Artsy desert kibbutz wins bid to design Waldorf interior
By Geoff Winston, Keshet
On a family vacation in the Arava Desert, we popped in to see the new Art Center of Kibbutz Neot Smadar. When driving toward Eilat, we had always seen the tower sticking out of this tiny kibbutz, but never had the opportunity to check it out from up close.
As we approached the enormous building, it felt as if we were entering a palace from a fairy tale: bright pastel colors right out of a Crayola box, surrounded by manicured gardens and well-placed water fountains (in the desert!) balconies surrounding the inner courtyard, decorated by cement birds in place of guardrails – and huge dimensions.
Kibbutz Neot Smadar was founded in 1989 in the middle of nowhere. The idea was to form a relationship with the desert and the environment through organic farming, water recycling, etc. In the late 1990s, the members embarked upon building an art center, creating new architectural techniques and building materials using the resources of the desert. The heart of the project was the six-story air chimney that collects the wind, cools it via a water spray system and then uses the force of the wind to disperse the air through underground ducts and vents to cool the center’s studios and workshops — in essence, an efficient natural air conditioner.
I bumped into a former teaching colleague who decided to leave suburbia some five years ago in order to join in the completion of this project, which took 13 years. Yuval was known at the “botzan” – the mud teacher. He would build things around the school out of natural products, such as a huge teepee out of palm branches, benches out of mud, a fish pond, a gazebo. With Yuval’s help, the builders were able to complete the art center using only materials that they created and their own manpower.
And there’s more to the story of this quirky kibbutz, where members eat their meals together in silence and start each day with a mandatory yoga/meditation session.
Exhibiting their newly created natural concrete molding reliefs and sculptures, the kibbutz put in a bid to design and decorate the inside of the soon-to-be-opened Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem – and won! Soon we will be able to see the relationship between the extravagant, world famous hotel and little-known, minimalistic Kibbutz Neot Smadar.
Pundak 101 saves the day
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Holidays, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life
The Pundak during the day...
At that point, my husband notices that we’re literally out of gas, meaning, the little light is on, and we’re pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, we use our Waze iPhone app to find the nearest sign of humanity, and it’s just a few minutes down the road at Pundak 101, as it’s commonly known.
Pulling into the Pundak, which has the look of a large honky tonk bar, it’s unclear if there’s actually gas on site, but we’re told they they keep a gas tank on the premises just for situations like these, and it costs only one shekel more than the usual gas station price. Given the prices these days, that’s not too bad. So Daniel the Pundak staff member hops into the car with us and directs us into the dark bowels behind the Pundak, an enormous yard filled with old rusting cars, boats and other unidentified pieces of metal. After a few minutes of driving, we pull up to a 70s era gas tank and fill up with half a tank — or NIS 200 — worth of gas. We drop Daniel off at the entrance and get on our way.
Turns out, not surprisingly, that Pundak 101 has some history, including its name, which is for its location 101 kilometers from the Taba/Eilat border. There also used to be a small petting zoo on site with giant turtles, and there are rooms to let, and good sandwiches to eat. And gas if you’re completely desperate…
Disturbed singer vacations in Israel
Filed under: A New Reality, Entertainment, General, Israeliness, Life, Music, Pop Culture, Travel
David Draiman in Jerusalem.
If they had, and they were under 30, they would have recognized Ben’s brother David, who just happens to be the vocalist for one of the most popular hard rock bands in the US – Disturbed.
The elder, more famous Draiman frequently visits Israel to see his brother, grandmother and huge clan of relatives, the continuation of a life-long love affair with the country.
“I love it here, “ Draiman told me last week in Jerusalem, before he prepared to shoot down to Eilat for some scuba diving with his girlfriend, TV host and former pro wrestler Lena Yada, who was making her first visit to the country.
“I told her to take the most confident Greek and Italian men and put them together, and you’d have an Israeli guy,” he said.
