Tag: Be’er-Sheva Arts

Over the years, the City of Be’er-Sheva has won many national and international prizes in recognition of its numerous accomplishments and exemplary actions. Here are some of our firsts and feats:

In 2023, Be’er-Sheva can boast about have a number of successful breweries, and offering refreshing beer-tasting tours to personally experience the local brands … 

In 2022, Goel Drori opened his unique History of Photography in Israel Museum “ha-Tsalmaniyah,” located in the Old City at 63 ha-Avot St.

In 2022, while the Israel Ministry of the Interior published statistics showing that the number of residences being purchased in Tel Aviv is down by 12%–the demand for and sales of homes in Be’er-Sheva is peaking at the highest point in the last 20 years, showing an increase of 14% since last year’s sales.

In 2022, the Be’er-Sheva Wind Orchestra, conducted by lawyer Micha David, is celebrating 25 years of existence and being the largest wind orchestra in Israel.

The I.D.F.’s Chief-of-Staff Prize for 2021 was awarded to the Southern Region Homefront Command (Be’er-Sheva).

The Transparency International – Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2021 ranked Israel in the 59th place among the countries in the world; however, Be’er-Sheva is in the 96th place among the cities of the world. Not bad at all!

Both in 2020 and in 2021, the Be’er-Sheva Municipality was rated in first place in Israel for functioning at 100% in the area of Human Resources, according to the following criteria: the status of the Human Resources Dept., the properness of all the personnel tenders, the use of correct, legal means to recruit new employees to valid positions, the absence of wage irregularities, regular employee evaluations, and proper submission of financial reports.

In September 2021, the special “Park of Dreams” (a sterile rehabilitation area), built especially for children suffering from/and being treated for cancer, was inaugurated and awarded 4 stars for upholding Israeli Regulation 5281 for ‘sustainability‘ according to the Israeli building code–making it the first ‘green’ educational facility to reach that level in Israel. The ‘green’ architectural plans were  prepared by Architect Avi Speizman.             

In August 2021, the City of Be’er-Sheva was awarded a Mark of Excellence by the World Zionist Organization for its work promoting Jewish emigration to Israel and for the successful absorption of new immigrants in the city.   

Also in August 2021, the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was ranked by the “Emerging Group“ as no. 10 in the World in the field of Computer Sciences (in the list of the top 150 academic institutions that give degrees in Information Science and as no. 2 in Israel). In addition, BGU was ranked no. 21 in the world for online professional training and 26th in the category of online entrepreneurship programs.

In May 2021, the City of Be’er-Sheva was awarded the “Do Justice and Love Charity” Mark of Distinction in the presence of the emeritus head of the Israel Supreme Court (Dalia Dorner) by the Israel State Attorney’s Office, the  Office of the President of Israel (Re’uven Rivlin), and the Israel Center for Local Government, in recognition of the municipal investment in the development of voluntary (free) legal services for its local residents.

In March 2021, the City of Be’er-Sheva opened public access to Israel’s largest, man-made lake, covering ca. 5,261 sqm (1,300 acres), at the center of the Negev Desert, filled with recycled sewage and runoff rainwater. This lake site serves as a bird sanctuary and birding observatory, as well as a place offering light boating. Developed by the Be’er-Sheva Municipality and sponsored by the JNF.

In February 2021, Be’er-Sheva became the first city in Israel to open the “Duet Center” – The Israel Center for the Research and Treatment of Preschool Children on the BGU Campus, employing: researchers, therapists, educators and legal experts, currently headed by Prof. Na’amah Atzaba-Poria.  

As of July 2020 (and despite the COVID-19 pandemic), Be’er-Sheva is the leading city in Israel, with 92% recycling of product packaging (via the orange containers), as reported by the “Tamir” Recycling Corporation.  Over the past 3 decades, Be’er-Sheva has taken the lead by successfully initiating almost all the various types of urban recycling: paper/cardboard; plastic bottles; batteries; non-refundable glass; used clothing; electronic devices, etc., by means of readily accessible neighborhood recycling hubs, with all the different types of recycling bins clustered together [something I personally promoted for over a decade in the Municipal Environmental Protection Committee, as a local ‘green’ activist].

According to “Dun & Bradstreet” (March 2020), the Be’er-Sheva City Council has the highest percentage of women city-council members (37%) of all the large cities in Israel, with 9 of the 12 members being of the feminine persuasion, plus 1 of 4 deputy mayors, as well.

In February 2020, the Be’er-Sheva Municipality was awarded for its “excellence in computer ‘bigdata’ analysis–commercial & demographic IT” in 2019, from among hundreds of projects rated in Israel by the Professional Committee of the online high-tech news portal since 1981: “The People” (known in Hebrew as: “PC People and Computers”) at https://www.pc.co.il/ 

In July 2019, the Be’er-Sheva Municipality was awarded the “Prize for Transparency in Local Government” by the Israel Ministry of Justice, for granting the general public access to most of the local, city data online via the new multilingual Be’er-Sheva municipal website: https://www.beer-sheva.muni.il/Pages/default.aspx.   

The Be’er-Sheva Municipality was cited by the Israel Ministry of the Interior in 2019 for its effective efforts towards the prevention of sexual abuse against women.

In 2021, the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was ranked by PitchBook Financial Data in the 44th place among the top 50 universities in the world for start-ups founded by its graduates. These 214-plus start-up companies include, for example: Exaware, Moovit, Innoviz Techn ologies, JFrog, Valens, etc. 

In 2019, the first beer shop and brewery, Beit ha-Birah (lit., house of beer ) was founded in Be’er-Sheva by  Gilad Ne’eman and his friends, and their unique local beer is called “Haluts hadash” (lit., the new pioneer). Beit ha-Birah sells over 160 brands of beer. Located on he-Haluts St. in the Old City. Open Mon .-Thur. 11:00-13:00 and Fridays from 9:00-15:00.

In 2018, Be’er-Sheva leads the major Israeli cities with the highest percentage of women elected and serving on its City Council (33%).                                                                     

In 2012, the city was awarded the “Design Medal” by the international architecture and design magazine “Domus” in conjunction with: Bezalel’s Dept. of Architecture; the Technion’s Dept. of Urban Planning and Construction; the Israeli Union of Landscape Architects; the Planners Union of Israel; the United Architects’ Association; the Center for Local Government; the Union of Urban Engineers; and the Israel Ministry of Construction and Housing–for the many aesthetic and interesting water features across the city. 

It has also been granted a good deal of international acclaim, such as being declared: “one of the 7 cities of the future on Earth” by the T3 Advisors and in Brandeis International School’s first Global Technology Emerging Markets Study.

In fact, the City of Be’er-Sheva was awarded the sum of $500,000 for 2017 and again for 2018 by the Bloomberg Family Foundation(New York, NY)to be used for the promotion of urban renewal, updating infrastructures and cleaning & maintaining public areas.

Special recognition of Be’er-Sheva as the paragon of animal rights & welfare – In 2018, the Israel Knesset’s Animal Rights Coalition chose the City of Be’er-Sheva as the Israeli city best exemplifying animal rights and welfare, and invited Mayor Ruvik Danilovich to speak about the many enacted & functioning pro-animal projects.

Still in 7.2022, and since 2017, the Saban Birth and Maternity Center at the Soroka/University Medical Center continues to break the Israeli national record for annual deliveries, over 17,150 babies born each year in Be’er-Sheva! That’s between 47-50 babies per day! This includes ca.350 pairs of twins and 6-7 sets of triplets, born in the 25 private birthing suites. The Soroka Medical Center (founded 1959) is the second largest medical center in Israel that serves 60% of the country. Moreover, the Soroka complex is often awarded 5 stars for beauty in the “Beautiful Hospitals in a Beautiful Israel” Contest; a propos, the staff at Soroka claim that natural beauty is both comforting and has a therapeutic effect.

Also as of 2017, Be’er-Sheva is the foremost leader in engineering studies in Israel, with ca.8,000 engineering students.

Be’er-Sheva also heads the Israeli education charts with 1,470 high-school graduates who majored in social studies (social responsibility, civic action, community involvement), which is 65% of all Be’er-Sheva‘s 2017 high-school graduates–as opposed to the national average of 25% of all the annual graduates. 

In 2017, the BGU Dept. of Hotel and Tourism Management became the first Israeli academic department in its field to be ranked by the prestigious, annual “Shanghai Ranking” of the worlds’ universities (in 42nd place).

In 2017 alone, the city received an Israel Culture and Sports Prize; a National Prize for Proper Management; and the Israel Minister of Interior’s Prize for Social Responsibility and Municipal Innovation. 

