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Choked by unrealistic messages By David Kroyanker Tags: Jerusalem, Public art Last month, the Tolerance Park and Monument was dedicated atop the Armon Hanatziv ridge along the Goldman Promenade in Jerusalem. Its main attraction is an impressive 15-meter bronze sculpture, the handiwork of Polish sculptor Czeslaw Dzwigaj. It takes the shape of a split column from which an olive tree "grows" skyward, with branches and leaves that shelter the column and a golden "seed," symbolizing tolerance, sprouting from within. Rife with hatred, nationalist fanaticism and religious coercion, the divided city of Jerusalem has in recent years been inundated with architectural-sculptural projects based on the theme of peace. Strangely, the new monument atop what is called the Hill of Evil Council, an artwork that was donated to the city by the Polish millionaire Aleksander Gudzowaty via the Jerusalem Foundation, is situated just 200 meters west of the village of Jabal Mukkaber. That's the hometown of the terrorist who rammed his car into a group of soldiers in Tzahal Square a few weeks ago, and of the terrorist who this past March slaughtered eight students at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva. A few days after the latter attack, some extreme right-wingers descended on the homes in the village to exact their revenge. This is the true reality of Jerusalem, which is pitted against the more formal image of the hope for tolerance. The capital has over 100 names, one of them being "City of Peace." In Arabic, it is known as Dar as-salam (House of Peace). Other nicknames, such as Neveh sha'anan (Tranquil Oasis) or Ir hayonah (City of the Dove), reflect the values of peace and tolerance that the city strives to attain. Over the years, various artists have tried to translate these simplified concepts into physical, formal expressions. Advertisement In his utopian 1902 work "Altneuland," Theodor Herzl describes Jerusalem's physical appearance as he wished to see it: as an international city that is salvaged from its backwardness and misery to become a modern metropolis in the mold of Vienna, which at the time was one of the most modern and advanced cities in the world. Herzl envisions Jerusalem with a huge palace - the "Peace Palace" - a worldly humanitarian-philanthropic-political institution, which can fulfill a similar purpose to that of the United Nations, UNESCO and the World Bank. From "Altneuland": "In the middle of a great square is the splendid Peace Palace, where international congresses of peace-lovers and scientists were held, an international center for great undertakings. Its activities are by no means limited to Palestine and the Jews, but include all countries and all peoples. In the New Society, we have found the answers to many of the troublesome old problems. Unfortunately, though, there is still much misery in the world, which can be alleviated only through concerted effort. When a disaster occurs anywhere in the world - fire, blood, famine, epidemic - it is reported here at once. Large sums of cash are always available here for emergency relief, because contributions continually flow into a central fund. A large permanent international council sees to the just distribution of the funds. Inventors, artists, and scholars also turn to the Peace Palace for encouragement. They are attracted by the motto over its portals: Nil humani a me alienum puto - 'Let nothing human be alien to me.' When such men are found worthy, they are aided as much as possible." Tangible symbol Boris Schatz, the founder of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, supported Herzl and his vision. In his own book, "The Rebuilt Jerusalem: The Rebuilt Reality" (in Hebrew), written just after World War I, he also dreamed of a "Peace Palace," located atop the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple Mount and the Third Temple (which was to be built anew): "Here, directly in front of the temple, on Sha'ar Hazahav Street rises a stunningly beautiful building, the 'Peace Palace,' which belongs to the Peace Association of all the non-Jewish peoples of this country. We bestowed this magnificent building to them as a gift in appreciation of their assistance to us in returning to our land as a nation that stands on its own." By the mid-1960s, prior to the reunification of Jerusalem, there was a proposal to build a 250-meter observation post atop Mt. Herzl, which would be named "The Star of Peace Tower of Jerusalem," in the shape of a three-dimensional Star of David. At the foot of the statue-tower, designed by Abraham Zabludovsky of Mexico City, was to be a shopping center and a restaurant. The tower was supposed to be a tangible symbol of Jerusalem, much like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as well as an attraction for tourists - a key factor in the economic planning of what was then a divided city. In hopes of buttressing his proposal, the architect submitted sketches in which he compared his initiative to other famous towers erected throughout history - from the Tower of Babel and the pyramids of Egypt, to New York's Empire State Building. Because of Jerusalem's topographic location, Zabludovsky argued, the Star of Peace Tower would be the tallest structure in the world. Following the unification of Jerusalem in 1967, the terms "peace" and "tolerance" were expressed in physical terms that were less utopian and naive. Over the years, these terms became brand names used to solicit donations for architectural-sculptural projects that may not have come into being if they had been marketed differently. The initial years following the unification were filled with optimism that gave birth to numerous proposals for undertakings that took unusual forms. One of these, aimed at promoting "the peace of Jerusalem," was submitted in the early 1970s by American sculptor Rene Shapshak. Shapshak proposed to then-mayor Teddy Kollek that a multicultural university and research center dedicated to peace be established on the ridge of Armon Hanatziv, to be named "Jeru-Pax, the City of Peace - a Multicultural University for Peace." The 10-story