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February 27, 2009
Israel in words, art and song
Original Promise evokes unique, original, creative works.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
“Israel is an amazing place, on a historical level and as well on a modern one. The world needs to see Israel and its contributions to the advancement of mankind and, at the same time, [its attempt] to survive in a very hostile part of the world."
When asked by the Independent, this is what artist Jacob Benaroch wanted people most to know about Israel. The documentary The Original Promise, with which Benaroch was involved, should help in this regard. It receives its world première this Sunday at the Ridge Theatre, as a fundraiser for Congregation Beth Hamidrash.
Benaroch grew up in Israel. He studied art in Paris and is an award-winning artist who specializes in consulting on logo and identity branding, graphic design and production. He painted three original works for The Original Promise.
"The three paintings are windows into my memories from growing up in Israel, playing marbles among the ruins, the Arab merchant and the display of fruits and vegetables in the market place, and Christians, Arabs and Jews living together," Benaroch told the Independent in an interview.
"This production opened my eyes to the urgency and the need to get the world to discover and acquire more knowledge on and about Israel," he said. "It is paramount that the world recognize Israel for what it is – for Jews and the rest of humanity."
Local actress Farrah Aviva co-hosts the documentary with media personality Doug Kooy, who shares executive producer credits with Bill Iny. Another local artistic contributor to the film is musician Colin Wiebe.
Wiebe has four nationally released CDs and he performed with Randy Bachman of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive for more than a decade. He said he met Kooy a couple of years ago, "where he [Kooy] described his concept of filming a documentary on Israel. I have always wanted to visit Israel, so I attended a number of meetings to help him work on the project. Doug and I spent countless hours writing and brainstorming and somehow we knew down deep it would happen."
Benaroch was equally taken with the project when he was introduced to Kooy by Iny about a year ago. "It was a revelation to meet the man and his project," said Benaroch, "and the more I got to hear about the project, the more I got excited."
Unlike Benaroch, Wiebe said, before his involvement, "I didn't really have a relationship with Israel but rather a perception of Israel. Prior to this experience, Israel was a topic from the news or an historic place from scripture. I now have a much clearer picture of the culture, the geography and the history. My relationship has developed and continues to grow deeper. I feel a new respect for the people of Israel."
Wiebe wrote the documentary's theme song.
"My inspiration was fueled by the challenge itself and the passion I have for songwriting," he said. "I can only describe the process as a gift that was given to me, that I was required to return and it felt as though the project was blessed with divine guidance. I'm really just a messenger.
"I read the story of Masada and I also watched the Masada film starring Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss. I took multiple pages of notes. I distilled those notes down to three or four pages and then began to reflect on the story.
"I visualized myself facing the impending Roman slaughter on Masada," he continued. "I imagined how I would phrase 'the last song I would ever write on Earth.' I began with the lyric 'I don't want to be afraid....'
"Once I had a lyrical framework, I set out to craft a melody. Part of the music was inspired by an Israeli song with a Moroccan cadence and I used a similar descending chord pattern incorporating the same phrasing. I modified a common motif played on Middle Eastern instruments to match the rhythm.
"Shimon Sibony provided the call of the shofar and the ominous desert voice that mysteriously echoes throughout the song," concluded Wiebe. "The affirmations I have received from your community have been staggering, however, no words can describe the feeling I got when the song was played on Masada and I witnessed tears streaming down the face of one of the soldiers."
The première of The Original Promise will take place Sunday, March 1, 7:30 p.m., at the Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus St. Tickets are $36 and available from Beth Hamidrash. To order, call 604-872-4222 or e-mail [email protected]. For more information about the film, visit www.theoriginalpromise.com.
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