In 2017, a radical, new type of kindergarten called Yonah-Gan was founded by Rivka Mayodovnik-Snir, located in Be’er-Sheva’s “Bet Yonah” Home for the Elderly, in which healthy oldsters mind preschoolers. This was modeled after a British Channel-4 TV program entitled “80 and four.” 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a ‘healthy city’ is one whose government puts health high on its agenda. The goal of the WHO Healthy Cities Network is to help cities develop and promote a comprehensive and systematic policy with special emphasis on the needs of vulnerable groups. In 2008, the City of Be’er-Sheva became a member of this international network.

Be’er-Sheva has successfully integrated new immigrant Jews (religious and secular) from 72 countries of origin (from all the continents), including the last remnants of the Jewish communities of Albania, Iran & Yemen, along with resident Christians, Muslims, Druze, etc. to form an ethnically diverse society–all living comfortably in heterogenous neighborhoods, working together productively, in an international, pluralistic, multilingual & multicultural environment. In fact, the International Metropolis Organization paid a special visit to Be’er-Sheva to learn how we did it so successfully. 

Be’er-Sheva is an exemplary leader in Israeli voluntarism and civic action, in which all the volunteer organizations (NPOs) are coordinated by the umbrella organization “Re’em,” situated on the second floor of “Yad la-Banim” (located near City Hall), Sun.-Thurs. 9:00-12:00. Chairperson: Shoshana Agajany; Acting Director: Alin Haviv, 08-6416619, 054-4214251.

Be’er-Sheva‘s E. Levant Chess Center (founded 1973 by Eliahu Levant, a.k.a. “Mr. Chess”) is renowned in all the international chess circles for having the second-highest rate of Grand Masters per capita in a city the World (9 and counting, as of 2017)–a longstanding chess superpower. The current director is Ilana David (b.1961-), who is also the Captain of the Israel Women’s Chess Team. The center has players aged 4-90 (in 42 competitive groups)–08-6277431. In 2021, the Be’er-Sheva Chess Club won the Israel National Cup, yet again, for the 30+ time since its establishment, as well as winning the National Chess Championship. In 2020, our Grand Master Nitzan Steinberg  (b.1998-, ranked 12th in Israel) took 1st place in two international Internet competitions: 1) in memory of Shahar Arad and 2) “Chess4Solidarity,” together with another of our local Grand Masters, Evgeny Postny (b.1981-). In 2021, at Israel’s 40th Annual National Chess Tournament, the first places were won by Grandmaster Victor Michalevski (b.1972-), ranked #171 in the world, and Grandmaster Yulia Shwaiger (b.1994-), ranked by FIDE since 2017 as an International Master (IM) and a Women’s Grandmaster (WGM); she is the reigning Women’s Champion in Israel from 2018-2021… 

Together with Haim Shafir (b.1950-), who created the popular card game “Taki” in 1983, the “Lunada” Interactive Children’s Museum has, thus far, sponsored the first two (2016 & 2017, hopefully of many), annual National Taki Competitions in Be’er-Sheva.

In 2016, Beershevan choreographer & entrepreneur Liran Mikhaeli initiated, with the support of the City of Be’er-Sheva & the International Fringe Theater, the first “Fringe Dance Competition,” open to all original works by independent Israeli choreographers and dancers. In 2017, the winning dance “Orpheo,“ created by Idan Cohen won the 10,000 NIS Best Fringe Dance Prize; the dance “Eshte’olah” created by Sivan Peled won the 2,000 NIS “Kivunim” Unique Dance Prize; and the Outstanding Dancer Award went to Dana Zekharyah.

“Glidah Be’er-Sheva” (Be’er-Sheva Ice-Cream) is a home-made icecream and frozen-yogurt parlor located on Hadassah St. in the Old City. It was founded in 1950 by Polish immigrant Yulia Rotenberg (1912-2005) and has become yet another symbol of the city, with branches across Be’er-Sheva and Israel. Today second- and third-generation family members (Sharon, Shirah & Itamar Bar) carry on the family business.

In 2006, the Be’er-Sheva factory “Mishkan ha-Tekhelet,” located in the “Emeq Sarah” Industrial Park, produced the largest woolen Jewish prayer-shawl (talit) in the world, 8 x 12 meters (=ca.26 x 39 ft.), to fill an order placed by the Gur Hassidic community in New York. It is officially listed in the 2006 Guinness Book of Records. The factory has a Visitors’ Center where one can see how Jewish prayer-shawls are made – 08-6274161.

Since “Our future is inspired by our past” – join the Society for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites – http://www.shimur.org.il. You are welcome to come to the Be’er-Sheva Office of the Society, now located in the Old City at Mordey ha-Geta’ot 74 and/or call Michal Montal – 054-4606496.

Where to read/hear poetry in Be’er-Sheva?

English poetry:

The southern region branch of “Voices Israel” – the English poetry society – meets about once a month in Be’er-Sheva at someone’s home. At each intimate meeting, the poets in attendance take turns reading their works-in-progress to their fellow poets, who try to provide constructive criticism; these are informal, friendly workshops. More members are always welcome. Sometimes, certain poems are unanimously chosen for publication in the monthly national Voices Newsletter. Occasionally, public English poetry-reading evenings are planned and held at various venues. Members are also invited to submit their best poems to various national or international contests, anthologies, or publications. Several of our local members have garnered prestigious national and international prizes – http://www.voicesisrael.com. The AACI and poet Mark Elliott Shapiro have also occasionally organized several evenings of English poetry reading.

Hebrew poetry:

There are 2 main regional Hebrew poetry clubs active in Be’er-Sheva. One is the Hebrew Poets Club headed by Eliazar Grinshpoun. It usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at 19:00 at the Public Library on ha-Meshahrerim Way. Some of its members who live in Be’er-Sheva are: Nissan Abadi, Perla Aharoni, Sophia Barg, David Kahiri, Leah Katzenell, Uri Meir and Rivka Reuven-Gavrieli. At each meeting, the poets in attendance take turns reading their works-in-progress to their fellow poets, who try to provide constructive criticism; these are informal, friendly workshops. More members are always welcome  – eliazar_g@hotmail.com.

The second is a poetry group that holds poetry evenings a number of times per year at the student pub “Coca Brewpub” at 50 Arlozorov St. in the Gimel neighborhood. These are emceed evenings, run by Ilana Gorodissky, at which the invited poets take the stage in turn and present their finished works to the audience. Each one of these poetry evenings has a particular predetermined theme and the relevant poems to be read must be submitted in advance for approval and inclusion in the program. A printed brochure of the poetry being read at each evening is usually provided at the event to the attendees. A few of the regular, Be’er-Shevan participants are: Daniel Lachish, Irit Lev, Racheli Madar, Adam Ratzon, Yaron Ruso and Iftach Zilka.

Some published resident Be’er-Sheva poets

Michael Adam was born in 1939 in Paris, France. He survived the Drancy Concentration Camp as a small child during WWII. He immigrated to Israel in 1958 and reached Be’er-Sheva in 1965. He has been writing French poetry for decades and working with his wife as French/Hebrew translators.  

 Talma Alyagon-Roz is a prolific Hebrew poet and songwriter who wrote a Hebrew poem entitled “Be’er-Sheva, my city” set to music and sung in 1969 by Yosi Moustaki (b.1939), “Singer of the Negev” and Be’er-Sheva‘s first song writer – www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd1pXTMhMVA.

Zohar Arbel resided in Be’er-Sheva until the late 1980s and published a book of his Hebrew poetry in 1988, before leaving for the United States. Eventually, I lost touch, but I had the privilege of translating several of his poems into English before he went. My favorite one follows:

“To endure”

I didn’t want to stay in your memories./ Too soon to put away the sounds and the sights./ Still want to touch, to tread the same paths, to go astray/ Coming back to you tired, dusty./ Head on shoulder lay, dangling like a cloak on your body.

[Translation c1988 Ethelea (Pinhas) Katzenell]

 who immigrated to Be’er-Sheva from Romania, published a book of Hebrew poems and short-stories in 2007. 

Albert Ben Yitshak immigrated from the former Soviet Union in 1993. He has published 7 books of his Hebrew poetry from 1999-2017.

Ruthi Ben Yitshak Galkin Sabo (“Rutibi,” 1946-2009) was born in Israel to two Holocaust survivors. She settled in Be’er-Sheva in 1968. From 1977-1983, she published 3 books of her Hebrew poetry.

Meir Cherniak (1923-2003) immigrated from Russia to Israel and served in the Palmah from 1941-1949, receiving an “Award for Bravery” in 1973. In 1993, he published a book of his Hebrew poems on the Negev Desert, and the last poem in the collection was entitled “Be’er-Sheva.”

Moti Davidi, a former Director of the Be’er-Sheva Public Library, published a book of his Hebrew poetry. Some of his poems have been set to music and sung by various singers.

