Zellenberg Gewurtztraminer from Marc Tempe

I discovered a splendid wine and I would like to share the news with you. After the Litvak Gallery and the Orna Ben Ami art exhibition I wrote about we entered to have lunch at Toto – considered to be one of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv.  The Friday afternoon business menu was up to the expectations, although prices were quite on the upper part of the scale. When we got to selecting the wine the ladies choice was for a Gewurtztraminer. They had the 2007 Yarden brand we had a few weeks ago at another restaurant in Tel Aviv but for 20 shekels more and yet at a ‘reasonable’ (for the location) price of 175 shekels they offered an Alsatian brand. I went for it and I had no reasons of regret.

Zellenberg Gewurtztraminer from Marc Tempe

The place this wonderful Gewurtztraminer comes from is Zellenberg and the name of the winemaker is Marc Tempe. I found some information about him on the Internet at http://www.marctempe.fr/. Zellenberg is located on the Route des Vins which traverses the Alsace from North to South, one kilometer afar from the touristic and picturesque small city of Riquewihr which we had visited a few months ago. The place is perfect for wine making, 300 meters altitude, and a wonderful climate. Marc Tempe comes from a family of wine makers and he started his own vineyard in 1995, adopting a method he calls ‘biodynamics’ which is a variant of organic wine making with no pesticides involved.

vineyards near Zellenberg

Alsatian Gewurztraminer is usually very good, but most of the wines of the type light and witty. The Zellenberg brand is much deeper, the color goes to amber and it has a sweetness which reminds the Grasa de Cotnari without becoming heavy. It’s a wonderful experience and I recommend it warmly. Marc Tempe also does other sorts of wine – Pinot Gris, Riesling and more – worth looking for this brand. If they come even closer to the 2006 Gewurtztraminer they are excellent.

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Exhibition – Orna Ben Ami

In the hallway of the building which hosts the Litvak Gallery part of the space is used for other exhibitions which can be seen as introducing the visitor into the art shows atmosphere. These are free, so even if you do not want to pay or you cannot allow the relatively high entry price to the Chihuly glass exhibition for example you can still enjoy the art exposed here.

Together

The current exhibition there belongs to artist Orna Ben Ami, who makes iron sculptures. If there is something different or even opposite to glass as art material it’s iron the the counterpoint is extreme. About Orna we ca learn something from her Web site at  http://www.ornabenami.com/default-en.aspx. She must be in her 50s, studied History and Political Sciences at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and seems to have gotten to art quite late, while living in the US

Memories

If the material is hard to master, her style is unexpectedly light, humorous, familiar. The objects are big and the material may be intimidating, but you can imagine very easily the same works at smaller dimensions or different media.

Roots

There is irony and tenderness in works like ‘Together’ or ‘The Rag Doll’ …

Rag Doll

… social commentaries in ‘Memories’ or ‘The Chairman’ …

The Chairman

… and deeper meanings in a piece like ‘Roots’.

In her work Orna Ben Ami succeeds to make a presumably hostile material close to our souls and capable or creating emotion. No easy task, but she succeeds, and what can an artist ask more?

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Albert Kahn’s World

I have spent part of this weekend watching the first episodes of the BBC series The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/ which tells the story of an extraordinary character and of a collection of photographs that keep the visual memory of the world as it was a century ago.

Albert Kahn - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

Albert Kahn was a French Alsatian of Jewish origin who made a fortune at the start of the 20th century and decided to embark in a project that would keep bring together people living in the most remote places of the planet and make them know better each other. He decided to hire cameramen and photographers and use the very recent inventions of motion filming and color photography in order to document life on the most remote places of Earth. A pacifist and an idealist he believed that by helping humans see how other people lived he could bring them together, and avoid conflicts. The history of the 20th century proved him wrong in his pacifist endeavors, but his work built a library of films and photos that keep the visual image of the world as it was 100 years ago, of people, countries and customs that are no more.

woman in Ireland - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

You need to go and explore by yourselves this extraordinary collection of images. Here are a few that were presented in the episodes of the series that I have seen until now. Ireland for example was still part of the United Kingdom by that time, and the last Celtic villages were populated by people like the woman above with the red mantle typical to the area.

