on a life of their own, as they strum, caress, even beat the instrument Broza taught himself to play when he was 13.

Born in Haifa and raised as a teenager in Spain, with a "dismal" two-year interval at a boarding school in England, Broza grew up listening to Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie "The whole Woodstock generation" and singing anti-Franco protest songs. He returned to Israel in 1974 and, after serving in the army where he performed with the Air Force Entertainment Troupe, Broza was offered a five-year record contract with CBS (now NMC) Records. His plans for a university degree were shelved and by his 27th birthday, David Broza had become a national rock superstar.

Broza says he didn't feel he had worked hard enough or long enough to have earned his twenty-something success. He decided to start from scratch. He began to penetrate the American music scene as a virtual nobody, playing in coffee houses and clubs and building up a musical repertoire that led to three critically acclaimed albums in English. If Broza categorically denies being an "Israeli ambassador to the arts," he does stake a claim at drawing assimilating Jewish youth back to their heritage. He just does it on his own terms. "I show these kids that you can be a Jew and a Zionist and still like rock-and-roll and still be cool," he says.

Broza is cool. Not punk, just cool in a regular guy kind of way. Black jeans, black T-shirt, his dress code is as sedate as his music is powerful. You can somehow picture him performing one minute and mowing his lawn the next. He's been married to the same woman for the past 17 years she's his manager and they have three children, 5, 13 and 15.

Broza is averse to labeling artists by nationalities "What makes Picasso Spanish - the way he fried his eggs?" yet admits that he and his music

(written in minor keys with lyrics based on Israeli and Spanish poetry) are "about as Israeli as I could possibly imagine."

Before a packed audience, Broza launches into "Things Will Be Better"

(Y'hiye tov), a peace song he wrote in the 70's around the time of the Israel-Egypt peace accords. The crowd cheers and as Broza invests the words with such intense passion, its hard not to join in. Or be moved.

Shelley Kleiman

SPECIAL FOCUS

ETHIOPIAN CULTURE: EXPRESSIONS OF ISRAEL'S NEWEST SOCIAL ADDITION

Said to date back to the time of King Solomon, the ancient Jewish community of Ethiopia came to Israel in two massive airlifts, "Operation Moses" (1984) and "Operation Solomon" (1991). Having fulfilled the Zionist dream, this once isolated community of 56,000 has come face to face with the many challenges of integration into a completely different and strange society. As with every immigration to Israel, the Ethiopians brought with them a rich and distinct cultural tradition that has added new color to the Israeli palette. In song, dance, painting and sculpture, theater and music, a unique Ethiopian style is making its mark, finding expression, and often doing so in their new language, Hebrew. By giving voice to their experiences, past and present, Ethiopians are reaching out to Israeli society and introducing themselves. The result is a moving and eye- opening experience.

- Music: Shlomo Gronich and the Sheba Choir

Backstage, they are like any children, running and playing amongst each other. On stage, in their white costumes, their young voices sing out in a harmony that brings a tear to the eyes and a smile to the lips. They are the children who make up Shlomo Gronich's Sheba Choir, a choral group of 18 Ethiopian children ages 9-17. All but two came to Israel in "Operation Moses." Several were born en route during the perilous trek through the Sudanese desert. One can almost hear them singing the words as they walk: "A little longer, a little further; the dream will come true; soon we will reach the Land of Israel." (From "The Journey to the Land of Israel.")

Gronich, one of Israel's most talented composers/musicians/singers, first established the Sheba Choir in 1991. Most of the Choir's repertoire consists of Gronich's original compositions inspired by the music brought over by the Ethiopian community, traditional Jewish music as well as original songs depicting the tales and reality of the children's lives. The end product exemplifies an idealized social bond of an Israeli as in "An Israeli Song:" "Your forest and my desert, your valley and my mountain, finally meet in an Israeli landscape."

The group has performed in the United States and Belgium and performs regularly throughout Israel, in schools and before various international Jewish organizations. Three years ago, they released a CD recording and last year their video of the song "Hot Earth" written by the children, took sixth place at the MTVision contest. More recently, the Choir members participated in a ten-minute video, "Israeli Suite," composed by Shlomo Gronich. The clip brought together 80 Israeli children representing a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds in a piece that reflects the diverse musical influences in Israel. The clip was chosen by Israel Educational Television to represent Israel in the "Young Europe Sings"

(YES) project.