Miriam Green immigrated to Israel from the USA in 1991 and, in 2001 in Be’er-Sheva, she became the AACI Counselor for New Immigrants and, by default, the also Southern Region Coordinator for all the English-speakers in the Negev. She has published a number of her English poems in international journals and has won several prestigious awards, such as the “2013 Reuben Rose Poetry Prize.” She also coordinates the Southern Region Branch of “Voices Israel.”

Dr. Eliazar Grinshpoun, the founder and Chairman of the Hebrew Poetry Club of Be’er-Sheva, has published books of his own Hebrew and English poems and also anthologies of the Hebrew poetry of various club members. He is active in local politics, literary education and social improvement.  

David Kahiri published a collection of his Hebrew poems in 2013.

Ethelea Katzenell immigrated to Be’er-Sheva in 1972 from Philadelphia, PA. She’s a Be’er-Sheva local-patriot and even wrote a Hebrew anthem for the City of Be’er-Sheva that was accepted by Mayor Ijo Rager in 1996. She writes English and Hebrew poetry; several of her poems in both languages have been published in Israel. She has also done Hebrew/English and English/Hebrew poetry translations for 6 published poets.

Rinat Matsliah, a Be’ershevan educator and writer of 5 children’s books since 2011, published her first book of Hebrew poems in 2019.

Dr. Sasha Paz (1927-2017) left Europe and made Be’er-Sheva his home. He was not only a professional psychologist and a lover of life, but a prolific writer of Hebrew novels and Hebrew poetry (although sadly most of his novels and all of his poems will have to be published posthumously). 

Rivka Reuven-Gavriel published a collection of her Hebrew poetry in 2017.

Mark Elliott Shapiro immigrated from Toronto to Be’er-Sheva in 1970. He’s a freelance translator/editor and works for the Haaretz newspaper’s English edition. His Masters’ thesis at BGU was a comparison of Holocaust poetry by Israeli poet Dan Pagis and Canadian-Jewish poet A. M. Klein. He’s been writing English and Hebrew poetry for many years. He publishes his Hebrew and/or English poems weekly in Congregation “Eshel Avraham”s weekly pre-Sabbath synagogue bulletin.

Tamar (“Tammy Tut”) Talmon (b.1994-) arrived on the Be’er-Sheva scene in 2014 as a practitioner of the ‘spoken word’ (a cross-breed between poetry & rap) and a participant in ‘poetry slams’ (I suggest watching the 2017 movie: “Love beats rhymes”). 

Eran Tzelgov (b.1974-) has been a resident of Be’er-Sheva since the age of 3 months. He is an accomplished poet and translator of English, Spanish & French literature into Hebrew and is also a lecturer at BGU. He published 3 books of Hebrew poetry in 2013, 2015 & 2019, and several collections of his Hebrew translations of foreign poetry and various prose works. 

Prof. Adi Wolfson is a senior lecturer at SCE and a leading eco-activist. Thus far, he has published 4 books of his Hebrew poetry. Many of his poems have been translated into English (some by Ethelea Katzenell) and some have been published in German. Quite a few of his poems deal with Be’er-Sheva and the Negev desert environment.   

Live dance performances

“Bet ha-Mahol” – House of Dance, opened its doors at the beginning of Dec. 2021, located at 45 Gershon Dubenboim St. in the Old City.

Professional and international dance performances are regularly held in Be’er-Sheva at the Center for the Performing Arts (on Rager Blvd.), which offers an annual dance series, including a variety of dance troupes in different dance styles from Be’er-Sheva, Israel and abroad.

The Be’er-Sheva “MiKan”(lit., from here) Fringe Theater (founded 2010) is located in a cheerfulblue building in the Old City. The MiKan Fringe Theater holds an Annual Dance Week and Competition each Fall, judged by professional choreographers, dancers & theater VIPs. Location: Old City, Anilevich St. 08-6466657. See: theFringe.co.il and http://www.iffb7.com.

In 2016, Beershevan choreographer & entrepreneur Liran Mikhaeli initiated, with the support of the City of Be’er-Sheva & the International Fringe Theater, the first “Fringe Dance Competition,” open to all original works by independent Israeli choreographers and dancers. In 2017, the winning dance “Orpheo,“ created by Idan Cohen won the 10,000 NIS Best Fringe Dance Prize; the dance “Eshte’olah” created by Sivan Peled won the 2,000 NIS “Kivunim” Unique Dance Prize; and the Outstanding Dancer Award went to Dana Zekharyah.

Adult dance troupes/companies

As of 2022, independent artists in all the Arts (visual and performing) are invited to join a new creative, multidisciplinary project called “Off the Record” based in the Youth Center in the Old City, run by Bouras-House of Independent Artists – contact: 054-982-7936, art.bouras@gmail.com.

“Kamea“ (lit., talisman; founded 2002) Modern Dance Company is an internationally acclaimed  dance troupe born at the Bat Dor Be’er-Sheva Municipal Dance Center in the Gimel neighborhood at 13 ha-Shalom St.  “Kamea” performs original choreographies (mostly choreographed by award-winning Tamir Ginz) in the Be’er-Sheva Hall for the Performing Arts, as part of the annual dance series, across Israel, and around the world. Occasionally, they perform special dance shows for a young audience. “Kamea” performed at the prestigious Almada International Dance Festival in August 2017, despite BDS threats. On October 23rd, 2017, “Kamea,” together with a guest choir “Kantorei Barmen-Gemark” with German opera soloists (from Be’er-Sheva‘s sister city Wuppertal, Germany) and a guest orchestra Bayer’s “L’Arte del Mondo” (from Leverkusen, Germany) premiered a new Ginz choreography entitled: “St. Matthew Passion 2727” to Johann Sebastian Bach‘s sacred oratorio. The music for their piece “Mnemosyne” (2018), choreographed by Tamir Ginz, was specially composed by Avi Belleli. Every year they perform previous and new choreographies in Israel and abroad. In October 2022, “Kamea” participated in a dance competition held in South Korea by the Korea Dance Association, judged by Tamir Ginz & 7 other international judges & attended by dance companies from 33 countries around the world (e.g., China & Brazil). 

Once a year, every year, “Kamea” holds a special, open-to-the-public one-day happening, consisting of dance classes with the troupe’s dancers and well-known Israeli modern-dance choreographers Tamir Ginz & Ohad Naharin (originator of ‘gaga‘), & hip-hop master Tal Landsman, as well as intimate studio performances. In 2017, the 17 dancers in “Kamea”were: Ofek Admoni, Adi Avitan, Sagi Baleli, Jonatan Bukschtein, Noa Dahan, Tom David, Marco De Alteriis, Noam Ephron, Lorris Eichinger, [Eldar Elgrably, b.1987-2020], Einav Kringel, Alma Lauer, Lou Landre, Rona Lerner, Roni Sheps, Peter Starr, and Elliot Thompson, 08-6231521, http://www.kameadance.com. 

The BGU student modern dance company “Pola” (named after Paula Ben-Gurion; founded 2009). It has given modern dance performances of original choreographies (mostly choreographed by Dedi Alufer & Eyal Dadon): on the BGU Campus; in the Be’er-Sheva Hall for the Performing Arts; and at the “MiKan” Fringe Theater. “Pola” was the only Israeli dance troupe invited to perform at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (though they did not attend for security reasons) – in.bgu.ac.il/Dekanat/Pages/dance.aspx.

“Sol” Dance Company (founded 2016), an alternative modern dance ensemble comprising 8 dancers, is located in the Old City at the House of Dance (an Ottoman-Turkish building at 45 Gershon St.). The dancers include: Roni Ben Shimon, Eyal Dadon, Nadav Gal, Madison Hoke, Yuko Imazaike, Sian Olles, Shay Partush, & Gil Shachar.  Choreographers: CEO Dedi Alufer (b.1973-) & Eyal Dadon (b.1989-). “Sol” has given excellent performances in Israel and joint performances with the Beijing Dance Theater in China and Hong Kong. In 2022, they performed “TOML,” choreographed by Eyal Dadon, in Dubai.  Time Out Shanghai magazine dedicated an article to Sol, to choreographer Dedi Alufer & to the dance entitled “Mekhirat hisul” (lit., sell-out sale)– http://www.sol-dance-company.org, 050-4448437.

“Holit” (founded 2005) – Israeli and Modern Dance Theater is located in the newly built Kohl Dance Studio at no. 1 Bet El St. in the Tet neighborhood – 054-2202088. “Holit” performances combine many styles of dance to create prize-winning dance-theater choreographies, that are performed across Israel and abroad. In 2022, “Holit” created an adult/senior performing dance troupe to represent Be’er-Sheva. 

