By Shlomit Dagan-Deri, Yitzhak Coordinator and Partnership 2000 Marketing Coordinator.
Gathering
Two years of hard work, which began with an idea proposed by the Western Galilee Partnership Arts Task Force, culminated in a unique event, the first of its kind in Israel, the Yitzhak International Arts Gathering, which took place between June 17-23, 2005.
By late May, preparations were well underway. The American artists had begun to arrive in Israel and were creating their works in the Western Galilee. On June 17th, 83 artists, educators, executive directors of the Jewish Federations and other individuals from the various communities gathered at the Palm Beach Hotel in Akko to experience and create the Yitzhak project. The members of the American Yitzhak delegation came from Canton, Dallas, Dayton, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Louisville, Northwest Indiana, Omaha, San Antonio and Youngstown and met with over 100 Israeli artists and other people from the region.
The Gathering was officially opened on Friday with a workshop that evoked the major dilemmas faced by the Jewish nation in Israel and in the Diaspora. After an introductory lecture by Rabbi Yitzhak Zuriel dealing with the significance of the Sabbath for the Jewish people, we prepared for Kabbalat Shabbat.
On the following day, we toured the Old City of Akko and visited the Yitzhak exhibition displayed in the Prisoner's hall of the Old Crusader fortress.
"A wonderful event. I think it inspired a lot of people to create the beautiful art works and I believe it will bring a lot more people back to Israel. Thank you for the hospitality." -Jamie Escola, newspaper editor, Canton.
After the Havdallah, service we enjoyed a Hassidic-style spiritual evening, with songs by Rabbi Yitzhak Luria (the "Ari") performed by the talented Eliad Eliyahu, a young singer and performer from Akko.
The third day of the Gathering was devoted to the presentations by the artists at the Matte Asher Community Center and at the Western Galilee College. On the campus, we visited more than 30 Yitzhak Tents - unique works by students from Israeli and American schools, created in a special joint project dealing with the theme of Yitzhak.
That evening 500 people gathered in the Old City of Akko for the Gala Opening of the Yitzhak Gathering. The program included three performances which were created especially for this evening, one of them The Pathway of Words, a dance performed by American and Israeli dancers. The choreographer, Cat Smith (Canton, OH) composed the dance to Yitzhak Rabin's speech in Oslo.
"I am really lucky to have been included in the Yitzhak project and I would love to be a part of similar project in the future." -Nita Kehoe-Gadway, Artist, Wyoming
The fourth day began with a visit to the Zippori archaelogical site, where we learned about Jewish culture in the Mishnaic period and visited the ancient synagogue, with its mosaic representing the Binding of Isaac.
The Americans were hosted for dinner at the homes of the Israeli artists and educators who participated in Yitzhak. Both guests and hosts had a fabulous experience.
"An extra ordinary opportunity. I feel very privileged to participate and very welcomed by the Israelis." -Martha Grant, Artist, San Antonio
The fifth day began with a visit to the Ghetto Fighters' House, a long-standing and well-established museum named after Yitzhak Katzenelson, the educator and poet who died during the Holocaust. There, we attended The Three Faces of Yitzhak a reading theatre play written by Rochelle Neuman of San Antonio (and performed by San Antonians) and heard the Holocaust Requiem. We visited the museum exhibits and then held a gallery talk.
In the evening, we were hosted in Kibbutz Eilon and heard about the Keshet Eilon international violin master class project. We attended three inspiring performances of music, dance and song. By the time the show ended, it was almost midnight, but our day had not yet ended. We continued with an outdoor activity "The Night of the Bridges, 1948", in the fields near Gesher Aziv, in memory of the Palmach forces lead by Yitzhak Sade.
"Thank you all for such a great experience for me. The time and effort is truly appreciated. It was a positive voluble effort. I thank you and will work with my students to make this carry on." -Jesse McClain, Educator, Youngstown.
The sixth day began with a visit to Klil, one of the unique communities in the Western Galilee. We visited Jack Janu's house (which he built himself) and encountered his art work in his studio.
"Best was the direct contact with the Israelis. This is something that builds the essence of Partnership." -Irvin Moscowitz, Chair Partnership, Dayton.
We continued with short visit to Safed. Still pursuing the theme of Yitzhak, we visited two synagogues named after the Ari and Abuhab (both named Yitzhak!), and the studio of artist David Friedman, who incorporates Kabbalistic themes in his works.
In the afternoon, we were joined by three Family mission delegations from the Partnership communities of Toledo, Louisville, and Akron, about 100 participants all together. We had a barbecue dinner by the hotel pool, and then traveled to Achziv Park for the closing performance of the project.
"It was outstanding and memorable as a model that other Partnerships can and should emulate". -Mark Freedman, Executive director of San Antonio Federation.
The closing evening, emceed by Beth Zuriel, began with a performance by the IDF (Israel Defense Force) Orchestra. Lior Yaron, the outgoing American chairman of the Partnership, congratulated the 600 guests. Next on the program was an electrifying dance performance by the Gaaton Studio dancers, and the Nahariyanim singing group.
On the seventh and last day of the Gathering, between various checkout arrangements, we managed to squeeze in a laughter yoga workshop, as well as a summary workshop, in which we discussed our next steps in the Partnership activities as a conclusion of the Yitzhak Gathering.
"This will stay with me the rest of my life. I saw an Israel that with all its straggles is full of beauty and an energy to create amazing beauty. I cried for joy, sadness, and gratitude. It was a fabulous experience." -Dr. Paula Joyce, Artist, Dallas.
There is no doubt that the Yitzhak project was a climax for the Western Galilee -Central Area Consortium Partnership. Participants from 11 communities (out of the 13 communities) and participants from Israel all came together for seven wonderful days, in order to meet, create, have a good time and leave their unique personal mark on the Partnership.
"The gathering was really fantastic. There was almost too much to do, but it was all quite wonderful. There is more I want to see and places I want to revisit." -Barbara Simco, Artist, Omaha.
We hope that we have created a platform for future activities, which will evolve and generate new initiatives, bringing together people, regions and communities in creative and innovative ways.
"It was an excellent week, a spectacular first-ever Arts event. I can not say enough in praise of this program. Israelis have a great deal to offer to their American partners." -Dominica Sanchez, Artist, Canton.
We thank all those, both in Israel and America, who contributed to the success of the gathering. Well done!
More pictures ...
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View Yehuda Peled's photos of the recent Yitzhak gathering from Tzipori.
Yitzhak Gathering Schedule