THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Controversy Over Closing Israel's National Opera
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By MOSHE RON
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The Jewish News Special
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Israel, opera singer Edis De
Philip came from the
United States to Israel.
With her great energy she
succeeded in opening in Tel
Aviv the National Opera. Of
course, this Opera did not
have the artistic power of
the more famous operas in
Milano, New York and Vie-
nna.
With modest means and
artists living in Israel,
among them new immig-
rants from several coun-
tries, Israel's National
Opera has existed for 35
years. It performed most of
the popular operas. From
time to time opera singers
from abroad came and par-
ticipated in the perform-
ances.,
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The opera performed in
an unsuitable hall near the
sea. The artists were satis-
fied with small wages and
enabled administrative di-
rector Simha Even-Zohar
and Edis De Philip to keep
the house open. The opera
did not draw important vis-
itors in the fashion of the
Israeli Philharmonic Or-
chestra, but it drew ordi-
nary people from many
countries.
During the first years
of the National Opera,
many critics attacked its
selections and perfor-
mers. They demanded
that the Ministry for
Education and Culture
close the National Opera
and establish a new one
on a higher standard.
Even-Zohar and friends
of the Opera, including
Knesset members, per-
sonalities in social life
and newspaper editors,
succeeded in keeping the
opera open.
The opera was supported
until last year by the Minis-
try for Education and Cul-
ture with six million
Shekels per year
($100,000). Six months ago,
the director of the depart-
ment for art and music in
the ministry decided to stop
this support. It was decided
to open a new opera.
Well-known opera star
Sara Caldwell came to Is-
rael and is planning 10
operas like "Don Giovanni,"
and "Madame Butterfly."
This would cost $400,000.
The Ministry for Education
and Culture has no budget
to provide milk for poor
children in the schools and
for the building of new
schools.
Meanwhile the hall of the
opera is closed. There are
negotiations with the
Ministry for Culture to form
an 'opera ensemble" in the
name of Edis de Philip, form
a new management and to
pay the debts.
On the anniversary of
Edis de Philip's death,
500 supporters of the
former Opera assembled.
They complained about
the closing of the Opera.
"In Israel there is no
permanent Yiddish thea-
ter," they said. "We can-
not visit a Hebrew thea-
ter, because we do not
understand Hebrew. We
are too old to learn now.
The only spiritual pleas-
ure we had was the Op-
era."
Some of the former opera
singers, artists and choir
members were left without
jobs. They are not young
people and have no chance
to become active again on
the stage. Some now lead
prayers at funerals and
other ceremonies. The Op-
era's supporters want it re-
opened.
In Israel international art
festivals are often arranged
with the participation of ar-
tists from abroad. The ex-
penses can be in the hun-
dreds of thousands of dol-
lars. Many festivals in Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem have
ended with big deficits,
which the government and
other institutions had ir.o
cover.
Israeli private investors
bring all kinds of artists for
concerts and performances
to Israel. The general opin-
ion is that there is no need
for international art festi-
vals which bring big de-
ficits.
The manager of the
planned new opera, Sara
Caldwell, has decided to
perform 10 operas and to
open "workshops" for Is-
raeli opera singers. But
no practical steps have
been taken to realize this
project.
In the
meantime,
thousands of supporters of
the National Opera in Is-
rael, mostly elderly people,
remain without their opera.
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