Childrens’ performing dance groups

“Dorot” Modern Dance Company (founded 1995) at the Makif Gimel High-School and the NOA Dance Ensemble at the Makif Aleph High-School were both established by Be’er-Sheva-born dancer-choreographer Dedi Alufer (b.1973-), who also produced a number of musicals from 1999 and is currently the CEO of the “Sol” Dance Company (founded 2016). The Dance Center at Makif Gimel is currently directed by local classical ballet dancer & choreographer Yishai Kersanti (b.1986-).

“Holit” (lit., sand dune; founded 2005) – Israeli and Modern Dance Theater, consisting of hundreds of young dancers from Be’er-Sheva‘s high-schools. The newly built Kohl Dance Studio is “Holit”s new home, located at no. 1 Bet El St. in the Tet neighborhood – 054-2202088. “Holit” performances combine many styles of dance to create prize-winning dance-theater choreographies (mostly by the company choreographer, Mr. Liran Michaely) that are performed across Israel and abroad. 

“Shalvah” – Georgian Folk-Dance Troupe (founded 1973) was named after the late founder, Shalvah Ephremashvili. The dancers are mainly family members plus other Georgian dancers. Director, choreographer: David Ephremashvili – 052-2709699, 08-6414051.

“Ayalot ha-Negev” (lit., Negev gazelles; founded 1980) Israeli Representative Folk-Dance Ensemble, consists of  hundreds of young dancers from the 1st-12th grades (divided by age into four performing troupes) and has represented Be’er-Sheva and the State of Israel on Israeli television and at festivals and in folk-dance competitions (like Folkmoot) in over 78 countries the world-over, often winning prizes. In 2016, they represented Israel in an international “Grand Pris” children’s dance competition in Bulgaria, where they won both prizes and accolades. Choreographies by Moti Alkis and others – 050-5516015, 08-6433866.

In addition, “Kivunim” – the municipal company for recreation culture in Be’er-Sheva, has performing dance troupes for children & young people in various local community centers, such as: “Top Dance” (founded ca.2009), a municipal contemporary dance troupe – 052-3676438; “Pargod” (lit., stage curtain; founded 1980), a representative Be’er-Sheva urban dance troupe – 050-4448437, http://www.pargod.co.il; “Horah Alumot” (lit., sheaves’ horah; founded 2017) and “Horah ha-Yovel” (lit., the jubilee horah; founded 2017), both mixed Israeli folk-dance and movement troupes – 08-6433388.

Some key figures in promoting dance in/from Be’er-Sheva

The ‘father’ of Israeli folk-dancing in Be’er-Sheva and among the founders of the Association of Israeli Folk-Dance Instructors & Choreographers was Yossi Abuhav (1937-2019), who was the first Israeli folk-dancing instructor in the city and every Wednesday evening an ever-growing crowd gathered to learn and dance in circles, couples, and lines (debkas) with the warmhearted, charismatic instructor. 

***The very evening of the Wednesday I had arrived as a new immigrant at the (now defunct) Altshuler Absorption Center in the Old City of Be’er-Sheva in August 1972, I had followed the music, found the folk-dancing, and joined Yossi‘s inner circle of dancers. I’d been doing Israeli folk-dancing since the age of 5 and was a U.S.-certified Fred Berk Israeli folk-dance instructor. To the surprise of all those present, I knew all the dances they were doing. Yossi had spotted me dancing in  the outermost circle and had immediately put my knowhow to good use–using me as a dance-partner when teaching the couples dances and to replace him, on occasion, when he was ill or abroad. Once the other well-known Israeli instructors/choreographers heard that I was translating dances for Yossi to teach abroad, I was tasked with translating their new dances into English as well, so they might teach them at the Jewish summer camps, etc.; I was glad to be of service.

In 1974, Yossi and I [in those days, my name was Leah Pinhas] were the only two Be’er-Sheva representatives to the Founding Conference that established the above Israeli Instructors’ Association. In 1975, Yossi initiated a local Israeli-Dance Instructors’ Certification Course, which I also completed for Israeli certification on the last day of my first 42-week long pregnancy–while having a contraction every 15-20 minutes throughout the practical dance test. In fact, when the late Bens Carmel issued me my Israeli instructor’s certificate at the end, he said he should have prepared another mini-certificate for my ‘inner dancer’…

Some of those who continue to carry the torch of Israeli folk-dancing, following in Yossi Abuhav‘s graceful and ethusiastic footsteps in Be’er-Sheva, are: Ori Yinon (b.1956-), Haim Vaknin, Gary Rom, Yom-Tov Ohayon, Moshe Kugman, David Ben-David, Rafi Ziv, Kobi Azulai, and many others, with much appreciated, expert choreographic help from frequent visitor Shlomo Maman. With every passing year, the number of accredited instructors and recognized choreographers has grown and there are new generations of dancers dancing all across the city throughout the year–in Be’er-Sheva, on any given week-night–there’s a group dancing somewhere in the city. This brings me great joy!   

In fact, Yossi Abuhav‘s Be’er-Sheva-born son, Or Abuhav (b.1966-) began dancing folk-dancing in high-school and then studied classical dance at “Bat Dor.“ After his I.D.F. service, he was immediately welcomed into the “Bat Sheva” National (Representative) Modern Dance Troupe. Then, he danced in Europe with the Swiss Ballet Company and then Barcelona‘s “Metros” Company; finally returning to Israel to dance in the Kibbutz Ballet Company. At age 30, he retired as a performing dancer and went to study dance instruction at the Laban Center in London. Afterwards, Or returned to Be’er-Sheva to serve as ‘rehearsal master’ at “Bat Dor“ (2008-2015) and between 2005-2014, he choreographed 5 dances for “Kamea” special children’s matinees. Since 2015, Or has been the Director of the Bat Dor Be’er-Sheva Municipal Dance Center, that was founded in 1982.

Adar Meron (b.1980-, in Be’er-Sheva) studied flamenco culture in Spain and brought it back to Be’er-Sheva and Israel. In 2012, she first brought 4 flamenco dancers from Spain to perform in Israel. Now, as a trained falmenco dancer, teacher & choreographer, she has her own flamenco dance school in Be’er-Sheva, manages a flamenco dance troupe and mucial ensemble, and produces flamenco cultural performances. 

Dan Odiz (b.1987-) who founded and runs the “Dan Odiz College,” Studio for Dance Studies with his wife Laura Odiz, that specializes in hip-hop, breakdance & street dance. It is located in the “BIG” commercial center – 050-2223003; 054-5850318, http://www.danodiz.co.il

Be’er-Sheva-born dancer and teacher, Adi Cohen (b.1987-), specializes in the Spanish flamenco style. 

Eyal Dadon (b.1989- in Be’er-Sheva) is a graduate of Bat Dor and is a modern dancer/choreographer who has created choreographies for the BGU student dance troupe “Pola” and who dances in and choreographs works for the “MiKan” Fringe Theater’s dance troupe “Sol.”  He has danced in “Kamea” and in the “Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company.” In 2013, his dance solo “Intro” won the first prize in Eurograde, Bulgaria and in 2015, his work “Pishpesh” took first prize at the “International Choreography Dance Competition” held in Hannover, Germany. Dadon has also produced choreographies, such as the dance “Same, same” for the prestigious Stanislavski Ballet of Moscow that won the 2017 “Russian Creation of the Year” Prize. Dadon‘s works have been and are also currently being performed in China, Germany, Hungary, Russia and elsewhere across the globe – https://www.eyaldadon.com.

Inbal Erez, a choreographer from Be’er-Sheva working in Los Angeles, CA, is also serving as a spokesperson for Israel and is outspoken against antisemitism.

Yael Gohorovski (b.1989-) is a dancer/choreographer who introduced pole-dancing to Be’er-Sheva in ca.2014 and founded the “Tet-a-Tet” Dance Studio in 2019 at 34 Rager Blvd., where she currently teaches dance and especially pole-dancing to over 30 people. [Pole-dancing may become an Olympic sport by the next Olympic Games in Paris 2024]. 050-7791774  http://www.tetatet.co.il  

Be’ershevan, Benny Avraham (b.1990-) is a hip-hop and street-dance choreographer, who has a private dance studio with almost 300 students. He is  a backup dancer for Static & Ben-El, and as of 2021, he is also their chief choreographer. 

Shai Grinberg (b.1996-), a professional dancer from Be’er-Sheva, founded the “Latados Dance Academy” for ballroom dancing. He also offers special therapeutic classes for sufferers of Parkinson’s disease.                        

