Panim- Faces of Art and Culture in Israel- July-August 1998

Gesher: A Theatrical Coup

From Molière to Chekhov, in Russian or in Hebrew, on a lush revolving set or an absurd circus tent, Gesher's theaters are packed. Since its establishment in 1991, it has won theater prizes in all categories. Gesher has been invited to the festivals in Europe and has visited cities in the United States, Rome, Paris and London; it's schedule is booked through 1999. What caused the coup?

First, Gesher is unique. One of the world's few bilingual theaters, it was originally founded as a Russian-language company. Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead" was its first play, and Hebrew productions only began a years later with J.C. Grumberg's "Dreyfus File." "The Life of Monsieur de Molière" followed, all earning such lavish praise that Gesher now produces every work in both languages.

Second, Gesher has contribution to Israeli theater culture by introducing the proud tradition of Russian drama. "The Russian heritage is part of why we have done so well," says Director-General Ori Levy. "We have extremely high standards." 90 percent of the actors are Soviet immigrants, trained in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

But the heart and soul of any theater is its director: "Much of the success boils down to Yevgeny, his personality and his talent." Levy's tone is almost reverential. He is referring to Gesher's artistic director Yevgeny Arye, who stalks around the offices, bellowing comments with hallmark melodrama. Arye's work reflects this extravagant style: from an enormous wooden horse that is ridden back and forth across the stage in "Village" while actors dressed as angels descend from the ceiling, to "Don Juan" in which the whole set revolves as the actors tramp up and down diagonal ramps wearing velvet and satin robes.

Arye directed the Drama Theater of St. Petersburg prior to immigrating to Israel. Before he left, he had begun raising money to create a Russian theater in Israel that would help professional immigrants find jobs in the field. "He knew that it could succeed only by producing highly competitive work," says Levy. This urgency seems to drive Arye and his actors, who are completely committed: "Gesher actors dedicate their lives to the theater. We give them ... and in return we expect complete devotion." Perhaps the immigrant's experience itself adds to the productions One critic wrote that Gesher (in "Village") "re-interprets Israel's history with the freshness of newcomers... Joshua Sobol (the playwright of "Village") said that only the Russians could have understood what he meant."

Nine plays make up Gesher's permanent repertoire, including "Rosencrantz and Gildenstern," "The Idiot," "Tartuffe," and "The Life of Monsieur Molière." Recent productions include "Three Sisters," and "Don Juan," by its nascent youth troupe.

Foreign Ministry support and encouragement from Israel's cultural attachés, says Levy, helped Gesher gain its rapidly growing international reputation.

"Village" has been invited to the 50th anniversary events in Lincoln Center, New York, following which it will perform in Berlin and London. Joshua Sobol's play both recalls and idealizes a lost world of pre-state Israel, with a self-conscious naivété.

"Adam Resurrected," is also playing in New York this summer. Yoram Kaniuk's 1968 novel is about the ruined life of a concentration camp survivor in a mental institution, who had been the forced-labor composer and entertainer for the camp's SS commandant. Adam's life is best described by the wild uncertainty of a circus: his character parallels that of a tragic clown, chained to his deadly role, and always just inches from annihilation.

"City: Odessa Stories" based on the work of Isaac Babel, relives the Jewish community's dynamic life in the bustling port city of Odessa. The plot weaves together husband-seeking girls, their fathers, romance-seeking housewives, shady businessmen, and bespectacled, thoughtful observers (the young Babel himself). It will perform in November, at the Saison d'Isräel in France, and in Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) late that month. For the first time, Gesher will return to its members' native land, as heroes in their new home.

There is something of a poet in the photographer Micha Bar-Am. Perhaps it is his signature, forest-thick Whitmanesque beard; perhaps his smiling eyes that bespeak of a passionate and critical love for his fellow man; or most probably, his uncanny ability to capture on film the essence of a moment, what Bar-Am himself calls "a fragment of reality."

