Are any of us surprised that English speakers feel no need at all to learn another language when the move to a new country? I'm not. Why? Well, because I see this happen every day.
Showing posts with label Jerusalem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jerusalem. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Israel's Immigrant Anglo Students Don't Want to Learn Hebrew. Shocker!
Are any of us surprised that English speakers feel no need at all to learn another language when the move to a new country? I'm not. Why? Well, because I see this happen every day.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Israel Museum Has a Face Lift
I just got back from an outing to the newly improved Israel Museum. And you know what? It looks great.
Here's a map of the musem:
The museum was well-planned overall, and especially accessible to tourists from all over the world. Nearly all audio and video was played in English with Hebrew subtitles, and all print that had to be read was available in Arabic, English, Hebrew and sometimes Russian.
My favorite sections were the parts I've circled in pink. These were the special exhibits and contemporary art exhibits that were well laid-out, well organized and offered the most bang for the buck. It's stuff you haven't seen before, and that's what makes it special.
I don't mean to imply that their Archaeology, Modern Art and Jewish Art and Life sections, etc, are not well done. Their collections are impressive, well-organized, and beautifully restored. I just happen to be drawn to eye-catching modern art that you just don't find at other museums in Israel.
My favorite temporary exhibition was "פעימות" which literally means "strokes" or "heartbeats" and was in my opinion poorly translated as "Still Moving". Despite the poor translation, the exhibit was conceptually and aesthetically bewitching. All of the pieces in the exhibit in one way or another played on time whether it be space time, sensory time, frozen time.
The exhibit included a small plastic baby pool filled with slowly swirling water whose swirl was regulated by three motorized pumps hidden in the bottom of the pool. A scatter of floating ceramic blows and wine glasses sat swirling in the water, slowly moving as if together, but then delightfully chiming against one another at seemingly random moments.
After passing the pool, we entered a series of white rooms and corridors constructed like a small house, with the walls and ceilings covered by black paper butterflies seemingly frozen in movement. The effect was at once frightening, mesmerizing and beautiful. The piece by the Mexican artist Carlos Amorales, is called "Black Cloud".
Another beautiful piece called "Table" by Junya Ishigami featured a long, tall table upon which trays of herbs, flowers, seeds and spices were laid out romantically, evoking what might be the kitchen of a rich and playful heiress in the south of France. At first glance, one doesn't notice that the table is slowly undulating up and down, in long smooth bounces, but as one nears, it becomes clear that the long, thin wooden plank of the table is silently moving, without disrupting one perfectly placed item. Nearly everyone, curious as to how the table remains in continuous movement, bends down to check for a motor or spring beneath the table. But it is the museum guard who keeps it moving: every few seconds pushing down on the thin plank of wood.
The last piece in this exhibit that really stood out was a slow motion video that played on a small television framed so as to appear as a painting or photograph. The short, almost 4 minute film begins with about two minutes of frozen video of a pomegranate and head of lettuce hanging from a string at a window sill, just above a sliced pumpkin and zucchini. I was sure it was some sort of digital still life.
Then, suddenly, with a "whoosh", a speeding bullet flies into the pomegranate from behind spewing juice and seeds, and rupturing its skin. I jumped despite the fact that all of this is filmed in extreme slow motion. Every drop of juice is shown in immense detail, a violence of destruction deconstructed with the hypnotizing, slow swinging motion of the broken fruit.
So, if you are making your way to Jerusalem, DO NOT miss the new Israel Museum. It's open on Saturdays till 5:00pm (I know, I was shocked too). If you're a student, bring your ID card- you get a few shekels off. Oh, and did I mention, the place is HEAVILY air conditioned?! (Huge plus!!!)
Here's a map of the musem:
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| Israel Museum Map |
My favorite sections were the parts I've circled in pink. These were the special exhibits and contemporary art exhibits that were well laid-out, well organized and offered the most bang for the buck. It's stuff you haven't seen before, and that's what makes it special.
