|
|
Aug. 25, 2006
Israel shines at festival
Edmonton gathering plays host to thousands.
EVA COHEN
Israel was one of 58 countries that had a pavilion at Hawrelak
Park in Edmonton recently, during the city's 31st annual Heritage
Days Festival.
Crowds at the event, which ran Aug. 5-7, were estimated at as many
as 415,000, up from last year's high of 390,000, according to Edmonton
Heritage Festival Association executive director Jack Little.
Little said that Edmontonians are finally becoming aware that Edmonton
is very much a multicultural city and are better understanding multiculturalism.
"We expect at least three more countries to participate next
year," said Little, "and each time we bring in a country,
there are about 3,000 to 10,000 more people who come through, associated
with that country."
The Israeli pavilion has been a staple at Heritage Days for many
years but with current events in the Middle East, several members
of the Edmonton Jewish community were apprehensive.
"I expected there would have been a few people who would have
been critical of Israel and voice it but no one did," said
Shane Asbell, who volunteered to stand at the entrance to the pavilion.
An e-mail was sent by pavilion organizers seeking people to specifically
talk about the situation if it was brought up by visitors, said
Asbell, who added that most comments were quite favorable.
"There were no incidents. I was a little surprised," he
said. "Most comments were like, 'Israel needs to stand its
ground.' I expected to get some pointed questions, but I felt comfortable."
Asbell has attended several Heritage Days Festivals and said that
this year's Israel pavilion was quite good. He noted the crowds
that the dancing troupes drew and said that he didn't notice any
difference between the crowds going through the Israeli pavilion
and the rest of the festival.
Tal Marron, one of the dancers who performed, agreed that the crowds
at the Israeli pavilion were comparable to those at other countries'
sites.
"The crowds were just as large at our shows and I didn't notice
any differences," said Marron.
Marron is now in Canada after living in Israel for a few years and
had his own views going into the festival.
"Given that I've been in Israel for a while, I pictured heavy
security around the booth – but there wasn't, and there was
no need [for it]," said Marron.
The dance troupes were organized by Marron's aunt, Maya Goldberg,
who has been co-ordinating the Israeli pavilion choreography for
the past 25 years. Marron said that in the month leading up to the
festival, practices were rigorous and several times a week but the
end result was worth it.
"The dancing looked pretty good – I saw the video,"
said Marron. "It shows that Israel is about more than war time,
that the country has a rich history and is much more than just war
and conflict."
Eva Cohen is a freelance writer living in Ottawa.
^TOP
|
|
