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- Written by Steven Aiello / DebateforPeace
The Romanian Cultural Institute and the Jerusalem Symphony commemorated the Romanian National Culture Day with a one of a kind concert held at the Jerusalem Theater on Sunday evening, January 25. Conductor Ionut Pascu, who has made it an annual tradition to create unique collaborations with the Jerusalem Symphony, once again conducted this year’s concert, titled “Hidden Treasures”.
Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Martin Salamon, opened the evening by promising guests that they would be treated to Romanian cultural gems that even many in Romania don’t know, hence the name of the performance “Hidden Treasures”. Mr. Salamon recalled that last year, amidst the war, he had quoted the expression “when guns roar, muses are silent”, and noted that now with a ceasefire in place, the “guns are silent”, expressing the wish for permanent peace. Mr. Salamon reminded the audience that although it can be difficult to believe in soft power after witnessing such war atrocities, we must not give up on hope, and diplomatic solutions.
Ambassador of Romania, H.E. Radu Ioanid, spoke next, acknowledging the two hostages of Romanian heritage who were brought home in the last week, while calling for the release of the rest of the hostages, including several more with Romanian citizenship or heritage. Turning to the focus of the evening, Romanian culture, Ambassador Ioanid lamented the desecration of the Jewish community of Romania during the Holocaust, from pre-World War II numbers of over 700,000 members to only a few thousand after the war. The ambassador stressed that the loss of its Jewish community had deprived Romania of part of its own cultural richness.
Conductor Ionut Pascu then took the stage to open the concert. Before beginning the music, the conductor expressed his solidarity with his friends in Israel, and his hope that the music would serve as an elegy for the suffering of the last year, emphasized that “music can help us to go on”. Promising a mix of philosophical, mystical and lively, cheerful pieces, Conductor Pascu raised his baton and the music began.
Performing alongside the talented musicians of the Jerusalem Symphony and the conductor, were three leading singers from Romania: sopranoists Aida Pascu and Madeleine Pascu, and tenor Andrey Manea. The guests, who came from all over Israel, enjoyed the lively concert that featured pieces by top Romanian composers of the last 200 years, including Alfonso Castaldi, Mansi Barberis, Diamandi Gheciu, Theodor Dumitrescu, and Carmen Petra Basacopol.
Diplomacy.co.il offers congratulations to the Romanian embassy and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Israel on Romanian National Culture Day.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Photos credit courtesy the Romanian Cultural Institute.
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- Written by Silvia Golan & Stephen Abrahams
On Sunday evening, 26 January 2025 a photographic exhibition and reception entitled "Shalva Through the Lens of War" took place at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem.
Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities is dedicated to providing transformative care for individuals with disabilities, empowering their families and promoting social inclusion. Shlava provides an all encompassing range of services for thousands of people with disabilities from infancy to adulthood. Its comprehensive life - cycle programming provide leading - edge therapies, inclusive educational frameworks, social, and recreational activities, employment training, and independent living, as well as respite and family support. Shalva gives equal access and opportunities to all participants regardless of religion, ethnic background or financial capability.
This meaningful exhibit reveals the heavy toll the recent war has had on the people of Israel at Shalva, as seen through the lens of Israel's top news photographers who capture the profound impact of war on people with disabilities, their families and the support systems they depend on.
In this series, photographer Yossi Zelliger captured the therapeutic recreational activities taking place at Shalva, including hydro - music, art and sports therapy. Given the stress of the war and its impact on everyday life, it is critical for Shalva participants to have creative and productive ways to cope.
Another photo entitled "Leave No Child Behind" by Ori Ben Kakoon captures Yoav Engel, Shalva's Sport Director. On the 7th of October his son, Ofir was kidnapped to Gaza, along with the father of Ofir's girlfriend, Yossi Sharabi. Ofir was returned home after 50 days and Yossi was killed during his captivity. During Ofir's captivity, Shalva remained an anchor for the Engel family and supported them during this horrific period.
Another moving photo entitled "A Safe Place to Grieve" by Yoav Dudevitch is about Itamar Rubio, a charming boy of 15 years with a severe cognitive disability, originally from Colombia. Itamar's oldest sister Yvvone was declared missing from the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. A week later, the family received the news that Yvvone was murdered by Hamas. As the family dealt with the horrific aftermath of such a loss, Shlava stepped in to take care of Itamar. Volunteer and staff members took him on walks and continued to provide a sense of "normalcy" when everything seemed to be falling apart. This is what Shalva has done throughout the war - helping people with disabilities and their families navigate this unbelievably complex time in Israel.
Rabbi and Rabbanit Kalman Samuels, originally from Vancouver, Canada 35 years ago started Shalva in an apartment with five children. He proudly opened the evening thanking all present, especially mentioning Mr. Avner Oun, Director General of the Waldorf Astoria for his generosity and Mrs.Tal Maron, the hotel's spokesperson. Mr. Eli Madelbaum who conceptualized this exhibition, was also acknowledged as well as all photographers who participated, "Their Lenses Have Depicted an Island of Serenity".