I don't mean to imply that their Archaeology, Modern Art and Jewish Art and Life sections, etc, are not well done. Their collections are impressive, well-organized, and beautifully restored. I just happen to be drawn to eye-catching modern art that you just don't find at other museums in Israel.
My favorite temporary exhibition was "פעימות" which literally means "strokes" or "heartbeats" and was in my opinion poorly translated as "Still Moving". Despite the poor translation, the exhibit was conceptually and aesthetically bewitching. All of the pieces in the exhibit in one way or another played on time whether it be space time, sensory time, frozen time.
The exhibit included a small plastic baby pool filled with slowly swirling water whose swirl was regulated by three motorized pumps hidden in the bottom of the pool. A scatter of floating ceramic blows and wine glasses sat swirling in the water, slowly moving as if together, but then delightfully chiming against one another at seemingly random moments.
 |
| Picture from :http://www.imj.org.il |
After passing the pool, we entered a series of white rooms and corridors constructed like a small house, with the walls and ceilings covered by black paper butterflies seemingly frozen in movement. The effect was at once frightening, mesmerizing and beautiful. The piece by the Mexican artist Carlos Amorales, is called "Black Cloud".
 |
| Picture from: http://www.casino-luxembourg.lu/html_en/expositions/expo2008.htm |
 |
| Paper Butterflies Cover the Walls and Ceiling |
Another beautiful piece called "Table" by Junya Ishigami featured a long, tall table upon which trays of herbs, flowers, seeds and spices were laid out romantically, evoking what might be the kitchen of a rich and playful heiress in the south of France. At first glance, one doesn't notice that the table is slowly undulating up and down, in long smooth bounces, but as one nears, it becomes clear that the long, thin wooden plank of the table is silently moving, without disrupting one perfectly placed item. Nearly everyone, curious as to how the table remains in continuous movement, bends down to check for a motor or spring beneath the table. But it is the museum guard who keeps it moving: every few seconds pushing down on the thin plank of wood.
 |
| Picture by Chiaki Hayashi |
The last piece in this exhibit that really stood out was a slow motion video that played on a small television framed so as to appear as a painting or photograph. The short, almost 4 minute film begins with about two minutes of frozen video of a pomegranate and head of lettuce hanging from a string at a window sill, just above a sliced pumpkin and zucchini. I was sure it was some sort of digital still life.
Then, suddenly, with a "whoosh", a speeding bullet flies into the pomegranate from behind spewing juice and seeds, and rupturing its skin. I jumped despite the fact that all of this is filmed in extreme slow motion. Every drop of juice is shown in immense detail, a violence of destruction deconstructed with the hypnotizing, slow swinging motion of the broken fruit.
So, if you are making your way to Jerusalem, DO NOT miss the new Israel Museum. It's open on Saturdays till 5:00pm (I know, I was shocked too). If you're a student, bring your ID card- you get a few shekels off. Oh, and did I mention, the place is HEAVILY air conditioned?! (Huge plus!!!)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Israeli Wine Festival Intoxicates Jerusalem
Yesterday was the third and last night of the Israeli wine festival held at the newly rennovated Israel Museum in Jerusalem. An admissions fee of 60 shekels got me a high quality wine glass and free drinks all night from some of the best wineries in the country.
The festival, featuring a live jazz band (which was fantastic this year), sushi bars, chocolate stands and French cheese platters served with warm bread, has been a success for years now, and has grown bigger and more popular over the years. I don't see what's not to like. An evening of wine tasting, good music and organized public drunkeness for 60 shekels...plus I get to keep the glass? It's a no brainer.
This was my second year at the festival which draws visitors and wineries from all over the country. The vineyeards set up beautiful stands outdoors, the bigger Israeli wineries setting up what look like small, airy wine bars, stocked with young bardudes and barchics outfitted in black collard shirts and ties ready to spew out every detail about the wine you are tasting.
The old cultured folk who actually care about the Israeli wine they are drinking and wander around with pen in hand making notes about each bottle are typically over 50, arrive early, and dress well. By the time 10:00 rolls around, the mayhem begins welcoming throngs of kids who don't know and don't care what you pour into their cups- they'll drink it and they'll ask for more. They come for a good deal on an evening of all night open bar and leave shit-faced.
