Although I’ve only been in Israel for a few months, it didn’t take me long to notice how popular and celebrated art is in Tel-Aviv and the rest of Israel. One of the few perks of my coveted fine art degree is an eye for clever artistic work, and Israel has more than its fair share. New artists are continuously sprouting up, and to reach a larger audience they have taken up blogging as well…

Case in point; meet Carol Feldman, born and raised in Oklahoma, USA. She moved to Tel-Aviv 5 years ago in 2003 with her husband and daughter, and has recently launched her paintings straight into the blogosphere. Carol works from life and from reference photos, capturing with paint and pencil the subtle splendor of everyday life here in Israel. Carol quickly found a community through her blog, and fans quickly found her (including me)!

As an artist myself, albeit in my pre-fame stage of life, its very rewarding to see regular folks with a forgotten talent find an artistic renaissance on the web. The publishing power of blogs gives power back to the individual artists, and they are hopping on board.. Blogging about art: blog + art =…  blarting! Hmm, no, doesn’t sound pompous enough. What would the guys in the turtlenecks and black berets say?

To see more of Carol’s jaw-dropping watercolors, check out her blog: Drawing Tel-Aviv. Enjoy!

]]> http://israelplug.com/art-and-culture/israel-in-living-color/feed/ 2 http://israelplug.com/art-and-culture/israel-in-3d-dont-get-dizzy/ http://israelplug.com/art-and-culture/israel-in-3d-dont-get-dizzy/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:54:00 +0000 David Danielson http://israelplug.com/?p=316

Behold Israel in all its glory!

Thanks to Israel 3D, you can beholden Israel right from your computer. With hi-definition, fully panoramic views of all the most legendary and beautiful spots, you can “virtually” experience the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, or the spot in front of that rainbow-colored hotel on the Tel-Aviv beach where I did some serious towel sitting. It’s the new next best thing to being there (no silly red and blue glasses necessary).

Check out a few favorites: Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Acco.

So it’s very refreshing to get a card that stands out and even makes you laugh. If I was holding a contest for the best corporate Rosh Hashana card, Ruthi from Rotem Design would win hands down. Here’s what she sent:

It’s a play on one of the Rosh Hashana blessings that says “We should be a head instead of a tail.” This version says “We should be a head instead of a thief,” a telling statement when there’s a picture of the Knesset in the background.

May this be a year where our politicians start to act like they have some responsibility towards the citizens, and where tax money is not for their personal use.

Shana tova!

A. Italy
B. Sweden
C. Israel
D. India

You may not have guessd it, but Newsweek confirms that the winner is Israel! I’m not sure the last time I saw a Swedish-based show, so it may not have been a very tough competition. Regardless, Israel is starting to appear in Hollywood headlines by contributing shows such as "B’tipul (In Treatment)" and "The Ex List". Apparently "too dark" for Americans, these shows are being adapted to American tastes and then produced.

"In Treatment" is a drama about a "therapist and his demanding clientele" , and was adapted by HBO. CBS will be premiering "The Ex List",  "a romantic comedy about a woman who learns from a psychic that she has already dated—and broken up with—her soulmate, and if she can’t narrow him down from her lengthy roster of suitors, she’ll spend life as a spinster."

Other shows that are in the works are "A touch away" based on "Merhak Negia", "a story of forbidden love between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Russian immigrant" and "Loaded," a ‘comedy about a quartet of dotcom millionaires".

Not only are Hollywood studios impressed with Israel’s clever screenwriting, but they are truly blown away by our budgeting skills, claiming that Israelis make TV shows on less than a shoestring budget. Now that is something I can vouch for  – just watch me in the Jerusalem Shuk(outdoor market). Give me 10 shekels, and I’ll come back with 3 bags of fruits and veggies. Hey, I think I’m on to some promising new titles, "America’ Next Top Bargainer"  "Pimp my Agala"  (Agala  = granny shopping cart), the list goes on. HBO, if you’re reading this, remember who thought of it first.

