Romania/Ukraine -- The Bucovina Cemeteries Guidebook is Launched

Jewish cemeter, Gura Humorului, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Swiss Diplomat Simon Geissbuehler's guidebook to Jewish cemeteries in the Bucovina region straddling the Romania-Ukraine border was launched last week in Bucharest and has been getting appreciative reviews in the local media. The book is available in various languages.

'This work is a combination of a tourist guide and an art album and I'm speaking of the fact that the text written by Simon Geissbuhler is in the form of a traveller's journal, but the images in the album make one think the work is an art album', said Adrian Manafu, the editor of Noi Media Print publishing house that published the volume.

Manafu, moreover, believes the Jewish cemeteries in Bucovina can be deemed genuine works of art. He explained the work refers the cemeteries in historical Bucovina, an old Romanian territory that has been shared by Ukraine and Romania after World War Two.

Read full story

I was glad to see that an article in one of the local media highlighted the sorry fact that the wonderful Jewish cemeteries in Bucovina are woefully ignored. The journalist Annett Muller picks up my own contention that these cemeteries could form the basis of a fascinating artistic a spiritual tourism route -- and she points out how the famous "Merry Cemetery" in Sapanta, with its brightly painted grave markers, is a popular attraction, even if it is in a fairly remote location. Few people realize that there is also a Jewish cemetery in Sapanta, well maintained and well marked.

Jewish cemetery in Sapanta, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

I wrote the Foreword to the book, and Simon kindly pointed out an article in the local media where this was highlighted.

I am hoping to get to Radauti at the end of the summer, when a launch of the book is scheduled to take place there -- at the same time, I'll be working on my photo documentation of the beautifully decorated tombs of women in the Jewish cemetery there, a project for which I received a grant from the Hadassah Brandeis Institute.

Vienna -- Michael Jackson and the Jewish Nose

In Vienna this weekend, I visited the Jewish Museum to see the exhibit "Typisch!" -- about Jewish and other ethnic stereotypes. The exhibition already has shown at the Jewish Museum in Berlin and at the Spertus Museum in Chicago. What should I find as one of the exhibits? Michael Jackson, who else....

So -- here's my latest Ruthless Cosmopolitan column about the experience.....

Poster for Typical!," an exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Vienna that features a photo of Michael Jackson used to illustrate how the singer tried to crush stereotypes. (Ruth Ellen Gruber)

Ruthless Cosmopolitan: Michael Jackson and the Jewish nose

By Ruth Ellen Gruber - June 29, 2009

VIENNA (JTA) -- Amid all the noisy outpouring over Michael Jackson's sudden death, the last place I expected to find him was in a Jewish museum. But there he was, his pale, mask-like, surgically engineered image featured as part of an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in the Austrian capital.

Called "Typical! -- Cliches of Jews and Others," the exhibition deals with the use (and abuse) of ethnic stereotypes in popular culture. The exhibition, which runs until October, has been shown at the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Spertus Museum in Chicago.

It was assembled long before Jackson died June 25 in Los Angeles.

In a life-size photograph from 2002, he is shown with lank black hair framing a long, square stubbly chin, pinched red mouth, huge made-up eyes and a tiny nose with distorted pointy tip.

The photo is used to illustrate how, for better or worse, the King of Pop attempted to destroy stereotypes and, literally, to cut himself away from the confines of physical definition.

Jackson's "surgical transformations mirrored back to the culture the blurring of boundaries demarcating adulthood, sex and even race," Guy Trebay wrote in The New York Times after Jackson's death.

The "Typical!" exhibition deals with stereotypes commonly used to categorize African Americans, Muslims, women, Native Americans and others.

But given that it is mounted at a Jewish museum, much of its focus is on stereotypes about Jews. The exhibition poster employs a few sketched strokes to conjure up some: corkscrew curls, a hat and a huge hooked nose.

Indeed, the multitude of variations on the (alleged) size and shape of the Jewish nose form a major theme.

"The paradigm for the 'typically Jewish' nose originated in the craniological studies of Johann Friedrich Blumenbach," an information panel informs. A German natural scientist who died in 1840, Blumenbach "claimed to have evidence that Jews had an especially prominent nasal bone."