Micha Bar-Am grew up with the state and has been photographing its turbulent and quieter moments for nearly 50 years. In both conversation and in his pohotographs, he exudes a deep love for the country that has been his home since he emigrated from Berlin with his parents and siblings in 1936. A member of the Palmachs Harel Brigade, after the War of Independence Bar-Am helped establish Kibbutz Malkiah on the Lebanese border. In the 1950s, he joined the archeological expedition in the Judean Desert which led to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. A self-taught photographer (his influences include Robert Capa, Walker Evans and W. Eugene Smith) Bar-Am acquired his first Leica in 1954 and has not stopped shooting since.

Now 68, Bar-Am, who has traveled throughout Africa, Vietnam, Europe and the United States, declares with almost childlike enthusiasm: "Israel is my turf, my profession. It is my backyard."

It is also the subject of Bar-Ams latest book, "Israel: A Photobiography," published by Simon and Schuster with an introduction by former New York Times Israel correspondent Thomas Friedman. A companion volume to his international photography exhibition, Bar-Am insists that his photos "dont pretend to be a historical record. They are more of a personal record of the countrys first 50 years."

A somewhat paradoxical statement for a photojournalist whose career has included a long stint with the IDFs weekly Bamahaneh, 24 years (1968-92) as a New York Times staff photographer, and affiliation with the legendary Paris-based Magnum Agency, which continues to this day. Never seeing himself simply as an illustrator to a journalists copy, for Bar-Am "a writer captures an event verbally, a photographer captures it visually."

Many of Bar-Ams photos are legendary. There is Ben-Gurion, walking down a long and lonely path at Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev the very essence of a great leader; there is Golda Meir, whose deep lines form a strategic map of worry on her worn face. There is the return from Entebbe and the funeral of the Olympic athletes murdered in Munich; there are early pioneers and recent arrivals from Ethiopia and Russia portraits of fear and hope. A master of irony, he caught Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres with their backs to each other standing under a banner that reads: "Conference on Jewish Solidarity." Working mostly in black and white, it is the grays the shadows, the nuances and paradoxes of human existence that capture Bar-Ams eye.

According to Bar-Am, a photographer doesnt just descend upon an event and begin clicking the shutter. Its a matter of finding the right moment and the right frame. "What I choose to shoot evolves from a personal decision," says the veteran photographer. For Bar-Am an objective photograph is a misnomer. Every journalist, he says, approaches a story with a personal bias "an unchecked piece of luggage," he calls it which must be somehow tamed. Calling up inner resources of sincerity and empathy, Bar-Am says he tries his hardest to be a "fair observer."

Not an easy task when the observer also becomes the participant. Having covered just about every important event in Israels history, Bar-Am frequently found himself on the front lines, crouching in trenches with soldiers and POWs, carrying the wounded and dead. It is this blurring of distinctions that has led to what Bar-Am calls his "photographic schizophrenia" and to some of his most poignant shots.

Although Bar-Am has served as photography advisor at the Israel Museum and as curator of photography at the Tel Aviv Museum, where he established the photography department, Bar-Am clearly wants to be recognized for his photographs and not his curatorial abilities. He also dismisses any association with artistic photography "if someone wants to call my photos art, its up to them." Like some Nordic adventurer or migrating bird, Bar-Am, always curious, camera in tow, will continue to find himself at Israels epicenter. Whether he wants to be or not.

Academics, Architects and Artists in Turkey

The largest meeting to date of Israelis and Palestinians brought architects, lawyers, artists and academics together to develop mutually beneficial coexistence projects. The event took place in Kemel, Turkey, in early April.

The architects discussed the development needs of Palestinian and Israeli communities, with the participation of 35 Israeli and Palestinian professionals in the fields. One of them commented: "if among the architects of Oslo, there had been one real architect, the whole process might have looked different." The participants considered backgrounds, and possible future projects to solve problems of cultural conservation through architecture, urban planning and the environment.