Dance classes

In 2021, a group of dance teachers, led by Beershevan dancer, Eyal Ganon from BatDor, founded “Mid-Bar”–that regularly offers the general public a chance to learn a bit about different modern dance styles by participating in various dance lessons, given by choreographers and professional dancers. “Mid-Bar” also offers senior citizens access to a number of professional dance classes.

The “Bat Dor” Be’er-Sheva Municipal Dance Center (founded 1982), located in the Gimel neighborhood (13 ha-Shalom St.), has a professional staff that teaches classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance mostly to children and young people – 08-6231521. There is also a class for adult & retired dancers taught by former “Kamea” dancers (such as ‘rehearsal master’ Eyal Ganon (in which I was honored to participate in 2017-2018). As of 2017, “Bat Dor” has taught over 11,000 dance students, has produced a world-renowned Be’ershevan dance company “Kamea” and world-class dancers, such as: Or Abuhav — Swiss Ballet; Sivan Barkai – Ballet de Monte Carlo; Natanel Bellaish – Broadway New York, winner of Israel’s “Born to Dance 3;” Eyal Dadon, Dani Eshel, Oz Mulai, Anat Oz – Kibbutz Dance Co.; Aviad Herman – Gothenberg Opera Ballet; Lior Horev & Gili Neria– Israel Ballet; Shimon Kalichman – Royal Ballet; Yishai Kersanti — Israel Opera Project;  Lior Lev – Stuttgart Ballet; Amir Levy – New York Metropolitan Opera Ballet; Rafi Saadi – Ballet Cullberg Sweden; Leah Yanai – Gothenberg Opera Ballet; and dancer-choreographers like: Or Abuhav, Eyal Dadon, Rafi Saadi, [Eldar Elgrably, b.1987-2020] and others. In 2018, “Bat Dor” ballerina, Lior Sheiner won 1st place in the Vancliffen “Attilas Akilas Silvester” International Ballet Competition held in Pietra Ligure, Italy.

“Kivunim” – the municipal company for recreation culture in Be’er-Sheva offers an assortment of dance classes in all the community centers (mostly for children and young people, but some also for adults): ballroom dancing, belly dancing, Indian classical dance, Israeli folk-dancing, salsa and zumba classes, ballet, modern & jazz classes, breakdance, hip-hop, etc. – 08-6290060, ww.kivunim7.co.il/hugim. Israeli folk-dancing classes & sessions for adults, given by nationally accredited instructors, are also held at night in various high-school sports halls.

There are also a number of private fitness & dance studios, usually located in the Be’er-Sheva malls, that also offer an assortment of dance classes, for example: “Shape” Art & Wellness Studio in the Aviha Mall – http://www.shape.2ya.com; “Kesem ha-Guf” (lit., the magic of the body), Center for Dance & Movement, that provided contemporary dancers for several TV shows and national and international events, located in Ne’ot Lon neighborhood – 08-6102998; “Top Dance” at 54 Histadrut St., 052-3676438, and more.

“Dan Odiz College,” Studio for Dance Studies, run by Dan (b.1987-) & Laura Odiz, that specializes in hip-hop, breakdance & street dance. Many students from this studio are currently performing on local television and in videoclips seen around the globe. During the 2021-2022 season, dancers from the Dan Odiz Studio are giving 2 public performances with the Be’er-Sheva Sinfonietta. The studio is located in the “BIG” commercial center – 050-2223003; 054-5850318, http://www.danodiz.co.il.

“Studio Pulna” for pole dancing and fitness (founded 2020- by Noy Alon) is located at 7 Yehoshu’a ha-Tsoref St. in the small industrial park in Gimel Neighborhood. Call: 050-7199652. Many women students at BGU attend classes regularly at this studio, such as No’a Gil’ad (b.1993-) and ‘Adi Langer-Slotky (b.1993-). Women ranging from ages 16-50 are active members of this trendy studio.

Places for social dancing

The “Forum” Discotheque (opened 1988), located in structure no. 232 in the Kiryat Yehudit Commercial Area, is ranked as one of the 3 best discos in Israel. It’s open from 22.30 on Thursdays to 5:00 A.M. on Fridays and from Friday nights at 23:00 to 6:00 A.M. on Saturdays. It has 4 different halls: the main hall, the “Factor” dance bar, a gallery area, and the “Summer Factor,” each with different music and styles. There are special night shuttles to-and-from the Forum to prevent drunk or exhausted young drivers from taking the wheel – 08-6262555, www.facebook.com/forumclu.

“Back Yard Dance Bar,” exclusive members-only dance-bar & nightclub for the over-35s and ‘old fogies’, open Friday nights from 22:00 to dawn, with a live DJ. The entrance fee includes a drink and an open buffet. The dance music is nostalgic and covers a wide selection of styles, ranging from oldies-but-goodies and classic ballroom to Latin & Middle Eastern music. Located in the Rassco Center at 6 ha-Tikvah St. – 054-2643060.

The “Terminal” Russian Dance Bar with a former Soviet D.J. and a constant flow of alcoholic beverages (not suited to those who are sensitive to high decibels and cigarette smoke), located at 61 Herzl St. in the Old City. Open every Thursday-Saturday from 23:30-5:00 A.M. – 054-468-9644.

Dancewear and gear

Isradance (founded 1978) is located inside Aluf ha-Sport in “BIG” – 08-6231488 or 08-6287487.

Where to see (and buy) art

The Negev Museum of Art (located in the former Ottoman Governor’s Mansion, the Saraya, originally built in 1906 in the Old City), was restored and renovated in 2004 and exhibits the works of Israeli artists and occasionally has guest lectures by prominent artists – 08-6282056, http://www.negev-museum.org.il. It was cited by CNN as one of the 10 best Israeli museums. The adjacent Great Mosque of Be’er-Sheva (built in 1897), now serves as a Museum of Islamic and Near Eastern Cultures and displays relevant exhibits. 

Other local art and other exhibits are regularly held at: City Hall; “Yad la-Banim;” the Public Library; the Histadrut Building; the Greenberg Teachers’ Center, and at “Be’er-Tseva” in the Yud-Aleph Community Center, as well as at a growing  number of art galleries such as: the Trumpelor Gallery; or at the home of photographer Dani Machlis; at Shimont [Pivko Sarussi]‘s Art-Design at 39 he-Haluts St.; at the Gershon 6 Gallery; or at the “Ela and Oleg” Gallery located at 12 Mish’ol Giv’on St. in Tet neighborhood. In 2020, during the Corona   pandemic, Beershevan sculptor, Daniel Toledano (b. 1961-) opened Gallery 44 at 44 Hativat ha-Negev St. in the Old City, while also developing a new boutique hotel on he-Haluts St., in lieu of the abandoned old “Water Institute” building. Another free gallery, open to the public, is the Negev Hotel Gallery, located at 26 ha-Atsma’ut St., in the Old City. x

Another municipal art project entitled: “Old City walls – street gallery” consists of murals painted by 7 young artists on various walls of buildings located around the Old City. These artists are: Galina Nekrasova, Asya Keinan, Tefet Avrahami, Yulia Eisenberg, Daria Davidov, Shimon Sarusi & Tsipi Zohar. For example, one mural painted by Nekrasova is entitled: “Yesterday, today & tomorrow” on a building on ha-Atsma’ut St.

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Marcus Family Campus has a number of galleries with various types of exhibits (some permanent & some changing) in several buildings: the Senate Building lobby; the Aranne Library lobby and on all 5 floors; and the Faculty of Health Sciences, and more. Curator, Prof. Maor -050-2056044. There are also sculptures on the grounds (and suspended above ground), such as the sculpture by Ofra Zimbalista (1939-2014) – “The Choir.” Both the SCE and Kaye colleges also have various exhibits: artistic, scientific & technological.

Most Fridays, along the “Midrehov” (the pedestrian walkway) on KKL St., down the center of the Old City, there is an arts-&-crafts fair, rife with local handicrafts, jewelry, paintings & sculptures for sale.

The Negev Artists’ House [photo by Haim Ohayon] of the Negev Creative Artists’ Association, is located in the Old City in a beautifully-restored 19th century Ottoman building. Always on exhibit are works by local Negev artists, including Bedouin and Ethiopian artwork, and most of the works on display are also for sale, as are souvenirs in the giftshop. On occasion, there are guest lecturers, musical performances, and cultural events held in the garden – 08-6273828.

“Beit Homa” – Community of Negev Artists is located in Gimel neighborhood at Arlozorov 50. It is an art studio & gallery that focuses on the interface of art and mental health–the power of art as expression and therapy. They also sponsor exhibits of art by artists from the “Yozmah” (“Initiative”) Program. “Homa“ is run by Yogev Vanunu, Shahar Knafo, Ronen Mars, Liron Yifrah & Aviran Moyal.

