I want a Russian dollhouse!

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The most delightful booth at last week's Jerusalem International Book Fair was this Russian one with do-it-yourself scale models! 
I visited on the next to the last day and as you can see, eager Israelis had just about emptied the shelves.   
All that was left to buy was a small church, a truck, and a bridge. 

The nice sales rep from St. Petersburg was quite proud of the little wood-burning stove that goes into the fantastic dollhouse.    
See a close-up of the stove at the russia-best.com website. 
And here you can read all about the dollhouse. 
The "Clever Paper" publishing house makes a zillion different models--there is even a medieval series.  And not expensive.   Take a look! 
Amazon sells them too, under the name UMBUM. 

Soon the engineer, whose brainchild all this is, came over and they showed me how the UMBUM construction works--you just snap the pieces out of a flat card made of hard, solid binder board  and put them together (they call it "splicing the details") per the printed instructions. 
It is supposed to be for kids over three.  
I think WAY over three!  I would love to build some! 
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
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A very long autobiography

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More from the Jerusalem International Book Fair which ran last week.
(See also the previous post.)

All these books are by Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård.

He was awarded the coveted Jerusalem Prize on opening night of the Book Fair. 
At the ceremony he said very welcome and surprising things about how he learned about Israel as a schoolboy. 

You can see a short TV report about him and about the fair. 
His autobiography spans I think six volumes and thousands of pages and in Norwegian is entitled Min Kamp. 
Fortunately neither the German nor English translations carried that title over as Mein Kampf. 
More about his My Struggle here. 
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Jerusalem International Book Fair

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Every two years many foreign publishing houses flock to Jerusalem to talk and to exhibit at our International Book Fair.
Yesterday I traveled up to Jerusalem to sample their wares.

You wouldn't know it from the photo, but the pretty Austrian representative is hidden at her desk behind the flowers.
Sometimes, even more than the books, it is the people who leave the nicest and most lasting impression.
I loved hearing her accent in English, and I told her how I loved my month in beautiful Austria.
She gave me a booklet and a big map of the country.

The booth of the Esperanto League in Israel was pretty quiet.

A slideshow of Italy drew me in and made me really really want to go there.

Hopefully these program objectives are clearer in the original Russian.

For the first time ever, the fair took place inside the Hangar next to the First Station.
In previous years the venue was the more solid and impressive International Conference Center (Binyanei HaUma).

I left for my long homeward journey weighted down with four new books, but my wallet was a lot lighter.

More about the Fair in the coming posts.
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People of the book

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Tomorrow the annual Hebrew Book Week will be starting in many cities and towns.
And on Sunday the big International Book Fair will open in Jerusalem.
It is the first time the two are at the same time and that should be great!
I'll take the train up to Jerusalem in hopes of bringing you some exciting photos from the events.
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UPDATE:  If you just can't wait, take a look at my posts from Book Fairs past.
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From Qumran caves to your computer

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Inspired by Reader Wil's ABC Wednesday post on Qumran today, I figure it is high time to share my Dead Sea scrolls  pictures from last February's Jerusalem International Book Fair.
The Israel Antiquities Authority mounted a nice exhibition on the DSS back then.
 
(You can click 2x to enlarge any photo below.)

 The equipment used in  conservation of the 2,000-year-old scrolls.

And the patient and skillful women who work on them.

As it says above

The arid climate of the Judean Desert [e.g. at Qumran] and the dark, remote caves preserved the scrolls for more than 2,000 years.
Upon removal from the caves in 1947, the scrolls were exposed to a steady process of deterioration.
They have suffered from exposure to light, residues of adhesive tape and other conservational interventions.
All took their toll on the fragile parchments and papyri.
In 1991 the Israel Antiquities Authority set up a climate-controlled storeroom and a state-of-the-art laboratory for the conservation and preservation of the scrolls, widely considered a universal cultural heritage.
Four conservators have been tasked with the mission of slowing the scrolls' steady deterioration and preserving them for posterity. 

