Nostalgia Sunday – Jerusalem 1967
In 1967, Moshe Lavi was a soldier fighting in the Six Day War. In the days that followed the retaking of Jerusalem, Lavi armed himself with a camera and documented the events unfolding around him. These never before published images are part of the larger historical record but also provide us with a glimpse into the past through the eyes of one young man who was there.
This what the Old City looked like, just days after the war ended.
(Click on image to view larger).
Israeli citizens began flooding to the Western Wall…
Soldiers and civilians alike (you can count my parents among them) took a close look at enemy weaponry…
A makeshift memorial of flowers and a small plaque was set up in memory of five paratroopers from Division 80 Reconnaissance Unit 75 who were killed in the battle for Jerusalem…
This was eventually replaced with a larger memorial, by sculptress Yona Palombo, for Paratrooper Division 80′s fallen. Today, it includes the names of 47 more soldiers killed in Israel’s wars and stands on the outskirts of the Old City.
This photo courtesy of the Paratrooper Brigade website. All other photos graciously provided by Moshe Lavi.
Foto Friday – Flowers of Jerusalem
Sometimes, you just have to stop and smell the roses. That statement is particularly apt for Jerusalem where life is politically charged on both the national and international fronts. The city’s public parks provide a bit of shelter, relieve the tension and offer a break from the heat.
© Pes & Lev
One such oasis is the Wohl Rose Park (Gan HaVradim), located opposite the Knesset and government precinct, at the foot of the Israeli Supreme Court. Established in 1981, the park has over 400 varieties of roses, and is one of the few parks of its kind in the Middle East.
© pmos_nmos
© RomKri
Jerusalem is seldom described as green and yet the city’s neighborhoods are dotted with flowers, flower boxes and flowering trees…
© RomKri
© Pes & Lev
The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens (JBG) is another great place for those who love flora and fauna. It’s also located adjacent to Givat Ram and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
© RomKri
All photos are courtesy of the excellent Jerusalem Shots website where there are plenty more images to enjoy.
Celebrities r us in Israel
Etgar Keret not being bothered in Tel Aviv. (Marc Israel Sellem)
Who can forget the Kotel dustup between Leo’s bodyguards and photographers when he and Bar Raphaeli went to pay a visit, or Bieber escaping the hordes on a moped and running over the foot of a lensman?
But aside from teeny boppers who hang out in hotel lobbies hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite performer or artist, I think most Israelis are respectful – and even blasé about spotting celebs.
Earlier this week, I met Israeli author Etgar Keret (whom Brian wrote about attending the International Writers Festival) at a café in his Tel Aviv neighborhood.
Now, I’m not attempting to compare Keret to an international celebrity like Madonna, but he is one of Israel’s top authors and on his way to becoming an international icon in the short story field, with glowing reviews in the New York Times for his latest collection Suddenly, A Knock at the Door.
I think most Israelis who read probably know what he looks like (as opposed, say to how few Americans would recognize John Grisham at a local Taco Bell). However, he sat at that café for almost two hours, and aside from the server calling him by his first name (which could be due to the fact that he’s a regular), not one patron or passerby looked, approached or talked to Keret.
Maybe it’s because Israelis have a cool quotient that prevents them from acknowledging things like that – or maybe it’s because there just isn’t that gap between every day people and celebs here. They eat at the same places, take their kids to gan with your kids, and have the same complaints about long lines at the supermarket. In other words, our celebrities – in their own environment – aren’t glamorous, which is kind of nice.
However, if I see Bar Raphaeli in a Tel Aviv café, all bets are off.
International Writer’s Festival a hit in Jerusalem
Etgar Keret
Gary Shteyngart
The International Writer’s Festival has returned to Jerusalem packing heat. The biennial event, which kicked off on Monday, has nearly as many international writers present as Israelis, many of whom defied pressure back home to steer clear of Israel, according to Uri Dromi, director general of Mishkenot Sha’ananim, the main location of the festival (events are also taking place at cafes, cinemas and even the Mahane Yehuda market all during the week).
Dromi was speaking at the opening to an enjoyable, often raucously funny meet-up between American writer Gary Shteyngart and Israeli surreal short story’ist Etgar Keret. My wife and I always try to attend at least one session during the festival, as much for the atmosphere – hundreds of Israelis who have come together for literature! – as well as the specific authors.
At the sold out dialogue between Keret and Shteyngart, the latter read from his latest book, “Super Sad True Love Story,” set in a dystopian future where everyone wears a necklace of sorts that broadcasts one’s social status and financial status – it’s Facebook gone crazy with any hints of privacy entirely eviscerated.
Keret mostly played the interviewer although he peppered his questions with a few stories of his own, mostly about his father who passed away six weeks ago. In a touching and original way, Keret has replaced the religious “Kaddish” that is traditionally said for a year after a parent dies with a pledge to speak about his dad in any public appearance he makes. His main story at the Shteyngart meet-up involved cancer, coughing and coffee.
The Mishkenot Sha’ananim setting is, to indulge in a cliché, picture perfect. Our session was held in a large white tent erected specially for the festival, open on one side, with a spectacular view of the Old City.
Other international writers appearing at the festival include Lukas Barfuss from Switzerland, Aimee Bender from the U.S. (whose latest book has the unflappable title “The Girl with the Flammable Skirt”), Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo, and Tracy Chevalier whose best known work, “The Girl with the Pearl Earring,” sold four million copies and was made into a successful movie.
Tracy Chevalier
Chevalier was in the audience for the Shteyngart–Keret shindig, which was a treat for me because we both went to Oberlin College, graduating a year apart. I was sure that we must have known each other (I was a Creative Writing major, she was in the English department), but alas, it seems we never crossed paths and my chance at reminiscing with a true literary celebrity was reduced to a few friendly words and some pleasant small talk.
If you’re in Jerusalem and you have an hour or two to spare, the International Writer’s Festival continues until Thursday.
Adi Barkan’s BMI battle
Adi Barkan, a fashion photographer, has been working for years to get the Knesset to outlaw underweight models, following his own exposure to models suffering from anorexia and bulimia.
Back in 2007, after the death of former model Hila Elmalich who was 34 and weighed less than sixty pounds, he told me the following for Women’s Wear Daily:
“The problem is with society, and the low self-esteem of these girls,” says Barkan. “We need to put this out there, to make it a societal norm in Israel and the rest of the world. People need to see these anorexic bodies and move their butts and do something about this.”
Israel21c interviewed Barkan several times about the issue, and posted the following video:
In March, his perseverance paid off, as the Knesset passed what is being called the Photoshop law, for the aspect of the law that regulates the use of Photoshop to make women appear perfect in advertisements. That’s a huge accomplishment. The bulk — no pun intended — of the law focuses on banning underweight models based on their BMI, or Body Mass Index.
The law is making waves in Israel, and around the world. Can Israel set the precedent for changing the way the fashion industry views and uses models’ bodies?
Interestingly enough, it was on Israel’s new fashion channel, Fashion.net., that a panel of fashion professionals, including clothing designer Yosef and a local fashion magazine editor, agreed that despite the new law and its groundbreaking potential, the fashion world will still view impossibly thin model bodies as the ultimate in goal.
“No one wants to see a curvy, zaftig model,” said Naama Chaisin, who is the second generation in the Tovale designer line of clothing. “And I say that as someone who is curvy and has fought to lose weight my whole life.”
Here’s to hoping she’s wrong.
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