Panim- Faces of Art and Culture in Israel- May-June 1998

Mix and Match - New "Art-Duo" Festival

Poem music, drum theater, and television storytelling are the best, if unwieldy, descriptions of the performances aired at the Du-Oman ("Art-Duo") Festival. Interdisciplinary art already a potent element in Israeli theater, dance and music may have reached new heights in Israel, with the launching of this festival dedicated to cultural pairs. In a major matchmaking endeavor, performers teamed up in couples representing two different fields, combined their talents and created short and very original performances.

Participants included Israeli artists such as Gila Almagor, Chen Zimbalista, Yossel Birstein, Corinne Alal and Yair Dalal; coupled with some surprising performers, including food critic Dan Sassler; Pancho Edelberg, a multimedia artist; jazz saxophonist Albert Beger, and poet Amir Or. Combinations proved successful: Flamenco guitarist Baldi Olier explained that "the poems of Federico Garcia Lorca have always connected in my mind with flamenco music. But Gila [Almagor] is able to bring the words themselves to the stage, and therefore the meeting between us is extremely creative our work simply complements each other." Almagor said, "Ive worked with Lorcas poetry in the past, but the meeting with Olier and flamenco guitar gave me new inspiration."

A gala musical/theatrical performance brought Habimah theater actors together with the Raanana Symphonette to inaugurate the festival in Tel Aviv. Among the programs, Almagor and Olier offered one of the highlights. The prize for originality was a close competition, but might likely go to Dan Sassler and multi-faceted musician Nir Haim Brands creation "The Kitchen as a Concert." Their playful arrangement threw food and music together for a delectable brew with music as varied as Sasslers salad ingredients. However, Chen Zimbalista and Tzahi Pattish also caused a stream of gasps and laughter for their rhythmic, hypercoordinated percussion-dance performance in which bodies played as much a role as drums.

Stories were told with and without words. A music and dance medley between Albert Beger and dancer Anat Brand told tales of love and abstract emotions with soothing melody and flowing movement. Yossel Birstein, a storyteller in many languages, told stories of a personal, social and Israeli character, in a program entitled "Television and Rabbit Ears." The anecdotes were given new meaning and dimension via two video screens manned by video artist and musician Ron Silvin. Another literary drama was executed by Amir Or, a writer and poet, and movement artist Amir Kolban, in their program "Reading/Tearing."

The idea for the festival was conceived by Yakov Agmon, the managing director of Habimah. "Interdisciplinary art is a trend all around the world. It already appears as a natural element in several areas of Israeli culture. The festival created an actual framework to encourage such activity." Agmon created a successful pair of his own, when he teamed up with the Jerusalem Theater. With the support of the municipalities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the entire festival first performed at the Jerusalem Theater, and then at Habimah. The combination of two theaters, two cities, and two artists together combined to produce exactly (logically) 22 shows, none longer than 20 minutes to a half hour.

The positive responses imply accelerated encouragement of interdisciplinary art in the future. Agmon intends to continue the festival in coming years, while developing and refining the ideas. "Maybe we will run the program under an overall director; maybe well organize a more elaborate music-and-text event."

The performers themselves so enjoyed the vitality of their new works, says Agmon, that many have asked for venues in the future to perform the presentations they designed for the festival. If this vision is realized, Israel could stand to develop its interdisciplinary cultural life rapidly.

Dahlia Ravikovitch does not like to be interviewed. ("Cant you write about me without me?") If her reticence is extreme "And the silence shrieks in me/ and I shriek in it" she is one of Israels greatest poets alive today and has been seeping into the countrys cultural consciousness since she began writing in the late 1950s. Schoolchildren recite her poems; high school and university students study them. She has seven published volumes of poetry to her credit, as well as two in English translation and a number of childrens books. The prestigious Bialik and Brenner Prizes are part of her literary portfolio, and she is this years recipient of the coveted Israel Prize, awarded on Israels 50th Independence Day.