The Director General of the Waldorf Astoria, Mr. Avner Oun stated that when Shalva approached him about hosting the event, he immediately agreed. He mentioned that when sirens went off during the war, he often thought about what went through the minds of Shalva's children while being rushed and housed in shelters. He concluded by stating that we are praying for a safe return of all hostages after 477 days in captivity.
The main photographer who coordinated the exhibition, Mr. Yossi Zelliger who said that "Shalva Provides Hope to All" and thanked all participating photographers.
A duet was performed by Ariel Hadad (violin) and Uri Averbuach (clarinet) playing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Thereafter a letter from President Isaac Herzog expressing his support and admiration for Shalva was read by the Master of Ceremonies".
The Jerusalem Post's Chief Photographer, Mr. Marc Israel Sellem briefly spoke saying that he could not refuse participating in Shalva's project when he was approached.
A short video was shown about Shiva's various projects and the ceremony was concluded by Mr. Eli Mandelbaum, the Project Director who presented certificates of merit together with the Ambassador of Guatemala and North Macedonia, the Deputy Head of Missions from the Netherlands and Peru and the directors from "Bridges for Peace" to people who have tirelessly contributed towards Shalva's efforts.
A sumptuous buffet and a variety of drinks was served and conspicuously enjoyed by all guests.
Diplomacy.co.il salutes Shlava for its invaluable humanitarian work and immense acts of kindness, may Shalva grow from strength to strength!
Photos credit Silvia Golan
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- Written by Silvia G Golan
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Hagit Sterenshuss: Past, Tense
The exhibition Past, Tense presents a selection of portraits by Hagit Sterenshuss, the bulk of
whose work was created in the 1980s and early 1990s. As the only daughter of sculptor,
illustrator, and designer Ruth Zarfati and sculptor and painter Moshe Sternschuss, two
prominent artists in 1950s Israel, her artistic language carries overtones of her childhood
home alongside the desire to find an independent voice. The large-scale figurative portraits,
which have become her hallmark, were mostly painted during her sojourn in London and New
York, sensitively addressing moments of loneliness in the big city.
In international art (followed by local art), the 1980s were marked by a "return to painting."
Artistic practice, immediately after the peaks of minimalist and conceptual art, was
characterized by a search for new forms of figurative painting and a return to the body and to
human interaction. A look back at those years reveals a turbulent decade that ushered in the
age of the media. Elements of high and low culture began to blend, undermining the
hierarchies of Western modernism.
As its title suggests, the exhibition Past, Tense takes us on a time travel back to another time
and place, prior to the works' date of making. The figures, whose portraits are rendered in
vivid pastel colors, belong to the artist's immediate circle of friends. Their "natural" place is
the domestic setting, but the internal drama raging in their souls and discernible on their faces
seems to draw the external reality inward, a reality which reeks of sex, drugs, and rock and
roll. Alongside vitality and passion, it is also imbued with desistance and death, against the
backdrop of the outbreak of AIDS.
The titles of the paintings, like the names and locations of the depicted subjects, bring a small
community of strangers together, young and far from home. Their figures are sometimes
cropped by the boundaries of the format, ostensibly attesting to unframeable voluminosity and
expansion. The source of the images and the inspiration for the fragmentation of the "partial"
figures originate in Polaroid snapshots taken by Sterenshuss. The photographic echoes further
widen the gap between the momentary, rapid occurrence and the lingering and immersion
demanded by the works.
Sterenshuss's work reveals an artistic channel which was far from central in the
historiography of Israeli art. It indicates a turning away from national narratives and the
definition of the local versus the universal, and a preference for vulnerable existence,
crumbling like pastel chalk. In 1994, Sterenshuss turned to Hinduism. She continues to create
and teach art but has refrained from exhibiting her work until now.
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Material Imagination: Inflamed Nerve
Israeli Art from the Museum’s Collection
Inflamed Nerve, the third chapter of the Tel Aviv Museum Israeli art collection exhibition Material Imagination, is launched during the deepest rift that Israeli society has ever seen. The social, ideological, and religious polarization pounds in the exhibition like the throbbing pulse of the artworks and their evolving interrelations.
After three years of display, the exhibition, which features works created here over more than a century, has been supplemented by some seventy new works by leading artists, some well-known, others making their debut. The space dedicated to the poetics of fire, Blazing Movement, is charged—as before, and to an even greater extent—with a call for action, cementing our place in the East; floating in the Airship space are various manifestations of the disintegration of the private and public body; while the space of Promised Land seethes with a sense of detachment, exile, and nomadism.
The exhibition Material Imagination departs from the story of Israeli art as a chronological narrative running parallel to the national story. Material Imagination is a model of thinking conceived by philosopher Gaston Bachelard during years of delving into the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—and their incarnations in the imagination and in art. The material imagination thrives in the dialogue between the materials of the world and archaic images—archetypes accumulated and etched in human consciousness. The model formulated by Bachelard is the organizing principle underpinning the current collection exhibition. The three galleries of Israeli art unfold three chapters: Promised Land, Airship, and Blazing Movement.
