Friday, March 29, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
NEWS
MARC
ANKERMAN
Sultan's Pool Becomes A Theater
Disc Jockey
The Best Music In Town"
BY MARJORIE MARK
PARTIES, DANCES & SPECIAL OCCASIONS
In the past it has been a moat, a
reservoir, a place to wash horses
and a cattle market. Some texts
refer to it as the Crocodile Pool,
while Josephus in his commen-
taries called it the Serpent's Pool.
It's official name now is the Merril
Hassenfeld Amphitheater in the
Mitchell Garden, but most
Jerusalemites know it as the Sul-
tan's Pool.
For the past four years, the Pool
has served Jerusalem grandly, by
day as a public park and in the
evenings from May through Oc-
tober, as an outdoor amphitheater
for the performing arts.
Located just below the south-
west corner of the Walls of
Jerusalem's Old City, it was dur-
ing the reign of Herod the Great
that it served as a moat for his Sultan's Pool, lower right, originally a moat for Herod's palace, is now
palace, while supplying water for one of Israel's most popular outdoor amphitheatres and public parks.
the building work of his citadel,
and as a reservoir for floodwaters
frame and wooden panels, which
Leontyne Price and Jean Pierre
brought by aqueducts from the
Rampal. The Hassenfeld family can be put up and dismantled as
Hebron Hills. After this it became
neglected until the early part of was so impressed by the event required. The area underneath
that they decided to help the the 350 meters square' stage in-
the 12th century when the
Jerusalem Foundation develop cludes a lounge, eight dressing
Crusaders rebuilt it for washing
rooms, a rehearsal hall, bat-
the
Pool as an amphitheater, now
their horses. It again fell into dis-
hrooms and a cafeteria.
able to seat up to 8,000, in the
use for a period of 400 years until
"We have a great place here,
memory of the late Merril Has-
the reign of the Turkish Sultan
but
there are a lot of complica-
-
of
senfeld,
a
very
active
member
Suleiman the Magnificent in the
16th century. Hence the name of the United Jewish Appeal. A tions," says Talgan. "We're in the
center of town and - as a result
complicated drainage system was
the Pool.
there are both transportation and
installed
under
the
pool
and
a
spe-
The latest reincarnation of Sul-
security problems." The morning
cial pump to drain the water, to
tan's Pool began in May 1978
before each performance a special
when the Hassenfeld family of avoid the fear of a flood — or a
fence is put up that fits into the
Providence, R.I. was inspired by floating audience.
railings that run along the border
According to director Yossi
Israel's 30th Independence Day
of the Pool and the road that con-
Talgan, "We try to bring in the
Celebration concert held there.
nects Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
best
performers
which
often
Beneath the backdrop of the Old
"We try not to have too many
City Walls, deep in the shell of the entails a great deal of work and
concerts and the rehearsals can't
organization."
12-meter deep Pool, Zubin Mehta
Acoustics for the Pool consist of be held during certain hours, as it
led the Israel Symphony Or-
disturbs the residents of Yemin
chestra with the participation of a huge triangular shell 250
Moshe, a neighborhood on the
Mikjail Rostropovich, Isaac Stern, meters square, with a metal
other side of Sultan's Pool."
Last year appearances by such
all time favorites as Peter, Paul
and Mary, Judy Collins, Dave
Brubeck and Herbie Hancock
really put the Amphitheater not
only on the Israeli cultural map,
but proved it was a worthwhile
stop for stars of international
standing.
This year, Talgan was involved
in long and complicated negotia-
tions to bring Bob Dylan and San-
tana to the Amphitheater for
three nights. The negotiations
eventually fell through and Is-
raelis had to console themselves
with the likes of B. B. King, Fred-
die Hubbard, and McCoy Tyner in
a Jazz evening which almost filled
the Pool to its maximum. This was
followed by a Latin American
Jazz night with Tanya Maria,
Paco de Lucia and Gilberto Gil,
and a reunion concert of the very
popular Israeli group, `Kaveret;
originally called `Poogy,' which
reached the maximum 8,000
attendance.
Locals may complain that it's
often cold and that the grass is too
rocky to sit on comfortably. But
Jerusalem has been spared the
sight and cost of yet another
square, anonymous hall and has
instead been blessed with the
most splendid of outdoor facilities.
The Jerusalem Foundation, the
Municipality and the Hassenfeld
Family have combined to give
Jerusalem a unique entertain-
Robotics is receiving increased emphasis at ORT schools in Israel, as
ment showcase.
exemplified by this student at the ORT Syngalowski Technical High
•
School in Tel Aviv who is preparing to operate these two robots.
43
^
World Zionist Press Service
ssr.ke
546-5797
352-2292
Lights - Sound -
Experience
•
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