For Ravikovitch, fame and a sense of self-worth are mutually exclusive. Her vulnerability is palpable in her constant pauses, her resistance to discussing anything personal; "I cant answer that," is her whispered refrain. Asked the wrong question, it seems she might shatter like dropped crystal.

But Ravikovitch has been revealing her inner world over and over to thousands of readers for the past 30 years. Discovered by Leah Goldberg, Ravikovitchs first volume of poetry was published in 1962. She writes of extreme states of human emotion on a level both intimate and universal. An intensely personal poet ("I write to reach people to put things in perspective"), her language and imagery are firmly grounded in history and mythology. Her favorite text is the Bible, especially the later prophets, whose humanity she finds more accessible than the earlier, larger-than-life personalities. Ravikovitch acknowledges that her admiration for the Bible perhaps comes from her mother ("I originally thought it simply came from within"), who was raised in a deeply religious home.

Ravikovitch studied English literature at the Hebrew University. Expressing near disdain for the Romantic movement, she says she feels most at home with Shakespeare and the neo-classical poets of the late 19th century. She counts Shlonsky, Goldberg and Rachel among her Hebrew literary mentors, but says that she prefers reading prose over poetry, which she saves "only for special occasions." Ravikovitch wont say specifically what she likes to read. Thats getting too personal.

Ravikovitch frequently writes about love and motherhood, which, aside from the tumultuous joys, says the poet, contain dark elements of pain and sorrow. It is a world Ravikovitch knows well.

Born in Ramat Gan in 1939, her father died when she was six, the victim of a hit-and-run accident. She and her family were sent to Kibbutz Geva where all her fathers lessons on individual freedom were contradicted by the collective mentality of the kibbutz. Levi Ravikovitchs sudden death cast a permanent shadow on the poets life and certainly has had a profound impact on her writing. "Because I know what it is like to be hurt, I try not to hurt anyone," she says.

Ravikovitch suffers bouts of depression which, to some extent, she considers part and parcel of her trade. It is the good things in life and not poetry that lift Ravikovitch out of the psychological morass in which she sometimes finds herself embedded. Thrice divorced, her greatest source of strength, she says, is her twenty year-old son, Ido. Currently serving in the IDF, Ravikovitch says he is her first and most important literary critic. Having a child, she says, is lifes greatest creative accomplishment.

It was when her son was young that Ravikovitch got into the habit of writing at night "when things quieted down." She has remained a nocturnal creature, putting her pen down at sunrise and often sleeping until noon. There are periods, she says, when she doesnt write at all. ("Now I am writing and now I stop/ its possible to believe wads of paper got stuck in my throat.") Ravikovitch cannot understand why she is so popular, nor can she says what inspires her. But inspiration does come, and for that, an entire nation is deeply grateful.

- Shelley Kleiman

SHALOM-SALAAM

A circus, a village, Eastern Europe, Israel and the West Bank converge in a new film that began production in March. "Circus Palestina," was written and directed by Eyal Halfon, and seeks to bring together Israeli and Palestinian audiences. "We feel that...there are so few cultural products created for both Jews and Palestinians that attempt to forge a common bond between the two peoples," say the producers in describing the films background.

The tale tells of the circus that comes to town, only the circus is Eastern European, the town is in the West Bank, and the array of characters who receive it include the protagonists of the political disarray of the Occupied Territories: Israeli commanders, a Palestinian businessman, ragged children, and black marketeers. The action revolves around a lost lion, which becomes the focal point of everyones desires, and perhaps a symbol in itself of a treasure so valuable that its seekers risk destroying it. Produced by Transfax Films, the work brings together Israeli and Palestinian cast and crew members.

Traditional Arabic calligraphy was once based purely on religious writings. However, the new exhibition of Arabic calligraphic art that opened at Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, offers a strikingly diverse vision of the Arabic word, that mingles traditional devotional writing with ultra-modern works of photography, etching, carving and paintings of Arabic in many contexts. Strong political messages and critiques are found alongside aesthetic designs and decorative work, as well as religious themes. One piece displays a tapestry encrusted with stones and embroidery depicting an abstract representation of Jerusalem, interweaving Arabic and Hebrew in gold and splendor. Others show burn patterns on wooden panels, representing painful images in both form and word.