Last December, as Bible History Daily reported,

 Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with Google, launched The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, a new website that allows visitors to view and search high-resolution images of the complete Dead Sea Scrolls archive online. The project uses the most advanced and innovative technologies available to image the entire collection of about 930 manuscripts, comprising thousands of Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, in high resolution and multiple spectra. Through this process, hundreds of images are now accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world over the web, with many thousands more on the way. Several hundred fragments are already viewable, and it is hoped that transcriptions and translations for many scrolls will soon be available as well.

You will enjoy the IAA's  new website, The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library.

See also the Israel Museum's website The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls.

How to Study a Dead Sea Scrolls Text is interesting, too.
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday Q Day.)
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Haggadot and piyyutim

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I am back now from tonight's Passover dinner, celebrated this year with just a few women friends.
I led the seder--for the first time in my life.

Reading the Haggadah of Pesach reminded me of two very beautiful, very big, and very expensive Haggadot that were displayed at last month's Jerusalem International Book Fair.

Like this one.

 I didn't put on white gloves to turn the pages, but the special book was open to the Ma'aseh BeRabbi Eliezer.
Five of the greatest Tannaim, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabbi Tarfon, are shown elaborating on the Exodus story all through the night.

Even if you don't know Hebrew you can enlarge the photo (with a click or two) and enjoy the artwork.

Haggadah means the  telling (to your children), and this nice idea just appeared online from Jerusalem Post blogger Ben Corn:

 The great medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides famously asks whether one is obliged to read the Haggadah if alone when conducting the Seder.  He answers that the Commandment still prevails in that circumstance. The explicit reason is that there is an inherent value derived from articulating the story, but the implicit rationale for this Maimonidean ruling is that there is a child present even in that scenario. A child exists within each adult.

Here is another special book, opened to the piyyut written in Israel by Yannai in the 5-6th century.
This piyyut (liturgical poem)  in the Haggadah and is known as Az Rov Nissim or Vayehi Bachatzi Halayla" (and it came to pass at midnight) or Karev Yom (a day is coming) and describes the miracles that happened to Israel at night.

You can read the  translation on the right--the text is beautiful even in English.

The last stanza, the mystical wish for redemption, was made into a well-loved Israeli song. 
Hear it here. 
The lyrics and a translation of the refrain are here.
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Chag sa-MEH-ach -- happy holiday!
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A Russian cafe for kids in Jerusalem's Book Fair

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Off in the Russian books corner, in a sweet little cafe setting, young kids found one place to enjoy themselves at Jerusalem's recent International Book Fair.

Some were doing craft activities with a mom or dad.
Some were dressed up in props, e.g. babooshkas, I guess in order to do some role playing.
But the religious kids were glued to the screen, where I think a Russian fairytale was being shown.
It was their one chance, because strict Orthodox Jewish homes have no television.
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Today's Theme Day at City Daily Photo is about cafe chairs.
Visit CDP bloggers around the world and see what they came up with.
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The megillah of Esther, in German!

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Be sure to enlarge this one! (you know, one click, then another)

Every year at this time, Megillat Esther is unrolled and read out in the synagogue to tell the story of Purim. 

Tonight and tomorrow morning in my village (just outside of Jerusalem), and Sunday evening and Monday morning in Jerusalem. 

The scroll is read in Hebrew, of course, to recount the deeds of brave Queen Esther, of her uncle Mordechai the Jew, the Persian King Ahasuerus, and the evil Haman back in the 5th century BCE.

So you can imagine how I did a double-take when I walked near the scroll pictured above at the Jerusalem International Book Fair!  -- It was in old German and lavishly illuminated! 

German art book publisher Taschen  has just published their facsimile of the Esther scroll.

It is produced from a very fine and rare example of the scroll held by the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library in Hanover, dated 1746 and measuring 6.5 meters long (over 21 feet).

 The artist of the Hanover scroll was Wolf Leib Katz Poppers, a Jewish scribe and illustrator from Hildesheim.

From the limited edition of only 1,746 copies you can buy one from Amazon for only $744 or through Taschen for about 500 Euros.  