- Theater

Although Ethiopia does not have a theater tradition in the formal sense, its age-old art of storytelling has translated itself here into a number of theatrical experiences. Meski, the country's only professional Ethiopian actress, has been performing a monodrama, "Song of the Humble," since receiving an honorable mention at last year's Teatronetto festival. Using drama, music and dance, Meski recounts the journey of a young Jewish Ethiopian woman from her place of birth, through Sudan and finally to Israel. The Children and Youth Theater's production of the "Adara Oath" exposes the Israeli audience to the harsh difficulties of integration through the story of an Ethiopian soldier's suicide and the investigation into its causes.

"Black Natala" (Natala Shechora) examines an immigrant's perennial dilemma whether to assimilate withing the general community or to stick together. The play, produced by the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, tells the story of Workenesh who is torn between her longing for her native village in Ethiopia and her need to deal with the challenges of integrating into Israeli society. The stage setting switches from the caravans in Israel to the straw-roofed huts of the Ethiopian villages and back again as the drama unfolds and the various characters tell their stories, weaving authentic Ethiopian music and dance throughout.

The eight young Ethiopian actors that compose the cast, and who also contributed material to the play, are not professionals but rather students, soldiers and working folk who came together out of a burning need to close the gap between their people and the rest of Israeli society. Part musical, part protest play, "Black Natala" (a natala is a shawl traditionally worn by Ethiopian women) is a simple, honest and sincere attempt to deal with their hopes and expectations as well as with their disappointments. It addresses many sensitive issues such as the humiliation of forced ceremonial conversions, mixed couples, discrimination, Hebraicizing their names, reunions with family and friends after years of separation and the tensions between those who "made it" and those still struggling to adapt. The play closes on a strong note with the song "We Must Awake" (Tzarich Lehitorer), a message meant primarily for fellow Ethiopians regarding their new country and their new lives. "Black Natala," is currently being translated into Amharic and English.

SHALOM-SALAAM

THE OLIVE LEAVES: STRIKING A MUSICAL BALANCE

Created in 1990 when they were invited by the Italian government to perform before an audience of Jews, Christians and Moslems, the "Olive Leaves" (Alei Zayit) are just as diverse. The lead singer, Shoham Einab, is an Israeli Jew. The six musicians who accompany her are Arab: two Israelis, two from East Jerusalem and two from the West Bank. The ensemble's repertoire, which includes four different shows moderated in Hebrew, Arabic, English and French, focuses on fraternity and co-existence. The group's name, itself, draws on the age-old symbol of peace, the olive branch. Playing authentic Arab instruments, the group's music draws on influences from around the Middle East - Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Israel. The Olive Leaves have toured Spain, France, Albania, the Georgian Republic, Egypt and Israel.

1ST CONFERENCE OF TRANSLATORS OF HEBREW LITERATURE INTO ARABIC
(June 9-11, Tel Aviv)

The translation of Hebrew literature into Arabic is not a new phenomenon but it is a growing one. As borders begin to open and cultural exchanges increase, more and more Hebrew works will become available in Arabic. To that end, the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature and the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs organized the first international conference on the subject. Translators from three continents, among them writers and academics, participated in the three-day event which included lectures and workshops on the state of Israeli literature, poetry and children's literature, issues of translation, Israeli identity in the wake of peace and other topics. Among the Israeli participants were some of the country's foremost writers including A.B. Yehoshua, Sami Michael and Nurit Zarchi. Arab participants came from Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Autonomy and as far away as Australia. At the close of the symposium, Institute director Nili Cohen announced the winners of the first competition for the translation of a short story, Zikhron Dvarim by Yaacov Shabtai, from Hebrew to Arabic, Yitzhak Shanboim and Jamil Ganaim.

On the occasion of the Conference, the Institute for the Translation of Hebrew Literature issued a new anthology of Hebrew literature in Arabic. All entries in "A Bridge of Words" appear in Arabic for the first time. Included in the anthology are pieces by Shimon Peres, A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, Amalia Kahana-Carmon, Etgar Keret, David Grossman, Sami Michael, Yoram Kaniuk, Yehoshua Kenaz, Shulamith Hareven and S. Yizhar.

