israel

NaVloPoMo 14 - day # 14 Ben Yehuda B-Boys

source file = http://blip.tv/file/484657
blog post = http://www.aliak.com/node/14213

the bboys were back in Ben Yehunda mall as I was coming home from work tonight. usually I've seen them there Thursday nights (equivalent to Friday back home as the weekend is Fri-Sat here not Sat-Sun as it is back home). they were just warming up I think. trying a bit of popping & locking this time.

14/11/2007

NaVloPoMo 12 - day # 12 - drive to work in Jerusalem

http://blip.tv/file/479974 = source file
http://www.aliak.com/node/14209 = blog post

Watch the Video

this is about 3 and a half minutes of my drive to work in Jerusalem - taken this morning. most days the taxi driver takes me through the religious area. sometimes along the freeway 'begin north'. I like going through the suburbs as it's more interesting to see people on their way to work or doing their daily tasks in the morning. at night it's late and dark so it's harder to take video. I sometimes worry about filming people, but the compression and reduction in size has made the people unrecognizable, and yet enough to trigger my memory. I love the Jerusalem stone buildings (limestone I think) - there's a rule that says all the buildings in Jerusalem have to be made of Jerusalem stone. I think it helps keep it's character. the old buildings are large blocks of stones, the newer ones are just 1inch veneer and some are starting to incorporate plates of glass.

the song is "My Life" by Echotek, an Israeli artist - from the album "Life Is... Dimensions" on Israeli label BNE records. I bought a few of their releases during my last visit - great sounds!

12/11/2007

(it's just cut edited in QT pro with the raw clips and was a bumpy ride - I must go to a lot of places with potholes..)

Watch the video

NaVloPoMo day # 4 : Tisha B'av Lumiere - Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem

http://blip.tv/file/465070

this is my Lumiere video (in the tradition of Lumiere videoblogs @ http://videoblogging.info/lumiere/) taken on the night before Tisha B'av at the Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. 23/07/2007. the Jewish people file into the Western Wall and pray. we were there from around 8pm (just before sunset) to around 10pm. there were still many people entering the area - apparently it goes on most of the night and fills up pretty quickly and the people overflow into the outer area and await their turn to pray at the wall. the praying sounded good when they were all in unison. the following day 24/07 is the special day - Tisha B'av. the people have to fast - they're not allowed water or food. remember this is the middle of summer in Israel, so it's pretty hot. I wonder if there's problems on this day when people can't drink water. leading up to this day, the men are not allowed to shave either, or eat meat. some of the guys at work call it the 'scruffy period' as the men's beards grow uncontrolled! the video was shot from the outer area - the wall in the background is the Western Wall - the last remaining section of the temple that was destroyed (though apparently recently they have uncovered new areas in the tunnels underneath)

Lumiere rules :
- 60 seconds max
- Fixed camera
- No audio
- No zoom
- No edit
- No effects

(re Fixed camera requirement - I don't have a tripod so it's a little shaky, but closest I could get to Fixed camera (no zoom))

(some info) : Tisha B'av (24/07/2007) a Jewish day of fasting in remembrance of the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the start of the long Jewish exile, as well as the destruction of the second temple more than six centuries later (begins at sundown the night before).

http://www.virtualjerusalem.com/jewish_holidays/3weeks/ has some more info on Tisha B'av and other Jewish religious holidays

and a flickr slideshow of the photos

http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?page=3&q=tishabav&w=28565478%40N00

yesterday I bought a dvd on Arabic Percussion - it's a how - to / instructional dvd by Yinon Muallem, "Master of Percussion". I don't think I'd be able to carry a traditional drum around with me on my travels, and I thought they were made from wood & animal skin so wouldn't be allowed back into Australia by Customs anyway. I spoke to the guy from the shop and he had modern versions not made of wood or animal skin which sounded great when he played them but I said I'd think about it.. instead I found a couple of pairs of finger cymbals / zills - like the ones bellydancers use. the larger ones are the more professional versions and sound the best. the smaller ones are the cheaper ones found in most of the stores at the markets. but these fit my hands better so I thought I'd start with them. you wear them on the thumb and middle finger and can do a couple of strokes - hit together then open again for the higher 'ting' and hit together and stay together for the 'clap' sound. the store had a dvd also for bellydancing, hopefully it's got some English. their website lists the classes but it's in Hebrew so I can't read it yet..