It comes with a commentary volume by Falk Wiesemann containing an introductory essay, the biblical text of the Book of Esther in German, Hebrew, English, and French and a fold-out sheet with an overview of all the illustrations. 

Please see a pdf of the facsimile with more description and some of the beautiful colored illuminations.

The Book of Esther is only ten short chapters and is an exciting story. 

You can read it in English next to Hebrew here.

Interestingly, it is the only book of the Bible that does not mention God. 

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Bound by the people of the book

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Which strikes your fancy more--the refined style of artistic leather binding or the back-to-nature earthy binding?

Both were displayed at last week's Jerusalem International Book Fair. 
On the tables of the oversized artistic books white gloves were available; on the other hand, the signs said "Do not touch." 
So I "touched" the gorgeous books only with my camera. 

The top photo is of books from the Jerusalem Leather Studio.
A short video on their website shows the artisans selecting ostrich skin or full-grain leather and then hand-tooling 22K gold.  
Fascinating!
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Paradise of books and trees

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In  winter season Israel's trees are either green (those who do not shed leaves) or they are bare (like the fig) or they have no leaves but are in glorious full blossom (like the almond is now).

 Many decorative cardboard trees mimicked Nature's situation at this week's 26th Jerusalem International Book Fair. 
It was pleasant to be browsing books beneath a variety of trees. 

Some bare trees even sprouted WORDS! 
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Ethiopian Jews at Jerusalem International Book Fair

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 There was some lively singing and Ethiopian shoulder-shaking dancing going on this afternoon at the Jerusalem International Book Fair!

The traditional Ethiopian music came before and after talks by young Rabbi Sharon Shalom, author of From Sinai to Ethiopia, and Shira Shatu, a Mandel Fellow writing her thesis on the aliyah of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

The event was to honor the 20th anniversary of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews.
Refreshments were compliments of the Canadian Embassy.

I love the International Book Fair, held every two years!
You never know what you are going to discover there.
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(For ABC Wednesday, E is for Ethiopian Jews.)
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A mosaic created by kids

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If you go snooping around in its out-of-the-way corners, you'll find that Jerusalem's huge International Convention Center (Binyanei HaUma) is full of treasures.
Remember those funny naked statues in the broom closet and the Roman Tenth Legion kilns in the basement?
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When I needed a break from browsing at the official event in the hall, the International Book Fair, I went roaming upstairs, only to find this nice mosaic half-hidden behind coat racks.
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The mosaic looked better reflected in this wall of mirrors
AND it gave me a shot for James' Weekend Reflections meme.
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The inscription explains that the mosaic is a tribute to Jerusalem made by the 6th grade class of Dekalim School in Kibbutz Hamadia in 1993.
The art project was an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
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Wouldn't you love to make a mosaic, especially at the age of ten?!
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His and hers

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Anatomically correct, in a basic sort of way, wouldn't you say?

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I found them hiding in a corner, in between a stack of chairs and some brooms, behind a partition, in Binyaney HaUma convention center, during the Book Fair.

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A cleaning lady was sitting back there, taking a break and gabbing on her cell phone, so I didn't want to intrude and go closer to look for an artist's name.

But for ABC Wednesday's H-Day, I'll just call the picture "his and hers."

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Sweet n' sour notes

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See his tools on top and tool bag below?
Yes, it's a real piano tuner!
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He was tuning--Lord knows why--in a little side hall of last week's big Jerusalem International Book Fair.
But he couldn't get much work done. Just in the few minutes I stood there and photographed, one woman after another stopped him and asked some questions.
They must have out-of-tune pianos at home, because he gave them his card.
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3 reflections of the Book Fair

No idea why two big mirrors were standing in a passageway between one hall and another at the Jerusalem International Book Fair, but the mirrors called out to me "We are for James' Weekend Reflections, take our picture already!"
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Even the big Russian-language exhibit had a mirror on the wall.
To add to the atmosphere of an old Russian house that the wall was meant to represent, a vintage leather greatcoat was hanging on the coat rack.

