Jerusalem culture nights under fire
When Gaza war erupted, the organizers of the Jerusalem Season of Culture decided to cancel most of its events, and to create, in their stead, exceptional content that corresponds with the security situation and internal Israeli conflicts.
On Aug. 10, several dozen people got together in the Hamizraka Jerusalem pub, where indie music sheikh Ryskinder launched his new album as part of the events of “HaChazit” (“The Frontier”) — Guerilla Radio as part of the Jerusalem Season of Culture 2014.
The music is not easy on the ears of most of the listeners, but the tiny pub can’t accommodate all the people anyway, so the scene overflows into the street, where Itay Moutner circulated enthusiastically. “Such a cultural event hasn’t taken place here for a month,' Moutner, the Jerusalem Season of Culture artistic director, said with satisfaction.
True, some of the attendees didn’t know that the performance was part of the Jerusalem Season of Culture, and in fact didn’t even know what the Season of Culture was all about, but Moutner didn’t mind. Clearly, Mounter considers this a victory, after the drawn-out struggle waged by the Culture Season people over the possibility of creating a cultural statement at wartime. More so, creating such a statement at a period when Israeli society had entered a vortex of violence and internal hatred.
The audience at this performance, young people who love alternative music, is not your regular Jerusalem Season of Culture audience — one of the greatest cultural and artistic events of the capital city, and of Israel as well. Last summer, for example, the Season of Culture attracted about 70,000 visitors, most of whom were mainstream fans.
