Israeli students are more preoccupied than American students, says visiting Wesleyan prof.

MIDDLETOWN — Ori Sivan is the head writer and co-creator of “BeTipul” – “In Treatment” – an award winning, five-night a week Israeli television program about therapist Reuven Dagan, his patients, and his own therapy. “In Treatment” has been adapted by HBO, which has won several Emmy Awards for the series. Sivan is a long-time friend of Ari Folman, creator of “Waltz With Bashir,” an animated film about memories of the war in Lebanon which was nominated for an Academy Award. In the film, Sivan is the voice of himself, an Israeli filmmaker. Sivan and Folman collaborated on the Israeli films “Sha’anan Si” and “Saint Clara.”

Sivan is currently a visiting professor in the Jewish and Israeli studies program at Wesleyan University, where he teaches the course “Israel In Therapy: Society Under the Influence of TV.”

Wesleyan University will feature Sivan as part of its “Israel in Shorts” series. On Thursday, April 23, Wesleyan screened episodes from the first season of “BeTipul.” On Thursday, April 30 at 8pm, the university will screen episodes from the second season of “BeTipul.” Each screening is followed by a discussion with Sivan.

The Ledger spoke with Ori Sivan recently about Israeli television and his experience at Wesleyan.

Q: Tell us about your work at Wesleyan this semester.

A: Wesleyan is so quiet and peaceful. It is like a retreat. I am able to concentrate better here. I don’t have a car or a cell phone. I am able to read, write, think, walk and look around. And people have been so nice. This semester, I am teaching a course, “Israel In Therapy: Society Under the Influence of TV.” We look deep into the characters of “BeTipul” – “In Treatment” – and we research a different character each week. During the Monday class, we “meet the character” and explore what the patient feels and what therapist, Reuven Dagan (played by Assi Dayan), feels about him or her. In Wednesday’s class, we look into the drama and the psychology and try to figure out “what’s Israeli” about each character. The students also read screenplays and articles, including academic writing by Israeli psychology professors about the series.

Forty students from all departments take the class – we have creative writing students, as well as psychology, religion, film, and history majors.

Q: You arrived just prior to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. There has been much reported about anti-Israel feelings on campuses both in the United States and Europe. It has been particularly difficult for Israeli professors. What has your experience been?

A: I have not experienced any bad or negative reactions at all. I have only experienced good feelings toward my being here. Everyone I meet at Wesleyan is friendly. Dalit Katz, a colleague in the religion department and my host, has been kind and friendly. Professor Jeremy Zwelling, the department chairman, has been helpful in every way. And I have enjoyed spending time at Hillel on Friday nights. They have invited my family and me to join them for seder.

Q: Tell us about your various jobs and projects in Israel.

A: I am an octopus! I am more distracted in Israel. And everything moves fast. I teach, write and direct – and I have a wife and five children. I teach film and screenwriting at Sapir College in Sderot. I am the head writer and co-creator of “BeTipul.” I am currently working on a six-episode epic about kibbutzim. I recently co-wrote a TV series about Beit Chabad in Katmandu, Nepal, which was on Israel’s Channel 2. It is a fictional series that follows the life of Chabad emissaries in Nepal.

Q: How are American students similar to and different from your Israeli students?

A: For Israeli students, there is so much interference; there is so much on their minds and they are tense. At Sapir, we often have to leave the classroom once or twice a class and go to shelters due to bombings from Gaza. Even in peace times, Israeli students have a lot on their minds. For that reason, I let them keep their cell phones on in class and even take calls. My only rule is that, if they are on the phone, I direct the other students to listen to the conversation, since it is a screenwriting class and students have to become attuned to dialogue.

The students here are more concentrated on what’s happening in the class than are my Israeli students. The students are very respectful; when they call for “Professor Sivan,” I think they are calling my father, who is a professor at the Technion. On the other hand, they can be quite informal. I tell them to call me “Ori.” They often come to speak with me during office hours. They are much quieter in class than are my Israeli students.