Exhibit installations examine the misuse of this and other paradigms in "scientific" teaching, as well as the ways in which they became part of the vernacular shorthand that shapes the way we see others and ourselves.

A section called "the schnoz," for example, shows a collection of 19th century walking sticks whose handles are formed by exaggerated noses. The contemporary artist Dennis Kardon's installation "Jewish Noses” features dozens of larger-than-life-sized casts made from the noses of actual Jews to demonstrate the silliness of such nasal cliches. Also, a modern painting ironically comments on the love and success that are supposed to result if one has a nose job.

"I am often asked whether or not Jews have a 'Semitic' nose," reads an exhibition quote by the historian Sander Gilman, who has written extensively about Jewish stereotypes. "After 54 years of experience, I can only answer that every Jew I have ever met has a nose."

The inclusion of Jackson's picture in the mix highlighted the transformations his own nose infamously went through.

It also reminded me of a book I read some years ago, a vicious anti-Semitic satire called "The Operated Jew," that was written in 1893 by a German doctor named Oskar Panizza.

An attack on efforts by Jews to assimilate into mainstream society, the book is a creepy and extremely disturbing tale about how a Jew named Itzig Faitel Stern tries to rid himself physically of the stereotypical signs of his Jewishness and become a "modern" European.

Foreshadowing Jackson's experiences under the knife, Stern submits to radical procedures, including the straightening and bleaching of his hair, "Extreme Makeover"-style cosmetic surgery and a series of horrendous operations to straighten his bones. He even gets a full transfusion of "Christian blood."

"It is impossible for me to give the reader an account of all the garnishings, changes, injections and quackeries to which Itzig Faitel Stern submitted himself," the narrator states. "He experienced the most excruciating pain and showed great heroism so he could become the equivalent of an occidental human being."

In the end, it doesn't help. At his wedding to a Christian woman, all falls apart and Stern "reverts" to the ugliest anti-Semitic cliche of the Jew.

Panizza, an early exponent of Nazi-style racial anti-Semitism, set out to "prove" that Jews could never become part of the mainstream modern world, even if they physically attempted to change their skins.

It's not exactly clear what world Jackson was trying to become part of -- or leave -- with his surgeries and other transformations.

Artistically he was the ultimate crossover, winning fans of all colors, ages, religions, nationalities and sexual orientations all around the world. Over the years, though, he alienated some African Americans by his physical manipulation of identity and apparent ambivalence about his own blackness.

Death, though, appears to have brought Jackson back to his roots -- or in any case to a warm embrace by the African-American community.

“We want to celebrate this black man," the actor and singer Jamie Foxx said to cheers at the Black Entertainment Television Music Awards Sunday. "He belongs to us, and we shared him with everybody else.”

Foxx added, "It didn't matter what he looked like, it was all about what he sounded like. It didn't matter what his nose looked like -- I loved the old nose and the new nose."

Read Story on JTA

Czech Conference -- Declaration on Restitution etc

At the Prague conference on Holocaust Assets, forty-six countries have ratified a document aimed at easing the restitution process for Jewish property seized during the Holocaust.

The first comprehensive, multi-country document of its kind covering the issue of land confiscation together with survivor care, the declaration states: ''Noting the importance of restituting communal and individual immovable property that belonged to the victims of the Holocaust (Shoah) and other victims of Nazi persecution, the Participating States urge that every effort be made to rectify the consequences of wrongful property seizures, such as confiscations, forced sales and sales under duress of property, which were part of the persecution of these innocent people and groups, the vast majority of whom died heirless.''

Here's a link to the JTA story by Dinah Spritzer.

Summer Blue

Summer Blue in La Jolla.

La Jolla is a seaside area, seven miles along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. It is about twelve miles north of Downtown San Diego. La Jolla is probably best known for its beautiful weather year round with a average daily temperture 70F and around 60F at night, making this place a tourist hotspot. It is an area of great natural beauty with mixture of geology-sandy beaches and rocky shorelines, excellent for a variety of outdoor activities. In addition, La Jolla is well known for its elite shopping and dining, with upscale boutiques, import shop and gourmet restaurants lining Prospect street.