Walls of the Forbidden City - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

Albert Kahn took his team into a trip around the world visiting several continents among which Asia. Here is a photo of the Imperial City in Beijing – it was still really the Forbidden City by that time when the last emperor of China ascended to the throne at the age of 2 years. I visited the place just a few months ago and it looks like a different world.

Plaza Hotel in New York - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

People who know New York may be familiar with the 28-store Plaza Hotel in the proximity of Central Park, today crushed by the neighboring sky-scrapers. Around 1910 it was a brand new building dominating the skyline.

Greek inhabitants - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

Kahn and his team visited the Balkans area just before and during the Balkan wars that were the prelude of World War I. He photographed the different communities that were living so close in a limited geographical area, sometimes speaking the same languages and yet so divided by the national and religious differences. He photographed Thessaloniki at a time when the Turkish and Jewish communities were still part of a multinational vibrant city.

soldiers in World War I - source http://www.albertkahn.co.uk/

World War I was a deep shock for the pacifist Kahn, but at the same time he was a French patriot and volunteered to photograph and document the life of the French soldiers and the destruction of war. The result is a realistic and poignant rendition of how human beings behave and suffer when caught in a big conflagration.

The quality of the photography in the collection is amazing. Some of them get to the level of the best pictures in National Geographic and they were taken one century ago! I invite you all to visit the Web site. I plan to include also the museum that keeps the collection and the memory of Albert Kahn on my next visit to Paris – http://www.albert-kahn.fr/

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Gica Manescu – Bar / Bat Mitzvah in America

Gazduiesc pe blog o noua contributie a prietenului si colaboratorului meu, doctorul Gica Manescu.

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La New Rochelle plec de multa vreme, in fiecare an. Este un oras in Statul New York, la ceva mai mult de jumatate de ora, cu trenul sau automobilul, pana in  Manhattan-centru. La o populatie de aproximativ 80.000 de loc uitori,cam 20 % sunt evrei, reprezentati prin cele trei Comunitati importante : ortdoxa, conservatoare si reformista. Despre ultima, unii spun ca e o inventie americana. Poate sunt si unii neinscrisi  ca atare. Ortodocsii, locuiessc in jurul templelor, ca sa poata merge pe jos in zilele de sambata si sarbatori. Celelate temple sunt imprastiate prin  oras sau imprejurimi. Au locuri de parcare mari pentru a cuprinde masinile celor ce vin la slujbe religioase, la sarbatori, sambete si diverse ceremonii.

Am avut ocazia, nu de mult, sa asist, intr-o sambata dimineata, in templul  reformist, la o  Bar/Bat- Mitva. Nu-mi aduc aminte ca in Romania si poate nici in Israel, fetitele de 12 ani, sa fie chemate la Thora. Eu nu stiu.Era vorba de fiul unor prieteni ai  familiei mele. Tatal israelian venit din Haifa acum peste 30  de  ani, mama, americana. Am cunoscut  bunicii israelieni. Ea, nascuta la Berlin, refugiata cu parintii in Palestina, batranul,  nascut aici, chazar de origine, ajutati de un Consulat Italian, cu nume italiene, sa emigreze aici. Chazarii erau o comunitate  care in sec. VI-lea au intronat un  regat, intre Don si Volga. Prin sec. 8 -9 au trecut la Judaism, au ajuns pana in  regiunea Kiev si au avut legaturi bune cu Bizantul.

Beth El Synagogue in New Rochelle - source newrochelle.patch.com

O cladire  spatioasa, modern construita, adaposteste, pe langa sediul Comunitatii, sali de conferinte si festivitati, sali de clasa pentru elevii care vin  sa studieze religia si Istoria evreilor si templul propriu zis.  O incapere mare cu vitralii multicolore,vreo 200 de scaune comode, pe care sunt carti de rugaciuni, asteapta credinciosii. In fata, o Menora si steagurile american si israelian, care strajuiesc o estrada. Din mijlocul acesteia se ridica amvonul, cu cate 4 jilturi, de o parte si alta, in care iau loc, cei ce oficiaza serviciul religios si “eroii “ zilei. In spatele unei perdele albe, o nise incapatoare in care sunt pastrate cateva suluri de Thora, impodobite cu argintarii.