The artists group considered "self-other" issues, and pondered the idea that enhanced cultural exchange might be the best vehicle for building mutual awareness and respect. Participants agreed that encouraging Palestinian cultural development is critical for exposing national identity, and is also an Israeli issue. Concrete suggestions involved cooperative endeavors in the fields of cinema, music, theater, environment, sculpture and other arts. One project suggested was entitled "Discussion between Musical Instruments."

Academics struggled with the role of the intellectual in political and public life. The participants considered their potential to help break down stereotypes and prejudices, and to promote mutual familiarization. Suggestions for a future of cooperative academic life included the establishment of a course, to be mutually accredited at both Palestinian and Israeli universities, dealing with the history and politics of the Middle East conflict.

The conference was organized by the International Center for Peace in the Middle East, under the leadership of Ofer Bronstein, and with the help of Zehava Galon (a former Meretz leader); the sessions were chaired by Israeli and Palestinian professionals. A follow-up conference is being planned for the summer, to be held in Israel or the Palestinian Authority. Yaron Turiel and David Guggenheim, leaders of the Israeli architect group, said "The meeting was the important part of the whole thing. We didnt come to convince each other, but rather to hear each other out, and to give voice to our frustrations."

Midway though the Book of Genesis, a young Abraham smashes his fathers idols and begins his journey from Ur to Canaan. With this radical step, he became the patriarch of the worlds three great monotheistic faiths. Further along in the story, Abraham becomes the father of Isaac and Ishmael, the forebears of the Jewish and Arab peoples. Much later, the two groups together created a documentary film about the life of their father. If Abraham was the original link between the brothers, "The Journey of Abraham" represents new common ground, as the first-ever Israeli-Jordanian documentary co-production.

Wandering through eight countries, the project traces Abrahams world via religious texts, with the caveat that no one source be taken as authoritative as opposed to the other. With Quran and Bible in hand, director Yehuda Yaniv had narrators Hisham Yanis (Jordan) and Alex Anski (Israel) travel to the locations mentioned in the texts, where they discuss, expound and ponder each stage of Abrahams story. Peppered with footage of ancient sites, archeological finds and current populations, the film pieces together a picture of this towering religious figure without taking a religious stance while examining modern communities of "Abrahamic" faiths.

The film visits the presumed sites of Ur and the Tower of Babel in modern-day Iraq, and the site on Mount Hermon where the covenant between Abraham and God is said to have taken place. Personal accounts by worshippers, religious leaders and scholars of many backgrounds testify to the depth of belief that Abraham left in his wake.

A co-production between the Israel Film Service and Jordanian Prime-Time Productions, the goal of the film is clearly to encourage better understanding between the people of the Middle East. Yaniv said he hoped to capture debate and disagreement as well, "But we had an unexpected problem: Alex and Hisham hit it off so well, that they had no conflicts in the end!"

Twenty years ago, a group of army officers wrote a public letter to then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin, demanding immediate acceleration of the peace process. Their action became the kernel of a new group whose name reflects the urgency of their famous letter: "Peace Now." For its 20th anniversary, the movement has mounted a photo exhibit that displays its history, major events, and development into a political party.

Television drama has taken on new proportions in Israel over the last year: several new mini-drama series warrant international acclaim and some will be receiving it at upcoming festivals. "Florentine" is one, a "generation - X" story that reaches far beyond the superficial level of young peoples lives, with a particularly Israeli perspective. Twenty-something friends live in a run-down but arty neighborhood in South Tel Aviv, including artists, journalists, television stars, and entrepreneurs. They pass their days in self-absorbed intrigues, romance and career ambitions, while political tensions mount in the months before Yitzhak Rabins assassination. Each character embodies issues regarding professional, sexual and political identity and the peculiarities of Israeli life: Shira is beautiful and ambitious, but tormented by her current love and the ghost of her high-school sweetheart, killed in Lebanon. Tomer debates revealing his homosexuality to his conventional family, but his friends encourage him to accept himself as he is. Gali is a frighteningly slick talker who lives life in the fast lane, but is searching for more meaningful relationships. Cutting-edge content, vivid cinematography and sharp dialogue won the series first prize for television drama at the 1997 Jerusalem Film Festival; it will play at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in July, and in the US throughout the summer. Director: Eytan Fox, Producer: Michael Tapuach.