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK, currently on a quest for peace

Tony Blair opened up with a discussion on peace and democracy. He basically said that democracy, equality and justice are the solutions to all the world’s problems, and that we should be “open in hope, not closed in fear.” There was one problem with what he said: he said that no two democracies have ever attacked each other. My wise husband pointed out that Germany was a democracy, whether we like it or not, and they certainly attacked a few democracies, Britain included. Oh well, it was a nice thought.

Bamir Topi, President of Albania

He said that during the Holocaust, Albania didn’t hand over any Jews to the Nazis, and they even allowed Jews entry into their country. That is impressive.

Blaise Compaore, President of Burkina Faso

Mr. Compaore said that our struggle is their struggle, and that the Jewish people deserve a state. That is a pretty strong statement, considering the current climate where Israel’s right to exist is up for debate.

Dr. Valdis Zatlers, President of Latvia

Dr. Zatlers is a big fan of Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat,” and he quoted it quite a bit. He said the world can learn three things from the Israelis:

1. Stay in touch with your past. (This is in opposition to Shimon Peres’ repeated message that we should not dwell on the past.)
2. Stay in touch with the future.
3. Stay close together. He is so right about that one. Israelis want to stay in touch with each other in every possible way. That is why we are among the highest users in the world of cellphones and facebook. Jewish mothers are in heaven with all this technology.

Dr. Zatlers reviewed some of the great Jews that emerged from Latvia, but what was particularly interesting is that he mentioned Rabbi Kook, who he describes as the father of religious Zionism! This mention was particularly significant in light of the fact that a recent terrible terror attack took place at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, which was founded, and is named after, Rabbi Kook.

Tommy E. Remengesau, President of Palau

I never even knew Palau existed before I heard this speech. It is apparently one of the world’s youngest and smallest nations, with a population of 21,000! As a small island, Palau is concerned by the rising water levels that are submerging other islands and forcing the populations to evacuate. He said that the environment should be viewed as a security issue. He also said that, as a Christian, visiting Israel is like a pilgrimage for him.

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda

Mr. Museveni said that globalization is not new, and proof of that is that there are black people in America. Good point. He said that the question is whether globalization will be parasitic, like in the past, or symbiotic.

He said that Africa does not have a lot of bigotry, and he explains that Uganda encourages their citizens to live and let live, and let everyone practice their own religious beliefs. He gives an example of a particular religious group that wanted to take some sort of violent action against others because they were eating pork (I wonder which religious group that could be, and no, it’s not the Jews), and how they told them not to since they weren’t putting the pork in their own stomach. He says that the Rwandan genocide was actually a European import.

It’s a nice idea, but I’d have to question his assertion that there is no bigotry in Africa in light of the events taking place in South Africa that have actually been titled “Xenophobia.”

Mr. Museveni goes on to say that Africa is the origin of man and civilization, and that it is commendable that Africa was part of this event and was able to give input, since that usually doesn’t happen.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last head of state of the USSR

Blair mentioned how he can Gorbachev met for the first time at the conference! Gorbachev said he traveled across Israel from the south to the North, and he was amazed at how the desert has blossomed. He said it’s a sign. He criticized Europe for applauding while Russia lay in ruins, and for supporting Yeltsin, and now that Russia has finally found its feet, they don’t support the current rulers. I wonder why.

Jacques Atalli, former advisor to advisor to French President François Mitterand

Mr. Atalli was the last speaker and spoke so forcefully about the importance of Israel, and Israel’s contribution to the world.

Mr. Attali quoted King Solomon about the importance of prosperity for peace. He said that our region holds all the opportunities, as well as all of the threats. This region could be the model for the rest of the world.