We walked along the Prospect street of La Jolla. This is my first time showing my husband's picture as many of you requested. He usually doesn't like to be in the picture or reveal his face because he is so shy.
The water is generally cold in the beaches of California. It's way too cold for us but it seems not cold for local people here.

Summer Blue in Dallas.

Summer in Dallas is way too hot. I wore silk Marciano dress with Fendi shoes.

Thank you everyone for your great support of my last post. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I also thank you lovely blog Fashion Titbits, Fashion Moment and Sin of My mind for giving me the blog AWARD.
Wishing you all have a wonderful day!!!! Big hugs....from Hanh ;-)

Postcard from Mallorca: our Palma apartment

When my co-writer and photo- grapher husband Terry and I aren't on the road doing research, and therefore don't need to move hotels every night or two, we prefer to try a few hotels in a city and then spend the rest of the time in an apartment. If we're working on a city guidebook for big cities such as Buenos Aires or Amsterdam or Milan, then we might spend a couple of months or more holed up in a place, pounding the pavements most days, writing in the afternoons and evenings, then heading out at night to try restaurants and bars. Our aim during these stints is to live like locals and get to know the locals as much as we can so we can find those hidden gems only locals and expats know about. Mallorca has been no different, except, because the island is small, we've spent just a couple of weeks in the city of Palma, and the rest of the time on the road, driving around the island. We spent two weeks in this sprawling, rustic-chic apartment in a renovated historic building in the old city owned by a lovely man (a former fashion designer) who has as much character and charm as the atmospheric accommodation he rents out. I found the place on Owners Direct, an excellent site which (along with vrbo.com) I've used all over the world and absolutely love because there's no middle man. You can check them both out here. Is renting apartments something you do when travelling? And how often would you rent and why?

FAQ

I would love to say thank you to everyone for your continuing support and sweet comments. If you are a blogger, you would understand it 's not easy to frequently update the blog with your life and family activities. I try my best to update my blog and hope you all enjoy it. So please, when you visit my blog try your best to leave a kind comment to encourage me to keep up my work. Thank you very much for your time!!.... You know I read every single comment and I try my best to visit your blog as well. If you have a question, I'll try to reply by email, through your blog or on my comment page. Many of you had a few questions, requested me to post them and also want to know me little more. This is it.

Skin care product and routine?

I use L'Oreal cleaner for cleaning my skin in the morning and at bed time. After cleaning is L'Oreal toner. I use SISLEY face moisturiser for day and night. Sisley is an expensive product, $400 per jar, but it's worth it for your skin investment. One jar lasts about 9 months. So, if you divide $400 into 9, it doesn't cost much per month. I also use eyes cream from Sisley, one jar last me over a year. When it comes to skin care, I won't be cheap because it's important to protect and keep your skin looking young and healthy rather than getting a face lift later on. It's unnatural to me. I also get a facial 4 times a year when the seasons change.

What product line do you use for your makeup?

I use Bare Naturale L'Oreal for foundation. I love this foundation much more than Serge Lutens which I tried once before and it's expensive, it's not worth it. Shimmer blush from Bobbi Brown, eye shadow also Bobbi Brown. Lip gloss is whatever line, I don't stick with one.

How do you keep clothing clean when you're with your kid? Do you look nice and fashionista 24/7?

When I stay home with my kids or run errands with them, taking them to gymnastics, ballet or ice-skating, etc., I wear normal clothing from Gap, Hollisters or Madewell and have no makeup or maybe just a little. It' s ok to be dirty. When I'm dining out with them, having a date with my husband, going out with my friends or going shopping...I become fashionista. Every week, we have family dining out and I have a dinner date twice with my husband (we have babysitter come twice a week for us to go out). That's when I dress up. My husband and I enjoy going out just 2 of us because it's good for us having time together to keep our marriage hot. We also like to enjoy different cuisines and it's a good chance for me to play with my fashion clothing.

This is how I look when I do activities at my kids's school. So, I don't think other moms think I'm into fashion. I wore F21 dress and legging.