university building was designed in the shape of a dove carrying an olive branch. Like the "Star of Peace," this plan, too, was rejected out of hand, due to concerns that it would be a precedent that would endanger the appearance of the city, which would then quickly turn into an architectural Disneyland. Triangular square The years came and went. In May 1991, renowned Spanish-French architect Ricardo Bofill presented his vision of a future Jerusalem that would seek to achieve peace and tolerance among the three main monotheistic religions. According to his proposal, "Abraham Square" would be built on abandoned territory adjacent to Damascus Gate, in the form of an equilateral triangle. In the introduction to his marketing prospectus, the architect explained the concept thus: "Abraham Square is a symbolic vacuum. This vacuum is dedicated to peace to mark the 3,000-year anniversary of the founding of Jerusalem ... The Abraham Square project gives expression to the idea of peace as a meeting point between the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - like the three sides to a triangle, which together form a symbolic vacuum." Lately it seems that along with the belief and sincere hope for a change in the socio-political situation in Jerusalem, both peace and tolerance have become marketing brand names that mainly serve the public relations goals of artists and politicians. This is achieved by using formal images that have absolutely nothing to do with the gloomy reality of the city. One of the most conspicuous examples was the aggressive public relations campaign touting the May 2006 exhibition of an installation by French Jewish artist Clara Halter, wife of noted author Marek Halter. The work, displayed for one week along the Haas Promenade at Armon Hanatziv, included 15 white cloth tents with the word "peace" emblazoned on each, in 50 languages. Among the dignitaries present at the opening were France's then-foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Recently it was reported that Clara Halter, who is a close associate of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is preparing yet another initiative that would revive the same idea, but this time as part of a permanent structure - a sculpture entitled "The Book of Peace for the People of the Book," which would be erected in the Abu Tor neighborhood of Jerusalem and would be five stories high. The artist plans to engrave the word "peace" in 50 languages on the sculpture as well. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski has been enthusiastic about the idea, since "the sculpture very much befits the positive atmosphere in the city and the message it needs to send with regard to peace." But is the atmosphere really positive? Is it possible to manage a large, modern city in peace and tolerance when it is run by community leaders who refuse, for religious reasons, to shake hands with women, or demand the cancellation of a performance featuring young female dancers, which occurred during the inauguration ceremony for Santiago Calatrava's elegant Bridge of Chords this past July? Jerusalem is a city that is being choked by a surplus of meditative messages that are never translated into day-to-day life. Content problem At the end of 2004, eye-catching headlines touted the ground-breaking ceremony for the Museum of Tolerance, designed by architect Frank Gehry in the center of downtown Jerusalem. The ceremony was attended by many luminaries, including Israel's president, the city's mayor and the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The museum's construction has since been delayed because the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on a petition filed by Muslim religious officials who oppose the structure, which sits atop a Muslim cemetery. There are also those who reject the museum due to its unusual design. In my view, even in Jerusalem, at a sufficient distance from the Old City, there is a place for a few ultra-modern structures like the Bridge of Chords, as well as Gehry's titanium building - works that will enrich Jerusalem's architectural legacy. The problem with the Museum of Tolerance is not its shape, nor the legal battle around its construction, but rather the content. How is it possible to fill a museum vacuum of 30,000 square meters with real content in the heart of a deteriorating city that is devoid of tolerance? The planners and donors of the Museum of Tolerance probably do not seriously consider the three main foci that constitute the root causes of intolerance here: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nationalistic fanaticism and religious coercion. At one of the events marking the dedication of the museum, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Abraham Cooper, one of the founders of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, said: "In my opinion, before we speak with the Palestinians, we need to learn to speak with ourselves." In addition, Schwarzenegger's statement that building a museum would do for tolerance what building gyms did for physical fitness, does not instill hope that the museum's content will do its name justice. Etched on a stone at the entrance to the Tolerance Park and Monument near Armon Hanatziv are the following words: "The monument is in the form of two halves of a broken column, which stand divided but still linked, on the ruins of a nameless and ageless temple. An olive tree grows in the middle of the split column and with its leaves seeks to encompass and shade both halves. The tree enables the two parts of the column to link together in symbolic coexistence. It cannot be known when the break will heal, when the two sides will grow back together but it can be seen that between the branches of the olive tree a new seed is sprouting, a golden grain of tolerance." If only this wish could come true. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hitting Hezbollah Iraqi site reports Nasrallah was poisoned last week and Iranian doctors saved him. Terror as support Al-Qaida-linked Web site supports McCain for president by means of welcoming terror.

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