FIT FOR A KING

Jordanian singer Omar Abdallah and his Hashemite Band performed before a distinguished crowd at the opening ceremonies of Beit Hagefen's Arab Culture and Book Month in Haifa at the end of May. Abdallah is known for his songs of praise for King Hussein and for his performances at royal events in the King's court.

MIKI GAVRIELOV AND THE JORDANIAN "SURVIVORS BAND:" Peace Comes From the People

Another first on the road to normalization Israelis and Jordanians performing on the same stage, together, before a mixed Israeli audience occurred during the recent Israel Festival. With the assistance of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, the seven-member "Survivors Band" came to Israel to perform with Miki Gavrielov, one of Israel's best- known singer/songwriters. At the pre-show press conference, vocalist Jawad El Ouri explained, "We are here on a private initiative from the people of Jordan ... because it is the people who actually make the peace."

Described by Festival artistic director Micah Lewensohn as the "beginning of a bridge through music," the joint show was the brainchild of Gavrielov and Lewensohn. The evening consisted of ethnic and international music as well as songs in Hebrew, including Ani ve'ata neshaneh et haolam ("You and I Will Change the World"). A new song composed by Gavrielov, in Arabic and Hebrew, Bayit vegitara ("House and Guitar") had its debut at the concert. The concert was recorded and will be released on CD by Hed Arzi Records in two months time. Gavrielov expressed his desire to see the ensemble perform in Jerash and Amman, possibly at the invitation of King Hussein.

EVENTS

ISRAEL EXPO '95: "A Nation Comes of Age" (May 21-26, New York)

As Israel celebrated its 47th anniversary, New York saluted Israel with a week of events that highlighted the best of Israeli culture and arts, scientific and technological advancements, business and tourism opportunities.

Opening the gala festivities was the Tnuatron, a dynamic contemporary dance theater composed of girls aged 11-20. The Ramat Hasharon-based company's ingenious costumes and props, inventive choreography by director Dorit Shimron and the seemingly endless enthusiasm and energy of the disciplined young dancers define the Tnuatron which has toured the US several times before.

The Cameri Theater celebrated its 50th anniversary with "An Evening with the Cameri," excerpting highlights from some of its most successful productions. It also presented Ruby Porat-Shoval's one-woman show, Naomi.

The cultural program also included singer Achinoam (Noa) Nini, the young composer Ori Vidislavsky, percussionist Chen Zimbalista, poetry readings, exhibits, a video festival and children's events.

Israel Expo '95 was organized by the Consulate General of New York, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, the Culture and Arts Administration of the Ministry of Science and the Arts, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and corporate sponsors.

SEEKING "UTOPIA OF THE SPIRIT" AT THE VENICE BIENNALE 1995

The Israel Pavilion at the Venice Biennale opened its doors on June 11 for the three-month long event. Inside, curator Gideon Ofrat chose "The Book" as this year's theme. Transgenerational, full of wisdom, spirit and culture, books have always been a part of the Jewish/Israeli consciousness

("the People of the Book"). To Ofrat, nothing represents the epitome or essence of this consciousness, this "spiritual battery," more than Israel's National Library Archives. The long, labyrinthine rows of treasures piled high in the depths of the National Library have been transported and reproduced at the Biennale. Everything from bookshelves, manuscript archives, microfilm machines, catalogue cupboards, even tables with computers that are actually linked to the National Library in Jerusalem have been brought to Venice. 30 lithograph plates from the Jerusalem Print Workshop comprise a "stone library." Even a librarian is on hand to assist visitors.

Two artists who also work with language, letters and words, Joshua Neustein and Uri Tzaig, and writer David Grossman were enlisted to react to and interact with the "environmental given" that is the Library Archive. Neustein's socio-political statement creates an invasion of the National Library (the "good" library) by a rogue library. Bubble wrap sacks containing words, letters and musical notes hang from cranes and invade the skylights of the pavilion at different stages of penetration. Fiberglass walls around the space are imprinted with the titles of books - the "evil" library. Strains of Puccini's Tosca fill the air.

