As Americans recently reflected on the first 60 years of Israel’s statehood, most discussion focused on war, the violent struggle for independence and the dim prospects for peace.
Lost amidst the publicity are positive stories about the tiny Jewish state. One such story is the great success of Israeli arts and culture.
“[The Israeli] art scene is internationally acclaimed,” said Rebecca Gordon, director of cultural affairs at the Israeli Consulate in Chicago, during a visit to Milwaukee last week.
“In only a 60-year period, which is really short by a lot of national standards, Israel’s art scene has become one of the leading ones in the world.”
Gordon spoke on Monday, May 19, at the Helfaer Community Service Building as part of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation Women’s Division’s 2008 Israel Awareness Series: “Another Side of Israel.”
Since 2006, Gordon has overseen cultural programming such as concerts, plays and film festivals across the 11-state Midwestern region.
During her talk, she outlined the culture in which Israeli artists work, then focused on Israeli film, dance and music. Part of the artistic richness is Israel’s diversity, said Gordon, noting that Israel’s citizens are from five continents and over 100 countries.
“All these cultures really contribute to Israel being completely unique,” she said.
Recent trends in Israeli pop music reflect the traditions and experiences of the growing Ethiopian community, as well as the Arab and North African populations, both Jewish and non-Jewish, said Gordon.
One of the most popular artists in Israel today is Idan Raichel, who performed in Milwaukee in February 2005. Born in Kfar Saba, the 30-year-old keyboardist, composer and producer leads a diverse collaboration of musicians whose upbeat messages and combination of modern and traditional sounds have resonated across cultural divides in Israel.
“It is a microcosm of Israel because you’ve got all these different communities represented in this one band,” said Gordon.
“This group is single-handedly responsible for popularizing things like traditional Ethiopian chants and the use of instruments from the Arab world, Africa and the Caribbean on mainstream Israeli radio.”
Gordon also mentioned Brazilian-born female singer/songwriter Elisete, who sings in both Hebrew and Portugese; Iraqi-born singer/violinist/oud player Yair Dalal; and Esta, a band made up of first generation Israelis that has been together for over 20 years.
Israeli dance may be more accessible than music, theater and film because there is no language barrier.
Groups like the world-renowned Batsheva and Mayumana, which is akin to STOMP, are adding an innovative, experimental edge to the already established success of Israeli ballet, classical and ballroom dance, said Gordon. The Russian community is responsible for much of the traditional dance, as well as classical music performers in Israel, she added.
Other dance companies that Gordon encouraged the audience to seek out are Dede, Vertigo, Inbal Pinto, Sheketak and Beta, an Ethiopian shoulder-dancing troupe.thecth
Israeli art, on the whole, is adventurous. “Israel has an art scene that is very open to ideas, that’s devoted to pushing boundaries and setting a stage where everything can be explored,” said Gordon.
“If you have seen Israeli movies, for example, you probably know that they are often very liberal; nothing is really taboo in them.
“[Israeli films] explore a lot of different issues and ask a lot of questions, and that informs a lot of Israeli culture; that need to explore and to examine and to constantly readdress different issues such as national identity, love, politics, co-existence with the Arab community, ethnic humor and sexuality.”
Gordon said that Israeli films have gotten so good that people watch them not only because they are Israeli, but because the pictures are well-made and tell great stories.
And the world is taking note. Three Israeli films were chosen to play at the Cannes Film Festival last year, two Israeli films took home awards from the Berlin Film Festival and the film, “Sweet Mud,” won last year’s Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, she said.
As for finding Israeli arts in the Midwest, Gordon noted that the Harris Theater in Millenium Park in Chicago has actively supported Israeli culture. She reminded the audience to participate in the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival and the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema, both held in fall.
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“It is worth noting that Hollywood is going to Israel for ideas, it’s an interesting trend that is happening,” she added.
“[Israeli] authors are very, very strong. Writing and reading being such a strong part of Jewish tradition, of course, is transferred over to Israel. You’re probably familiar with the biggest Israeli authors such as Meir Shalev and Amos Oz and writers such as that, but also Etgar Keret is very funny, satirical, creative and wildly popular in Israel; Orly Castel-Bloom, a female writer [is worth checking out]. You definitely see a lot more women emerging now in the literature area and poetry as well,” said Gordon.
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