Q: Tell us about “BeTipul.” Aren’t Israelis generally reluctant to discuss issues of therapy / treatment? What has been the reaction to the show in the general and therapeutic communities in Israel? 

A: BeTipul is a five night a week show in Israel. Four episodes focus on the therapy sessions of ten of therapist Reuven Dagan’s patients. The fifth episode focuses on Dagan’s therapy sessions with his own therapist. Season one won many Israeli Academy Awards for a drama series. The show was adapted by HBO, which has thus far produced 78 episodes. A new season started on April 5. This is so interesting, given the slow start for other therapy shows.

In 1996 or ‘97, there was a series in Israel called “Florentine.” The star, Ayelet Zurer (one of the patients on BeTipul), had ten minutes of therapy in each session of this wonderful series, but Israelis were not ready to see people exposing themselves in this way. Therapy was always a taboo and people would never talk openly about going to therapy. Now, in the last seven or eight years, Israelis are more open and willing to share. I’m not sure why this has changed, but the curtain has opened.

Hagai Levy, the creator of BeTipul, studied film with me and Ari Folman. My parents read the play and said it will never work; it will never be good enough or accurate enough. My father said, “The therapist is anemic and a coward.” He told us, “A good therapist isn’t afraid to express what he hears and understands.” We wrote his words in big letters and posted it in our office for inspiration. My father was right, and his comments lead us to rework the scripts.

The response to “BeTipul” in Israel has been fantastic. BeTipul became the first Israeli show exported to the U.S. Someone from HBO told us, “It is so American – we should have thought of it first.” It was a very good fit for American TV and American audiences. The show has been adapted by HBO and is now in its second season.

Q: Do you have special training in psychology or therapy?

A: I am not a therapist and do not have formal training in psychology. My mother is a clinical psychologist and her clinic was next to our house. I have memories of my sister and me looking out the window and watching the ‘crazies’ go into her office. As we got older, we realized they were just normal people who needed care. My father is a professor of electrical engineering. He decided to get a second degree in psychology, and he practiced psychology for ten years. All of my parents’ friends growing up were therapists and our house was always filled with therapists. It is not easy to grow up with parents who are psychologists. You feel they know too much and I felt transparent. There was always a psychological tone in our house. I think that being a screenwriter is not so different from being a psychologist.

Q: You were the voice of yourself in “Waltz With Bashir,” recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Tell us about your relationship with its creator and director Ari Folman?

A: Ari Folman and I are both from Haifa. There was only one place to go to see quality movies in Haifa when we were kids and that was the Cinemateque. As teens, we were always hanging out on the high stairs of the Cinemateque, and we became friends. We then each served separately in the army and traveled to different places after the army. We met in film school in Tel Aviv and did two films together. We have been best friends for 25 years.

We are very different people but we are a very good match. We have more or less the same understanding of cinema. We usually have the same vision of how to tell a story, but we argue a lot. It is okay to argue. How do we decide who is “right?” Whoever is more insistent usually gets his way!

The screening of the “BeTipul” will be held in the Goldsmith Family Cinema on the Wesleyan campus in Middletown. Admission is free. For more information, call 860-685-2288.

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NEW HAVEN — Dr. Baruch J. Schwartz, native of Philadelphia and long-timeresident of Efrat, Israel, is spending the academic year at Yale University as the Jacob Perlow Visiting Associate Professor in Judaic Studies. In the fall semester, Schwartz taught a seminar entitled “Worship in Ancient Israel;” in the spring semester, he taught a course on the Biblical book of Ezekiel.

Schwartz is the A.M. Shlansky Senior Lecturer in Biblical History at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has lectured extensively throughout the world, serving as visiting professor at such institutions as Tel Aviv University, the Schechter Institute, Ben Gurion University, the University of Sydney, Australia, St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, the University of California at Davis, and Harvard Divinity School.