He said that the Israeli model is interesting:

• It stresses the importance of knowledge – we’re obsessed with learning.
• Democratic.
• Social Justice/Tzedaka is a strong principle, where we must care for ourselves and for our brothers.
• The wish to survive and live – that we are not afraid of our enemy, but learn to cope.
• Israel needs others too, since it is not yet complete.
• The world needs Israel – for technology, philosophy, culture. The world without Israel would be a world without significance. Without Israel this region would go back to barbarism.
• Jerusalem is the future of the world, and is a symbol of utopia.

He finished off by saying “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

The requested donation? Just over $2 per day, or $90 for heavenly help, smiles the petite brunette – who was a corporate lawyer in Toronto, Canada before getting into the God game.

“Once I was told I was selling snake oil. But that’s okay,” she demurs. “I’m not doing this for public approval. You have to believe in God to actually believe this works. Otherwise it’s just superstition.”

Burd herself and her Chicago-born husband Gershon are proof of the efficacy pf prayer but stress there are no guarantees. The two met in December 2002 a week and a half after Gershon had completed his own 40-day stint at the Kotel – where his prayers had focused on finding his beshierte (God-given match). After five dates in a whirlwind 15 days, the couple became engaged and were married two months later, she smiles.

A son and daughter quickly followed. While Gershon works as the executive director of the Yeshivas Bircas ha-Torah seminary, money is tight, Burd acknowledges.

“In our first year of marriage before this service was started, we had to rely on miracles almost weekly just to survive. I remember once we owed 200 shekels and had to pay it that day. We didn’t have it, and just turned to God. A couple of hours later a friend came to the door with exactly 200 shekels. She put it in my hand and asked if I could buy a book for her on my credit card because hers wasn’t working. She gave me the cash instead. That gave us 30 days to pay. And it seemed as if the whole year was like that. But we always made it, and learned that ha-Shem always provides.”

Indeed Burd’s biography reads as an extended miracle of Jewish survival. Her parents Efim and Anna Fefer are atheist scientists who in 1973 were able to escape Ukraine, then part of the U.S.S.R., on exit permits for Israel. Like tens of thousands of Soviet emigres, the Fefers were disappointed with the reality of life in the Jewish state. Indeed their arrival coincided with the disastrous 1973 Yom Kippur War.

In 1976, with their new-born daughter in tow, the Fefers decamped to Ostia Lido, Italy outside Rome where they waited three difficult years for a visa to Canada. Raised as a secular Jew in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill, and educated at the prestigious Osgoode Hall Law School, Batya – then called Lisa Fefer – came to Israel on a life-changing 10-day Birthright trip in January 2001. The rest, she observes, is history.

Apart from Burd’s legal background specializing in entertainment contracts, she is also a certified therapist trained at the Jerusalem Therapy Psycho-Spiritual Institute. Besides composing the prayers to be said verbally at the Western Wall, the former lawyer does a lot of counseling. “It’s easier for a third party to see straight. Often people can’t see beyond their suffering,” she explains. “I use a lot of lawyerly skills.”

And why does God give people issues? “To help them improve,” she responds.

In May 2004 Burd decided to set up her personal prayer business. Two years later she obtained not-for-profit amuta status. Today the charity employs herself and another half-time worker, and pays 35 prayer agents “99 per cent of whom are either teaching or learning Torah.”

Each surrogate worshipper spends a minimum of 10 minutes of prayer per party. Some remain for hours at the Kotel – which formed the western retaining wall of King Herod’s massive enlargement of the Temple complex on Mount Moriah, and from which according to Jewish tradition God’s presence is said to permanently dwell.

Burd declines to reveal payment. “It’s a sensitive subject,” she notes, adding the largesse is well-appreciated and well-spent by her Torah team, all of whom are spirituality rich but cash-poor.

Bottom line, since 2004 Western Wall Prayers has served more than 700 people seeking divine intervention on matters such as fertility, health or marriage. Burd points to a raft of success stories of prayers answered, the most moving of which are posted online at www.westernwallprayers.org.

Unusual requests have included divine help in being released from prison, losing weight and obtaining American citizenship. One Christian donor, who sought prayers for Jesus’ resurrection , was politely declined, she says.