Amcha – the Association for Holocaust Survivors and Their Families, also displays the works of Holocaust survivors – 08-6270224, http://www.amcha.org.

“Beit Ma’agan” located at 13 Hat Beka’ St. in the Ramot neighborhood, often exhibits artworks by talented cancer patients, such as Rachel Troen.

There are a number of Israeli postage-stamps with Be’er-Shevan themes, such as: The Negev Brigade Monument (1986); the Iraqi “Star” Synagogue (1983); the municipal city symbol (1966); and stamps commemorating the Israeli National Stamp Exhibitions held in Be’er-Sheva in 1982, 1990, etc. by the Be’er-Sheva Stamp-Collectors’ Society.

Much beautiful Jewish religious artwork may be found in the ca.237 synagogues throughout the city, such as: stained-glass windows, woodwork, marblework, silver ornaments, embroidered curtains, etc. The Struma Synagogue in the Aleph neighborhood has a special historical exhibit commemorating the 791 victims of the sinking of the immigrant ship “Struma” during WWII, which is open to the public – 08-6235942.

The Be’er-Sheva artists and societies

As of 2022, independent artists in all the Arts (visual and performing) are invited to join a new creative, multidisciplinary project called “Off the Record” based in the Youth Center in the Old City, run by Bouras-House of Independent Artists – contact: 054-982-7936, art.bouras@gmail.com.

Some of Be’er-Sheva’s many gifted artists, past and present, include(d): Florence Amit, Julian Ashkenazi, Avi Asraf, Toft Avrahami, Meir Azriel, Ya’el Azulai, Peninah Barkai, Ruth Bauman, Svetlana Belay,  Moshe Ben Attia, Melech Berger, Uri Bet-Or, Ella Binstock, Hedva Boger, Alizah Burshak, Jonah Burstein, Pnina & Hector Calniquer, Angel Cantor, Dora Casapu, Anat Cohen, Jonathan Cohen, Kathryn Cohen, Daria Davidov, Shulamit Davidovicz, Ze’ev Deckel, Goel Drori, Ilanah Drori, Suzanne Eilat, Yulia Eisenberg, Tamar Eitan, Suzi Elbaz, Irena Felstone, Shula Fremder, Moshe Gabay, Yaffa Gabriel, Mazal Galam, Albert Gatot, Yoram Goren, Ruth Gresser, Dora Gurevich, Keren Gurion, Tami Hakham, Ariela Havin-Gardiman, Alin Haviv, Barukh Karp, Asya Keinan, Avivah Krispel, Oleg Krotov, Leah Krugman, Henri Labouz, Natalia Lange, Ya’el Lapal, Lia Laufer, Miri Levin, Michael Lippel, Abraham Lucki, Dyna Malamed, Mati Mann, Genia Manor, Bella Margolis, Keren Meisler, Daniela Meller, Judith Meyer, Georgina Meyer-Duellman, “Katcho” Oscar Alberto Monastirsky, Rachel Beatriz Mosches, Galina Nekrasova, Gl Nemet, Olga Novik, Ingrid Noyman, Vidik Noyman, Orit Orion, Edward Ostrovsky, Lev Otaveski, Guillermo Rappaport, Ilanah Ravak, Connie Reisner, Lilia Reznikov, Hannah Helen Rosenberg, Moti (Asayag) Sadeh, Shimon Sarusi, Liza Shabtay, Tamar Shachar, Gideon Shani, Noah Shitrit, Yehudit Shitrit, Vladimir Shneider, Tatiana Shumova, Hilla Spitzer, Rina Stellman, Sa’adya Sternberg, “Striko” (Aryeh Sorek), Olga Svecharnik, Daniel Toledano, Simone Touati-Mo’alem, Lev Tukhner, Peninah Vazana, Erica Weisz-Schveiger, Dalia Zakin, Lena Zilberberg, Tova Zinger, Gila Zohar, Tsipi Zohar, and many others.

Some of Be’er-Sheva’s many gifted photographers, past and present, include(d): Haim Baida, Vladimir Chumikov, Garth Davis, Goel Drori, Lev Dynkin, Vladimir Gershtein, Uriel Gur David, Mila Katsenovich, Ethelea Katzenell, Sapir Kuta, Maya Lombrozo, Dani Machlis, Alexander Makarenko, Olga Mukasheva, Irina Opachevsky, Andre Pandiurin, Moshe Perry, Yael Romani, Shafir Sarusi, Liza Shabtai, Valery Sheiman, Michael Schneider, David L. Swerdlow, Nikolay Tartarchuk, Amir Weinberg, Herzl Yosef, Veronika Zvenigorodsky. 

There are a currently two main artists’ societies active in Be’er-Sheva and the Negev Region:  the Negev Creative Artists’ Association, and the Israel Creative Artists’ and Sculptors’ Association – http://www.art-desert.co.il.

From 1997-2022, there was a unique, active artists’ society named “Pri ha-Shalom” [“the Fruit of Peace“], founded by Georgina Meyer-Duellman with the support of Connie Edell Reisner, intended to bring together and exhibit the works of Jewish, Christian and Muslim artists. They held many exhibits in the Public Library, City Hall and in the Histadrut Bldg. Georgina also taught the visually-impaired to paint and exhibited their amazing works.

An Ethiopian-art workshop is located in the Old City on Sheloshet Bene En Harod St., where traditional Ethiopian sculpting and basket-weaving are done and some pieces are sold. 

Art education is available in Be’er-Sheva for all ages. Children may attend classes at: the Youth Arts Center in the Old City – 08-6239565, http://www.artb7.org.il;  or may study at “Afik” – Elementary School of the Arts (nicknamed “the red school”) in the Yud-Aleph neighborhood; and students may study at the Visual Arts Center of the Negev at Kaye Teachers’ College – omanut@kaye.ac.il, 08-6402751. Private and group lessons may also be booked: handicrafts with Liza Shabtay – 08-6418789; origami with Jonathan Cohen – yonaty@netvision.net.il; or the use of water-colors, oils & acrylics with Ruth Gresser – 08-6104728. Finally, “Kivunim” – the Municipal Company for Recreation Culture in Be’er-Sheva offers various art classes for all ages in the many Be’er-Sheva community centers – 08-6290069, http://www.kivunim.co.il.

More on artists and photographers in Be’er-Sheva

Australian sculptor Peter Corlett (b.1944-) created an impressive, lifesized statue of a mounted ANZAC soldier in the Australian Light Horse Brigade charging the city of Be’er-Sheva to conquer it on October 31, 1917, which stands in the excellent Park of the Australian Soldier in the Yud-Aleph neighborhood.

Photographer/Photography Teacher/Curator Goel Drori (b.1948-) has been residing in Be’er-Sheva since 1950 and has taken & collected artistic and documentary photographs of the city, as well as being the curator of many gallery exhibits showing historical and contemporary photographs of the Negev’s capital. He was honored by the Be’er-Sheva Municipality for his various contributions to local culture & preservation of local heritage. Drori founded (2017-) the “Tsalmaniyah” Museum & Gallery to house the unique Michel Zilberstein Camera Collection, to exhibit photographic works, & to serve as a Municipal Photographic Heritage Archive.   

Painter Moshe Gabay (d.2010) was known world-wide for his naive/primitive oil paintings, mainly on Moroccan-Jewish and biblical themes, e.g. “Abraham receiving his guests in Be’er-Sheva.”

Painter Ruth Gresser not only teaches painting, but produces “RuthArt” – specialized greeting cards and personalized painted gifts on order –  08-6104728. 

Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan (b.1930-) produced an interactive 100-square-meter work in the raw concrete (Art Brut) style located high above the growing Be’er-Sheva metropolis. This permanent installation, comprised of 18 different elements, known as Andartat ha-Negev (Negev Brigade Memorial) commemorates the liberation of Be’er-Sheva from the Egyptian Army and honors all the soldiers and military units that fought to do so on October 21, 1948. It’s considered to be among the world’s dozen best examples of brutalist art. It can be windy atop the hill, but the site also provides a panoramic view of Be’er-Sheva.

Israeli sculptor Dani Kafri (b.1945-) donated several large, outdoor sculptures that stand in the Soroka Medical Center lawns. 

Photographer Dani Machlis (b.1972-) has had his photographs published in international magazines, such as National Geographic Traveler and Popular Science, as well as in Israeli newspapers, like Ha’aretz and the Jerusalem Post. In 2017, his cover photo for the Baltimore Jewish Times earned him the “Best Newspaper Cover Photo Award” granted by the Journalists’ Association of Maryland, Delaware & Washington, D.C.  He has a private gallery in his home in the Old City that he opens to the public – 052-8795883, http://www.danimachlis.com.