The peace process that began with the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1994 has in some way affected the lives of all Israelis and Palestinians living in the Middle East. The wide variety of influences upon each groups lives both positive and negative is the subject of a major documentary project undertaken by the Israel Film Service. "The Border Line" project involved the production, over the course of the last four years, of six independent documentary films about the families, individuals and communities living out the reality of the peace process. The series opened at the Tel Aviv Cinemathèque in late February, with each documentary screening followed by a discussion.

The films are based on personal stories of communities that lie squarely on ethnic, national and religious borderlines. "A Shepherds Affair," directed by David Fisher is one example, exploring the lives of a Jewish and a Druze family who are neighbors on the Golan Heights. The film examines the history of relations between the two, and the deep uncertainty of their future. A very different film, "Not a Beginning Nor an End," directed by Lina Chaplin, chronicles the work and thoughts of Israeli Arab theater actor Muhammed Bakri, whose immediate family lives in Israel, while others fled to Jordan in 1948. The work is a stark portrayal of Bakris emotions that fluctuate with each turn of the political process. Other films deal with the lives of Israeli soldiers serving in Lebanon and in the West Bank territories; the problem of Jerusalem; and the lives of influential political figures.

Each screening was accompanied by discussions with the directors, and sometimes with the subjects of the film themselves. The personal nature of the issues, and the accessibility of the central figures lends a powerful force to the talks, which ultimately serve to advance the questions raised in this probing series.

The Center for the Translation of Arabic Literature has been established under the aegis of the Israel Center for Libraries as a new forum to promote the translation of Arabic literature into Hebrew. Funded in part by the Ministry of Education, and linked to Haifa Universitys Arabic Literature department, the Center has two distinct goals: the first is to publish Arabic poetry and prose translated into Hebrew, and vice-versa. The second is to promote general research on Arabic literature. The Centers first director, Nazia Kher, hopes establish contacts with literary communities in other Arab states. "Translating literature is a way of translating cultures." Nazia Kher is a writer and a poet who won the Prime Minister's Prize in 1990 and the Presidents Prize for Literature in 1997.

New Art School and New Art Exhibit

Seventeen students sit in a room flooded with northern light in total silence, in an atmosphere of concentration that makes their drawing seem like a motionless marathon. Two hours later, their efforts begin to yield the likeness of a human figure. This is the daily routine of the Jerusalem Studio School (JSS), which opened its doors in an official ceremony in February.

The school was founded by renowned painter Israel Hershberg, with support from the Berakha Foundation, Martin Weyl, former director-general of the Israel Museum, and Yigal Zalmona, the chief curator of the Museum, among others. The program offers students an intense figurative art training program, while teaching artistic values that are new to the Israeli art education scene. Hershberg teaches what he terms "sustained physical contact with the act of drawing, painting and its history... I want to emphasize the physical part of art," he explains, in order to escape over-philosophizing through heavy academic study. "Historically, visually, Jews have had a problem with the physical body in art. I want to offer young artists a figurative orientation."

The school is organized as a master class, in which Hershberg supervises 17 students (chosen from 300 applicants). A central goal is to expand opportunities for Israelis to be exposed firsthand to Western art and artistic values. To this end, after seven months of non-stop drawing and painting, class members will travel to the Maryland Institute College of Art near Washington, D.C. in June, where they will visit artists studios, copy Old Masters at the National Gallery of Art, and receive additional instruction at the Maryland Institute. The JSS has created a full-fledged exchange program, and will bring two students from the Maryland Institute to study in Israel in the fall.

Hershberg himself is a realist painter who trained and worked in the United States, before moving to Israel in 1984. His work is shown at the Marlborough Gallery in New York, and he received the Sandberg Prize from the Israel Museum (1991) and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Prize for Israeli Art. He has taught painting for 30 years, beginning at the Maryland Institute of Art when he was only 25. Most recently, Hershberg opened a one-man exhibit at the Israel Museum, which features works depicting the human body, still-lifes and interiors that show powerful precision, while expressing imaginative personal interpretation.

