Nostalgia Sunday – Tmol Shilshom

October 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, Food, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture, Profiles, Travel 

Some places some are born nostalgic, some achieve nostalgia and some have nostalgia thrust upon them. Bookstore-cafe Tmol Shilshom is all three. Founded in 1994, the location alone — a 130 year-old building on Jerusalem’s winding cobblestone Nahalat Shiva street — would be enough to guarantee a sense of days gone by. And then there’s the name, the phrase “tmol-shilshom” which can be translated as “those were the days”. See? Born nostalgic.

Tmol Shilshom quickly became a fixture on Jerusalem’s literary landscape as a venue for Israel’s best known writers to read from their works. The late Yehuda Amichai, who read from his poetry at the cafe’s opening, was one of its major patrons: his favorite chair still stands in the corner. And so, despite its youth (as compared with other of the city’s older establishments), Tmol Shilshom has acquired a antiqued patina.

In 1996, the cafe expanded to include two separate seating areas, one hall frequently accommodating literary or other events, the other serving regular customers.

Like most public venues in Jerusalem, particularly those in the center of town, Tmol Shilshom was greatly affected by the second Intifada. Frequent terrorist attacks made people afraid to venture out. Many businesses closed but Tmol Shilshom weathered the storm, or, as their website pluckily puts it: “Having survived all that, we’re now one of the veteran and favorite cafes in town. Some people like us for the food, others for the books, and others yet for the atmosphere. There`s always something to do at Tmol Shilshom.”

Despite being classified as a bookstore-cafe, Tmol Shilshom is really more of a bistro if you look at the menu (highly recommended), and their Friday morning breakfast buffet is legendary.

The interior is lined with bookshelves, framed pictures, snapshots of famous patrons and even the menus, covered with images from literary classics, hark back to yesteryear. And then there are the plates — decorated with quotations — and of course, the hot beverage glasses with their metal holders, just like grandma’s.

And the place-mats, which quote both Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and The Jefferson Airplane’s Go Ask Alice. (Click on image to view full-sized). Trippy…

Other well-know authors and poets — Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua, Batya Gur, David Grossman, Jonathan Safran-Foer and others — have frequented Tmol Shilshom as well; the place prides itself on being an inspiring atmosphere in which writers can park themselves at a table and nurse a cup of coffee for hours upon hours.

Tmol Shilshom also encourages talent by hosting writers groups and classes. Upcoming is The Book of Beginnings: From the first family’s story to your own (26 October – 28 December 2011) is an English-language creative writing workshop with writer Ilene Prusher, who will guide students in writing fiction and/or nonfiction works inspired by the family stories, inter-generational struggles and complicated relationships in the Book of Genesis.

Writer Judy Labensohn has for several years been conducting an English-language “Writing Gym” at Tmol Shilshom, where she promises there will be “No sore muscles, as in other gyms”. Called Loosen Up, the program is scheduled to resume in 2012.

You can check out CultureKey Jerusalem for other upcoming events at Tmol Shilshom.

Tmol Shilshom is located at 5 Yoel Solomon Street. Open Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m. till 1 a.m. Closes early on Fridays, closed on Shabbat. Click here for 10% discount coupon from Eluna.com.

Photos by Ella Cohen, Ivan Tihienko

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Nostalgia Sunday – For Sale: Ambassadorial Residence (British)

October 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: design, Environment, General, History and Culture, News, Nostalgia Sunday, Picture of the Week, Politics, Pop Culture, Profiles, Travel, tv 

The news that had Israel’s Anglosphere all a-twitter this past week was an ad stating simply that the British government was selling off its current Ambassadorial residence, located in the most prestigious residential site in Ramat Gan. This exit leaves only the Italian, Japanese and a handful of other official residences in what was once Israel’s diplomatic enclave, in the pre-Kfar Shmarhyahu / Herliya Pituach era. And believe you me, there are real estate developers hungrily licking their chops over those precious real estate packages, too.

The British Ambassador’s residence was not designed by a famous Bauhaus-trained architect and is therefore not listed among the websites devoted to historic Israeli architecture. It is not an abandoned ruin and is therefore not profiled in the marvelous Natush website and blog devoted to disappearing architectural gems run by architect Sharon Raz. Like most of the older residences in the neighborhood, despite multiple interior renovations it probably has clunky, temperamental plumbing and unexpected roof leaks in the rainy season. What the home has going for it is, as Globes put it, “a manicured garden in the best British tradition,” on 600 square meters of space.

