Author: admin

White city, black days

The Jerusalem Post, October 2, 2009

Earlier this year, the festive pop and bright flash of fireworks marked the beginning of Tel Aviv’s centennial year. But the celebration was held at Rabin Square – a location that reminds Israelis that, amidst the excitement, there is a sober history to commemorate, as well.

Those dark days of Tel Aviv are the topic of a current exhibition at the Eretz Israel Museum, titled “White City, Black Days.” Comprised primarily of photographs, the exhibition is divided into waves of difficult times that the first Hebrew city has faced from World War I to the present. Though many of these events have long passed, some have left an indelible mark on the city’s urban landscape, and some continue to resonate deep within the Israeli psyche.

Continue reading “White city, black days”

 Weekend in Nazareth: Dig in

The Jerusalem Post, September 25, 2009

The small green door, peeking out onto a sliver of an alley in Nazareth’s Old City, is deceptively humble. The low frame makes visitors bow their head, as though they were in prayer, as they enter. But the gesture feels appropriate. Stepping into the plant-lined courtyard and standing under the Ottoman-era arches of Fauzi Azar Inn is a magical, almost transcendent, moment.

It was this same feeling that inspired Maoz Inon to turn what was once a derelict mansion into the bustling guesthouse it is today.

Inon discovered the site in 2005. Fresh from a year hiking with his wife in the States and South America—a journey that convinced the couple to open their own lodgings on the Israel National Trail—Inon was wandering the Old City. The cobbled lanes were empty. The metal shutters of store fronts were clamped shut. And the Azar mansion—with its marble floors, 19th century frescoes, and domed windows overlooking Nazareth—sat still.

Continue reading “Weekend in Nazareth: dig in”

 A wildfire of art in Tel Aviv

The Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2009

It’s a Thursday night in Tel Aviv and the sparks are literally flying—outside the Engel Gallery on Gordon Street, artist Jack Jano is using a blow-torch to put the finishing touches on his installation, soferstam (torah scribe). Art enthusiasts mill about, sipping wine and watching from a safe distance. The brave dart past Jano and enter the gallery to explore.

A sandy path leads the viewer through heaps of Hebrew, forged from iron. The metal is rusted and, in some spots, coated with a green patina; the font is reminiscent of ancient script. From the piles of letters, words emerge, lying prone on the ground or standing proudly, rising from the surrounding babble. The viewer steps around “emet” (truth) then walks past a large “shma” (hear)—the first word of the Shma Israel prayer. Following the trail through the Hebrew language, the viewer feels the gravity of the Jewish people’s history and religion’s weight in this shared heritage.

Jano continues to play the role of wordsmith in a video installation in the gallery’s inner room. In an endless loop, the artist appears before the viewer on half a dozen screens, in half a dozen disguises, prattling away in multiple languages.

Continue reading “A wildfire of art in Tel Aviv”