Israel may be turning 50, but the Cameri Theater has seniority, at 54 years old. This spring, the Cameri bestows a slew of new productions in time for Israels 50th celebrations, while taking its wares abroad to give the world a taste of Israeli theater as well.

In March, the Cameri brought "Family Stories" to Germany, performing in Heidelberg, Bonn and Weimar. "Family Stories" is particularly relevant to German audiences, and clearly appropriate for the 50th. A melodrama about German Jews in Germany and then in Palestine/Israel during the pre- and early-state period, the play raises so many questions and emotions that an audience discussion often follows the performance. To meet the challenge, the company brought its director-general Noam Semel, playwright Edna Mazya and the director, Omri Nitzan, to Germany to lead the debates with the audience.

Touring, however, doesnt distract the Cameri from creating new productions and new projects: this spring will see three original Israeli productions open from April through June. "The Actor," by Hillel Mittlepunkt, tells the story of 18th century actors searching for the meaning of theater in Jewish life, while struggling with the confrontation between the European Enlightenment and traditional orthodoxy. "Petra," was written by songwriter Yonatan Gefen, and opens in May. June will see the premier of "The Rebels," another play written by Edna Mazya. Further, the theaters success abroad has been matched by high marks at home, as "Murder" won the 1997 Israel Theater Prize for best play.

The Cameri has also taken on foreign productions, with wide success. "Amys View," is a philosophical/ generational drama that reflects on art, theater, and bad marriages (written by David Hare). Gita Munte stars in a performance that one critic said was better than the original British production.

The last "new production" is a project begun on behalf of future generations in Israeli theater. The Young Cameri is a troupe of high-school actors that has been convened for the Cameris first training group. Their first performance was called "Children of the Candles." Based on the story of Israeli youth who congregated for weeks of vigil following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Yigal Even Or has written about religious-secular tension one of Israel's most arresting internal problems in the context of youth experiences.

The momentum of the annual Israel Festival rises to a crescendo this year in an event billed as the most ambitious celebration ever, and Israeli contributions and new productions abound. Habimah theater presents a new adaptation of S. Anskis "The Dybbuk," the first play performed at Habimah 80 years ago. A special theater evening will be dedicated to the work of playwright Nissim Aloni, an Israel Prize winner. The leading figures of Israeli modern dance will present new performaces: including Barak Marshall, Ido Tadmor, Vertigo, and political dancing pair Emanuel Gat and Mariano Weinstein. A highly anticipated new production is found in the classical music world, as the 24-year old composer Gil Shohat presents the world premier of his nine-part cantata "Song of Songs," performed by the Raanana Symphonette and a sprinkling of international soloists. And in the spirit of symbols celebrating Israel, two evenings will be devoted to the songs of Naomi Shemer, sung by a star lineup of favorite Israeli singers.

Israel has produced its own version of the classic road movie, in a drama about four malcontent, and oddly matched characters on a three-day journey. Each in his own way is an outcast: Gadi is a petty criminal on parole, anxiously trying to figure out how to make his way back into mainstream society. Yitzhak is his pensive and serious younger brother, who is intent on his studies, depressed about his ailing mother, and uninitiated into adult life. Shoshana is the most unappealing character: a serious criminal whom Gadi knew from prison, who thrives on being a misanthrope, and insists on tormenting the group with his presence. The fourth is a wan, pregnant young woman, apparently a Russian immigrant, on an undefined hiatus from her husband who has left her, bruised and disheveled, in a coffee shop where she meets the others. These characters together define marginalization from society, yet the film has them on the mission of decorating the countrys gas stations with its most central national and social symbol, Israeli flags, in anticipation of Independence Day. Their experiences together are unglamorous and sometimes brutal, but represent a search for dignity and justice. The film won the Best Feature prize at the 1997 Haifa Film Festival, and will be shown at international festivals throughout the summer. Director: Agur Schiff, Producer: Chaim Sharir.