Last year, Yotam and I arrived around 9-ish and stayed till it closed at 11:00pm. We left with over 4 wine glasses each- glasses that had been abandoned or forgotten by careless tasters- and awoke the next morning with massive hangovers. But it was worth it. With our sneaky glass lifting, we had moved up in the world; we no longer drink our wine out of coffee mugs and plastic cups.
This year, Yotam and I arrived at 7:00pm sharp just as the doors were opening and dusk settled over the city. We left early too: by 10:00pm the place was packed and wineries were running out of wine. The hangover hit us just as hard.
Both last year and this year, the wine festival saw a huge number of young, Modern Orthodox American Jews. Huge. Each winery was well-prepared with at least one native English speaker behind each counter to field the questions from inquisitive Shwartzes, Rosenbergs and Cohens. I felt like I was at Brandeis University. It was a sea of heads topped with suede yarmulkas. I hadn't seen so many untucked pastel colored cotton polos in one place since I visited my high school friends in Baltimore in 2003.
Aside from the stampede of American Jews, the evening was fantastic. Some of the wines were especially tasty, and the Jerusalem weather was refreshingly breezy.
Here are my favorite wine picks (no, sadly I'm not getting paid for these reccomendations, but maybe if you click on their links and they notice the traffic, they'll find me and send me some free bottles):
Tzuba 2006 Metzuda
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec.
Tzuba Winery is made in Kibbutz Tzuba, located in the Judean hills right outside of Jerusalem. This blend is smooth and aromatic, with a bit of a fruity aftertaste.
Teperberg 2007 Sangiovese Silver
A light, young red that is perfect for the summer, easy to drink and smooth going down.
Pelter 2007 Cabarnet Sauvignon
I really don't like judging wines from the lables, but really, Peter's lable design is classy, pretty and clean. So is their website. I can't compare this wine to their others since they'd run out of everything but the Cabarnet by the time we got to their stand, but this was a real winner and I'm usually not a Cabarnet girl. It's rich with fruity and oaky flavors and a nice after-bite.
Rimon Wines
I'm not going to pick one, since they only had three to taste from - one desert wine, one dry wine and one sweet port wine. All of their wines are made entirely from pomegranites- no grapes are used at all- which makes them unique and interesting, although very sweet. Theirs are special occasion wines that I imagine go well with a platter of chocolate covered strawberries or bananas and cream.
[fyi: I'm leaving out a fantastic dry Riesling and a wonderful fruity wine blend of four wines which I'll update once I'm home with the details of each in front of me. ]
The Segal wines were especially dissappointing as were the Recanate reds, Yarden and Gamla Chardones from Ramat HaGolan, and the Binyamina Rose which fell very very flat.
Here are some pictures of this year's and last year's festival, courtesy of walla.co.il, mouse.co.il and gojerusalem.com.
The festival, featuring a live jazz band (which was fantastic this year), sushi bars, chocolate stands and French cheese platters served with warm bread, has been a success for years now, and has grown bigger and more popular over the years. I don't see what's not to like. An evening of wine tasting, good music and organized public drunkeness for 60 shekels...plus I get to keep the glass? It's a no brainer.
This was my second year at the festival which draws visitors and wineries from all over the country. The vineyeards set up beautiful stands outdoors, the bigger Israeli wineries setting up what look like small, airy wine bars, stocked with young bardudes and barchics outfitted in black collard shirts and ties ready to spew out every detail about the wine you are tasting.
The old cultured folk who actually care about the Israeli wine they are drinking and wander around with pen in hand making notes about each bottle are typically over 50, arrive early, and dress well. By the time 10:00 rolls around, the mayhem begins welcoming throngs of kids who don't know and don't care what you pour into their cups- they'll drink it and they'll ask for more. They come for a good deal on an evening of all night open bar and leave shit-faced.