Participantii barbati, au gasit intr-un cosulet, kipot ( cred ca “cipilici”) noi. Rabinul, un barbat prezentabil, era secundat de doua femei: rabinul- adjunct si cantorul. Toti erau imbracati cu robe negre si pe umeri, in jurul gatului, talit de matase. Femeile aveau pe cap kipot albe, rabinul doar parul. Mi s-a parut curios. O Comunitate care celor ce vin la sarbatorire, sa-si acopere capul, iar cel   ce sta in fruntea ei, e altfel ?

Intrebat de cineva, rabinul a dat niste explicatii din Halaha. Eu nu am inteles si nici nu mi-a placut.

Rugaciunile sunt spuse  in ebraica sau engleza, sau numai traduse. Tatal si alt membru al familiei (bunic, bunica,sau altii) sunt de asemenea chemati, pentru mici rugaciuni de multumire inainte si  dupa citirea din Torah.

S-a inceput cu ceremonia  pentru fata.

Nu sunt religios, dar mi-a placut si m-a miscat, cand cei prezenti, in picioare, cu cartile de rugaciuni deschise, citeau in cor, in engleza, raspunsurile de multumire si slava, la diverse pasaje.

M-a emotionat profund cand am aflat ca tanarul de 13 ani pentru care am venit, un elev silitor, sportiv, se distreaza cu computerul . Se joaca cu el,si totusi a invatat cu sarguinta, tot ce avea de spus.

Intr-un costum negru, cu camase alba si cravata potrivita, nepurtand talit,cu un mers sigur.emotionat, a urcat treptele si de la pupitru, cu o voce cristalina si o dictiune clara, a dat  citire textelor invatate , unele chiar usor cantate. N-a pus tefilin (filactere), pe brata si frunte. In urma cu multi ani, in Templul Coral din Focsani, eu am facut-o. A incheiat cu un mic discurs, ca pretutindeni si “Shabat shalom “.

Ceremonia se incheie dupa ce cantorul, in fata sulurilor sfinte, canta o rugaciune, pe melodia “ Hatikva”   imnul Statului Israel ).

Din plafon, o camera de luat vederi, imprima ceremonia, pentru amintiri.

Se trece apoi intr-o sala alaturata, se face o  rugaciune pentru paine- hala care este taiata si se mananca din ea.Se ciocnesc paharele cu lichior.

Cu shalom si bye – bye, fiecare pleaca in drumul lui.

________

Dr. G.Manescu.

Ianuarie 2011.

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Moshe Gershuni and other exhibitions at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

A visit to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art allows nowadays to play not only a labyrinth orientation game around the building which will soon enjoy the opening of a new wing, but also visiting a few exhibitions that are interesting and at least will challenge the art lovers who will visit them in the coming weeks. A lot of information about the museum and its exhibitions can be read on the museum Web site at http://www.tamuseum.com/ which is also the source of the illustrations.

Gershuni - El Male Rahamim

The principal exhibition open in the museum right now is the retrospective of the works of Moshe Gershuni – now extended to stay open until after mid February. Gershuni is one of the most socially active, controversial and interesting artists who lives today in Israel, and the show covers works from his first paintings at the start of the 70s until very recent works. Some like the above question the relation between the artist (who had religious education during his childhood) and God.

Gershuni - Beautiful Soldier

The soldiers series in the 80s made Gershuni famous not only for his non-conventional painting technique but also for his left-wing and pacifist political standings, which are still a landmark for his works until today.

Gershuni - anti-icon

The ‘anti-icon’ series (unofficial name) use shoes boxes open in the shape of the cross which is an anti-symbol in the Jewish iconography. Asking questions on faith and its representation on this already unusual and almost provocative media is another challenge that the artist launches to the viewers.

Gershuni - Hi Cyclamen

The Gershuni exhibition must be seen, as such a gathering of the works of the artist will not be available again so soon if ever. There is much more to be seen lyke the cyclamen series, the Jerusalem inspired landscapes (if they can be called so), the “Jewish ceramics” or the sculptures which are if I am not mistaken shown for the first time to the public. Viewers may not like all or anything of what they will see in this exhibition, but they will not remain indifferent.

Rainer Fetting - Self-Portrait

Another exhibition worth being seen is based on a donation of New Yorkers Susan and Martin Sanders who gave to the museum a grouping of German art created in the 1970s and 1980s in the Neo-Expressionist style very typical to the German art of the period. The range of works deal with subjects that start from the aesthetic and personal themes of the Expressionism and go until the more engaged paintings inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Berlin and of Germany that followed. Rainer Fetting is one of the painters best represented in the exhibition, roughly half of the paintings belong to him and they are certainly worth being seen, as Fetting is one of the best known, mature and interesting German painters today.