"In Their Own Hands"

The Jewish soldiers who fought with the British Army in World War II were the only officially recognized Jewish military defence force to fight the Nazis. Yet, this chapter in Israeli history has not been widely publicized. The photographs, footage and testimony of those fighters still living have now been collected and preserved, in a documentary called "In Their Own Hands," by the Chicago-based Olin Productions. Using footage from the Central Zionist Archives and the Steven Spielberg Film Archives, the film depicts this chapter of Jewish resistance in cooperation with the British, in a force known as "His Majestys Jewish Brigade." The documentary contains emotional discussions with remaining Brigade members, and it is these conversations that reveal the symbolic weight of the only opportunity Jews had to fight the Nazis as an internationally recognized military force. The film was screened at the New York Jewish Film Festival, and at the Israeli War Veterans League, and will be shown in screenings throughout US, some of which were organized by the Israeli Consulate in Chicago (late April through early May) as part of the 50th celebrations. Screenings in mid-May will be held in Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Florida; and in late May the film will be shown in Israel. Producers Chuck Olin, Chuck Cooper and Matthew Palm may be contacted for more information at Olin Productions (1-312-822-9552).

Israel Prize Announced

Amos Oz and Dahlia Ravikovitch, two central Israeli authors whose writing has spanned the course of decades, have been granted the 1998 Israel Prize. Oz was awarded the prize based on his novels that since the 1970s have become classics in Israeli literature, including "Elsewhere, Perhaps," "My Michael," "Black Box," and "Dont Pronounce it Night." Oz has published 22 books, including two collections of political essays and commentaries. (Ozs political stance has also made his nomination for the award a subject of controversy among some elements of the settler movement.) His work has been translated around the world, and is appreciated, in the words of literary critic Gershon Shaked, for its ability to "touch the depths of myths, and bring us closer to them."

Dahlia Ravikovitch is one of Israels most renowned and prolific poets, whose work appeals to many different segments of Israeli society, including both older and younger generations. Despite her dark themes that often deal with pain and suffering, Ravikovitch brings original use of the Hebrew language to bear upon her work, which speaks directly and intimately to Israeli audiences. (See "Spotlight")

As Israel's 50th celebrations bring favorite productions to central venues, reviews are beginning to come in, and months of planning are paying off. Gesher Theater performed Joshua Sobol's "Village" in Berlin to delighted critics and audiences; the Kibbutz Dance Company performed in New York City and received extensive laudatory attention from the New York Times, and other major media, before moving on to Chicago. The Itim Ensemble created a sensation at the Adelaide Festival with its performance of "Vayomer Vayelech," which was also greeted with rave reviews.

The Esta musical ensemble has found a method to the madness of world music, combining many styles into a general fusion-jazz tone that has impressed even hardened critics from the American news media. Exalting the groups last tour in the spring/summer of 1997 that included the Blue Note in New York and Blues Alley in Georgetown, the Washington Post wrote that the band "fuses the Turkish banjo with the Scottish bagpipe, and somehow makes it all musically whole. At its core, Estas music has a raucous, foot-stomping energy... [building] a seemingly infinite variety of sounds, rhythms and folk traditions." Esta will be traveling throughout the US during May and June, beginning in North Carolina and Michigan in early May.

Throw two men, five masks, props, and a little help from the audience together, and "Textomimo" has created a show for children of ages 8-80 (give or take). An inexhaustible variety of characters appear with every change of face, so to speak, and scenes flow seamlessly into completely distinct scenes portraying slapstick, tragi-comic figures and moral dilemmas, all almost entirely devoid of text.

One moment, a boxer becomes hopelessly lost when his inflated ego takes on a life of its own as his genetic double, and proceeds to sabotage him with his own boxing talent. Suddenly, the boxer turns without warning into a priest who is so intent on maintaining his holy superiority, that he resorts to manipulation and trickery for ownership of a single chair in which he can sit and be righteous.

