culture – Page 3 – The Real Jerusalem Streets

Jerusalem Biennale 2019 – For Heaven’s Sake!

November 13, 2019November 13, 2019Sharon A

What a week in Jerusalem the weather was warm and wonderful.

Many things happened over the Sukkot holiday and even more after the holidays.

But the Jerusalem Biennale 2019, לשם שמים – For Heaven’s Sake! with 500 pieces of art, by 200 artists in 13 locations began before Sukkot and is still going for another two weeks. The Jerusalem Biennale began in 2013,

grew in 2015,

and was bigger and better in 2017.

After posting a few Biennale photos, I received the following message from Hillel Smith, curator of the Jewish Street Art Festival at First Station:

“As part of the Jewish Street Art Festival (more info at jewishstreetart.com) street artists from around the world painted 17 murals in three locations around Jerusalem. Besides First Station, we also painted at the Artists’ Colony and the Schechter Institute. All of our artists already work with Jewish themes in their art, and I wanted to highlight this effort by bringing them all together to paint at the Biennale. Unlike the other exhibitions, the art in ours was created on-site and will be permanently displayed, leaving a lasting mark on the city.”

These murals are by artists Yitzchok Moully (reflective sukkah) and Solomon Sousa, of Machane Yehuda Market mural fame.

An 18th mural was being painted this week at First Station, by artist Bareket Kezwer. I didn’t get there to see her paint, but something to check out soon.

The Jerusalem YMCA is a new and prominent Biennale location.

The initial press tour began at the Y with founder and director Ram Ozeri explaining his vision.

Inside on one side of the old YMCA pool is an installation ‘Waterfall’ by Marina Abramovic.

Across from it are hundreds of hand-painted fish by Andi Lavine Arnovitz.

One fish flows in the opposite direction, in her installation titled ‘I’m Not’.

The main room in the YMCA hosts Ziara: Moroccan Common Wisdom.

Curator Amit Hai Cohen along with seventeen other artists of Moroccan descent display a wide range of contemporary pieces.

The Moroccan heritage of ziara, feeling of home, contrasts greatly with other Arab countries where Jews were persecuted and expelled.

The day before the opening night, artists were busy at work.

For the gala opening, it was colorful and ready.

Those glasses on the table filled with arak are not for drinking, but a piece by Marcelle Biton.

The smaller line of frames to the left are fascinating portraits. Check out the feature photo at top of this page for closer look.

There is still much more to share besides Ziara at the YMCA.

The main lobby of Heichal Shlomo, by curator Dr. Shimon Lev, Evolve,

is a display of 100 works created over the past 3 years by Jean-Pierre Weill.

Upstairs in Heichal Shlomo is an exhibition on the life of Israel Dahan. His fifty years of work in creating Judaica and teaching Bezalel students are recognized.

Israelis are not the only ones featured in the Jerusalem Biennale.

Mirta Kupferminc curated Confrontation-Conversation with fellow Argentinian artists. Here she shows off the work of Jewish and not Jewish artists from Argentina with Dr. Ido Noy, deputy director of Biennale and editor of the impressive catalog for “For Heaven’s Sake.”

Also in Heichal Shlomo, everything from old Hebraica encyclopedias to

thousands of rubber bands are used to create unique pieces.

Female Waters curated by Rachel Verliebter is another exhibit in more traditional style.

Much more to see, in the other exhibitions in Heichal Shlomo, but we have to move along.

As in the past, the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute – Polonsky Hall is an impressive site of Jerusalem Biennale, with Not in Heaven and Transcendence.

Rachel Rotenberg has sculptures outside, plus this one inside Van Leer, as seen at the opening event.

Two boys caught my attention in the gardens filled with people, dancers, and art installations. I was wondering if an electronic game had captured their attention.

Oh my, all that and more we did in one afternoon!

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center has Hebrew Suffragists:100 Years.

Experiments with Truth curated by Gargi Seth is downstairs featuring Indian artists.

Not far away at Mishkenot Sha’ananim are the pieces In the East, where Ram Ozeri curated with Vera Pilpoul.

One of the new and most dramatic locations for Biennale 2019 is the Worldwide North Africa Jewish Heritage Center.

Attending the opening of Of Wonder, was special as the curator artist Mindy Weisel is a friend.

One of the more difficult venues to access, the works here are by Israeli and American artists.

For American Jewish artists to have their works recognized and displayed in Jerusalem, Israel, is a dream come true.

