By GREER FAY CASHMANUpdated: JUNE 3, 2021 17:25THE ISRAEL MUSEUM – to reopen.(photo credit: TIMOTHY HURSLEY)
The role of director of the Israel Museum used to be a long-term position, but since the departure of James Snyder at the end of 2016, things have changed. After almost a year of head hunting, the museum’s Board of Directors appointed Eran Neuman, who resigned less than a month after taking office and returned to his previous position as director of the Azrieli School of Architecture at Tel Aviv University.Neuman was succeeded by Ido Bruno, a professor of industrial design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Bruno was no stranger to the Israel Museum. He had been a regular at the Youth Wing when he was a youngster, and later as a young adult had worked at the museum. Now, after four years, he too is leaving, and will step down at the end of this year leaving attorney Isaac Molcho, who chairs the museum’s Board of Directors, with the task of finding another suitable candidate.The truth is that Snyder, who came to the museum in 1997, is a hard act to follow. On his watch the museum enjoyed tremendous growth both in attendance and endowments. As part of the museum’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Snyder oversaw its revamping and expansion. After stepping down, he stayed on for two years as international president of the Museum, after which he took on the executive chairmanship of The Jerusalem Foundation, working out of New York but visiting Israel every six weeks or so and staying for a week. COVID put a lid on that practice for more than a year, but Snyder was back at the beginning of last month, and took a return flight to New York this week, after basking in the freedoms that Israelis enjoy in comparison to the residents of the Big Apple.Snyder, who is very involved in the cultural development of Jerusalem, particularly in relation to grassroots groups and movements, is also doing some promotion of people who are part of Jerusalem’s diverse cultural milieu, and has entered into a pilot arrangement with i24 to interview people in this broad category. If the six-part series takes off, Snyder will probably be in Jerusalem more often than he had originally planned. He is particularly interested in innovative ideas in the realm of culture.Speaking of The Jerusalem Foundation, its name was taken in vain in error – not only in this column last month, but also on a sculpted monument on the Sherover Promenade. Apparently, it was taken for granted that The Jerusalem Foundation would want to be associated with the project, and its logo was placed on the monument in error. It has since been removed. Also, the donor of the project was mistaken in thinking that the monument had been placed on the Haas Promenade, when it was in fact the Sherover Promenade.■ IN A previous report by the QS World University Rankings, Israeli universities had a poor showing. Strangely, their ranking improved over the past year, and according to Serena Ricci, the communications manager of QS World University Rankings, six Israeli universities, headed by the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, have been included among the top 1,300 universities in the world. This year’s total listings will be available to the public as of next week.■ NOTHING IS more devastating to a parent than the loss of a child. No matter whether the child is an infant or already a young man or woman, all the hopes and dreams that parents have for their children become painful scars on their hearts when that child dies of an illness or is killed in battle or in a traffic accident. The trauma is even worse when a child commits suicide. The parents can never forgive themselves for not having seen the signs.We are now going through a terrible era of troubled young people who are either so desperate or so despondent that they don’t consider life worth living. It may have something to do with impoverished circumstances, loss of a soul mate, a dysfunctional home, the after-effect of being isolated by COVID, or none of the above. Young people surrounded by loving families and good middle-class home comforts also opt to take their own lives.In 2019, Gila Hammer, the 18-year-old daughter of Rabbi Shalom Hammer took her own life. The fact that her family is religiously observant did not make their pain easier to bear, but may have helped in deciding how to deal with their own lives, and not to allow their sorrow to be their compass. Under the auspices of the International Young Israel Movement and The Jewish Agency, Rabbi Shalom Hammer will on Monday June 7, at 7.30 p.m. deliver an in-person lecture in the Ben Gurion Hall of The Jewish Agency building 48 King George Street, Jerusalem. The lecture within the framework of mental health awareness is titled “Gila’s Way – Mental Health and Suicide Awareness – Lessons to Learn.” The lecture is free of charge, but pre-registration is required.■ HOSTED PRIMARILY by the Jerusalem Municipality and its subsidiary companies, the national urban renewal conference will take place June 13 to 15, and will concentrate to a large extent on pinui/binui (evacuation and reconstruction) projects that are underway in Jerusalem and all over the country. In addition to Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, some of the other mayors include Carmel Shama Hacohen of Ramat Gan; Dan Konik of Givatayim; Tomer Glass of Ashkelon; Yair Revivo of Lod; Yala Machliss of Ichud Monissson; Israel Gal of Kiryat Ono; Rabbi Abraham Rubinstein of Bnei Brak; Moshe Fadlon of Herzliya; Aviram Dahari of Kiryat Gat; and several others. Conspicuously absent are Arab mayors, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and Modiin-Maccabim-Reut Mayor Haim Bibas, who is also head of the Federation of Local Authorities.■ YOUTH AND family counselor Tracey Shipley, who specializes in addictions and family communication and has initiated projects for the children of addicts and for Ethiopian teens, took a long break from these activities, but recently began again to organize musical teen nights in collaboration with Tnuat HaTarbut, The Poündak Project and The Besarabia Studio. These events give young people the opportunity to perform for their peers, for young audiences to experience live music in an exciting atmosphere and to associate these local bars with music and community as opposed to alcohol and smoking. You can view photos and clips of the last event at the Poündak bar on the Facebook page of The Jerusalem School of Rock. Events are also being planned at the Besarabia studio. Both venues are in downtown Jerusalem.For more information contact Shipley at 054-810-8918 or via Facebook.greerfc@gmail.com
Related TagsIsrael Museumbezalel academy
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