Though the majority of donors live in New York and Toronto, others are from the Philippines, South Africa, Australia and Britain. Three quarters are Jewish. Promoted by word of mouth and advertisements on Google and the haredi newspaper Hamodia, numbers are increasing, Burd adds.

“We pray for you out of gratitude for your donation,” she notes.

Burd claims donors feel very satisfied with her service, and have reported “nearly 140″ stories of prayers answered, ranging from love discovered to health regained. Many donors are repeats. “Even people who didn’t see open miracles feel very grateful for how connected they feel during the process,” she concludes. “It’s not magic, but it is a Torah recipe for success.”

“There’s scientific evidence that prayer works.”

For more information, contact Batya Burd at 011.972.2.627.7068 or bburd@westernwallprayers.org

The conference was organized by The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI), a Jerusalem-based think tank that was commissioned by Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, to put the whole thing together. JPPPI planned the content, and hired Promarket to produce the other parts of the event. Charley J. Levine, CEO of Lone Star Communications (how can a PR agency not have a website?) managed the conference’s international media and public relations, and the caterer was a company called Taste and Color. The budget: $21 million, entirely provided by donors. U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson, contributed $3 million and was named honorary conference president, and he and his wife Miriam got to address Bush at the “we love Bush and the US event” (which I mention below).

The guest list was a veritable who’s who, and included the following people:

• George W. Bush
• Henry Kissinger
• Bernard-Henri Levy
• Elie Wiesel
• Susan Decker (Yahoo)
• Sergey Brin (Google)
• Rupert Murdoch
• Nathan Englander
• Jonathan Safran Foer
• Abe Foxman (ADL)
• Tony Blair
• Mikhael Gorbachev
• Rachel Fish
• Alan Dershowitz
• And more.

All of the sessions can be viewed online.

Was the conference good or bad?

I think that is is important to consider whether this conference was a good thing or a bad thing, particularly due to the price tag. $21 million thrown at what was basically a big fancy party in a country where children go hungry, and whole cities live under daily siege, needs some kind of justification. When I asked someone at the conference what they thought about this, they said that conferences are a fact of life, and you just have to accept them. But $21m conferences are not a fact of life in Israel.

So in true party pooper fashion, let’s take a look at the positive and negative aspects of having The President’s Conference, and then you can decide for yourselves:

The Good:

• A Jewish State reaching the 60 year milestone in the hostile Middle East, surviving numerous wars and attacks, and even thriving, is a cause for celebration. The State of Israel deserves some sort of high-level event that takes a good look at where we came from, and where we’re going.
• For conference participants, the arrival of luminaries and heads of state from around the world to show solidarity and support for Israel was a great morale booster
• $21m was poured into the Israeli economy.
• 60 businesses and organizations had the opportunity to display their innovative technologies and offerings to conference participants. In addition, I am sure that a lot of new business opportunities were formed during networking at the conference.
• It took place in Jerusalem, and caused thousands of people to visit the country’s capital, which is both good for the city’s economy (apparently the hotels were booked solid during the conference), and is a de facto type of recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital.
• Many interesting ideas did come out of the conference panels and discussions that could potentially impact positively on the future of the Jewish People.
• The donors probably wouldn’t have donated this money to the poor and needy anyway (unfortunately), so it’s not like there’s anything to discuss.
• I got to meet fascinating people that I’d probably not have an opportunity to meet otherwise, including a nobel laureate, an Australian MP, a fabulous woman from PayPal, and a leading Israeli politician.