Last year, Yotam and I arrived around 9-ish and stayed till it closed at 11:00pm. We left with over 4 wine glasses each- glasses that had been abandoned or forgotten by careless tasters- and awoke the next morning with massive hangovers. But it was worth it. With our sneaky glass lifting, we had moved up in the world; we no longer drink our wine out of coffee mugs and plastic cups.
This year, Yotam and I arrived at 7:00pm sharp just as the doors were opening and dusk settled over the city. We left early too: by 10:00pm the place was packed and wineries were running out of wine. The hangover hit us just as hard.
Both last year and this year, the wine festival saw a huge number of young, Modern Orthodox American Jews. Huge. Each winery was well-prepared with at least one native English speaker behind each counter to field the questions from inquisitive Shwartzes, Rosenbergs and Cohens. I felt like I was at Brandeis University. It was a sea of heads topped with suede yarmulkas. I hadn't seen so many untucked pastel colored cotton polos in one place since I visited my high school friends in Baltimore in 2003.
Aside from the stampede of American Jews, the evening was fantastic. Some of the wines were especially tasty, and the Jerusalem weather was refreshingly breezy.
Here are my favorite wine picks (no, sadly I'm not getting paid for these reccomendations, but maybe if you click on their links and they notice the traffic, they'll find me and send me some free bottles):
Tzuba 2006 Metzuda
75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec.
Tzuba Winery is made in Kibbutz Tzuba, located in the Judean hills right outside of Jerusalem. This blend is smooth and aromatic, with a bit of a fruity aftertaste.
Teperberg 2007 Sangiovese Silver
A light, young red that is perfect for the summer, easy to drink and smooth going down.
Pelter 2007 Cabarnet Sauvignon
I really don't like judging wines from the lables, but really, Peter's lable design is classy, pretty and clean. So is their website. I can't compare this wine to their others since they'd run out of everything but the Cabarnet by the time we got to their stand, but this was a real winner and I'm usually not a Cabarnet girl. It's rich with fruity and oaky flavors and a nice after-bite.
Rimon Wines
I'm not going to pick one, since they only had three to taste from - one desert wine, one dry wine and one sweet port wine. All of their wines are made entirely from pomegranites- no grapes are used at all- which makes them unique and interesting, although very sweet. Theirs are special occasion wines that I imagine go well with a platter of chocolate covered strawberries or bananas and cream.
[fyi: I'm leaving out a fantastic dry Riesling and a wonderful fruity wine blend of four wines which I'll update once I'm home with the details of each in front of me. ]
The Segal wines were especially dissappointing as were the Recanate reds, Yarden and Gamla Chardones from Ramat HaGolan, and the Binyamina Rose which fell very very flat.
Here are some pictures of this year's and last year's festival, courtesy of walla.co.il, mouse.co.il and gojerusalem.com.
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| View from above, near the jazz and food |
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| Visitors are free to taste as many wines as they like |
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| This picture is from the 2005 festival, but I had to post it. How awesome is that shirt?! |
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| Israeli Wine looking sexy |
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tel Aviv Vs. Jerusalem
There has been a lot of debate among the young 20-30 somethings about which city is queen. To be fair, the debate reacher far past the highschool halls of sixteen year olds in the scouts and even beyond the cocktail hours of our beloved elders. Statistics even have a say here, making their mark in what appears to be a huge decline in young singles and a massive increase in religious numbers of all walks of life: international othrodox, cnservatives and even reform jews making aliyah as well as the infinite number of children being bornto religious Jewish family units.
But, when it comes down to it...why would a young, free thinking Israeli choose to live in one city or the other?
Here I'll lay out the basic qualities that both draw and detract visitors from both cities.
Jeruslaem:
But, when it comes down to it...why would a young, free thinking Israeli choose to live in one city or the other?
Here I'll lay out the basic qualities that both draw and detract visitors from both cities.
Jeruslaem:
- History: this is the first place for Jews and non-Jews to feel holy in face of and despite religious differences. This is the city most religious Jews flock to because of its connection to the Jewish past and the bible. It is also the city that most religious non-Jews flock to for very similar reasons. There is somehing special about the old city and the fact that it you still feel like you're traveling back in time when you walk through the gates and wander around the city and through the marketplaces.