"Basic Training," probes the experiences of young recruits in the Israel Army. Confronting the dual pressures of youngsters in an unforgiving military setting, and the individual difficulties each brings to the group, the series does not shy away from addressing serious social problems and how they play out in the army context. Family violence, immigrant absorption, religious vs. secular life, and family vs. professional responsibilities affect the people behind each soldiers uniform, blurring the border between child and adult. Following the soldiers and their officers as they go through training in the Givati elite combat unit, the series simultaneously reveals and demystifies the world of the Israel Army. The focus on human as opposed to military aspects shows the real meaning of a peoples army, and the role played by the IDF in shaping the youth who will form Israeli society. Director: Micha Sharpstein.

"Jerusalem Detective" is a detective-style series, with an Israeli literary-historical perspective. The characters are from stories written by Yoram Kaniuk; Uri Rosenwax directs Yehoram Gaon, who is the star in the three episodes. The plots involve crimes that deal with ethnic, political and religious tensions in the Jerusalem community, and consider the history of the city as a direct influence on the situations.

"Bat Yam - New York" is a docu-drama. It follows the lives and relationships within a traditional Iraqi-Israeli family who lives in Bat Yam, outside Tel Aviv, while some of the clan have moved to New York. The plot is a series of stories combining comedy, drama and melodrama, addressing generation gaps and cultural difference within the family structure. Director: Micha Shagrir.

Amidst an international audience of world leaders and Jewish community figures, Israel celebrated its 50th in an official gala ceremony on Independence Day. "Jubilee Bells" brought together actors, singers, entertainers, and dance troupes for mini-musical productions and skits that recalled the wide diversity of ethnic influences on Israels cultural life. Participants included Gila Almagor, Anat Atzmon, Tuvia Tsaphir, Yossi Banai, Rita, Tiki Dayan and Dudu Fisher, in an original program.

Writer and playwright Dan Almagor, one of the principle creators of the show, has announced that he will be donating all personal revenues from "Jubilee Bells" to Palestinian organizations dealing with human rights, and pro-peace organizations.

After 92 years of training Israeli artists, the Bezalel Academy of the Arts celebrated nearly a century of Jewish art work in an exhibit that opened alongside the 7th International Judaica Fair in May in Jerusalem. The show displayed works that had never been exhibited before. Etrog boxes and statues of Temple scenes from the first decade of this century are shown alongside an ultra-modern Elijahs cup from 1996, and Torah crowns of abstract design. The earliest artists include Meir Gur Arie, Zeev Raban and Boris Schatz; later works are those of Izzika Gaon and Arie Ofir, among others, as well as current Bezalel students. Ranging from Old World to ultra-modern styles, the exhibit displays candlesticks, seder plates, mezuzahs, spice boxes and havdalah sets, made out of materials as diverse as silver, brass, glass, wood and water. Muli Ben Sasson, the exhibits curator, hopes that the exhibit will both guard Jewish artistic traditions while giving voice to new expressions of Jewish art. The exhibit will be traveling abroad in coming months, as part of Israels 50th anniversary celebrations.

