Art & Culture

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Written by Spokesperson of the President's Office

Published: 25 July 2019

President Rivlin spoke at the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival, where a new prize for Israeli filmmakers in their early stages of their careers was awarded in memory of his wife Nechama ז"ל

President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin spoke this evening, Thursday 25 July / 22 Tammuz, at the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival, where a new prize for Israeli filmmakers in their early stages of their careers was awarded in memory of his wife Nechama ז"ל courtesy of the Jerusalem Foundation.

This year 19 projects took part in the festival: 12 films in production track and seven in post-production. The festival, which runs until August 4th, also includes the PitchPoint competition for promising Israeli feature films. Noa Regev, the director of the Cinematheque, also spoke at the event.

"Happy Film Festival!" the president began his remarks. "There's a city in the heart of the world, and every summer, it blossoms. Its streets fill up, the public spaces are crowded, and we the residents of Jerusalem, receive the pilgrims, Israelis and tourists who come to take part in the great magic. The magic that is the Jerusalem International Film Festival."

"For me, cinema has always been an urban experience," the president said. "As a child, I used to sneak in to escape violin lessons, and even when I stopped learning violin, I did not leave cinema. Only when I met my wife Nechama did I realize that there were totally other cinematic experiences where the magic was far from the closed hall, from the velvet seats, from the heavy building."

The president told the audience about Nechama's experiences and deep love for the cinema, saying, "Where Nechama lived, on Moshav Herut, every Saturday evening the members would drag chairs to a sloped area in the center of the moshav, string up wide screen, maybe a double sheet, and sit down. Two projectors stood side by side. One projectionist was in charge of the film, another was responsible for the translation, screened separately, handwritten and on the right side of the film. Usually, by the time films arrived to the moshavim and kibbutzim, they were in a pretty bad state, and the translation never synchronized with the film. But no one cared. Under the open sky, children did not sleep, and the adults conducted lengthy discussions about the film, and of course about the actors and actresses. So while my urban memory memories were of huge buildings like the Rex and the Orion, the Zion and the Edison, Nechama saw movies in the open air, with the smell the soil all around. I was a passive observer who dreamed of looking like those indifferent and charismatic men who filled the screen in American Westerns; for a young Nechama, cinema was a big part of her life."

"We had, Nechama and me, the city boy and the village girl, a very different kind of movie experience. But we both shared our love of cinema," said the President said, adding, "This is the first year I am coming to the festival without Nechama. It isn’t easy for me, I must admit. But when I look at you, so many film lovers with your sparkling eyes, and feel your heart, I feel at home here. Thank you, and thanks to the festival and to the Jerusalem Foundation, which decided to dedicate a prize to young artists in Nechama’s name. Your gesture moves us, the entire family. Good night, Jerusalem and God bless you all."

Dr. Noa Regev, CEO of the Cinematheque, thanked the president and said, "’Watching a film is an event that you have to give your entire self to.’ This precise and wise sentence was said by such a precise and wise woman who we all miss, the beloved Nechama Rivlinז"ל . Nechama loved movies and film with all her heart. No one who had devoted more of herself to them than she did. Every year at this festival she would see dozens of films. Between the screenings, I was privileged to meet her, to receive a big, enveloping embrace, a hug that was all hers, all Nechama. A hug that so many artists drew strength from. The halls of the Cinematheque that were so much her own were orphaned by Nechama’s passing last month. And this festival, and this evening, is so full of her absence. Nechama believed that there was no substitute for the cinematic experience, that moment we enter the dark hall, sit down in front of the big screen together and dive, as she described it at a ceremony here during last years’ festival. Diving into worlds we never knew, and into the souls of characters who enter our hearts. This is the experience produced by the Jerusalem Festival, a festival for people who love cinema just like Nechama loved it."

Photo credit: Amos Ben Gershom (GPO)

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Written by Silvia Golan

Published: 11 July 2019

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Written by Steven Aiello

Published: 14 July 2019

Wednesday evening July 10th bore witness to a very moving event combining youth empowerment, intercultural learning, and sports diplomacy. A special ceremony held in Bnei Brak and attended by the ambassadors of Brazil and Germany to Israel marked the 10 year anniversary of Capoeira activities led by Abada Capoeira Israel. 