Henry Moore - Model for Reclining Figure

Another collection exhibition groups the sculptures donated 15 years ago to the museum by Helene and Zygfryd Wolloch, a couple from Scarsdale, New York. The show starts with a piece by Rodin and extends until sculpture of the last decades of the 20th century. No masterpieces in this exhibition but a few fine pieces like the Henry Moore above, a sophisticated game interleaving forms and empty spaces, as in the best of the Moore sculptures.

Jean Arp - Idol

The Jean Arp ‘Idol’ is also remarkable. However, the exhibition suffers from a very unpractical labeling system which requires the visitors to switch their attention from the works to small labels on the walls in order to map the sculptures grouped in quasi-random order. More explanation material would also have improved the visiting experience.

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Gogol’s ‘Revizor’ at the Gesher Theater

Gogol’s Revizor (The Inspector General as translated in English here) is one of these few great plays in the universal theater repertoire that has the potential of becoming inflammatory and subversive material for any society in any time. The combination between human observation and social critic have made uncomfortable many censors at many moments in history and places on the globe despite the play being written and referring to Russia of the 1830s. My Romanian friends who lived the times of the Communism regime may remember the big scandal that followed the presentation of the play under the direction of Lucian Pintilie at the Bulandra Theater in the 1970s, and the fact that censorship took it out of stage soon after the first representations enjoyed a great success. ‘Revizor’ puts in the face of the audiences a mirror where the reflection of their morals, and social and human failures is not easy to digest.

source www.gesher-theatre.co.il

Evgheny Arye’s performance at the Gesher Theater in Jaffo is one of the best stage events I have seen lately (the premiere took place last year). I cannot deny the fact that the style of direction may be much closer to the type of theater that I got used to in my younger days in Romania – a combination of respect to the spirit of the text and innovation in form that goes back to the classical theater genres, to popular theater and circus and to complex artistic performances with music on stage. It goes so far from the commercial theater and Broadway inspired style that is popular in Israel, and I am quite concerned that the commercial appeal for such theater is decreasing as the audiences used with the style of directing driven by Aryeh are also decreasing in numbers after the pick of the alyah from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. This is life however, but with the theater performing only a few times each week I would not have expected emlty seats at such a good performance (there were not too many however).

source www.gesher-theatre.co.il

The fluent staging of the ‘Revizor’ is all the time interesting and challenging visually and emotionally. I will describe what I perceive as a measure of the quality of the directing just by observing the performances in the two principal roles in the play. The Governor is played by Dvir Benedek – who is an Israeli actor made popular by redneck roles in crime dramas and TV commercials. Here he is all the atemporal archetype of the local Mafia boss can be, with the lies and brutality, corruption and stupidity of this eternal type. Khlestakov (the Revizor) is played by Alon Friedman, another younger Israeli-born actor which I do not remember from any other film, play or TV show. He makes here a memorable creation, a complex combination of ingenuity and shrewdness, and we can see the virus of corruption taking control over him as the play progresses. I can only hope that he will use the huge potential that the director put in evidence in his creation for the further roles in his career.

The Web site of the Gesher Theater is available at http://www.gesher-theatre.co.il/.

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Film: The King’s Speech (2010)

Here is a film whose destiny is to gather a lot of statuettes on the Oscar night this year, and this may be one of its problems in my eyes. The combination between a personal drama doubled by a physical or psychological disability (the stammering of the duke of York to become King George VI of England) which allows for great principal role performances and the obsession of the big screen with the British dynasty may lead for the third time in the last two decades for royalties get an Oscar ovation. It is not that ‘The King’s Speech’ lacks moments of good cinema, a good dramatic build-up and a human touch but somehow it is too much on the side of the predictable to my taste.

source www.imdb.com

Being duke of York is probably the most frustrating position on the planet maybe with the exception of being VP of the United States of America. You are one inch apart from the peak of the Universe, and yet most people in your kingdom or republic may not know your face. The spotlights fall so close and you are still in the shadows. Exceptional events do happen sometimes and the second-in-line is pushed ahead and needs to take responsibility. This is what happened with the duke of York who became king at the abdication of his brother Edward, just at the time the world and his country where to face the biggest challenge in history at the outbreak of the second world war. And yet, his historical fight was also a personal fight, as he head to overcome his stammering, a huge handicap at a time when leaders’ speech inspired nations and the relatively new media of radio broadcast was the most efficient propaganda instrument in the war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzI4D6dyp_o