Georgina Meyer-Duellmann (b.1943-) and Connie Edell Reisner (b.1925-) founded the “Fruits of Peace” Association in 1997, to bring together artists from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Gina specializes in woodcuts and monotypes, and also teaches art to the blind, to children and seniors – http://www.ginameir.com.

American artist/sculptor Phillip Ratner (b.1937-) donated a special collection of his biblical art (paintings, bas-reliefs & sculptures) for permanent display at Yad la-Banim (memorial to the city’s fallen soldiers) located next to City Hall.

Photographer Shafir Sarusi won the photography prize for 2 films: “Hitching a ride” and “The way home” at the Southern Cinema Festival (2007).

Joyce Schmidt (1942-1991) founded Israel’s first hand papermaking mill in Be’er-Sheva in 1979, making natural paper out of Thymelaea hirsuta (a local wild plant known by the Bedouin in Arabic as mitnan).

Miniature artist & photographer Liza Shabtay (b.1947-) creates unique and humorous pieces out of all that comes to hand, natural and recycled materials, including: seashells, buttons, bones, blobs of dry glue, pine-cones, seeds, used bottles, etc. Liza has exhibits permanently displayed at the BGU Aranne Library and at the BGU Dept. of Biology.

The late painter Vladimir Shneider (1937-2016) had a very distinctive style. Many of his paintings depict biblical or mythological themes. His artwork has been recognized and exhibited both in Europe and across Israel. In addition to his artistic talent, in 2002, he published his extensive research in comparative linguists. In 2017, an updated catalogue of his selected works was posthumously published, entitled The Art of Shneider Vladimir: Monographia (2nd ed.).

Young painter Hilla Spitzer (b.1985-, Be’er-Sheva) was given an “Art Promotion Award” by the Negev Development Authority and will be presenting an exhibit of her works entitled: “Paintings from Be’er-Sheva” in the BGU Senate Gallery from 25.10.17-9.1.18 – http://www.theartlab.co.il.

Sa’adya Sternberg (b.1963?-) is a brown-paper structural origami sculptor. He  his published a book entitled Sculptural Origami in 2011. Sa’adya teaches his personal technique for paper folding and curates exhibits

Most graffiti artists usually don’t have formal, indoor exhibits of their works, but the Negev graffiti artist, nicknamed “Striko” (b.1949-, nee Aryeh Sorek), has had exhibits of his works in Be’er-Sheva at the Youth Center in the Old City. In 2017, the Youth Center also presented an exhibit featuring”free-style” graffiti art curated by another graffiti artist “Spine” (Avi Tal) and fellow graffitists, such as: “Remo,” “Sliz,” “Dope,” & others. Some of their signed streetside works appear around Be’er-Sheva. 

Sculptor Don Winton (d.2007) contributed a life-like bust of visionary and “founding father of Israel” David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) to his namesake, the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. It’s located in front of the Aranne Central Library on the Marcus Family Campus. Ben-Gurion, Israel’s 1st Prime Minister, always said that the future of the State of Israel will depend on the future of the Negev Region.

Unique art exhibits

In Nov. 2017, a special exhibit, marking 44 years since David Ben-Gurion‘s demise, was displayed in the City Hall Gallery. This exhibit was entitled: “The Vision of Be’er-Sheva through the Camera’s Lense,” and consisted of photographs, taken by photographer Hanan Epstein from Sedeh Boker. 

In light of the centennial celebrations of the conquest of Be’er-Sheva by the ANZAC & British Commonwealth forces on October 31, 1917, and for the first time in Israel, the Negev Museum of Art is displaying an exhibit of contemporary Australian art: paintings, photographs and video-clips by internationally acclaimed Australian artists – 30-31/10/2017. Two of the Australian artists will be present to talk to the visitors in the gallery.

Annual/biannual art events

Kaye Teachers’ College, Visual Arts Center of the Negev sponsors an annual, professionally-guided marathon for the drawing, sketching and photography of nude models. Participants must pre-register & come fully-equipped. There’s a minimal entrance free – omanut@kaye.ac.il, 08-6402751.

Maccabi Health Services holds an annual Children’s Art Contest and the winners’ drawings are published on the Maccabi yearly calendar.

Following the legacy of papermaking artist Joyce Schmidt (1942-1991), the 2nd International Biennale for Paper Art was previously held in Be’er-Sheva in 2015. In September 2017, the 3rd International Biennale for Paper Art exhibited various paper-art, created by 66 artists from 13 countries, at three different venues: City Hall Gallery; the Artists’ House in the Old City; and at the Carasso Science Park. It is hoped that this will become an ongoing biannual Be’er-Sheva tradition. 

Every year at the beginning of September, the ‘temporary-resident’ Indian-Christian community of caregivers in Be’er-Sheva celebrates their traditional Indian holiday, Onam, by creating lovely mandalas out of flower petals, for example: 

Lost Be’er-Sheva art

There had been a marvelous mural painted across two adjoining walls on the outside of a building in the Old City that I dubbed “A building is born,” apparently done by Rami Meiri – http://www.ramimeiri.com. Sadly, it was obliterated during structural renovations.

From 2000-2014, upon entering the BGU Marcus Family Campus via the “Aliyah Gate” (lit., the immigration gate) those arriving were greeted by a memorable aluminum sculptural installation entitled: “Three blue coats and a travel trunk” by Ofra Zimbalista (1939-2014)–ostensibly representing new immigrants just arriving. In 2014, mere days before she passed away, she suddenly had it removed and replaced by “The Choir.”

One sign that Be’er-Sheva had developed an urban sub-culture, and perhaps some gang activity,  was when graffiti began to appear on the long wall marking the northern edge of the Vav neighborhood and elsewhere in the 1990s. It’s gone now, painted over and replaced by some ceramic-art plaques.

1900 Be’er-Sheva’s “Old City” is a complete Ottoman-Turkish city, built by the Ottoman Empire at the start of the 20th century. Some of the restored buildings currently serve as the Carasso Science Park – http://www.sci-park.co.il, the Negev Artists’ House – 08-6273828, and the Negev Museum of Art – http://www.negev-museum.org.il.

1968-  Be’er-Sheva is a perfect place to learn about theArt brut (raw concrete or brutalist art)style of architecture, because it is rife with examples, including most of the University Campus buildings, many municipal edifices, some buildings in the Soroka Medical Center complex, as well as:  the Be’er-Sheva City Hall; Yad la-Banim House (memorial to the City’s fallen soldiers); Merkaz ha-Negev (the Negev Center); and especially the earliest raw concrete artwork, perched above the city–Andartat ha-Negev (the Negev Brigade Memorial) opened to the public in 1968, designed by sculptor Dani Karavan (1930-2021) to commemorate the liberation of Be’er-Sheva from the Egyptian Army on October 21, 1948, and later painted by Gideon Shani.

Be’er-Sheva is also the ideal location for studying the history and development of Israeli architecture, because it has prime examples from each decade. In 2008, the Architect’s House Gallery in Jaffa featured an exhibit entitled: “Architecture in Beersheba – Landmarks in Israeliness,” presenting 60 years worth of unique, prize-winning, desert-proof construction by leading Israeli architects. In fact, every year, all the students of architecture in Israel are brought to Be’er-Sheva for a day to see the variety of real examples in their practical contexts.

1951-1957 Two-storey, 4-family houses, built rapidly in the first residential neighborhoods to accomodate the incoming Jewish residents, were poured-concrete structures nicknamed “bate totah“ (lit., cannon houses). Aleph neighborhood (1951-1953) was planned by Architect M. Kohn; Gimel (1952-1953), Bet (1955) & Hey (1956-1957) neighborhoods were designed by M. Cecik.

1959 The “Carpet Settlement,” a successful .(experimental) model for a residential neighborhood providing an alternative public housing solution for thousands of new immigrants, designed in a patio-house grid with covered internal passages, located in the Hey neighborhood. Architects: Yaski, Alexandroni, Zolotov, Havkin & Carmi. 

1960 Architect Avraham Yaski completed the “Quarter Kilometer Residence” on stilts, which became the Ye’elim Immigrant Absorption Center in the Hey neighborhood, where many new immigrants lodged upon arrival. It is thought to be the longest building on pillars in the world.

1967 Lupenfeld Gamerman Architects constructed the prize-winning modular “14-storey building” or “drawer-tower” in the Bet neighborhood; it was the first pre-fabricated, stacked-module, high-rise residential building in Israel, mentioned in an article in the New York Times in 1970. By 2003, the tallest residential highrise in the Be’er-Sheva was Rambam Tower 2, with 32 floors, reaching 112 meters. Currently, several taller high-rises are under construction.

