Omanoot Interview on Israeli Radio

Omanoot's CEO, Edoe Cohen, interviewed by Israeli radio host / musician, Yoav Ginai - December 24th, 2009.

English transcript below.

Click here for Hebrew transcript.

And today everything is happening online. We then concluded that we need to use the technological tools that exist, the Internet, and give people access to the art materials from Israel that are both diverse and of such high quality.

And this project is very unique since it is centralizing under one virtual roof all Israeli culture, all the different fields, genres, and categories, right?

Exactly. In fact we are doing something here that has not been done anywhere else online. We are actually taking one country, Israel, and are building an online national museum. A cultural library, in which people will be able to see Israeli films for free on the site, hear Israeli music on the site, see Israeli photography and paintings, literature, all under one roof, one address. And this does not exist anywhere else.

Yes. Tell me Edoe, how are you managing with all the entities that you are going to draw on them for materials? We are talking about archives, I assume, television stations, radio, music labels, etc.?

In the beginning they did not really understand who we were, especially since we are a small initiative, a start-up that is also a non-profit organization. So people did not really get us or understand - but once they saw that we are serious and are working on this very hard, they all became very excited and want to collaborate with us: first rate photographers, musicians and film makers. So there really is a deep cooperation here with the artists. They are definitely in need of something like this, since it is a gateway out to the world for which they are anxious.

It's not a secret that today one can reach almost anything through the internet, through YouTube, eMule, or other techniques. How are you dealing with this huge competition that everybody is using?

Good question. People have eMule and all these other free ways to download - so we are saying wait a second, if people can download for free, that is the price we need to compete with. So we have concluded that we should also offer the media for free on our site. Let us allow people to see full length films for free on the site, hear music for free, and this can happen thanks to supplementary advertisements. Every few songs the user will hear some ads. Every film is supported by ads. Just like on TV or the radio, after a few songs there are jingles.

Meaning, you will earn your money through the ad?.

Exactly. In addition, we also offer people the ability to buy, like on iTunes. They can come to the site, enjoy a song, hear it, and if they then want to download it, they can buy it for a dollar and download it to their personal computer and it is theirs.

Edoe Cohen, something about you? You are a son of Israeli parents born in America, correct?

Yes, Precisely. I was on the line between the USA and Israel for many years. When I was 15 we returned to live in Israel. The only thing that really helped me adjust was film. I arrived at the Jerusalem High School for the Arts, and I got involved immediately with filmmaking. That was a kind of universal language that accompanied me and helped me integrate into Israel. After many years in the army I returned to the US to study, and again I brought the arts and culture onto campus as a tool to connect people to Israel. So really from my personal experiences, I discovered how powerful art in general is, and more specifically Israeli art.

Yes. In conclusion give us the address of the website so people can visit.

So the website is called ‘Omanoot' - that is Omanoot.com. The website with all the content and everything will be launched in the beginning of next year, and I invite the listeners to enter the site, and sign up. We will keep them updated and let them know when the big site is launched with all the content.

Wonderful. I wish you guys a lot of success. Thank you very much Edoe.

Thanks!

Omanoot o'namoot!

by Deborah Plum, Omanoot's Director of Development

Omanoot o'namoot: art or we die. This play on words, found on an Israeli bumper sticker, demands that we reflect on how crucial art is to our existence. Art is one of the most accurate records of human history, a powerful form of cultural diplomacy, and a valuable educational tool.

The arts offer a universal language that can connect people worldwide regardless of religious belief, political preference, or economic status. Anyone can benefit from both creating and experiencing art. Yet somehow it is funding for the arts that is often the first to be cut in the face of financial difficulty.

Too often the arts are seen as a luxury to be consumed and enjoyed only by the elite or as an extracurricular part of education. In schools across the globe, classes in the creative arts play smaller and smaller roles every year, and often only students with natural talent are encouraged to view art as a primary focus of study. As nonprofits and artists across the Jewish world face the threat of funding cuts and the disappearance of art programs in this economically unstable time, we should think twice about where we cut corners and what is essential.

Art production typically has not been considered a "Jewish" trait or trade in the way that Jewish literacy and academic intellect has. Aside from music, art also has not been highly prized in the Jewish world in terms of its spiritual value, in part due to the religious law prohibiting visual depictions of God.

Over the last century, as the Jewish people's physical security has strengthened while the challenges to our sense of peoplehood have increased, the extent to which we are able and need to explore alternative avenues of identity and selfexpression have widened. This exploration is evident in no greater capacity than in the arts. Jewish texts, themes, and stories are being melded beautifully into modern music, film, and visual art-at once inspiring us to deepen our Jewish journey while challenging our preconceived notions. From singers such as Matisyahu and Ehud Banai, who weave ancient Jewish liturgy into their songs, to visual artists like Adi Nes, who restage biblical stories in a modern context as a biting critique, and Academy Awardnominated films such as Beaufort and Waltz with Bashir- throughout the Jewish world, art is being used as a bridge between and the spiritual, and to point to the ideal while holding a mirror to reality.

Contemporary Israeli music, film, and visual art represent an authentic and complex look at Israel's dynamic culture. Israeli artists grapple with contemporary and historic issues, secular and religious conflicts, politics, and personal trials and tribulations in an eloquent, enlightened, and attractive way. As popular Israeli musician Avraham Tal once said in an interview for Omanoot, "Israel doesn't have its own culture; we have our religion, but our culture is mixed... We grew up listening to MTV, so that's an influence. Then you hear your grandfather sing at the synagogue in a Moroccan style and everything together becomes authentic Israeli music." It is just this courageous remixing of MTV and Moroccan Jewish chazanut (cantorial melodies), a dynamic mosaic of past and present, that has the power to shake conventional conceptions of Jewish identity and culture and allow Jews today to feel more ownership over both.

Art is one of the oldest forms of social commentary, one that inspires, evaluates, and sustains us. The decision to fund or support arts programming and organizations only in times of financial security is a mistake that sends a message that art is only for those who can afford it and that it is less important than other forms of expression or education. When arts funding is cut, the impact is felt not only by artists, but also by those who miss opportunities to experience the arts through museums and other cultural institutions and events. It hurts the organizations that fund, promote, teach and develop the arts-the very places that have the power to improve the face of our communities and to empower younger generations by offering new and creative ways to learn, teach, explore, and connect with others.

However, it is not only up to philanthropists to ensure the survival of such organizations and to support the arts. During what many view as a dark and scary financial time, it is up to us to purchase, explore, and experience Israeli and Jewish art and to ensure that it is integrated into educational programming and spiritual dialogue as a core aspect of Jewish expression and education.

The arts can bind our people together, and we must make the decision to weave the arts into the fabric of our daily lives, for to forfeit art would be to forfeit life itself. Omanoot o'namoot!

Image by Tamar Tal

First Published in PresenTense Magazine