Immigrants to Israel given chance to showcase their talents to wide audience.
By LILLIAN ALTMAN
The fourth annual Toda Israel festival, which takes place this Monday in Petah Tikva, allows artists who have made aliya from 20 different countries the chance to show off their talent and skills to a wider audience. The artists range from actors, singers, dancers and magicians to storytellers and even mimes.The idea for the festival came from discussions between festival director Tanya Sobol and immigrant artists. She wanted to find a way to expose them to the Israeli audience. The event is open to the public, and producers are invited as guests. Several of the performers are invited by the producers to become involved in other projects. Highlights include Brazilian singer Elisete Retter, who made aliya 20 years ago, as well as Canadian dancer and Jerusalem Post writer Ori J. Lenkinski, who will perform a duet with Israeli dancer Idan Yoav.Support for the festival comes from The Immigrant Absorption Ministry through the Center for Immigrating Artists, alongside the Ministry of Sport and Culture, Ministry of Education, and Petah Tikva CEO Arye Yemini.For more info call (03) 912-5222.