usually celebrate their national days with cocktail receptions or banquets, the Israeli Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (ISECO) has this year chosen to present a series of cultural events to mark the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel. According to Raphael Gamzou, Israeli representative to Taiwan, through these cultural events “the Taiwanese people will know the reality of Israel.”
“We attach a great deal of importance to the exposure of Israel creativity and novelty in Taiwan, not only through our cutting-edge high-technology, but through artistic expressions and cultural events,” Gamzou told CNA reporters.
The State of Israel was founded in 1948 after millions of Jews died in the Holocaust during World War II. The history of the Jewish people includes thousands of years of persecution and exile.
In a lead up to the anniversary celebrations, an exhibition entitled “The 60th Anniversary of Israel — Birth of a State Photo Exhibitions of Paul Goldman and David Rubinger & the Art Design: Dan Reisinger” was launched at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) on March 13. The exhibition features photographs that document key moments in Israel’s history, as seen through the lens of two photo journalists.
At the opening of the exhibition, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin praised the Middle Eastern country as a nation others should learn from, given its economic prosperity, democracy, and technological advancements.
“The exhibition gives Taiwanese audiences an opportunity to appreciate Israeli culture” Hau said.
An original and stimulating work choreographed by Yossi Berg and Oded Graf, Israeli resident artists at the Taipei Artist Village (TAV), was also staged on March 28 at the TAV. Berg and Graf are also expected, during the coming weekend, to show part of a new creation they began working on while in residence at the artist village.
“Israel is such a multi-dimensional country that all forms of Israeli art are vigorous and admirable,” said Su Yao-hua, director of the TAV under the supervision of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), in an interview with CNA reporters.
Starting April 3, a contemporary version of Sophocles’ Antigone, a joint production of Israeli Habima National Theatre and Hkameri Tel-Aviv Municipal Theatre, which has already earned great acclaim in Israel and elsewhere, will be staged at the International Theater Festival at the National Theater of the Chiang Kai Shek Cultural Center.
“An Israeli movie ‘Beaufort,’ a nominee for the best foreign movie few weeks ago at the Oscars in Hollywood, will also be screened in Taipei in April,” Gamzou said.
In May, virtuosi percussionist “Percaduo” from Israel will take part in a percussion festival at the CKS Cultural Center, while a photographic exhibition and concerts by the famous Jewish violinist Maurice Sklar from the U.S. are planned for Tainan.
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