The residence has housed every British ambassador since Sir Alexander Knox Helm, was dispatched in 1949 as the first ambassador to the Jewish State. Prior to that, according to Haaretz’s Anglo-File, which has a well-researched article about the sale, “Neighborhood resident and retired engineer Eli Zeichner… says that the first home to be built on the property belonged to an American family, the Liebermans, who sold it to a Russian family, the Hirschbergs. Before the British government purchased the property in the 1950s and extensively renovated it, the Hirschbergs operated a bed and breakfast there.”

It’s worth noting that Ramat Gan’s relationship with the British Empire began long before any ambassadors took up residence. Ha’aretz notes that “During World War I, a British artillery division was stationed atop the same hill where the property sits. Twenty years later, with an eye to establishing a leafy new town, the British Regional governor, Robert Edward Harold Crosbie, officiated at the inauguration of a park on that peak in 1937.” (There’s a picture of Crosbie above left and you can read more about the park’s history in a previous Nostalgia Sunday post).

The symbiosis doesn’t end there. According to the Ramat Gan municipal website, “In 1946, having been settled for a quarter century, there city had about 12 thousand inhabitants more than 1,200 houses, and over 560 businesses. While city leaders had good relations with British authorities, who helped expand the community and strengthen the economy, at the same time, Ramat Gan was a center of underground activity. The British called it ‘the incubator of terrorism’”. The entry goes on to describe the 1946 Irgun bombing of British Police headquarters, the arrest of Irgun leader Dov Gruner who was subsequently executed by the British at Acre Prison, and the fact that the same building today houses the Israel Police.

On a lighter note, Israel’s first lawn bowls club, the Ramat Gan Bowling Club, was established in that city and British Ambassador Sir Francis Evans (pictured left) officiated at the opening on September 17, 1953.

Back to the news at hand. The selling price is NIS 36 million (about $9.5 million), and the sale is being handled agents Inter Israel, representatives of Cushman & Wakefield.

YnetNews interviewed Inter-Israel CEO Adrian Blumenthal who pointed out some of the major selling points: “The British ambassador’s home is located in one of the most luxurious places in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area… The topographic height, the central location with easy access to any place in Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv, along with quick and easy access to the Ayalon Freeway and other highways, make this place particularly attractive. Moreover, we are talking about a very quiet and peaceful street, an unusual green lung in the heart of the city…With all of the building’s history and uniqueness, it will undoubtedly spark a great amount of interest on the past of foreign and Israeli buyers and entrepreneurs.”

It’s that last word, “entrepreneurs”, that has the neighbors worried. The British Ambassador’s residence is located in a relatively tony part of Ramat Gan known as “Gan HaKofim” (Monkey Garden) — the origins of which can be read in a previous post — and the locals are not known for keeping silent when something doesn’t suit their fancy. Quite the opposite. As of a week ago, the Gan HaKofim neighborhood council had already fired off a letter to municipal conservation commission member Israel Singer, with a copy to the British Embassy, requesting that the site be designated for conservation.

“The unique architectural structure reflects respectability without ostentation and the traditional English gardens surrounding it are an integral and central part of the fabric of a unique neighborhood.”

“In our opinion, there is justification to declare the area for conservation on the basis of architectural and historical value of the compound and the fact that the English garden includes a large number of mature trees which are protected by law. Moreover, it should be noted that the street is a central component in the history of Ramat Gan and there are other properties on the street that have already been designated for conservation, including the Workers House of Ramat Gan-Givatayim, Fischer House and the Shaul Garden (Monkey Garden) water tower overlooking the Ambassador’s residential compound.”

That last point could well put the kibosh on any future large-scale development. In 2008, Gan HaKofim residents halted plans to build a parking lot in place of their neighborhood park. They led a long struggle to save Ramat Gan’s Machtesh Stadium (ultimately razed in August of this year). Trust me, they won’t go down without a fight.

Meanwhile, plans going forward to move the official residence to a more modern setting with plenty of parking. According to the Jerusalem Post, current Ambassador Matthew Gould — who had mezuzot affixed to the doorposts upon entering the residence — “has his eye on Kfar Shmaryahu, where many of the houses would give him far greater scope for indoor entertaining than he has in the current residence, where the public rooms are somewhat small, and where theater- style, sit-down functions have been rather cramped.”

It was in the garden where most of the entertaining went on, whether hosting expats at the Queen’s Birthday or throwing a Hannuka cocktail party for fashionistas Trinny and Susannah (photos above, courtesy Mati Milstein / British Embassy Tel Aviv). All agree that it was the garden that made the Ramat Gan residence so special and it may be the garden, with its wonderful “mature” trees, that will keep the building and the neighborhood green and intact.

