Day 6: North Tel Aviv

Day 6: South Tel Aviv

Israel is not perfect. Israel is full of young people struggling to make a life. There are poor neighborhoods, economically-disenfranchised communities attempting to make a life in the midst of struggle and heartache. The story is the same around the world.



In South Tel Aviv, it is the same story. Like elsewhere with the same socio-economic problems, South Tel Aviv suffers from a difficult school situation. There are over-crowded classrooms, over-worked teachers and other problems that need to be overcome.



Artists 4 Israel visited Tel Hai, a school with these problems. It is also a school that has talented students, caring parents and a staff and administration that wants the best for its students. Its school population is an almost perfect half and half mix of Arab and Jewish. The political and militaristic problems that affect adults don't affect these kids. They are too busy studying for exams and practicing art. They got a little help with that today.



C.J. Reilly III taught them the basics of drawing and cartoon-making. Sarah Brega created life-like stencils. CYCLE - who was supposed to be painting a wall - stopped and drew each student's name in bubble letters. FUSE, DASE, ZERO CENTS, KLONE, DEAC, SEAC, AME72 and NOM turned grey walls into huge art murals.



And, their was cotton candy and popcorn. Perfect!

Day 5: Shelter for Battered Women

These are pictures from The Story of Hope facility, a refuge for women escaping abusive relationships. These are strong, proud, vibrant women and girls who took a chance on love and lost but are not afraid to keep trying. They fell in love with Sarah Brega on this day and although Sarah has yet to put into words what happened between her and her new friends, the tears that well up in her eyes every time this place is mentioned lets us know how powerful it was.





I need to thank FUSE AFK and Saul and Dan from EAC for their contributions to this center.

Day 5: Jerusalem

Jerusalem, if I forget you...



...let my right hand forget what its supposed to do.



After a tour of the Arab quarter, our artists visit the Mosque of Omar



Glory



Sue Works leaves his mark on a wall in a much more permanent way than graffiti ever could



CJ proves just how short Jews are!

For You and You Only

Dro and Ayelet. Soldiers. Children. Musicians. Thinkers. Son and Daughter. Brother and Sister. Innocent. Loving.

Where have all the artists gone?

Over Shabbat dinner one night, we were talking to Kobi Vogman and a bunch of his friends. Sitting around a circle, passing a bottle of Cava and with the Israelis chain-smoking cigarettes, they talked about the art they had lost. One had been a painter. Another had been a dancer. A third had been an accomplished pianist by the age of 16. Others had stories that were less dramatic but all spoke of loss. All lost that artistic impulse and drive after three years of army service, three years of regimented living that doesn't inspire creativity. And, three years that on your exit from the other side, you find yourself an adult, needing to find a job, raise a family and create an existence that is outside the frivolity that sometimes encompasses art.

Artists 4 Israel asks the enemies of Israel to cease and desist their attacks - militaristic, terrorist or p.r. based - and allow the world to enjoy a boom in art!

Tools of the Trade

Seth Wolfson caught this truly inspired image. Our supplies laid out next to the IDF's supplies.