Uri Tzaig's environment is housed in a glass structure adjacent to the main pavilion. It contains his exhibit of paper works composed of images, texts and letters in keeping with the pavilion's theme. Finally, David Grossman blurs the line between fiction and reality when, throughout the Biennale, 20 original stories will be transmitted by the Internet from Jerusalem to Venice. All the pieces in Grossman's "Every Man is a Story," begin the same way: "One of the thousands now strolling around Venice is not a flesh and blood human being, but a fictional character..." Visitors can take photocopies of the stories, in Hebrew, English and Italian, with them into the streets of Venice and seek the "living story."

The Israel Pavilion is sponsored by the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, the Culture and Arts Administration of the Ministry of Science and the Arts and was made possible through the generosity of two anonymous donors.

THE 12TH JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL (July 6-July 15)

Internationally reputed to be one of the best "small" festivals, the Jerusalem Film Festival, founded and directed by Lia van Leer, gets underway for the 12th time this summer at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. 150 motion pictures will be screened, representing the finest in recent international cinema, Israeli cinema, Arab cinema, documentaries, restored classics, animation, films by new directors and special tributes.

On the occasion of the Festival, the seventh annual Wolgin Award for Israeli filmmakers, carrying NIS 165,000 in grants, will be bestowed in three categories - outstanding full-length feature, outstanding documentary and outstanding short subject. A new award, the Lipper Award, for best original screenplay written by an Israeli, has been established and the first recipient of the NIS 30,000 prize will also be announced during the Festival. The last category of competition, "In the Spirit of Freedom," in memory of Wim van Leer, co-founder of the Cinematheque, will be awarded to the best international film dealing with human rights.

The Israeli feature films premiering at this year's Festival and participating in the competition are:

* Etz hadomim tafus ("Under the Domim Tree") - director Eli Cohen, producers Eitan Even and Gila Almagor

* Holeh ahava beshikkun gimmel ("Lovesick") - director Savi Gabison, producer Anat Asulin

* Hasahkanim ("Actors") - director Roni Ninio, producers David Tour, Ricki Shelach

* Kochav kachol ("Blue Star") - director and producer Gur Bentvich

* Laila lavan ("White Night") - director and producer Arnon Zadok

* Leilaseda- director Shemi Zarhin, producer Michael Sharfstein, Amitan Mendson

* Be-72 lo hayta milchama ("There was No War In '72") - director David Kreiner, producer Yemit Kreiner

In conjunction with the Festival and the Israel Film Archive, the Israel Museum will host a special exhibition of period motion picture posters. Restored and preserved with the support of Arnon Milchan, the 400 posters were produced in the 1930's during the British mandate in Palestine. The exhibit, entitled "Premiere," is a rare reflection of local Art Deco graphic design and artwork and is part of on-going efforts to retrieve, restore and preserve Israeli and Jewish film footage and related material.

CULTURE BRIEFS

BIENNALE EXHIBIT TO TOUR FAR EAST

Plans are currently being made for "Unseen Borders," the exhibit curated by Meir Ahronson for the First International Biennale of South Africa

(Johannesburg, February 28-April 30, 1995), to tour the Far East. Participating in the exhibit are photographers Simcha Shirman and Yehudit Gueta and painter Lea Nikel. Nikel's colorful, abstract canvases, Shirman's biblical and mythologically inspired photographs and Gueta's "Personal Nature" captured in her haunting, large-scale photographs comprise the show. The exhibit is sponsored by the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs and the Ministry of Science and the Arts.

KARMIEL ON ITS FEET FOR INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

On July 11, the Galilee town of Karmiel will turn into a whirling blur of color and music. That date marks the opening of the three-day festival that will include 5,000 dancers from Israel and around the world. The eighth annual event, Israel's largest dance celebration is dedicated to the Peace Tourism Year. There will be 12 guest troupes, including ones from Jordan and Morocco, and 50 Israeli folk dance companies. In addition to folk dance, artistic and avant garde pieces will also be performed by Israeli, Japanese and Hungarian companies and four pieces by Jiri Kylian's Nederlands Dans Theatre. 300,000 spectators are expected to attend more than 80 shows and dance marathons during the Festival's run. The Karmiel Festival is funded by the Ministry of Science and the Arts, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Foreign Ministry's Division of Cultural and Scientific Affairs, the Jewish Agency, the Histadrut and the Karmiel municipality.