EVENTS

Israeli Artists Abroad

"The Herd" Wanders Through East Asia

At first glance, Menashe Kadishmans exhibit "Herd" looks very much like its namesake: 550 canvases cluster together on the floor, and out of each canvas a pair of eyes loom at the viewer with the innocent, lackluster gaze of sheep. However, the sheep in this herd are multicolored with blazing red and yellow streaks along the vertical lines of their faces, or else the faces are blank, set against a fiery background of abstract shapes. An inherent solemnity and pensiveness emanates from the massive group of sheep/paintings, fitting for an exhibit designed to symbolize the Akedah, or the "Sacrifice of Isaac." The Akedah, in turn, symbolizes for Kadishman societys sacrifice of its own children to the scourge of war. In the words of a Parisian art critic, the exhibit "reinvents in space an alphabetical gesture of life and death." After a grand opening at the Beijing National Art Gallery, presented by Ora Namir, Israels ambassador to China, the exhibit moved on to Guenjin and Shenzhen; it opens in Bangkok in June.

Kadishman has had other successful activity throughout the spring of 1998. His Shalechet ("Fallen Leaves") has gone from Düsseldorf to Amsterdam, and on to Breda (Holland). In this exhibit, Kadishman created an "environment" in which the floor is carpeted with hundreds of thick, rust-colored, rough-hewn iron disks. Each disk has the image of a face crudely cut into the expression of a primal scream, reminiscent of Edvard Münchs "The Scream." A blunt, brutal tribute to Holocaust victims? A general abstract expression of anger and injustice? Either sentiment may be confirmed, or exacerbated, by the artists request that visitors tread on the faces that spill over each other, covering every part of the floor.

Pablo Ariel Takes Korea

Pablo Ariel doesnt want to be called a mime. In fact, he could just as easily be called a multi-media artist, a theater director, an opera/musical director, an educational performance artist, or a puppet theater master. The running theme is "artist." Ariel is constantly involved in different projects: Some are television programs designed to convey values and messages to children through humorous skits and animated effects; others are outdoor shows that involve huge, colorful props such as puppets and stilts. Ariel frequently accompanies the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestras "family series," performing alongside the conductor with comic and dramatic routines to teach children about the music. Almost wordlessly, his use of props, expressions, body language and audience participation, convey his ideas to audiences who, regardless of age or nationality, emerge laughing. In late May, Ariel took his props, passion and personality to a Korean audience for one week of shows, winning extensive praise.

Short Theater Festival a two-time success

In the wake of last years "dizzying" success (says the director), the now-annual Short Theater Festival expanded the program in its second year: ten original plays were performed, by ten different directors. Classic Israeli writers such as Natan Zach and Sami Michael were found alongside newer names, such as Samyon Zlotnykov, and Yosef Mondi. The festival was organized at the Tzavta Theater, by artistic director Shalom Shmuelov.

Subjects varied from comedy to penetrating questions about Israeli society, from politics to relationships. Lama Mi Met ("What Gives?") portrayed two archetypal Israeli teenagers coping simultaneously with their personal crises as they enter adulthood, and initiation into Israeli society and history via their schooling. In their discussions at a party, the girls brazenly juxtapose romance, clothing and makeup, and their dreams for the future, with flippant musings about a class trip to Poland to learn about the Holocaust. Dalia Shimiko directed the production, written by Effie Cohen.

In contrast, the Yoram Levinstein Acting Studio presented a collage of vignettes called "Lovers Stories," directed by Noam Meiri. Dramatized romance scenarios were simultaneously narrated and performed by the characters, creating a storytelling/theater effect. In July the studios pupils will travel to Montenegro for an international student acting conference, and during August, third-year students will prepare a co-production with German theaters in Essen and Düsseldorf for a premié re on September 19.

Two plays, "Whatever," by Nir Erez and "Him," by Sami Michael, dealt with personal relations generally troubled between men and women, or between individuals and their surroundings. In "Whatever," social pressures and lack of self-confidence plague a young women about to marry a man shes unsure she loves. In "Him," an angelic figure suddenly appears in the life of a "kept" woman. He offers hope to her household that could either inspire its members or, ultimately, emphasize their frustrations once he is gone.