Two performers form the "Textomimo" company. Amiram Attias and Koby Assaf have known each other since their days at theater school in Paris, and began working together professionally in the mid-1970s. Based on the concepts of "Open Theater," their mime-related theater performances have travelled around the world.

"Knock Out" is their biggest success abroad. Each character is portrayed by homemade masks fashioned out of unexpected material, and clown-like costumes, creating personalities that delight children. Each figure, from the boxer to the janitor, to the old woman to the actor, performs clown acts, plays slow-motion ball games and creates double personalities, keeping the humor level high and light. Beyond the humor, however, are relationships that hold meaning and sometimes morals, which clearly capture adults in the audiences.

Typical theater scripts, believe Attias and Assaf, restrain theater to one particular national community; their integration of mime, theater, slapstick and music opens up the presentation to a universal audience, by touching upon common themes. "Textomimo" will be traveling abroad throughout the late spring and summer.

Israels Jubilee continues to dominate in international festivals and fairs. In May, Pragues annual book fair will give special focus to Israel with support from the Foreign Ministry. Several Israeli writers will be on hand to present Israeli literature, poetry and playwriting, including Yehuda Amichai and Nava Semel. The ethnic music band "Between Times" will hold a special concert at the fair. Expo '98, to be held in Lisbon, will be centered on Israels 50th Anniversary. Buenos Aires will be holding a full fledged "Israel Month" in honor of the Jubilee beginning May 28, including a celebratory exhibition at the National Library of Buenos Aires.

Japan is holding the first "Japan Season," a series of cultural activities in Israel, with eight performance groups visiting throughout the year. The Season began in mid-February, with the modern dance/theater group Tomoe Shizune who performed at Tel Aviv's Cinerama. The group combined traditional elements of Japanese Noh drama, modern Western dance styles, and completely original elements of expressive movement. Their meditative stillness is an interesting contrast to the often raucous Israeli modern dance scene. Other performances include Kim Itoh, a Japanese dancer and choreographer, and the "Trio Koko," a musical ensemble that combines 700 years of Japanese music. Based on this years success, organizer Pinhas Postel would like to base the "seasons" on a different country every year. The Japan Season is supported by (among others) the municipalities of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, and private Japanese companies.

The celebration of Israels 50th is no less a celebration of Jerusalem, a city that has been sacred for centuries and filmed for generations. The first film ever made about Jerusalem appeared in 1897, produced by the Lumière brothers, from France. Since that time, the variety of movies made about the city has become impressive, given international interest in the area and the powerful, yet varied, meaning of Jerusalem for every individual.

The Tower of David Museum celebrates this worldwide cinematic interest over the last century with a major exhibition entitled "Cinema Jerusalem: A City Filmed - 1897 and Beyond." With an exhaustive gathering of archival material from the Steven Spielberg Film Archives at the Hebrew University, and access to other archival sources, the exhibition seeks to offer a sense of "reality and immediacy," for viewers to understand and witness the meaning of Jerusalem in this century.

Films to be included were produced by Moslems, Jews and Christians; by residents and tourists alike, and they range from documentary to feature films. The result is a combination of historical and personal data. The exhibition is due to open in June, at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem, in a space designed by architect Sasha Lishiansky.

Painter and printmaker Ardyn Halter was awarded the first prize in this years National Print Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, and he was also awarded the Gavin Graham Gallery Award for printmaking. Halters prints have been shown in Avignon, Montpellier, Barcelona, London and several venues in Israel.

Gadi Taub, fiction writer for children and adults, was a winner at the Young Writers Contest held in Northern Italy, for writers from Mediterranean countries. Taub won the prize for his childrens literature. His book most recently translated into English is a collection of essays for adults under the title "A Dispirited Rebellion."

Dan Katzirs documentary about life, love and politics entitled "Out for Love... Back Shortly," was chosen as Israels candidate for the American Film Academys international student film awards. Katzirs film was screened at the 1997 Jerusalem Film Festival to critical acclaim. It relates the tale of an Israeli man searching for romance during one of the countrys most divisive political climates, before and after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The film will show in Toronto, Munich, Hong Kong, and other festivals throughout May and June.

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