Blocked out of clubs and theaters, performers turn to senior homes
“It is a win-win situation, for the artists and for us too."
By BARRY DAVISMOSHE BEKER performs for residents at the Meditteranean Towers in Savyon.(photo credit: Courtesy)
It hasn’t been easy for many of us being cooped up at home with, until not so long ago, minimal breathing-exercising space. Among the worst hit have been our senior citizens, quite a few of whom, even in normal times, have to contend with extended periods of time on their own. All of which makes the current entertainment initiative by the Mediterranean Towers chain of sheltered homes, dotted around the country, all the more heartwarming and, indeed, health-inducing.My own 88-year-old sheltered home resident mother was, as she put it, “going stir crazy” just a couple of weeks into the lockdown and I’m sure having the likes of veteran guitarist-vocalist Uri Harpaz, singer Dorit Reuveni, seasoned storyteller Yossi Alfi and actor-singer Moshe Beker pop around to her place in Jerusalem, to offer some light relief, would have been a fillip for her and her golden aged neighbors.The aforementioned entertainers, and more, have been doing the rounds of Mediterranean Towers’s various facilities for the past few weeks and will continue doing so until the end of the month.Company general manager Doron Arnon says he is fully aware of the psychological added value to be had by inhabitants of the nationwide chain. “Just now, when there is a cultural desert out there, the added value of these shows is even greater. No one’s going to shows now. And, even after concert halls and such like can restart their programs, I think it will take some time before older people feel safe enough to go back there.”While theater and concert halls honchos are considering their options, ahead of the June 14 date set by the Health Ministry for reopening numerous culture ventures across the country, Arnon is in a somewhat privileged position. Theater managers, for example, have to weigh up whether it is financially feasible to resume operations with significantly reduced capacity in keeping with social distancing constraints. “I do have to keep my finger on incomings and outgoings, of course, “Arnon stresses, “but I don’t have to look to make money on the shows we offer our residents. I can, for example, take a hall with a capacity of 300-400 and restrict the audience to 50, and maintain social distancing.”He feels there are rewards on offer for all concerned. “It is a win-win situation, for the artists and for us too. We are the only people currently paying artists to perform. They don’t have anything else right now.” Presumably that means the performers are willing to offer their services for less than they the normal going rate. “That’s true,” Arnon admits, although noting that there is a quantitative element to be taken into consideration here. “I take acts for around 30 shows. I have seven homes, and [total] audiences of around 1,800. The artists do one show, take a break and then I let another 50 people in and the artists do another show. And then, the next day, they go to another home and do two more shows.”The general manager returns to the all-around benefits theme of the Mediterranean Towers program. “The residents, even at this time, find themselves with a rich cultural world to enjoy. And these are live shows, not Zoom shows,” he chuckles. “When people gather together for a show, even with social distancing, there is an intimacy and energy you don’t get with virtual entertainment.”While the likes of soft rock-pop artist Assaf Amdursky and rocker Hemi Rodner, who have also been doing a turn or two at the senior citizens facilities recently, may have quite a few years to go before they qualify for a sheltered home pad, the likes of pianist Danny Gottfried, saxophonist-clarinetist Albert Piamenta and drummer Araleh Kaminsky, if they so wished, could certainly apply. Gottfried and Piamenta are past their four score years, while Kaminsky is a boyish 78.The veteran threesome of the Israeli jazz scene have been knocking out swinging, bluesy, definitively joyful numbers for Mediterranean Towers for a couple of weeks now, and having a good time with it. “It is fun to be back doing live shows,” says Gottfried, one of the pioneers of the Israeli jazz scene who founded the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat in 1987 and stayed at the helm for 22 editions.Gottfried says he and his pals who, in non-pandemic times, maintain a busy gigging schedule around the country are happy to entertain. “We don’t ask if people are into jazz. Some are, some aren’t. Each place has a mixed crowd and has its own musical tastes, and we decide what we are going to play accordingly.”As far as the veteran threesome is concerned, anything goes. “We play old Israeli songs, Yiddish songs like ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Shein,’ and all sorts of well-known popular numbers. We also do Ladino and Moroccan songs. We want our audiences to enjoy what we give them.”As Arnon surmised, the musicians are only too happy to have a chance to strut their stuff in front a real live audience. “I think it is a great initiative,” says Gottfried. “And we get a great reception from everyone at the homes. I think everyone wins out.”