During the unique celebration, 300 Haredi Capoeira students taught under the supervision of Haredi Capoeira trainer Miki Chayat and his brother Yehuda Chayat, received their belts. The participants came from Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Bet Shemesh, Rehovot, and Petah Tiqva, and were recognized with their families in attendance. They received their belts from Abada Capoeira Israel trainers, along with Mestrando Mobilia from Brazil; Professor Teco from Barcelona, and two senior trainers who came from Germany to join the event.

The ambassador of Brazil to Israel, H.E. Mr. Paulo Cesar Meira de Vasconcellos addressed the audience and offered a Mazal Tov on their achievement. H.E. Dr. Susanne Wasum-Rainer, the ambassador of Germany to Israel spoke as well, congratulating the participants in Hebrew on their intercultural learning and achievements. Israeli Ambassador to Macedonia H.E. Mr. Dan Oryan also attended, impressing the audience by performing a professional handstand. 

The event celebrated both this year’s participants and a decade of achievements by Miki Chayat. Chayat, a world-renowned and decorated Capoeira competitor and instructor who has trained around the world, uses Capoeira to build bridges between cultures, and in particular to empower Haredi youth. His non-profit “Haredim in Beat” empowers at-risk Haredi youth via sport and martial arts, advances sports and health in the Haredi sector, and intercultural understanding and coexistence.

Diplomacy.co.il congratulates Miki and Yehuda Chayat, Abada Capoeira, and all of the participants.

Photo credit: Roey Tochband

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Written by Silvia Golan

Published: 30 June 2019

Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address at the 27th Annual B'nai B'rith World Center Award for Journalism on "Old Wine in New Bottles: Antisemitism in the Contemporary World." The event noting outstanding journalism in Israel will take place at 7:30 p.m. July 3rd at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem.

Winners of the 2019 Award for Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage, in memory of Wolf and Hilda Matsdorf, are Antonia Yamin, chief Europe correspondent for KAN - Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (for broadcast media), and Zvika Klein, Jewish World correspondent for Makor Rishon and NRG360 (for print media). A certificate of merit in memory of Luis and Trudi Schydlowsky will be conferred on Attila Somfalvi, lead anchor of ynet news.

 A special citation for Fostering Israel-Diaspora Relations through the Arts will be presented to singer, actor and Israel Prize laureate Yehoram Gaon.

Lipstadt writes on the Holocaust and contemporary Jewish life. In her best-known book, “History on Trial” (2005), Lipstadt chronicled the London courtroom battle that erupted when English author David Irving, a Holocaust denier, filed a libel suit against her in the United Kingdom for having called him a Holocaust denier. After a 10-week trial, Irving lost his case, and the proceedings exposed the true depth of his association with neo-Nazi groups. “History on Trial” became the basis for the critically acclaimed 2016 feature film “Denial,” starring Rachel Weisz. 

Her recent book, “Antisemitism: Here and Now” (2019), addresses the ever-present danger of anti-Semitic hatred and violence.  It has already been translated into German and Hebrew and was an Amazon best-seller. 

Yamin will receive the award for a series of reports on Jewish life in Great Britain and Austria and on anti-Semitism in Germany. Klein will receive the award for his series Distant Relatives (https://distantrelatives.makorrishon.co.il/) that explored Israel and Jewish American relations. Somfalvi will receive a certificate of merit for a series of reports and commentaries on the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.

Gaon, 2004 Israel Prize winner for Hebrew song, is an iconic Israeli singer, actor, producer, TV and radio host and public figure. Throughout a career that has spanned six decades, Gaon has been responsible for countless hit songs, plays and movies that have become woven into the common culture of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The son of an educator and historian, Gaon has taken profound interest in promoting Jewish historical themes and in engaging with Jewish audiences around the world. Gaon’s civic career also shows a profound dedication to Sephardic and Ladino heritage.

B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org

Courtesy: Bnai Brith world center.

The picture Of Yehoram Gaon – Ilan Bsor.