1975-1980 Architect Nahum Zolotov, a master of raw concrete architecture, completed the Central Synagogue of the Iraqi-Jewish Community of Be’er-Sheva (in memory of Eliyahu Halachi), nicknamed “the Star Synagogue” or “the Pyramid,“ due to its rare star-of-David shape. It has a central podium, around which the men sit, while the women sit in the 6 points of the star, under stained-glass windows. At night, when lit, a beam of light shoots out of the point at the top of the star.

1985-2008 Architects Sarah & Salo Hershman created the angular, post-modern, clay-colored stone, silver metal and green glass Pais Performing Arts Center, including a large hall that seats 915 people and a small hall that seats 427. It literally shines at night.

1989-1999 The Hall of Justice, designed and built by Barchana Architects,  is an elegant and awe-inspiring marble and glass edifice, featuring beautiful woodwork inside the courtrooms. It houses all the secular local and regional courts: criminal, civil, juvenile, labor, family, and small-claims. One-hour tours may be booked in advance; note that no weapons may be brought inside – 08-6470505.

1997-2000 Architects: Ruth Lahav, Tony Rigg & Len Warshaw built the award-winning Government Complex and Mall that covers an area of ca. 18 acres, housing many regional government offices and services, as well as a commercial mall. All under a roof resembling ocean waves and with an adjacent outdoor pedestrian walkway and plaza.

 1996-2017 Daring, internationally-acclaimed, award-winning Architect Haim Dotandesigned and built Be’er-Sheva’s environmentally-friendly, 21st century Sami Shamoon College of Engineering Campus, landing the first “Spaceship” in Aleph neighborhood. He also designed and built the University’s Alon Hi-Tech Building, which has a 3-storey, suspended staircase, hung from steel cables, somewhat like a suspension bridge.

2010 The Makleff House, originally built by the Delouya Group in 1963 to house the offices of Bromine Compounds, became the first building in Be’er-Sheva to be converted into a “green“ edifice during renovations.

2013 Be’er-Sheva‘s first “green” mall, the huge (160,000 square meter) red “Ofer Grand Mall“ opened. It was designed and built by the very large Israeli firm of Moore-Yaski-Sivan Architects, and is considered the largest mall in Israel to date.

2017-2020 The Be’er-Sheva Municipal Development Plan is meant to complete the renovation of the old neighborhoods and infrastructures, to fill in empty lots with highrises and public parks, to develop urban ‘green lungs‘ and provide more shade & cover for pedestrians, while not destroying the unique habitats within the Be’er-Sheva metropolitan area. Amen to that! In 2018, the tallest highrise in Be’er-Sheva (32 stories), is still under construction by the “Ahim Um” Construction Company in the new Pelakh 5 area adjacent to the Neveh Ze’ev neighborhood, expected to be habitable in 2019.

2022 SCE (Shamoon  College of Engineering) opens its School of Architecture in Be’er-Sheva. 

Other interesting local architecture

1995 As part of the First International Biennale of Ceramics, held in Be’er-Sheva, artist Israel Hadany created a large outdoor installation entitled: “Oasis environmental sculpture” in the Hadassah Women-J.N.F. Ceramics Park, located just off Rager Boulevard at the northern edge of the city.

2006 A covered 380 meter long pedestrian walkway and a covered 160 meter long bridge across a heavily-trafficked road connect the BGU Campus with the “University” or “North Be’er-Sheva” Train Station. It’s nicknamed the “Mexico Bridge,” because the sponsors were Pedro Dondisch of Mexico City and the Mexican BGU Associates, built by Architect Danny Lazar. 

2011 The “Pipes Bridge” is a 110 meter steel, wood and aluminum construction built by Architect Rami Marsh over the old “Mekorot” Company water pipes. One of its two lanes enables pedestrians to walk directly from the “Old City” of Be’er-Sheva to the Neveh Noy neighborhood, located just across the Be’er-Sheva seasonal watercourse. The other lane marks the start of the longest biking trail in Israel (60 kilometers), named in memory of Supreme Court Judge Shneur Zalman Heshin (1903-1959), who was run over while riding his bicycle. This bike path goes all the way to Nitzana via Neot Hovav Industrial Park, the I.D.F. Military Training Base, and Golda [Meir] Park.

2016 The lovely double-helix-style “DNA Footbridge,” designed by Architects Gidi and Tal Bar-Orian, opened for use, spanning the 75m (=246 feet) distance between the “BGU/North Be’er-Sheva” Train Station and the “Gav Yam” High-Tech Park. In 2017, it won the prestigious long-span International Triannual Footbridge Award in Berlin.

2017 The restoration of the Ottoman-Turkish railway bridge (built  at the start of the 20th century and partially destroyed in WWI) has been completed. This 200-meter arched stone bridge has been re-purposed and now serves as another pedestrian bridge for crossing the Be’er-Sheva seasonal watercourse, even during the winter’s flood rains.

2019 Kaye (Regional) Academic College of Education is now offering a new course of study in Landscape planning & design. http://www.kaye.ac.il.

In 2021, SCE inaugurated 2 new Bachelor degrees in Architecture (B. Arch.) and in Design (B. Des.). 

The International Prep-School for Design & Architecture has opened a branch in Be’er-Sheva – 1-700-508-550.

Since “Our future is inspired by our past” – join the Society for the Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites – http://www.shimur.org.il. You are welcome to come to the Be’er-Sheva Office of the Society, now located in the Old City at Mordey ha-Geta’ot 74 and/or call Michal Montal – 054-4606496.

Hanna Azoulay-Haspari (b.1960-), an award-winning actress, playwright & director, was born and spent her childhood in Be’er-Sheva. For her starring roles in the films “Nadia”  (1987) and “Lovesick in Tenement Gimel” (1995), she received Israel Film Academy “Ophir” Awards for Best Actress. She has already acted in numerous films, plays and TV shows and often chooses roles and/or writes scripts & plays that promote her ‘eastern’ feminist agenda. Her screenplay for the film “Shehur” (lit., black magic) won the Israel Film Academy 1994 “Ophir” Award and the 1995 Best Filmscript Award at the “Troy Festival” in Portugal. 

Amir Dadon (b.1975-) is an actor, singer-songwriter born in Be’er-Sheva, who will be starring in Ha-Bimah‘s production of “Les Miserables.” His first solo album, entitled “Amir Dadon” came out in 2010.

Ronit Elkabetz (1964-2016), Be’er-Sheva-born, award-winning actress and Hebrew/French filmmaker, died prematurely of cancer, but not before winning 3 Israel Film Academy “Ophir” Awards for Best Actress in 1994, 2001 & 2007, as well as the “2010 French Culture Award” at the Cannes Film Festival for the quality of her work, dealing with serious social issues. She first appeared in the Israeli film “The intended” (1990) and first starred in the French film “Origine controlee” in 2001. She wrote a number of film-scripts, directed several movies & acted in many memorable film roles. The last Israeli film she directed, and in which she starred, was “Gett” (2014). 

film actor, television host, & TV producer, as well as being the father of 5 + 2 step-children. He’s well-known for starring in various Israeli TV comedy series, e.g.: “Comedy store” (1994-1996) and “Shemesh” (1997-2004); acting in movies such as: “Pick a card” (1998), “Afula express” (1999), and “Hunting elephants” (2013); acting in the Hebrew TV drama: “Blue Natalie” (2010+2013); emceeing game shows like: Israel’s “Let’s make a deal” (1996) and “Hollywood squares” (1999+2001); judging Israel’s “A star is born” (2003-2012) and “The next Eurovision star” (2013); and hosting a comic/talk show: “Mahar Shabbat” (lit., tomorrow’s the Sabbath, 2016-2017). In 2010, he even wrote and aired an original song entitled: “Who could have known.” In Dec. 2017, he’ll star in the Hebrew version of the musical: “Around the world in 80 days;“ and in 2018, he’s scheduled to encee a new gameshow called: “The Wall.”

David Kigler (b.1965-) is comedian who often jokes about Be’er-Sheva in his stand-up routines.

Ilana Man (b.1964-) is a singer/actress who appeared in Israeli movies such as: “Love victim” (1992) and “Afula express” (1999), and had a hit song “My worlds” (2009).

Ya’ir Nagid (b.1972-) has appeared in TV commercials on Israel’s Channel 2. He is well-known for founding and directing the “Be’er-Sheva Youth Performing Troupe” (1999-2004), directing the Youth Center and becoming General Manager of  the Center for Performing Arts (2010-). He also produced and hosted many of the Regional Beauty Pageants.

Moran Tawil (b.1983-) is a fashion designer who participated as a contestant in the TV reality show “Runway project” (2009).

Valeria Yapanova (b.1990-) is a stunning, green-eyed Israeli fashion model who appeared in Israeli ads for “Fox” (2007) and has since modelled for companies in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Spain.