Presentation Matters

We went to the Israeli Presidential Conference today, which was incredible. What struk me the most about the whole experience was that the panels were all set up in very different ways. The first session we went to (the reason we were all invited to attend in the first place) was about religious expression in the future, and how different religions will get along. Interestingly, each of the panelists spent more time talking about the current state of affairs of religion, in whatever their area of expertise was (Israel, the middle east, Europe, or the United States) and so didn’t really touch on the future. Not until the end, where someone actually asked a question about peace in Israel, did the subject begin to be broached. And even then, only Rabbi Melchior was speaking.

            In that vain, Rabbi Melchior was the only one of four, five if you include the narrator, who did not have a pre-written speeh. Due to that, the panel was less of a discussion and more of an expose of the work these people have done in their specific areas of interest. Only during Rabbi Melchior’s turn to speak did I truly feel engaged, like he was ready to have a discussion. However, like much of the Orthodox world, he is truly one who likes to fight, be loud and passionate, and get his opinions heard. He had an agenda, he had things to say, but he still did not fit in with the other three academians.

            If nothing else, this experience taught me that when choosing a panel of people to represent the issue, I first need to make sure I put together a group of people who have a good working dynamic together, and who are able to engage each other in a dialogue. Next, I need to ensure that the moderator is vivacious enough to keep the attention of the audience and to keep the panelists on track. Neither of those two things really happened here and therefore derailed the whole experience for me.

Highlights from the first panel:

·    "Religious freedom is an expression of gods will or the carrying out of gods will". Whichever you believe can be part of the solution or the problem.

·    The less religious a person is, the more likely they are to vote democratically. 15% of US population said to not believe in God. They, plus the black population makes up the base of the democratic movement.

·    Americans tend to view religion as chosen, rather than something that is ascribed. It's brought about polarization, where the people who are in the middle, without truly strong adherence, dropping out of the dynamic. Can be seen as a worldwide phenomenon (likely why so many people are afraid of it). His Conclusion: of religion is not part of the solution; it will be part of the problem.

·    They didn't believe in God but believed that God had promised them the land.

·    More than 50% going to religious schools (Jews in Israel).

·    Religion is the biggest NGO in the world.

·    Religion can be a drug for death (Talmud).

·    Secularizing the peace process may not solve problems because part of the problem stems from the extremist religious entities believing they are better than others. (everyone wants to bring about peace, but no one seems willing to work together, to talk quietly. Of course that is a desire for something that we don't know is possible. HOWEVER, after hearing that the control over the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was given to Muslims because the Christians couldn't all get along in trying to own it, I wonder why something similar might not be done for other places in Jerusalem. Why cannot something similar to that be done with regard to the Kotel and other sacred places, giving control to actually impartial parties (if that even exists), allowing all people who want to visit to come in but not keep fighting against each other, for the same thing? Is that even possible?). (I’m still trying to make a solution out of something that doesn’t get at the base of the issue, which is people’s prejudices. People need to understand that everyone is a person, no matter their religion, sexual identity or anything else and deserves the right to live freely.

·    "We're all temporary residents here. Let's do something with the world we've been given"   -Rabbi Michael Melchior

·    It's not what Judaism is about, but what we do with it!

            However, the second panel I went to, in the exact same room, was on Israeli art and the potential it has for connection yesterday to tomorrow. The difference between the two panels could not have been larger! Where the first was boring and dry, this one captured my attention and made me thing, as opposed to just trying to write things down. The first panel was difficult enough to follow that in my trying to write down points, I feel I sufficiently MISSED the actual points each speaker was trying to make. In the art panel, I was writing because I was intrigued, moved by what I was hearing, and that sparked internal dialogue. That writing is below, as I might as well keep my musings somewhere. Although somewhat scattered and not the most sensical, these are the ideas that most captured my attention and held my interest! (The panel was Joseph Ceder, film maker; Edgar Keret, short story writer; Sigalit Landau, artist, landscape installation; Achinoam ‘Noa’ Nini; and art appreciator Rivka Saker. The moderator was even incredible. James Snyder has been in Israel since 1997, knows no Hebrew, and runs the Israel museum!).

Are individual differences what make artists so powerful? We all come from very different places, and end up with varying degrees of connection to the places we live. Also our place of residence is NOT always the place we most identify with. Instead, we often feel a pull or a draw to a place that speaks to us inside, in our heart, in our soul. So many artistic personalities feel that desire to be in Israel, either due to their past, a love, or just a profound need. Israel is a place where Judaism is just part of life, where biblical Hebrew has become the norm in the form of the modern Hebrew language. No matter the reason, people end up back here (in Israel), scattered throughout the country. In addition, the diversity of background from which most Israeli artists, specifically these ones, come from, lend themselves to further motivate and underlie the work.

Also of importance is the ability to create an absolutely unique scenario that draws in the audience. How far are we – as artists, as people, even as Jews – willing to escape from our own small world and experience the beauty that abounds beyond (even more important, how can one capture that and make it globally accessible)? Art needs to have a connection to the community and the people it is directed at. Artists are not homogenous, they come from all different backgrounds, which serve to expound upon and make the art scene flourish more.

            Every artists, somewhere, begins with a need to fit in and be a part of their community, to feel like they have a place, to be fulfilled with שלימות (wholeness).  It is all about making a difference in the world and understanding that you as an artist on the world stage represent the people you come from and will always be thought of as an ambassador of sorts for that community.

Artists, through their art, convey meaning. Those who come to see art often have no idea what the words of a song mean or what particular life experience a cinematographer got his idea from, but the artist needs to find some way to connect to his or her audience. People engage in the tone and the emotions; that is how they connect! They don’t need to know every single word, as the big picture can oftentimes be just as powerful, if not more so. Audiences all over the world engage with Achinoam Nini and love her music, while most of them have no idea what they are singing. That is the power of art; to capture heads and hearts and bring them in, connecting people to each other and to the world around them. Indeed, this is how art can be so locally connected, rooted in a specific spot but also incredibly powerful on a global, more universal scale.

Another question about art has to do with the religiosity of it. Jews have always been in the visual arts, but should they add religious aspects to the conversation? When artists take their background and feel more connection to the world, rather than material necessities, that is when the true beauty is manifested.

Translating colloquial Hebrew into other languages is so frustrating but also iconoclastic as words are invented and changed! People change between languages, from biblical language to a rap song to Yiddish. Not even that, but someone will make biblical references and almost EVERYONE understands them, which is fascinating and beautiful!

An artist is like a bird. If you tie her wings and her beak, she will die. She cannot continue.  -Achinoam Nini