The past and the present come together in Jerusalem
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, History and Culture, Life, Politics
Sir Martin Gilbert
Cotler, one of the world’s foremost international human rights lawyers and a tireless advocate for Israel, spoke at The Jerusalem Great Synagogue on ‘Facing the Challenge of Ahmadinejad’s Iran – Can the Free World Ensure the Security of Israel and Global Human Rights?’
Only a couple miles away in East Talpiot, at the Masorti Movement’s flagship synagogue, Moreshet Avraham, I chose to hear Gilbert, arguably the leading historian of the modern world, give a fascinating talk about his upcoming book ‘Jews Under Muslim Rule’ (alright, I also introduced him to the packed audience of 500).
The official biographer of Winston Churchill, Gilbert is the author of over 70 books including the comprehensive History of Israel, The Holocaust: The Jewish Tragedy, and his three-volume work, A History of the Twentieth Century.
In his hour-long talk, Gilbert mesmerized the audience with his anecdote-filled overview of the Jewish experience living under Muslim authorities from the time of Mohammed up until the present day. He recounted the ordeals of Jews in Arab countries in the years following the creation of Israel, pointing out guests of his in the audience who had provided their personal experiences of being persecuted and expelled from their native countries because they were Jews – and by association – Zionists.
Of special relevancy, he tied in the current debate about refugee status and restitution for Palestinians displaced by the creation of Israel with the 800,000 Jews from Arab lands who were thrown out of forced to flee, leaving their property and possessions behind.
One member of the audience who left Yemen with his family as a 10-month-old baby, who also served as a source for the book, spoke during the question and answer period about a movement which is gaining force to attempt to gain restitution for the lost Jewish property.
Gilbert astutely pointed out that the obstacle facing such a campaign was the tit for tat effort by Palestinians who are claiming restitution for their homes which were once in Talbieh in Jerusalem or in Jaffa.
It was one of those moments when you realize that it’s almost impossible to hold an historical talk in Jerusalem without current events becoming interminably entwined – which is probably why most of us live here.
Gymnasia Herzliya
Had to head to Tel Aviv’s Gymnasia Herzliya this week for work — writing up a teachers’ seminar from the twinning program of the Los Angeles Federation’s Los Angeles-Tel Aviv Partnership — and was transported back in time to the place in history that this well-known high school occupies.
True, the bell signifying the end of a period plays the theme tune of the TV show “Friends,” and the front of the school’s sidewalk is crowded with bicycles and motor scooters. But the school’s facade is the same as the one built in 1909 — although it is a replica of the original — and it is still considered one of the country’s best high schools.
What I liked best was the school’s basement room, which was lined with photos and information about the school’s establishment. Originally known as Gymnasia HaIvrit, the Hebrew High School, the school was founded in 1905 in Ottoman-controlled Jaffa, before there was a Tel Aviv or Tel Aviv’s first Jewish neighborhood, Ahuzat Bayit. Once Ahuzat Bayit was established, the school had its first building on Herzl Street, with the cornerstone laid in 1909. Hence the name Herzliya. That lasted until 1962, when the historic building was razed for the Shalom Tower, and the school now sits on Jabotinsky Street in north Tel Aviv. The gate that I saw is a replica of the original, and now, probably as they did back then, students gathered around the entrance between classes, discussing whether to walk down to the nearby makolet to grab a sandwich or to make do with the offerings from the school cafeteria.
I doubt today’s students have calling cards like the students in the early 1900s (those were displayed in the school museum), but hey, who needs ‘em when you have iPods and cellphones?
An airport that makes a statement
Filed under: A New Reality, design, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness
The only thing better than going on vacation is coming home…at least for those on the receiving end. There’s something deliciously exciting about waiting at the exit from baggage claim and customs at the airport for your loved ones to appear. And while you don’t want to spend the entire time anxiously staring at the sliding glass, you know you can’t avert your eyes lest you miss the exact moment the doors swoosh open, revealing your tired arrival, laden with bags filled with goodies from America.
But when our 16-year-old daughter returned earlier this week from the U.S., my eyes momentarily gazed upwards and the scene above was not what I expected.
The ceiling at Ben Gurion’s arrival hall is no mere functional covering like you might see at a more pedestrian airport. It is really quite majestic…and I’m not just saying that as a patriotic Israeli.
