Federations in New York and Washington are being pressed to reconsider their funding of agencies whose programming seems critical of Israel, especially in theater and film, as Nathan Guttman reports in the Forward. Like the long-standing disputes over Federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and public broadcasting, they seem to be about money but ultimately center on competing notions of what is good and true. These disagreements are typically framed as a conflict between journalistic or artistic independence on the one hand and accountability to taxpayers or donors on the other. That misstates the issue, however, because no one is attacking artistic freedom in principle. In practice there are always legal and moral limits to personal expression; the question is where to … Continue Reading
Emory Hillel to Display Dali Works on Israel
Emory Hillel will present a little-known series of works by the late master of the Surrealist Movement, Salvador Dali, that celebrates the rebirth of Israel. “Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel” is a complete collection of the 25 limited-edition colored lithographs by Dali issued in 1968 in honor of Israel's 20th anniversary. The works will be on display at the Marcus Hillel Center at Emory University beginning March 17, 2011. The exhibit is presented by Hillel at Emory University and sponsored in part by The Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, Emory University Office of the President, The Emory Center for Creativity and the Arts' David Goldwasser Series in Religion and the Arts, The Blonder Family Foundation, the Blaine Family Foundation, and the Cohen Chair of Judaic Studies. This … Continue Reading
We Have All Lost
Excerpted from an editorial in The Jewish Week: Helping Jews Fight Fair How are we to respond when Jewish cultural institutions are accused of hurting Israel’s cause by presenting exhibits, films or performances critical of particular aspects of the Jewish state’s policies? These complaints have been heard of late from a small but vocal number of critics of the JCC in Manhattan and the Foundation for Jewish Culture, two institutions with a proud record of supporting Israel and Jewish artists, nurturing their work and helping to create and strengthen Jewish identity, culture and community. The critics are calling on these and other Jewish institutions to formally distance themselves from any groups supportive of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. ... The … Continue Reading
Spotlighting Israel: the St-ART Up Nation
Omanoot.com, the newly launched web portal showcasing the vitality of Israeli film, music, literature and the visual arts, connects people with Israel and the nation beyond “the conflict.” The site is attracting a global audience, including visitors from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Indonesia. Omanoot - “art” in Hebrew - is the brainchild of Edoe Cohen, who received a grant from the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, a worldwide network of young social entrepreneurs created by philanthropist Lynn Schusterman. Cohen worked with ROIers from around the world to develop the site. “Everybody knows about Israeli technology and start ups, but the same creative energy is pouring into the arts,” said Cohen, 32, a serial artistic entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv who … Continue Reading
Soviet Jewry Story Wins Jewish Book of the Year Award
Gal Beckerman's book, When They Come For Us, We’ll Be Gone: The Epic Struggle to Save Soviet Jewry, is the winner of the Jewish Book of the Year Award. from Amazon.com: At the end of World War II, nearly three million Jews were trapped inside the Soviet Union. They lived a paradox - unwanted by a repressive Stalinist state, yet forbidden to leave. When They Come for Us, We'll Be Gone is the astonishing and inspiring story of their rescue. Journalist Gal Beckerman draws on newly released Soviet government documents as well as hundreds of oral interviews with refuseniks, activists, Zionist "hooligans," and Congressional staffers. He shows not only how the movement led to a mass exodus in 1989, but also how it shaped the American Jewish community, giving it a renewed sense of spiritual … Continue Reading
First Annual Jerusalem Season of Culture to Launch Summer 2011
This summer, Jerusalem will be home to one of the most ambitious cultural projects in the history of the Israeli arts scene. Unveiled Monday in Jerusalem by Artistic Director Itay Mautner, the Jerusalem Season of Culture (JSOC) will produce an annual artistic summer season [beginning this May] in full partnership with the city's cultural institutions and in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality. With the goal of celebrating the cultural narrative of Jerusalem, a city overshadowed by conflict and holiness, JSOC aims to honor Jerusalem's arts and artists in a way that reflects the city's complexity and diversity and at the same time, make cultural programming more accessible to a wide range of audiences. The artistic direction is to aspire to things that could only happen here, in … Continue Reading
Light and Shadows: The Story of Iran and the Jews
An unprecedented exhibition devoted to the history, culture and contemporary life of Iranian Jewry will open at Beit Hatfutsot on December 30, 2010. This exhibition is the first to present a comprehensive, in-depth portrait of Iranian Jewry and introduce visitors to the fascinating world of an ancient community and its cultural, social, economic and political life. The intriguing story unfolds over more than 2,700 years, beginning with the first Jews exiled from Jerusalem by the Babylonians and continuing to today, with most members of the community scattered throughout the world. The exhibition is sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation. It is also generously supported by The David Berg Foundation, The Diamond Charity Foundation, The Global Mashadi Jewish … Continue Reading
Is There a Next Year in Bombay?
A film of great uncertainty by Robin Jeffrey A smiling bride, an ecstatic groom, jubilant guests, vibrant colors, joyous Jewish music: the start of a future of uncertainty? Next Year in Bombay is a film of questions as co-director and producer Jonas Pariente explains. “Rather than a message, our film carries questions. Questions about a people’s identity, and the dilemma that migrating communities have to face: how to cultivate two cultures at once? Where should I live and where is the right place to raise my kids? How do I maintain the culture I’ve left and blend in the culture welcoming me?” The film doesn’t answer these questions but rather strings together a series of portraits that create a picture of India’s contemporary Jewish community and the challenges they face as … Continue Reading
The New National Museum of American Jewish History
from The Philadelphia Inquirer: New museum offers 4 floors of perspectives If there's an ethnicity not in need of a museum to bear witness to its exquisitely realized ambition, it's that of the American Jew. In science, Jews lay claim to Einstein; in music, Bernstein. It's hard to think of a group that in the last century has more clearly led media and entertainment, finance and commerce. American Jews might be the most spectacular overachievers in our young country's history, and it's never been much of a secret. The assumption for many who tracked development of the new home of the National Museum of American Jewish History was that it would be a vanity project. The unfortunate timing - fund-raising took place in a severe recession, as Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme sent spasms through … Continue Reading
In Honor of All the Donors
Relax, take a break and remember - it's all about our donors! Even if you do not speak Hebrew, you'll still enjoy this 34 second video. … Continue Reading
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