The Bad:

• I think this conference was way too lavish, and less money could have been spent on it. It seemed socially unconscionable that we were partying at a national event while others in our nation were being bombed or didn’t have food to eat. Did we really need to get fancy briefcases with commemorative special issue stamps and a unique greeting card from Yaakov Agam? A little “hardship” on our parts would have made us seem more in touch with the outside world, a little less like people in a gilded tower. I mean, we didn’t even know about the Grad that had fallen on Ashkelon until that evening!
• The Peres worshipping – it’s true that only a statesman like Peres could have pulled something like this off, with such a high calibre of leaders who schlepped to Israel from all over the world. But I found the Peres-worshipping that was present at almost every panel and plenary to be a bit hard to stomach. Like most politicians, Peres has his fair share of scandals, and like most humans, he’s not perfect. But people really were falling all over themselves for him. I always find personality worshipping weird.
• If the main goal of the conference was to put Israel on the map, and to make the world realize that Israel’s not so bad, it was a failure. Peres asserted that “the conference promoted Israel around the world,” and in a mini-survey of conference participants, many said that they were so proud that Peres had managed to give Israel such good PR. Unfortunately, it seems that only the participants of the conference knew about it! Many people in Israel were unaware of the conference, and people I spoke to in New York knew nothing about it! And anyways, two days later Jimmy Carter is already publishing popular articles about Israel being the cause of all the world’s woes, so any popularity we garnered has quickly faded.
• Why-oh-why do all Israeli ceremonies have to be so corny? The opening ceremony and the “we love Bush and the US” ceremony both contained the usual: cute little girls dancing/singing, adults singing emotional songs about peace/hope/love, etc. But the “we love Bush and US” ceremony took the cake with two male dancers representing the countries flitting and fluttering about the stage to the tune of “You’ve Got a Friend,” while lovingly beckoning each other. @HarryR twittered: “So it turns out the usa and israel are gay,” and said “the interpretive dance of america and israel as a gay bi-racial couple was one of the greatest moments of my life.” Esther Kustanowitz got some of it on tape, and ponders the fate of the person who commissioned that piece:
  

  Click here to view the embedded video.

   

• Olmert was spending way too much time at the conference for a guy being investigated by the police. I think he was there three times in two days! Shouldn’t he be running the country or something, or trying to figure out a way to help the people in Sderot live without the shadow of daily kassam rockets? The worst was when the camera caught him winking at someone while we were all singing Israel’s anthem. Not much of an example of good citizenship for our children.

Will something come of it all?

The question is whether something substantial will come out of this whole event. Will the ideas raised become part of a bigger strategic plan, or just fade away? I really do hope that our policy planners and leaders paid attention, because some fascinating ideas related to democracy, economics, science and identity were voiced that could have significant impacts on our entire nation.

In my next posts I’ll review the ideas and people that I found most interesting during the conference.

More coverage of the conference:

Official Facing Tomorrow website

Facing Tomorrow videos on Haaretz.com

Facing Tomorrow on the JPPPI website

eJewishPhilanthropy covers the President’s Conference

EstherK at Urban Kvetch covers the President’s Conference

According to TotallyJewish.com, Manor is appreciative of the support she received from the London Jewish community. She has performed for a number of Jewish organizations in London including Limmud, the ZF and JNF. Hadar has been in London for five years and considers herself an “ambassador for Israel. I think every Israeli abroad is an ambassador”. She plans to return to Israel for a show in Tel Aviv later this year.

Here she is, Hadar Manor singing “Queen of the Underground”. One very talented lady indeed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I know we have neglected you a bit on our site in the past few months, but this birthday has put our priorities back in focus. As I get alerts and updates on all of the celebrations in your honor, I get that warm fuzzy feeling about how special it is to live here (despite the wacked out taxi drivers and funny hours at the post office).

As a mini-present (and it’s the thought that counts, right? we’re done with the buying each other things stage I hope), I’ve compiled a list of as many websites, videos, blogs, conferences, snacks (?!), etc. that I could possibly find that are dedicated in entirety to you, your innovations, your accomplishments, and your commitment to being an open home to the Jewish people. (cheesy enough? stole it from another Hallmark card I saw in the Israel birthday card store)

Thanks for making us proud and Happy b-day from israelplug!