The Jerusalem 2019 Biennale For Heaven’s Sake! from the colorful pieces,

to the darker Holocaust shadowed pieces of art at North Africa Heritage Center,

to the reflective sukkah outside Heichal Shlomo –

only a fraction of the art and artists on display until November 28, check out the website for more information: www.jerusalembiennale.org

Browse art all day. There is an entry fee of NIS 45 to the Biennale, with the one ticket allowing access to each of the exhibitions.

Then too tired to cook?

Not to worry.

OPENRESTAURANTS™ JERUSALEM – THE URBAN CULINARY FESTIVAL runs from November 19 – 23, 2019. Many of Jerusalem’s finest restaurants have special offers.

What could be next in art and culture?

Zero One, a digital art festival will cover the Tower of David in lights from November 27-28, from 7:00 pm to midnight.

As always so much happening on the Jerusalem streets!

Jerusalem as August Ends and September Begins

September 4, 2019Sharon A

What a week!

That’s it for the summer.

Most visitors to Jerusalem, Israel have gone home.

At the end of August, a 9% increase in tourism was announced.

In the US and Israel, everyone was on holiday, at the beach one last time, or at a big-time BBQ.

Meanwhile, here in Jerusalem, two first-time events were held.

Jerusalem’s Kraft Family Sports Complex hosted the ninth European Flag Football Championship.

Israel finished in fourth place, but was full of pride, for Israeli Dani Eastman was named men’s tournament MVP. The tournament was to be held in Israel previously but was canceled in 2014 due to the security threats of the July-August Operation Protective Edge.

Also, there was JeruStock at First Station, a mud-free, drug and alcohol-free, family-friendly, musical, tie-dyed celebration of 50 years since Woodstock.

At the end of August in 1897, 208 delegates and 26 press correspondents attended the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland.

Theodor Herzl is not only remembered on the anniversary of the movement he started or on the day when he was re-interred in Israel in 1949. He is remembered on Har Herzl which was named for him, the man who died so young and before his vision became a reality.

This year special ceremonies were held near his tomb on Har Herzl.

A sculpture of Theodor Herzl stands in the front garden of Beit Hanasi. Here Sara Zoabi posed next to the statue in the presidential garden after a recent event held in the main hall.

Memories and this sign were all that remained of the big summer vacation and water activities in Jerusalem’s Liberty Bell Park.

It was time this week to go back to school.

Signs lined some Jerusalem streets, similar to this one on a bus, wishing all a successful school year תש”פ 5780.

Time to get ready for school, but also to get ready for changes in the streets of Jerusalem, Israel.

The new traffic pattern at the entrance to Jerusalem was well advertised. Until now no fines have been imposed on cars going in the public transit-only lanes, but that is to change now. Police will be watching and will issue tickets and fines to those drivers of private vehicles who are not following instructions.

But there is more–multiple signs are up for other road works to begin soon.

Remember the Gan HaSoos, Horse Park and ‘Windows’?

‘Windows’ was constructed for the Mekudeshet Festival which is to run September 4- 21.

This week ‘Windows’ was being repaired and readied for the musical opening of the creative festival, whose music will be filling Jerusalem streets and parks.

The design for new construction for the Knesset expansion was published.

After the municipality sent out these images of the accepted plans, objections arose that the “iconic” building is not prominent enough.

However, what the sketches do not show is all the construction surrounding the Knesset which obscures many views.

Construction and moving are two themes found throughout Jerusalem streets this week.

I especially love to see the piles of books left out for passersby to take and give a new home.

Long gone are the days when Jerusalem had few elevators and only low buildings.

This is one of the new elevators that have a number pad ONLY on the outside wall. You must push the number of the floor you want before entering the elevator. Then you have to check and see which elevator to use and then enter.

I had to take a photo of this “C” elevator. I entered after pressing the button for the 16th floor. While still in the lobby, one man came in, looked around, and exited quickly. This was a sure sign he was not a regular visitor to the building as he panicked on encountering the new technology.

A very special visitor, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and his wife arrived in Jerusalem for a ceremony inaugurating a Honduran “trade office” in Jerusalem. Their first public appearance was at the Kotel, Western Wall. This visit was to be the first step to moving the Honduran Embassy to Jerusalem.

With the new month of Elul, the countdown to Rosh Hashana, the New Year, has begun. Signs are up for pre-holiday evenings of song and prayer.