(video source ClevverMovies)

The best moments of the film were for me the human dimensions that the characters of Bertie (King George VI) and Elizabeth received under the acting of Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter. I am no fan of the British royals, but I ended by really sympathizing with their representation in the movie. The personal fight of Bertie, his relation with the commoner family of his speech expert (Geoffrey Rush which is no less than wonderful as we can always expect from him) and the way he ends by facing the call of history at the right moment are well filmed and described. I liked less the way the historical context is described, with characters like king Edward or Winston Churchill reduced to their stereotype. There is one character though which draw my attention and this was Neville Chamberlain in a very exact supporting performance by Roger Parrott. I could not avoid thinking that this complex character and the dilemma of appeasement that marked his political career with the disastrous consequences did not yet get any screen version fit to the dimensions of the historical figure.

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Chihuly at the Litvak Gallery in Tel Aviv

Dale Chihuly’s special relation with Israel continues with a double event this year. After having brought his sets to the opera representation of Bluebird’s Castle at the Tel Aviv Opera he opened across the street at the Litvak Gallery a personal exhibition which will certainly remain in the memory of many people who have and will visit it (it is open until 30.4.2011). His previous exhibition was of course the one which celebrated the millennium and the 3000 years of history of Jerusalem at the Tower of David and which was visited by one million people, maybe the most popular art exhibition having ever taken place in Israel.

Kaleidoscope Persian Window

The visitor of the how is first welcome by a work on the external window where the light and the landscape of Tel Aviv behind the window plays its own role.

Lapis and Gold Tiered Chandelier

The Chandeliers are a class of classical objects in glass manufacturing that was taken by Chihuly at a new dimension. His chandelier in the principal entry room reflects in the black marble where a number of objects from another world have been created and planted by the artist.

Copper Birch Reeds

The outdoor terrace was close because of the rainy day. I could take pictures of the reeds blowing up as flames from the pedestal …

Lapis Icicle Tower

… and then I photographed from the distance of the icicle tower which blends strangely with the vegetation and the urban landscape around.

Seaform

Another series that draws the attention of the Seaforms series. It is inspired by marine life, but then what we deal with is an imaginary ocean with its forms of life drawn by the mind of the artist.

Garnet Persian Set

The dark room in the Litvak Gallery allows for the special exhibits to build on their special, sometimes interior light. here we have a Persian Set composed of three structures of a strange beauty.

Ikebana

The Ikebana series is inspired by the Japanese art of floral arrangements. Again with Chihuly it goes through the processing of the artists’ mind and inspiration blending his feelings and recreating the structure with new meanings of his own.

Tiger Marlins

The Tiger Marlins group seems to spring and dance in elegance in their niche – it is one of the several objects built specially by Chihuly and adapted for the space of this gallery.

Ruby Red Icicle Tower and Chandelier

We are back t the art of towers and chandeliers in the last room of the exhibition ….

Macchia Forest

… and we end with a forst built all from the imagination of an artist who creates his own world of forms and beauty.

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Gica Manescu – Ferestre deschise spre lume

Am placerea de a publica un nou articol pe care mi l-a pus la dispozitie prietenul meu Gica Manescu. De data aceasta punctul de interes special este legat de aspectele aut0-biografice ale unui fel de relatie pe care Gica a stabilit-o la 90 de ani, in vreme ce multi alti colegi de-ai sai o stabilesc la … 9 ani.

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Pana acum ceva mai mult de 4 ani, am vazut lumea din jurul meu,  mai  mult sau mai putin indepartata, prin diverse mijloace de locomotie.  Copilaria, adolescenta si maturitatea, la Focsani, Iasi si Bucuresti, am cunoscut strazile, scolile, gradinile, terenurile de sport, “ per pedes”, cu biciceta, tramvaiul, troleybuzul, masina , trenul, avionul. Romania in cele 4 puncte cardinale,  cu trenul si masina,  Ungaria, cu trenul, Bulgaria cu masina, Europa occidentala cu masina sau avionul, iar cele 3 din Statele  Americii de Nord numai prin avion. Mi-ar fi placut cu un vapor, (asa am vizitat Norvegia,timp de doua saptamani, pana la Cercul polar), dar timpurile se schimbasera. In Israel, am vazut locuri frumoase si interesante, am trait istoria si traditiile,muzee si expozitii. Am intalnit rude,  prieteni, colegi. Am folosit o bucata de vreme, masina, dar mai des autobuzele. Trenul foarte rar. In ultimii ani, deplasara a fost mai dificila, si am gasit buna vointa  a unora din familie sau a unor prieteni apropiati si saritori, la nevoie. Le multumesc.