Each chapter examines the works through a host of associations arising from the artworks' materials or elemental images. This distinction returns the gaze to the materiality of the artwork as an act and an object, requiring an attentive gaze, free of preconceptions regarding the art created here from the beginning of the previous century to the present day.
Curator: Dalit Matatyahu
Associate curators: Tal Broitman
Assistant Curators: Kfir Meir, Adi Gross, Amit Shemma
Photos by Silvia G. Golan
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The Ambassador of Latvia to Israel, H.E. Mr. Aivars Groza and the Economic Attache and Representative of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Mrs Irina Rubinchika hosted an opening reception and premiere screening of the animation movie "Flow" at the Lev Cinema in Dizengoff Centre, Tel Aviv, yesterday Tuesday, 21 January
The evening's programme started with wine and refreshments in the Cinema's lobby followed by an opening statement from the Ambassador expressing his gratitude regarding the ceasefire and mentioning that "we are looking forward to the release of all hostages held in captivity".
Thereafter Mrs. Rubinchika welcomed all present and a short video entitled "Choose Latvia as Your Next Destination for Business or Adventure" was shown encouraging investment and collaboration in Latvia.
Flow (Latvian: Straume) is a 2024 animated independent fantasy adventure film directed by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis and written by Zilbaldis and Matiss Kaza. The movie's budget was $3.8 million. At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival the film received critical acclaim and since then has won 48 film and animation awards including Best Animated Film at the European Film Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the National Board of Review Awards. The film was selected as the Latvian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. The movie also won the Golden Globes Best Animated Feature Award.
The movie as described by the Ambassador results in "goosebumps". It depicts animals of different species forced to co - exist in order to survive against all odds against natural disasters such as tsunamis and floods as well as against stronger animal species.
Present were distinguished ambassadors, Latvian expatriates, members of the business community, Mrs. Sarah Allalouf, Latvia's Honorary Consul General for the past 25 years in Israel who eases and paves the way for Latvian diplomats in Israel as well as Mrs. Shula Kopf, a journalist at the Jerusalem Report.
Diplomacy.co.il thanks the Ambassador and Latvian Embassy for hosting a unique event enjoyed by everyone.
Photos by Silvia G. Golan
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On Wednesday, 11 December 2024, Israel's most important agricultural fair and exhibition was opened by Mr. Haim Alush , sponsored by Mr. Gabriel Hayon, Chairman of the Diplomatic Institute at the Ramada in Jerusalem and Silvia G. Golan Editor in chef of www.diplomacy.co.il and representant of www.diariojudio.com in Israel.
In addition to the agricultural expo, there was also the annual Clean - Tec fair, an exposition with emphasis on innovation in water technologies, renewable energy and recycling.
Agro Mashov, an annual fair is a location where growers, buyers, decision makers, retailers, wholesalers and importers meet. The expo covers Agro food, Agro - tech, Clean Tec, marketing, fresh produce, agricultural technology, animal farming, fish farming, wine, seeds, cannabis, mechanization, packaging, tractors, greenhouses, labeling, pest control and logistics.
Mr. Hayon welcomed all guests present followed by H.E. Ms. Idit Silman, Minister of Environmental Protection. Guest of Honour was Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Mr. Avi Dichter who was interviewed by his counterpart, H.E. Ms. Idit Silman.
The Ambassador's tour of the expo was attended by a group of diplomats, foreign visitors and state officials. Among the many stalls the group were shown included Seymour Agronomic Management Ecosystem, a company who manufactures control and sensing products for agriculture relating to control, plant, soil, meteo and irrigation, Safe wax, a company drawing inspiration from superhydrophobic plants like broccoli and lotus to offer a sustainable shield against fungal threats in crops which destroy a third of global food crops annually, Earth Biochar, a collaboration of companies working synergistically offering green solutions in recycling and organic waste treatment, Gadot Mercury, a pioneer in the chemical sector in Israel, Rifone, a company importing irrigation machines from Italy where 90% of irrigated crops are impacted with water using less chemicals and Matte Yehuda Regional Council comprising 58 communities scattered over 200 square miles consisting of many wineries, breweries, farms, home-style restaurants and guest houses. ,
The conclusion of the Ambassadors tour ended at the Diplomatic Institute's booth where there was a poster of past projects namely digital farming in Columbia, trade delegations in Cuba, cyberpark and women empowerment in the Dominican Republic, papaya industry in Guatemala, sales adaptation model in China, startups' soft landing in Austria and innovative ecosystems in Myanmar.
Guests from abroad who flew to Israel with the sole purpose of attending the expo were Ms. Florence Osuji, formerly a Senior Economic Officer at the Israeli Embassy In Abuja, Nigeria and presently National Coordinator of the Nigeria Israel Business Form, Mr. Solomon Oseagah from Abuja, Nigeria who is Co founder of Excella B group specializing in energy,mining, oil, and gas, and Mr. Jacky Kadosh, President of the Southern Moroccan Jewish Community in Marrakesh and Safi.
Diplomacy and Diario Judio extends its heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Haim Alush who annually organizes an expo of such magnitude and importance.
Photo credits Iki Photo Dino