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Foto Friday – New Year’s Pomegranates

September 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, design, Food, Foto Friday, General, Holidays, Picture of the Week, Profiles 

Along with apples and honey, the pomegranate, as a symbol of fertility and rebirth, is also a symbol of the new year. These particular pomegranates are unique in that they’re made of marzipan. Yes, marzipan. But in the hands of an artist like award winning pastry chef Judith “Yud” Zer-Aviv that malleable sugary almond paste is, well, just like clay in the hands of a creator. (Click on image to see full-sized).

Zer-Aviv — who was profiled last year in Israelity for her tasteful and tasty marzipan Fendi hats — recently posted an arresting set of photographs on Facebook. Entitled,”Make Pomegranates for the New Year”, it’s provides step-by-step instructions on making these decorative and delicious fake fruits, starting with a small ball of paste, pierced with a toothpick…

A few steps later, it begins to take shape…

There are several stages to getting the right effect with food coloring…

There are also instructions on how to make and attach the leaves and stems. Follow them, one by one, and voila! There are your marzipan pomegranates!

Visit Yud’s Facebook page for full instrucions or just enjoy the pictures. And as the new year begins, remember, you’re never too old for marzipan.

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Foto Friday – Summer’s end with Ron Shoshani

September 15, 2011 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Art, design, Foto Friday, General, Israeliness, Life, Picture of the Week, Profiles, Travel 

The weather is changing. The days are shorter, nights are cooler and the High Holy Days are almost upon us. One moment before we put our sandals and bathing suits away, let’s take a look back at summer 2011 with photographer Ron Shoshani.

Shoshani — who also works under the name Ronsho — spent a lot of time on the beach this summer, snapping pictures of the Tel Aviv shoreline, then taking the results back to the studio where he works his digital magic, creating hyper-realistic images that seem to almost jump off the screen. (A previous column provides a more detailed explanation of his work process).

Good morning Tel Aviv (part #1)!

“The major trick,” says Shoshani “is to be there at the right time, i.e. sunrise or sunset. These are the magic hours when the light is soft and the colors are great.” This photo of the famous (and infamous) Metzizim beach was shot at 6:00am.

Good morning Tel Aviv

Shoshani states that there are things of beauty all around us, “but sometimes we’re not aware and neglect them…” The sands of Tel Aviv’s Jerusalem beach, pounded each day by thousands of bare feet, suddenly reveals its rhythmic pattern…

Good morning Tel Aviv – part #2

Another early morning shot of Metzizim beach reveals a different pattern, this time machine-made…

To date, Shoshani has shared his work on Facebook, where a community of fans leave compliments and conduct discussions. He’s now opened up a second community on Google+, having reached the 5000 FB friends limit.

Visit and view the full size photos, including an amazing photo of some New York highway cops on their lunch break. By request of the policemen, a print of Ronsho’s photo now hangs in the HQ of NYPD Highway Patrol #15.

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Foto Friday – Time is Now! Yalla!

September 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, Blogging, coexistence, design, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Life, News, Picture of the Week, Politics, Profiles, Social Justice, tv 

INSIDE OUT is a large-scale participatory art project that asks participants to upload their photo, receive back a poster and then paste it publicly in their communities. The project, spearheaded by a Paris-based artist, photographer and and TED Prize winner known only by the initials JR, is intended to “transform messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work”.

In early March,JR announced his wish to turn the world Inside Out. A group of photographers and organizers in Tunisia were the first to participate in an InsideOut community project, which they named Artocracy.

Now it’s our turn. The Time Is Now, Yalla! – InsideOut in Israel & Palestine project got underway yesterday and today and will continue tomorrow.

On Wednesday, the word went out on Facebook that InsideOut were building photo-booths in Ramallah and Bethlehem…

On Thursday, a new post read: “Guys, we are ready to start the action in Tel Aviv!! We really need help tomorrow (Sept 2) and Saturday (Sept 3) to paste, help tell people on the ground about the project & get them participating. Please let us know by emailing us: jr@insideoutproject.net. Tell us what day(s) & time(s) you can help. For the rest of you, stay tuned for details on where/when the actions will take place. We can’t wait to see you there!”

And so, last night a rolling studio-truck in Tel Aviv started its journey fittingly enough, at the epicenter of the social justice protest, the Tent City on Rothschild Boulevard.

Today came another post: “Waiting for you now !!!! Come and take your Time Is Now portrait … In Tel Aviv, on the Habima, North of Sderot Rothschild – In the truck. In Bethlehem, at the bus station opposite St Joseph School. In Ramallah, in Baladna center.”

Tonight Rothschild sleeps before the big rally tomorrow night, after which the tents will be dismantled. The InsideOut in Israel & Palestine project is due to continue tomorrow. Go to the Facebook page, click “Like” and keep an eye on the postings. Go on, the time is now! Yalla!

More great photos of this exciting project are being posted here.

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