Implinisem 90 ani. Varsta senectutii. Sarbatorit de familie si cativa prieteni apropiati, am pasit mai departe, dar mai lent. M-am trezit cu un dar neobisnuit din partea familiei. Un computer cu niste anexe. M-am apucat cu mainile de cap. Ce si cum sa fac? Increderea a lor mei in mine, m-a pus in cumpana grea. Am devenit un elev sarguincios, cu caiet si creion, ca dascal find nepotul meu. Mi-a deschis ecranul. M-am uitat, ca matza din poveste, in calendar. Tools, Start, Inbox.Delete, Send, si multe altele. Cuvinte care trebuiau sa intre in vocabularul meu de limba romana.Ca o i = oi si c a l = cal,am inceput sa aflu si sa patrund in tainele tehnicii si ale Internetului. Azi un pas, maine doi, toate invatate pe din afara din tehnica si batutul clapelor, am inceput sa ma bucur si sa ma felicit. Am tras-o si pe sotia mea, neincrezatoare, la a privi impreuna un Email (cuvant nou ) de la un prieten. Fie o scrisorica, fie niste fotografii. Evrika. Am invatat reply si am raspuns. Intr-un numar  al revistei “Minimum “ cineva, in mod laudativ, a scris despe noi, ca am devenit internetisti, deci se poate si pentru altii s-o faca. Varsta nu e un impediment.

Am mai invatat ceva important,  placut si simplu : sa ascult muzica. Sunt un amator al muzicii clasice (nu chiar toate cele, ca Wagner, de ex.). Apasand un buton pe computer, se deschide un sertaras. Pun discul cu inregistrarea,  si din difuzoare se aude melodia. Cu o ocazie, am primit in dar, doua discuri, parca pentru inima mea: Vioara lui Ion Voicu si opere variate ale lui Mozart. Comod in fotoliu, si in sunetele orchestrelor si ale solistilor, ma delectez si ma destind. Uit de multe altele.

Mandru ca un paun cu evantaiul penelor desfacut, n-am spus-o nimanui, dar am tatonat terenul. Ca in  practica profesionala, am facut palparea, cu bagare de seama. Nu mai eram eu. Devenisem un “ user “ care primeam  cele necesare muncii de la un ”provider “ . Trebuia sa ma conectez la retea, sa fiu “online” Mai greseam, ma intorceam si izbuteam. Am vrut sa cunosc lumea, in diferite ocazii, cu diferite motive de instruire sau curiozitate si am aflat de Google, Wikipedia si similare. Nu m-am lansat decat cu incetinitorul, in aceasta lume infinita (stiam ca doar eternitatea n-are sfarsit), care deschidea ferestre, de tot felul, pentru oricine care  stia sa miste zavorul.  Am citit presa, am cautat informatii, m-am documentat in masura redusa. Nu totul este, chiar  si acum, ca a bate din palme. La nevoie, cer ajutor unora mai vechi si care se joaca, daca pot spune ca e joc, in seriozitatea situatiei, in lumea  ce ne inconjara.

Am ramas singur, cu gandurile , amintirile si convorbirile. Skype-ul, aceasta tehnica e de nepretuit. Doar o ‘camera’ mica, anexata si un microfon. Ieftine si simple. Astfel am contact cu cei dragi si cei apropiati. Am putut mentine contactul si vizual, ca o alinare a solitudinei si a preocuparilor. Simplu si pe gratis

