So far we’ve traveled twice to Jerusalem by bus, a very easy and convenient trip taking about 50 minutes and depositing us at the central bus station. From there it’s a pleasant walk down Jaffa Rd. past the enticing MahaneYehuda Market, a cornucopia of sights and smells—sides of beef, glistening fish, piles of vivid vegetables, breads and cakes, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, spices and herbs, coffee and teas, oils, cheeses. Who can resist lingering in the narrow lanes? There are even some trendy boutiques and cafes mixed in among the stalls, a sign of increasing gentrification. After picking up some quince paste and nutmeg we continued on down Jaffa, past the “Wal-Mart”-style bargain store (where we later scored a spatula and some dish sponges), past the numerous shoe stores, jewelry shops and clothing stores, and turned on to King George. Along this route, the presence of the black hat religious population is very prominent. I have a vivid image of one such gentleman, dressed in the long black coat and massive black hat, striding briskly along with a hot pink shopping bag dangling from one hand and a cell phone in the other. Somehow cell phones and cigarettes look out of place with 17th century garb.
Our destination the first time around was the Jewish Agency building where we met Becky Caspi with whom we had lunch. She gave us an overview of the Jewish Agency and its relationship to the alphabet soup of other organizations that assist new immigrants to Israel and Jews in need around the world (Joint Distribution Committee, United Jewish Communities, and others). I have to confess I still don’t understand exactly who does what but it was interesting to see the building which served as the first site of the government after statehood was declared.
On our second trip to Jerusalem, Lew had a lunch meeting with Steve Sager’s friend, Arnie, while I continued walking through the German Colony (a popular neighborhood for Anglos) to the Talpiyot neighborhood, the location of the Shatil office. It was a very warm and sunny day so I took my time strolling down Emek Refayim, a charming street lined with trendy clothing and jewelry stores, ice cream shops (of course I indulged) and many restaurants. The walk was very long, it was unseasonably warm and by the time I reached the street where the office was located I needed refueling. No surprise, there was a great felafel/hummos restaurant across the street, very crowded with locals and no English speakers—a good sign.
At Shatil I met with Elana Silver, a young woman who works on fundraising and development for the organization. She is originally from the states but met her Israeli husband when she was studying here and working as a waitress (he owned the restaurant). He is currently the night manager in one of the big hotels in Tel Aviv and commutes there from Jerusalem every day by train. She’s pregnant with her second child and laughs when some of her friends complain about the length of the PAID leave women receive after childbirth—14 weeks—in contrast to pitiful family leave policy in the states. Of course, the picture for women workers is not all rosy. Shatil just received a large grant from the European Union to address gender discrimination in the labor force. Elana is going to put me in touch with the project director so I can learn more about their plans for this project.
Later in the afternoon we made our way back to Emek Refayim to meet my friend Ruth Mason whom I last saw 44 years ago when we spent a summer together on an ulpan at Shefeya, a youth agricultural school near Zichron Ya’akov. She has been living in Jerusalem with her husband and three children for over twenty years, working as a journalist and now for Shatil. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she has become very involved with the Ethiopian community and has developed many projects to assist these immigrants. She had invited us to a presentation about the “From Risk to Opportunity” program at the Jerusalem Conservatory Hassadna, an impressive music academy founded in 1973. Ruth was instrumental in launching a scholarship program for Ethiopian children in 2005 that has grown from 10 to 35 children. Additional programs have since been added to include children from impoverished homes and to provide music education and music therapy to special needs kids with a range of physical and mental challenges. Recommended to the conservatory by social workers, teachers and others, including the director of the Jerusalem Battered Women’s Shelter, currently 65 disadvantaged children, (including10 children from the shelter), participate in the conservatory’s programs. Also among the 550 students are 35 special needs children (autism, Downs Syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, blindness) who receive individualized music therapy or therapeutic instrument instruction. There is a long waiting list.
This program is unique for a couple of reasons. First, the kids and their families get a lot of support to ensure that they can succeed in the program. The children are provided with full or partial tuition scholarships, free instruments, tutors who come to their homes to help them practice, and money for transportation costs. Also included in this network of care, the parents receive help to attend their child’s performances and are drawn into the school’s “family” so that they may encourage their children. Second, the inclusive philosophy of the conservatory builds bridges among all the children-- whether they are full-paying, special needs, Ethiopian, or at risk-- bringing them together to make music in various combinations. We witnessed the success of these efforts in four absolutely inspiring performances. First we heard ten year old Avraham, an Ethiopian boy from a severely distressed single parent family, play a movement of a Bach violin concerto. He has been playing the violin for two years. His enthusiasm and musicality captivated us and he beamed with pride when he finished. Next Ronit, a seven year old Ethiopian girl, played the piano with her tutor at her side. The school bought a piano for her home so that she could practice and her tutor visits her there every week to guide her practice. Malkamo, a shy Ethiopian boy, performed on the saxophone with a jazz combo comprised of mainstream students on piano, drums, and electric guitar. Although he has just begun his studies and could only play a limited range of notes, he definitely got in the groove and clearly enjoyed playing with the group. Finally, and perhaps most moving, we heard Rasha, a blind orphan with severe autism and mental retardation who is nevertheless a musical savant, play the piano. She played a duet with an advanced violin student while her teacher gently encouraged her with touches to her hands and cues sung along with the melody. Her performance was mesmerizing and she was visibly transformed by the music. The tour also included performances by some of the talented advanced students playing movements of chamber and solo works by Beethoven Rachmaninoff, Franck, Mozart and Bach. These students not only played beautifully but they also displayed an appealingly unselfconscious, down-to-earth manner.
The two young women who led the tour, Lena, a former teacher and now the Director of the conservatory, and Ronit, the Director of the From Risk to Opportunity Program, communicated their passion for and dedication to these kids and their families. Their enthusiasm and commitment to the continuation of the program are awe-inspiring. In sharing some of the many “unbelievable moments” they experienced daily, they certainly convinced me that this is a valuable endeavor. Now comes the sad part. Due to the recent economic woes and financial scandals, one of their main foundation supporters has cut their support for this academic year, leaving them with a $20,000 gap in their budget. They pay about $5000 each month to the Jerusalem municipality (who gives them no support) to rent a school building that is used during the day by a Waldorf-style school. Every afternoon they have to move their equipment into place and then put it all back at the end of classes. A full scholarship for an individual student comes to $2300/per year. They have put out a desperate plea for ideas about how to raise the necessary funds to allow all the currently subsidized students to continue their studies. I would love to hear any ideas about how to find more support for this incredibly worthwhile program.
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