The exotic-looking Yada would undoubtedly have no problem fending off aggressive would-be-suitors. And based on the glances from pedestrians and missed green lights by motorists that occurred when she crossed the street outside her hotel to run into a boutique at the Mamilla Mall, there would be lots of suitors.
Draiman, who spent a year studying in a yeshiva in Jerusalem after high school, remains an ardent Zionist and said he’s constantly defending Israel and his Jewish faith, with his words, and if need be, with his fists. He described encounters with anti-Semites and skinheads, some of which ended up in discussion and some in non-verbal interaction.
Growing up in an observant environment at five different Jewish day schools/yeshivot, Draiman excelled in hazzanut and studies, but rebelled at the religious conformity and was eventually asked to leave each institution.
While no longer observant, he was confident that with a little brushing up, he could lead the High Holiday services from beginning to end with no problem. So if any shuls are looking for a second rabbi/cantor next year, here’s your man.
The war for the airwaves in Eilat
21st century airwaves battle for the top of Mount Amram
In 1947, the U.N. partition plan designated the sleepy port of Eilat as the southernmost tip of the new Jewish state. It wasn’t until the final days of the War of Independence, however, when Israel took control of the town in an operation that surprised the small platoon of Jordanian troops stationed in mud huts in what was then called Umm Rashrash.
The Jordanians surrendered without a fight and, today, the Red Sea border town is a major international tourist destination, favored by Europeans escaping the cold winters of the continent.
The war for Eilat is not quite over, though. It’s now being fought in the airwaves for control of our cell phones.
We were on a week’s vacation in Eilat last week and went for a hike in an area called Amram’s Pillars, west of Highway 90, the main artery connecting the far north and southern poles of the country. We chose a barren trail that climbed steeply up Mount Amram for a stunning view of the entire Eilat area, before plunging down into the mysterious red limestone rock formations where the ancient Egyptians once mined copper some 3,000 years ago.
As we trekked up and down the hills, our cell phones all began to ring at once. Who wanted us so badly when we were communing with the infinite desert?
It was Jordan calling. Or more accurately, our Israeli cell phone provider Orange was warning us that we were no longer connected to Israel’s mobile network and that any call we made would be routed through Amman at a hefty premium.
A few seconds later, it was Orange again, welcoming us back to Israel. And then it was Jordan calling. And Israel. The virtual tussle for atmospheric supremacy went on for much of the day, each time resulting in a barrage of SMS’s.
The funny thing was, despite our cell phones’ warnings to the contrary, we had no usable reception. When our group got separated at one point, not even our friendly neighbor King Abdullah could intervene to get our phones to connect.
Two days later, we set out for another tiyul, this one along the Egyptian border, through the Red Canyon and up an equally spectacular lunar landscape. This time, though, there was no aerial tug of war.
Egypt, having received the Sinai back twice – after the 1956 and Yom Kippur wars – had apparently conceded the airwaves to Israel.
Eilat – not just a third-rate Las Vegas
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Travel
Eilat – can there be anyplace more kitschy? A little tacky Las Vegas sans the gambling right within our friendly country confines.
But after spending a couple end of summer 100 degree days there, for maybe the 10th time, I can loudly proclaim that Eilat is a whole lot more than one gaudy hotel after another, a boardwalk that rivals any US beach front for mass culture tackiness, and a huge neon advertisement for conspicuous consumption.
Eilat is simply one of the nicest spots in Israel. The Undersea Observatory is a world-class delight, the Coral Beach one of the most magnetic, alluring sites in the country, the Dolphin Beach is incredible, the Bird Observatory is an international attraction for fans of the two-winged creatures, and the list goes on and on.
You don’t need to wallow in decadence in Eilat – you can use it as a jumping off point for some of the most amazing natural wonders Israel – or any country – has to offer. So next time you guffaw at someone for saying they’re headed to Eilat, just remember the blue water, the tropical fish of every color, and the tranquility of sitting and staring out on to a smooth-as-glass Red Sea.
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