Recently, the Ledger spoke with Schwartz about his work as a Biblical scholar and at Yale.

Q: What is the “job” of a Biblical scholar? How does a Biblical scholar approach the Bible?

A: Biblical scholarship is the academic study of Biblical literature in its original meaning, context and form. Scholars study the ancient world, including language, literature, concepts and religion. This method of studying the Bible can be seen as an outgrowth of the method used by such great medieval commentators as Samuel ben Meir (Rashi’s grandson) and other members of the “peshat-school” in the twelfth century. What is different is that we have more and better tools than they had. For example, we have real knowledge of the history of the period and of the ancient Semitic languages, and we have a more developed sense of how the solution to some of the tough problems of interpretation may actually be in the history of the text: its transmission, its composition, or both. The medieval commentators seldom dreamed of these possibilities.

Q: Is this approach to the Bible ever at odds with your belief and practice as an Orthodox Jew?

A: Personally, I have arrived at the conclusion that there is no contradiction whatsoever between fidelity to the critical method of studying the Bible and commitment to Jewish belief and practice. But to go into this in detail here would be impossible. I have actually taught a whole course on this issue; it is complex and fascinating. One thing to keep in mind is that the critical method was actually discovered and developed, for the most part, by pious, believing people, who simply wanted to study the Biblical text on its own terms and in its own context. They didn’t at all come from an antagonistic motivation, but rather from a pious one.

Q: What are your main areas of academic interest?

A: I am interested in the Biblical book of Leviticus, especially in the literary, ritual and legal aspects of the book – and in the rest of what scholars refer to as the “Priestly” writings. I am also interested in the composition of the Torah, namely, the question of how it was put together from its component parts. Two of my sidelines are the book of Ezekiel, which I am teaching this semester at Yale, and certain aspects of medieval commentaries.

Q: In what ways are students at American universities similar to and different from your students in Israel?

A: Students in Israel are always older, busier, and more pressured. They have to do army reserve duty; they often have to work; and they experience financial pressures. American students tend to have more time, more funding and better study habits, but in Jewish Studies, Israelis have it over the Americans because they have the language skills and the text ‘talks’ to them. They have more fluency with the material as they have been studying it their whole lives. Both students can be incisive and critical, which is a good thing.

Q: How have you spent your year in New Haven?

A: I taught two courses at Yale and delivered several lectures there. I regularly attend the Westville Synagogue, and I delivered a lecture there as part of the Westville University adult education series. I have also served as scholar in residence at several synagogues and Jewish institutions around the country. But most of my time has been devoted to teaching, lecturing and research.

Q: Is your family here with you? What do they do in Israel?

A: They are not. Fortunately, however, I was home in Israel for two weeks in December during intercession, and they are joining me here for Pesach. My younger son, Shlomo, is in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), serving in the Givati Brigade special forces; he was involved in the fighting in Gaza during my visit home this winter. My wife Sema works in the office of a tax accountant; my older son, Moki, is a tour guide and student at the Hebrew University; his wife Rachel Dweck teaches in a school near Jerusalem, and my daughter, (also) Rachel, is an aspiring documentary film editor in Jerusalem.

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RIDGEFIELD — The Idan Raichel Project, one of Israel’s most unique and popular musical groups, kicks off its 2009 World Tour with a March 22 appearance at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield. The “Project” is so much more than its namesake, the dreadlocked, 31-year old keyboardist, composer and producer, Idan Raichel.

According to Dalit Katz, adjunct assistant professor in the Religion Department at Wesleyan University, and coordinator of both the Contemporary Israeli Voices and the Israeli Film Festival, “Idan Raichel’s music, an innovative blend of Ethiopian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean elements, resonates with messages of peace, hope and tolerance. … His spectacular live shows combined with sophisticated production techniques contribute to Idan Raichel’s great popularity – especially among young audiences.”

The Idan Raichel Project first appeared on the Israeli music scene in 2002. The group’s music is intended to appeal to audiences of all ages, cultures, religions and backgrounds.