Rising 4 stories and supported by large Greek columns (not sure what the symbolism there is), the space makes a bold statement. It says in essence: you are here and that’s important, so we will honor you with a ceremonial space commensurate with your commitment to visit, return or immigrate.
The contrast with the old airport building is stark. The Ben Gurion to which I made aliyah was crowded, hot and with an entirely ordinary roof. The doors still swooshed open but the smaller space meant that the throngs of welcoming family members crushed on top of each other. No majesty there.
Frankly, it’s a wonder that the new airport got built at all. We Israelis are not known for our long term planning. If the payoff is too far out, our self-interested politicians are reluctant to spend their personal capital on a project that someone else will ultimately get the credit for.
That the airport came out as lovely and luxurious as it did fills me with blue and white delight… and hope that when the Jerusalem light rail, the fast train or any number of long-delayed transportation endeavors are completed, they too will inspire pride in what we can accomplish with foresight, tenacity…and four story tall spaces with large Greek columns.
Foto Friday – Oren Izre’el’s fresh look at rehab
Filed under: Art, Foto Friday, General, health, Life, Medical Breakthroughs, Technology
The Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center — or as it’s familiarly known here, Beit Levenstein — is marking its jubilee anniversary this year with an exhibition of photo and video art on the hospital grounds. Loewenstein Hospital is a national referral center for the rehabilitation of brain-injured patients, where it focuses on the evaluation and rehabilitation of locomotor, cognitive and communication disorders.
The show, entitled “A Place of Hope” gives viewers the chance to learn about Beit Lowenstein’s rehab programs that range from traditional occupational therapy and hydrotherapy to novel treatments such as horticultural therapy, Snoezelen – where it is the first hospital to use this controlled multisensory stimulation technique in unconscious patients — as well as laughter therapy.
Photographer Oren Izre’el spent the past year observing Loewenstein Hospital; the result is a fresh point of view of the hospital’s staff as they care for patients and, by extension, their families, too.
The center coordinates vocational training and psycho-social assistance to help patients integrate back into their homes, communities and workplaces.
The center also takes charge of the rehabilitation of a high percentage of Israel’s wounded soldiers, and has researched and developed new techniques and improved prosthetic devices. Many of these have come into much wider use and patients from hospitals in other countries of the world are referred to Loewenstein Hospital for care.
Loewenstein Hospital, part of Israeli health maintenance organization (HMO) Clalit Health Services, is located in Ra’anana; it has 240 beds for short and long-term hospital care, a large number of specialized outpatient clinics, a general day care hospital, a pediatric day care unit and a traumatic brain injury day care unit.
More information is available at the Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center website.
Israel Museum expansion almost completed
Filed under: A New Reality, Art, design, General, History and Culture
The newly refurbished Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life
One of the leading art and archeology museums in the world, the 44-year-old museum is the country’s largest cultural institution, housing nearly 500,000 objects inside encyclopedic collections ranging from prehistory through contemporary art, and includes the most extensive holdings of Biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world, among them the Dead Sea Scrolls.
However, over the last two years, visitors to the museum have been greeted by tractors, bulldozers, and a curtailed experience, as the museum began undertaking a massive remodeling and expansion. The good news? It’s almost completed. The museum announced this week that the renovations on its 20 acre campus will be open to the public on July 26th, 2010, and will include the creation of new facilities as well as a comprehensive reconfiguration of the Museum’s three collection wings, encompassing 80,000 square feet of new construction and 200,000 square feet of renovated and expanded gallery space.
Among the highlights will undoubtedly be the museum’s Jewish Art and Life Wing, housing the world’s preeminent collection of Judaica and Jewish ethnography. The wing will be named the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life in honor of a $12 million gift presented this week to the museum by the Mandel family from Cleveland, Ohio, and it will present objects from sacred and secular Jewish traditions together for the first time in a newly combined permanent display.
The Jewish Art and Life Wing, which traces the diaspora of sacred and secular Jewish cultures worldwide, from the Middle Ages to the present, will lead visitors through the daily and ritual markers of the Jewish life cycle and calendar, and will include a ‘synagogue route,’ which includes four original synagogue interiors from European, Asian, and American cultures.
Always an eye-opening experience with endless discoveries, the newly refurbished Israel Museum will undoubtedly surpass all expectations as a premier attraction in our attraction-filled country.
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