Ideea buna  a Feliciei Antip, de a rasplati printr-un cadou merituos, pe profesorul de alta data, din timpurile grele si parca fara viitor, a fost si este de  nepretuit penru mine. Intrarea in niste liste de discutii, care sunt in general scrise. Sunt convorbiri, dar exact ar  fi “conscrieri “ dar termenul nu exista.  Nume necunoscute, o lume virtuala, pentru a-ti depana gandurile, ideile, amintirile. A ma angaja in vorbe si palavre , sau o lista care e a doua . Sunt uneori  ocazii favorabile de a ne intalni, a ne cunoaste si imbratisa. Virtualul a devenit real. Stam unul langa altul , palavragim si ne bucuram.  O stima reciproca, o recunoastere a capacitatilor si a slabiciunilor  unora. Nu de mult am devenit unul dintre cei multi, la RJ. M-am speriat ca sa spun asa, de numarul de Email-uri ce aterizeaza in Inboxul meu. Incet si cu rabdare, le vin de hac.

Computerul nu e numai satisfactie si multumire. Dar si necazuri  si batai de cap. M-au abordat diversi/e, dar prin neseriozitate si vocabular, “ le-am taiat macaroana” pana am inceput sa stiu cine e cutare sau cutare. Pentru necunoscuti, ‘delete’ – clapa de sters. Am descoperit intr-o zi, ceva inedit : Junk E mail. De ce la gunoi ? Era de la un nume cunoscut. Am deschis, am comunicat respectivului, dar nici el nu avea idee. Ce m-a amuzat, a fost folosirea generala, tot timpul, in vorbit si scris, a unui cuvant, pe care nu stiu cand si unde il intrebuintam : click. Nu vine o posta cu atasament, sa n-ai indicatia de a face click pe… N-ar ma fi munca computerului, rezultatele unei  activitati ale cuiva.

Cu  dexteritatea de manuire si miscare a soarecelui, ca incepator, n-a fost o joaca. Sunt clipe in care trebuie sa fac doua miscari deodata. Era dificil. Imi vine in minte, ce spunea un elev care invata sa cante la flaut. Ii era greu sa apese simultan clapele si sa sufle. Cand am aflat si de ajutorul dat de jumatatea dreapta a “mous-ului “, a crescut uimrea si capacitatea de lucru. Am scris de click. Dar fara “soarece” nimic nu se misca.Vrei sa vezi, sa stergi, sa modifici sau  sa adaugi, sageata pe pozitie si click. Ce simplu pare. Dar ce greu e inceputul, sa sti si sa reusesti,

Va fac o marturisire. Nu-mi vine sa cred. Totusi “ performanta“ laudata de cei apropiati mie, ma face sa cred si sa recomand celor care citesc sau li se povseste despre “cazul Dr. Manescu”, chiar daca ei sunt in varsta socotita de batranete, dar au mintea clara si miscarile degetelor si a ideelor, fara dificultate, sa incerce sa-si faca un  prieten devotat, ascultator si totdeauna langa el: COMPUTERUL.

Nu cer multumiri sau recunostinta, doar un gand de bine.

Dr.G. Manescu

20 ianuarie 2011.

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Theater: “Sheindale” at Beit-Lessin

Sheindale is a remake performance of a play which more than twenty years ago opened a trend and created a genre in the Israeli theater – plays dedicated to the life and conflicts in the closed ultra-religious (haredi) society in Israel. Further examples in the genre dealt with the relations between the non-religious and religious sectors of the Israeli society and the dilemmas of these caught in-between the two worlds. Sheindale however is solely located in the Jerusalemite Meah Shearim ultra-religious district and all its characters belong to this medium. The intrigue speaks about power fights within the haredi rabbinical courts and especially about the role and place of women in this close and very traditional society. In the center of the story can be found two women, mother and daughter who fight for power and love between them and against a world dominated by the strict rules of the Jewish law. A universal theme in a very specific and localized environment – here are the premises for an interesting play.

Amnon Levy - source globes.co.il

The result however disappointed me. I am not sure what was the motivation of the Beit Lessin theater in bringing back this play to stage. What was novelty 25 years ago and the result of serious investigation of journalist and playwright Amnon Levy is not any longer something new for the Israeli audiences. Acting is good with Yona Elian, Michal Stamler, and Dov Navon the best in a balanced cast. Yet the sensation of deja-vu and the lack of imagination of director Rami Danon (his focus was on authenticity, but authenticity does not necessarily make good theater) lead to a performance which seems long despite its only 100 minutes and even boring sometimes. Yet, the theater was full, and although the applauds were not really enthusiastic the box-office target was reached last Friday. Is this enough?

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