Raichel, born to Ashkenazic parents and raised in Kfar Saba, Israel, was always interested in music. He started playing the accordion at the age of nine, and later picked up the keyboard. He studied jazz in high school, where he learned improvisation. In the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Raichel toured military bases where he produced live shows and performed Israeli and European popular songs. His musical interests continued after his discharge, and Raichel worked as a backup musician and recording session player for some of Israel’s most popular musicians.

When Raichel took a job as a counselor in a boarding school for immigrants and troubled youth, he interacted extensively with Jews from Ethiopia and became interested in their music and culture. He set up a small recording studio in his parents’ basement and invited over 70 of his friends and colleagues from Israel’s diverse music scene to participate.

Released in 2002, the group’s first album, “The Idan Raichel Project,” featuring its hit song “Bo’ee” (Come With Me), sold more than 150,000 copies. Their 2005 album, “Mi’ma’amakim,” topped sales of 120,000. 

In January 2006, The Project traveled to Ethiopia, where the group opened the Fifth Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa. It was the first time any Israeli artist performed in Ethiopia. It was also the first time two of the Project’s lead vocalists had returned to Ethiopia since making aliyah. The trip is chronicled in the documentary, “Black Over White.”

In November 2008, The Idan Raichel Project released the album “Bein Kirot Beiti” (Within My Walls). The album which is now available in the United States on the Cumbancha label, presents artists to the wider public. The album was recorded while the group was on tour, with recording sessions taking place in such diverse settings as dressing rooms, backstage, and hotel rooms. The new album features lyrics in Hebrew, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole and Swahili.

From the beginning, Raichel never wanted his group and their work to be known simply as “Idan Raichel.”

“If I had called the album just ‘Idan Raichel,’ people would have thought that Raichel is the main voice on all the songs. I wrote the songs and I arranged and produced them, but I perform them together with other vocalists and musicians. On the other hand, we are not a group. It’s something in between,” he notes. In concerts, Raichel plays keyboard from the side of the stage.

The Idan Raichel Project has headlined at the prestigious Central Park Summer Stage in New York City, the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, and the Sydney Opera House. The group has also performed across Europe as well as in Mexico City, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Singapore, and Mumbai.

“We try to introduce the community to all aspects of the arts, including world music. We’re excited when we can get a world musician of this caliber, who usually plays such venues as Radio City Music Hall, into our intimate theater,” says Allison Stockel, executive director of the Ridgefield Playhouse where Idan Raichel Project will begin its 2009 world tour. “We hope the community will take advantage of seeing this great performer in a small intimate venue such as The Ridgefield Playhouse.”

The Ridgefield Playhouse is located at 80 East Ridge in Ridgefield, CT. For ticket information call (203) 438-5795.

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It is always difficult to pinpoint the highlight of any visit to Israel. For ten Tikvah Program participants and alumni, who participated with Tikvah Director Howard Blas and two madrichim on a recent ten-day Tikvah Ramah Israel Program, all would likely agree that seeing camp friends ranks near the top of the list! Of course, picking red hot chili peppers for the poor in Renana, riding a 17 passenger golf cart through the rain at Agmon Hahuleh, playing with kangaroos at GanGaroo, joining thousands for Friday night davening at the Kotel, and covering ourselves in Dead Sea mud were also special — but seeing our camp friends was extraordinary.

We appreciated Yedida and Uri Tzivoni’s offer to have our farewell dinner at their home, as we have on our previous three trips. However, the situation in Gaza forced us to reroute from Emunin to Tel Aviv. Our Amitzim “Brave Ones” were truly brave during the first days of the Gaza Conflict. The Tzivonis (including Yoav), Ron Im HaZakan from Nagarut, Shani Lachmish, and many other mishlachat friends came to see us off at a very lovely Tel Aviv restaurant.

Israel is truly an amazing place. But nothing beats our very special Ramah New England friends!

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