Sergey Kadinsky
Photography
These photos were created in the Summer of 2006, as a Media Fellow at the Jerusalem office of The Israel Project
Unexpected Happenings
By now, I should expect unexpected things to happen to me. In Israel, this appears to be the only certainty. On Thursday, the Jerusalem Film Festival opened at Sultan's Pool Auditorium in the Hinnom Valley. Out of my six friends, only one had the ticket to see "Someone to Run With." With tickets sold out three days before the event, the rest of us resorted to begging on the street, hoping that some of the moviegoers would have extra tickets. Within a half hour, all five of us got tickets. Four of us got them for free due to the generosity of the people who gave them.
Among the impressive things we got from the opening night were meeting Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, and seeing him shake hands with actor Jeff Goldblum. This event marked Goldblum's first ever visit to the City of Gold. I was quickly won over in praise of Goldblum. Not only did Goldblum speak of Israel in high praises, but he also tried to speak Hebrew. What really got me to rise in respect for Goldblum, was his mention of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. No other speaker at the event mentioned Shalit. The audience was stunned by Goldblum's respect of Israel's defenders.
At the after-party, we also met with the founder of the film festival, Lia Van Leer. To my surprise, the 82 year old film promoter spoke Russian to me. Turns out she was born in Moldova. It is possible that she may have been neighbors with my great-grandparents.
On Friday, I took a bus to the Salt Dea at Ein Bokek, which is the lowest community on land, some 1300 feet below sea level. Ein Bokek contains a tourist-friendly spa, popular among elderly pensioners, who travel there for healing. On my bus ride back to Yerushalayim, a friendly elderly couple invited me to visit Bnei Brak, a mostly Orthodox city northeast of Tel Aviv. Ein Bokek contains a picturesque McDonalds in the middle of a desert. However, because it is non-kosher and owned by Omri Padan- a member of a leftist group, I chose to avoid eating there.
What a cute couple. The bus was packed.
The tourist trap- McDonalds in the desert.
As the Salt Sea continues to shrink, the Judean desert meets the desert of Moab, which is part of Jordan. This spit of land is known as ha-lashon- the tongue.
Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley
There was once a time when the level of the Salt Sea was much higher, and the flat areas north of it show evidence of what may have been waves. This is the Jordan Valley, the strategic buffer separating the Samarian highlands from Jordan. If a Palestinian state is created, the consensus opinion prescribes for the Valley to remain in Israel's hands.
This is the Judean desert north of the Salt Sea, it was once flooded.
The sleeping elephant of the Jordan Valley
The farming community of Argaman, built in 1970. Named after a group of IDF soldiers killed in the region, it has about 170 residents. The soldiers were pursuing terrorists in the area. To avoid killing an unarmed Arab woman caught in the battle, they held their fire, and were killed by terrorists.
Rabbi Benji and
the Gesher Organization
For Shabbat, my hostel was visited by Rabbi Benji Levene. As a founder of the Gesher organization, the rabbi works to bridge Israel's religious-secular divide through acting and lectures. A father of ten children, the Shabbat visit marked the bar mitzvah of one of his sons. He is the grandson of Rabbi Aryeh Levin of blessed memory. Rabbi Levin was the spiritual advisor to the independence fighters of the Irgun and Lehi organizations during the British mandate and the War of Independence.
The bar mitzvah boy celebrates with a dance
After an afternoon nap, the rabbi's family invited me on a tour of the old City given by the wife of Rabbi Nachman Kahane. He is the brother of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, an extremely controversial political figure in Israel. Contrary to my expectations, most of the tour was about architecture and history, not politics.
I did not expect to find a seat at the film festival, be invited to Bnei Brak, spend a Shabbat with Rabbi Benji, or be given a tour by Mrs. Kahane. All of these things happened without prior notice. By now, I should get used to unexpected invitations. In this city, all kinds of miracles are possible.