Political subjects were aired in "General Schwarzkopf Steps on Pink Ants in the Sahara Desert," by Yosef Mundi, in which an Iraqi and an American soldier must depend on each other as they wait under a hot desert sun, battling out mistrust and miscommunication among extreme elements. With a bounty of quality productions, the festivals director has only more ambitious goals for next year.

7th International Student Film Festival: Bigger and Better

The 1998 Student Film Festival in early June boasts 150 films from 40 countries around the world and 60 different film schools, including four Israeli film schools (Sam Spiegel, Tel Aviv University, Camera Obscura, Maaleh). An Israeli film, "With Rules," boasted the first prize for best feature film. Other Israeli films produced this year include "Bonfire Night," from the Sam Spiegel School, about a familys struggle to deal with a handicapped son. "Washing Your Mouth With Soap," is a mildly surreal story about a wordless woman and her talkative lover, from Camera Obscura. From Tel Aviv University' Film Department, students presented "And Now Rachmaninov"; and "Jephthahs Daughter," from the Maa leh Film School.

Film figures from around the world led workshops addressing the theme of technological developments and the film industry and the role of film in society; among them was the Jordanian film director, Nabil Shumali.

16 Israeli student films hailing from the four schools participated in the competition; thrillers, documentaries, and political critiques gave testimony to the variety of Israeli productions. Two were chosen during the "pitching" session, in which students petitioned for their plots to be taken up by large international production companies and turned into films.

50^th Events Update

August sees the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on a Grand Tour throughout Europe. The Orchestra will be stopping in Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Spain, and Italy, and will hold an open concert in Vienna, all in honor of the 50th anniversary.

Wild Success at Eurovision

Israelis at large and pop music audiences in particular are on a high after the stunning success of singer Dana International at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest held in Great Britain in May. Her song "Diva," written by Zvika Pik, won the contest in a suspenseful competition, just beating out Malta. Upon her triumphal return to Israel, Dana received the blessing of Roni Milo, Mayor of Tel Aviv, and a certificate of recognition from Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav. Caught up in the excitement, Mayor Ehud Olmert confirmed that Jerusalem will be hosting next years contest, for the first time in 20 years.

Expo '98 is being held in Lisbon, Portugal this year, and there will be a special focus on Israel in its Jubilee year. The massive international fair takes place in August, and Israel will have a permanent display. "Israel Day" will mark the 50th celebrations, and representing Israeli culture is the Karmon Dance Company, led by choreographer Yonatan Karmon. A modern, Israeli folk company, Karmon was the founder of the Karmiel Dance Festival and the group will dance in this years festival (July 7-9). The group will perform its brand-new work Tikun Hazot ("Midnight Prayer") at Expo.

The Fourth Berlin Jewish Film Festival will host four Israeli documentaries this year, all prize-winners in Israel: Dan Waxmans "Song of the Galilee"; "Emil Habibi: I Stayed in Haifa" by Dalia Karpel (a documentary of the Israeli-Arab writer); "Mothers First Olympics," by Ran Carmeli, which deals with the directors mother, a blind but not handicapped woman; and "The Last Transfer" by Ilana Tzur. Tzurs film documents the fate of Holocaust survivors who were confined to mental institutions following the war; the film was also screened at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.

More Documentary Success

Three documentary films from Argo Productions have recently sold broadcasting rights to television stations around the world, including France, Germany, Poland and several stations in South America. The films were: "Tracing the Lost Tribes," which considers groups who claim to be members of the ten lost tribes of Israel; "Black and White is Full of Colors," a film about Bauhaus artist Friedl Dikker-Brandeis who practiced art therapy with children in Theresienstadt concentration camp (rights were sold in Belgium, Spain, Japan and Denmark). "Here and There in the Land of Israel" follows up conversations that originally took place 14 years ago, between author Amos Oz and people that he met in his journey around the country.