- Universities: There are at least two really wonderful universities in Jerusalem which draw most of the young secular Israelis to the city: Hebrew University and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Both are thought to be top rate academic institutions- Bezalel being considered the top art school in all of Israel.
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| Old City of Jerusalem |
- Diversity: Because the city draws people from all over the world including journalists and politicians (Jerusalem is also the country's capital) there is a certian kind of diversity. While this usually isn't political diversity (most residents lean to the right, if not very far right) it is racial, ethnic and international diversity. However, sometimes it can be annoying that so many people speak only English. You can pretty much get by in Jerusalem without learning any Hebrew.
- Less Materialism: While there is a brand new high-end mall that was built right outside of the old city to lure tourists, there is not really a materialistic feel in Jerusalem. There's far less of the "seen and be seen" culture, not as much of a cafe culture, and the pick-up bar scene is pretty moderate. This makes the interaction between people, especially among young, secular Israelis, very warm and friendly. No one is judging, people are very open, and typically they are also quite easygoing.
- Weather: It's no coincidence that one of the famous lines of "Jerusalem of Gold" translates as "mountain air clear as wine and the smell of oranim flowers". This is the truth. The air is clear, mountain air, low humidity, with very beautiful hills and gorgeous foliage. They also get a fair ammount of rain, the winters are cool and actually feel like winter. However, this means that wintertime can get pretty depressing, cold and grey since Israel's archatecture isn't really built for cold weather.
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| Hebrew University Campus in Winter |
- Danger: Jerusalem is a target and it is right next to Arab villages filled with Arabs who aren't very happy about Israel's existance. This, mixed with the fact that numerous fundamental religious Jews who hate Arabs also live in close proximity, make it a very tense place. It's all about control really- I mean, I'd say that reform and conservative Jews also don't feel 100% comfortable there- being that there is such strong stigma against their customs and ways in this holy city.
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| Snow in Jerusalem, 2008 |
- Beach!!!! This is a beach city. It's filled with leafy avenues, and the summer welcomes packed beaches, bikinis, icecream trucks and the smell of suntan lotion. This is one of the reasons that people here look so fit. They are always in shape becuase bikini season is every season.
- Young and Vibrant: Tel Aviv is filled with young people. Young people that are working hard to live there because they think it's fabulous and they want to be part of that fabulousness. People go out to eat and drink a lot. There are great restaurants, concerts, and events. There is a big pick-up-bar scene and lots of gay bars. Fashion and style is way more important and there is definitely a cafe lifestyle here. There's even a dog-culture here of dog walkers and dog sitters - very nyc.
- Unique Aesthetic: There is something unique about the Tel Aviv aesthetic. It is almost ugly. Most of the buildings aren't upkept, although more and more are being restored- especially the famous bouhaus specimens. This makes Tel Aviv a fascinating place to walk around. Each neighborhood has really defining characteristics. The beach definitely makes it beautiful, as do many of the central squares, but some are still poorly designed and leave much to be desired.
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| Tel Aviv Beach |
- Modern and Progressive...BUT: Tel Aviv is friendly to the progressive, liberal capitalist. But, it is still Israeli. It is NY without the suits, Miami without the rich, Buenos Aires without the history, and don't expect anything to be polite there. Getting on a bus is still a bit third world. It involves pushing and shoving and knowing where you are and where you want to get off. There is not really any info on the bus or at the stop. You have to ask people.
- The Best Parties: If you are young and you like going out- If you want to see the most famous musicians from around the globe perform, if you want to go to cool new bars, if you want to see the best local musicians perform or have a taste of an all night trance party, tel aviv is the palce to be.
- Jobs:It's not that there aren't jobs in Jerusalem, but there are just more in Tel Aviv. What can I say - it is a more modern, more international and more progressive city.
- Yafo: It's part of the city, it's mostly Arab and it has the bext hummus places around. The port has been rennovated with new winde bars, restaurants, galleries and more, while the rougher neighborhoods have remained authentically rough.
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| Tel Aviv Bouhaus |
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| Old Yafo Port |
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