Blogs

60bloggers – 60 Bloggers in 60 days – a really great mix of bloggers posting about why they love Israel. [Hat tip: Dan from ejewishphilanthropy. ]

The Persistence of Vision: Israel at 60 – WZO initiative that brings together five authors with different perspectives on the meaning of Jewish statehood. Sounds like Real World – Zionism season, stay tuned.. but make sure to put on your glasses or enlarge the font.

Websites

IsraelBirthday- post a personal birthday card to Israel

CelebratingIsrael – dedicate a pixel to Israel, but it’ll cost ya

60israel – the Jewish Agency’s contribution with cute icons and lots of resources

Projects, Print Media, Social Media, Music, Snacks

60israelis.com – Faces of Israel Project, a joint effort of the Consulate General of Israel in New York & Salute to Israel Parade to hang up enormous photo banners in NYC starting May 4th.

Ride with Israel@60 – I guess Israel’s bones are still in pretty good shape.

Facebook Groups – Israel Celebrates 60 (over 2,000 members), Innovation Israel, israelplug

Facebook Friend – Celebrating Israel (over 1,500 friends)

Israel 60 Free Downloads – featured on jewlicious and Shemspeed. Diwon and Y-Love remix Idan Raichel and Shotei Hanevua and it is well worth listening to. As the lyrics say, “get connected like Bezeq”.

Twitter – Israel60 – although I don’t know who it is and they haven’t updated at all.. so much for thinking israel60 could be a real person…

Chocolate-filled Bamba, rich with vitamins and iron (so says the label). Awesome. Osem. (Pity laughs acceptable). [hat tip: Israelity]

Conferences

Presidents Conference Shimon Peres’ baby that will feature too many big names to list here. I’ll give you a hint – every big name you can think of will be at this conference. Check out the program.

Videos

birthright’s Celebrate Israel’s 60th with a tour around Israel

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Events

Musical Gala at Radio City Celebrates Israel@60 – features all the big names – Matisyahu, Yael Naim, Idan Raichel, Rami Kleinstein, David Broza, and more.

60 hours celebrating Israel – Events in Greater Los Angeles

Israel @ 60 in Washington DC – events, resources and information about Israel @ 60 in Washington, D.C.

Israel at 60 Silicon Valley’s Israel Independence Day Celebration

Yom Ha’atzmaut Activities in Jerusalem – that seems appropriate enough. Check out Jerusalemite and Jerusalem Blueprint for all the info.

Recent headlines that should make you proud

2 Israeli startups featured at TechCrunch (the most popular tech website)

• AllRise – The service calls itself “The all new community courthouse.” Users can use the service to “sue” others (boss, wife, mayor, insurance company, the weather).
• MarketGuru – is an investor community that helps you create your ideal portfolio based on your investment philosophy and the risk level you’re willing to assume.

“BusinessWeek” names Israel among innovation hotspots – BusinessWeek put Israel among the top 10, as an innovation leader in technology and pharmaceuticals in its special report Europe’s innovation hotspots.

“Forbes” says Israel among most up-and-coming real estate markets Forbes says that Tel Aviv is where the next real estate investment boom will be.

Israel Economic Stats for the 60th Independence Day

And finally, buddy, thanks for making us laugh and keepin’ it real by refusing to get spell check… [pic from Danny]

If you have anything to add to this list, please leave a comment below.

…and here’s the logo for anyone who possibly missed it (which we covered a while back)

In this commercial, fake John Travolta and fake Samuel L. Jackson (who are very good) remake the famous scene in Pulp Fiction where they discuss the different names for Big Macs all over the world. In this version, fake John tells fake Sam that the pita bread with turkey meat in it is called a McSchwarma in Israel, but the best part is when he tells fake Sam how Israelis ask for it. Very cute.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Hat tip to Israellycool, whose blog is really worth checking out. He single-handedly does the best job of knocking down Israel haters online that I've ever seen .]