http://www.arabesque.co.il/ - the arabic bellydancing & musicians site
http://www.yinon-muallem.com - the arabic percussion dvd site

tonight I saw a documentary called "Recognized" at the Jerusalem Cinematheque by director Ori Kleiner which shows some bedouins who live in the Negev desert & have been displaced by the Israeli government and who have had their homes demolished and property confiscated. I'm afraid I still don't really know why. the film mentioned the people were not counted as Israeli citizens, despite them and their ancestors being born in Israel and having lived in the region for longer than the State of Israel has existed. and also that in some cases the land has been claimed by the military and national parks.

it's a good film to see though as I wasn't aware this was happening. to be honest, some of what was mentioned reminded me of India and it's relocation of villages (though some people I've spoken to say this doesn't exist, despite me seeing video footage, photos and reports via the Sarai i-fellows of it occurring)

the film mentions support from Regional Council of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev - http://www.idealist.org/en/org/160469-22 has some information

dukium.org has some info - time to read up on this..

links page on dukium.org : http://dukium.org/modules.php?name=RefLinks

some other work by the director Ori Kleiner can be found @ :

http://www.holyfly.com/POA/
http://www.wac.ucla.edu/extensionsjournal/v2/kleiner.htm
http://www.oznik.com/art/040613.html

the film blurb :

Recognized
A documentary film by Ori Kleiner
Israel/USA 2007
61min
Hebrew and Arabic w/English subtitles
Additional Camera: Natasha Dudinski
Original Music and Sound Editing: Grundik Kasyansky

"Bedouin usually appear in the Israeli collective consciousness as
either "ethnographic" or "demographic"issues. Their representation by
means of various objects—coffee, camels, tents, carpets—keeps most
Israelis from grasping Bedouin as subjects with wishes and wills,
frustrations and fears; as possessing not only a past, but also a
future. The film Recognized is made up of documentary moments that
trace the uprooted experiences of Nuri al-Ukbi, Salman Abu Jlidan, Eid
Al-Athamin, Ibrahim Abu Afash, and Samaher Abu Jlidan whom history has
cast in the roles of protagonists antagonized by a State that
established itself up on their ancestral lands. Recognized is not a
film about Bedouin, but about people forced into the role of
Bedouin—the only identity theState of Israel allows them, the very
identity it systematically denies them. Substandard citizenship,
coupled with daily existential obstacles posed by the State, are what
this film is about. Recognized was filmed entirely on
location in the Negev desert in the summer of 2006. "

this is the view of the Dead Sea where highway 1 & 90 meet, East of Jerusalem. I stopped for a drink and to take a photo. then I drove down as far as Meseda - will have to go back another day to see more as I only stayed on the highway this trip. the desert is amazing - layers of beige. I was expecting lots of sand, but the countryside seems to be quite rocky. perhaps further inland there's sand.

28/07/2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a043xf9rPTk

in jerusalem, and even tel aviv there's not much postering going on - on the walls of the buildings. it seems much more controlled. they have these boards up at regular spots around the city. there's a number to call at the top of the board and I've seen the guys swapping the posters each week.

so it's a small business for the board holders. similar to the flyer bags in UK.

there's a mix of events listed on the boards too. I've seen flyers, with bits of english that I could read, for djs (eg Markey Funk who's cd I bought the other day - a down tempo hip hop / turntablist), plus larger concerts and jazz festivals and book readings / fairs and workshops / lectures. most of the things actually look like they'd be quite interesting if I could read / speak Hebrew!