As usual, the book fair took place at Binyaney HaUma.
The huge building, now renamed the Jerusalem International Convention Center, is celebrating 60 years of life.
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(More about the International Book Fair in the previous two posts.)
Shabbat shalom!
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Happy scenes from the International Book Fair

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This week's Jerusalem International Book Fair had 100,000 books, with 30 countries exhibiting, and 100,000 visitors were expected during the five days.
As I promised you yesterday, here are some more curiosities from the fair.

Sefer Hazahav! The huge Golden Books list the years and names of donors to the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet leYisrael).
This is more fully explained in my post from the last (2009) fair, along with a glimpse inside the venerable book.

"All roads lead to Italy," I think that's what it says.
And with TWO boots instead of the traditional one boot of Italy's map, I suppose walking those roads is easier.

Germany always has a mega-exhibit of quality books.
But cardboard boxes?! Several stacks of them formed philosophical building blocks.
If you know German, enlarge the photo and enjoy the quotations.

So sweet. The French offered a kid-sized reading corner for little readers.

CDs of Israeli songs, but sung in Esperanto!

Zamenhof, a Jew living in the Russian Empire, published his book about the international language he invented in 1887 under the pseudonym "Doktoro Esperanto" (Doctor Hopeful), from which the name of the language derives.
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A treasure at the Jerusalem International Book Fair

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Every day this week over a hundred exhibitors are showing their wares at the 24th Jerusalem International Book Fair.
But it seemed to me like only half the usual number.
Most likely some countries cancelled due to the recent fighting in Gaza and the rockets being fired at Israeli towns around Gaza.
The brave ones who came bearing books came from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Lithuania, Nepal, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, UK, and USA, and of course Israel.

The sheer size and the gorgeous front cover of this old book was breathtaking!

The gentle lady at the Jewish National Fund booth explained that the Golden Book, Sefer Hazahav, was a list of those who donated money to the JNF's various projects from 1901 to 1911.

It was the first Goldenes Buch; by now there are 26 more.

Click to enlarge this picture and you will see that Dr. Theodor Herzl himself gave 10 Pounds Sterling. The book was handwritten and bound in Basel, Switzerland, appropriately.

Following the First Zionist Congress of 1897 Herzl wrote in his diary: “Were I to sum up the Basle Congress in a word - which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly - it would be this: At Basle I founded the Jewish State.”

The great achievement of the Fifth Zionist Congress held in Basel in 1901 (the time the Golden Book was begun) was the establishment of what would become know as the Jewish National Fund or Keren Kayemet LeYisrael which was to raise funds for the purchase of land in Palestine.

The famous tin JNF Blue Box graced Jewish homes throughout the Diaspora. Families would put their spare coins in the "pushke" and feel connected to the dream of a future return to the homeland.
The saplings you see above represent the 220 million trees the Jewish National Fund has planted, some of which I see looking out my window on the now-green (once bare) Jerusalem Hills.

I say THANK YOU to all those good people in the huge old Golden Book who dared to dream and to give.
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Enchanted electromagnetic earth

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The 24th International Book Fair is on this week in Jerusalem. It happens every two years and it is always a pleasure to experience.
Yesterday I saw LOTS of books, but one exhibitor was promoting maps and globes.
Don't you just love maps and globes?!


But I did a double-take when I noticed one globe was levitating as if by magic:


"How does that work??" I asked the seller lady.
Like a magician proving there were no strings attached, she instinctively passed her hand above the globe. She was flustered when the earth suddenly fell out of orbit.
But she did know to tell me that it was held up by an electromagnet.

Back home, I found this explanation at ThinkGeek:
"A magnetic field sensor continually measures the height at which the globes are suspended. This sensor feeds that data into a micro computer in the base of the unit. This computer then calibrates the electronic magnets at the top of the frame based on the distance between the globes and the top magnet to keep the globes correctly positioned."

Pretty cool, eh?
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The ABC Wednesday group (join us!) is celebrating the letter E tonight.
Hope you enjoyed the enchanting electromagnetic earth globe. Come back tomorrow for more about the Jerusalem Book Fair.
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