Fall events include the ‘Jaffa to Agrippas Festival’ in the Machane Yehuda Market.

I am looking forward to The Jerusalem Biennale 2019 – For Heaven’s Sake! in October.

The pomegranates are ripe as they hang on trees along Jerusalem streets.

Another sure sign the summer has passed – limes on the tree.

Finally, it is cooling off enough to be comfortable walking outside again.

One sees the reflection of the sun as it sets against the walls of the Old City.

I love this time of year, and the time of day when Jerusalem turns to Jerusalem of Gold.

The Minimalist Guide to Jerusalem Between Passover and Lag B’Omer

May 22, 2019Sharon A

Oh, Jerusalem!

Does anyone else remember the good old days back in America?

The quiet time between Passover and Lag B’Omer. There were no weddings. Live musical performances were taboo. Parties were rare. Then starting on Lag B’Omer celebrations would begin again.

Not so in here in Jerusalem. There is no down time!

Flags, flags, more flags. In Jerusalem it is a season of flags and flowers and celebrations.

Eurovision was held in Tel Aviv, getting much media attention.

Driving through Tel Aviv on the Ayalon Highway, the only sign of Eurovision I saw was this huge banner from StandWithUs offering tourists a trip to see to see coexistence.

On the Jerusalem streets, GFNY, the cycling race where amateurs can ride with the pros, streets were closed on the first Friday morning in May.

Going past the Knesset the lead cyclists were going too fast to get a clear image.

Close to 900 riders took part in the race, which included three routes of various lengths.

One warning sign was still left on Azza Street this week. I often say Jerusalem streets all go up!

At least on a bike, one has to slow down.

Happenings on Jerusalem streets seem to never slow down.

Sport Week in Israel is from May 17 – 24. On May 17th, there was another Jerusalem cycling event. But for that amateur race fewer streets were closed.

Also, there was the International Writers Festival and Jerusalem Book Forum, from May 12-16, for the less athletic types. Authors and publishers came to Jerusalem from thirty countries, and the program included live music, panels discussions, and lectures in varied venues.

At the opening at the YMCA, Joyce Carol Oates received the Jerusalem Prize from Mayor Moshe Lion. In her acceptance remarks, Oates spoke about her grandmother who gave her an early love of books and writing.

The Hansen House hosted a Conference on Design.

It’s hard to keep track. So many different events and signs are posted.

The Prime Minister’s office announced that the PM was to mark one-year of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel.

I was on my way to the David Citadel Hotel for the event, when I noticed this sign.

In front to the hotel was a bus with “Thank you, President Trump, Thank You, America” boldly posted on the side.

It turned out to be an event with US Ambassador David Friedman.

On the stage Chief Rabbi David Lau spoke about mezuzahs.

A mezuzah was completed on stage with the Prime Minister and the US Ambassador.

A special silver case for the mezuzah was presented by the Friends of Zion to the US Ambassador for use on the new official US Residence in Jerusalem.

At the end of the program, a copy of the new Embassy sign was displayed on stage.

MK Tzipi Hotovely and Tammy Friedman were kind enough to pose with it for a photo.

That night included impassioned speeches, dignitaries, good food, and wine.

But I think my favorite scene was on the way home. This pile of empty boxes was left on the street. Outside the former US Consulate, now the US Embassy Building, it looked like moving day.

Across Agron Street in Gan Haatzmaut, Independence Park, was a large sign saying, “Happy Independence Day.”

Israeli flags were on light poles, decorated this month with Ramadan holiday lights.

In this time from Passover to Lag B’Omer, we have had no shortage of celebrations.

The Jerusalem Bird Observatory celebrated its 25th anniversary.

On the day of the Jerusalem Marathon, its green roof was really green.

The rain was a blessing. There was more than usual this year.

But now open areas are dry. A severe heat wave is on the way.

While the main Lag B’Omer celebration is in Meron, young people in Jerusalem have been saving and storing wood for large holiday bonfires.

Signs are up. Parades. Parties. Carnivals. Music. Lag B’Omer ready.

The usual large bonfires are banned and fires must be more controlled this year.

Museums are free on May 23, Lag B’Omer.

Welcome to Jerusalem Friedman family.

Hope you enjoy your new residence.

But be advised to keep your windows closed on Lag B’Omer.

Always so much happening on the Jerusalem streets.

There was more, but as this is getting way too long, saving some special happenings for next time.

Here we go again, Happy Lag B’Omer!