Taking my kids to gymnastics. I wore Hollisters Co pants, Madewell tee. Do you remember Nastia Luikin who won an Olympic gold metal in Bejing? That's her. Well, my kids do gymnastics at a small local gym. We went to WOGA for one hour training with her. This is a cool thing to do for my kids. When they grow up and look back and say "Thanks mom and dad. That's cool".

How long does it take to make your shoe collection? Will you collect the same volume each season and in the future?

It took years to collect my shoe collection. I started slowly at first. But the last year and this year, it has been speed up. My husband said "I deserve to expand my collection after nine years of being a good wife, good mother" and he supports me. I earned the credit, you know. I will probably slow down next season and in the future. But who knows, sometimes they are like vanilla ice-cream with chocolate chip and Oreo cookies. Most of them I waited for on sale. I did not have shoes collection when I was in high school or college. I love fashion whole my life but back then my parents are very conservative about education. All I did to show them I was good student with A+ and I attended two universities. I had no time for anything else except studying. When I moved here, I attended college again, and had a full time job. It was hard because I had to begin everything from zero. I remember the time I visited a high-end fashion store when I received my tax refund. My husband is a wonderful man who understands my passion for fashion and support me.

The secret to keep you slim since you have two kids?

This question was answered in the entry title " Girls plays dress up". Please, check that out.

These pictures took last night. The family went out for Italian Food. My kids refused to have pictures taking, they weren't in good move for picture. I wore Fallon necklace, Alexander Wang tank (I wear this tank and Helmut Lang tank a lot, love their versatile), Marni skirt that I bought sometime long ago for $100 from original price over $1000 at 4510 store, Marni shoes also bought long time ago from last call at Neiman Marcus for about $250.

Wish everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!!xoxo...Hanh.

Postcard from Mallorca: Palma's Old City

We've been renting an apartment in Palma's old town for the past two weeks - although we're about to head on the road again around Mallorca for five days of pick-ups of photos Terry couldn't get the first trip round due to cloudy weather. I love the streets of Palma's old city (pictured), especially at night, and I must admit I'm going to miss them, even though we've only had a short time here. While the old town lacks the buzz of other parts of Palma - there are very few restaurants in this area of the city, and just a few cafes and bars a couple of blocks away, it's the tranquility and moodiness of this part of the city that's so appealling.

Christian Science Monitor Article on Jewish Heritage

Check out Michael J. Jordan's article in the Christian Science Monitor about the issue of caring for Jewish hertiage in Europe. Michael sat in on some of the sessions at the March seminar on Jewish heritage in Bratislava, but the story runs as an advancer before this weekend's Holocaust Assets conference in Prague.

Bratislava, Slovakia - For architectural historian Maros Borsky, the story begins five years ago.

He was documenting the synagogues of Slovakia, which, like the rest of post-Holocaust Eastern Europe, saw its countryside depopulated of Jews, with most provincial synagogues abandoned. Slovakia itself has seen a war-time community of 137,000 shrink to some 3,000 Jews today, with only five of 100-plus synagogues functioning.

In the course of his work, Mr. Borsky came across a donor who wanted to renovate a rural synagogue. But which one?

"I realized it's important to create an audience for these synagogues, for Jews, non-Jews, locals, and tourists to learn there once was a community here – and what happened to it," he says.

The result of Borsky's work, the "Slovak Jewish Heritage Route" will soon connect 23 restored synagogues.

The Slovak project will be just one of scores discussed this weekend in Prague as representatives from 49 countries convene for the landmark Holocaust-Era Assets Conference. The agenda ranges from charting the progress made in returning Nazi-looted artwork and restituting Jewish property to caring for elderly survivors of the camps.

Read full article

Postcard from Mallorca: Valldemossa & Deia

Mallorca boasts some alluring mountain- top villages and towns that seem to tumble down the hillsides, such as Deia and Valldemossa (pictured). They have charming stone buildings, churches on the main square, and old men lingering at their favorite cafes. Valldemossa has the added attraction of a former Carthusian monastery that's famously known as the place where lovers Chopin and George Sand holed up for a few months, which Sand wrote about in incredible detail in her book "Winter in Majorca". You can visit their suite of 'cells' with gorgeous garden terraces and spectacular valley views. Deia has also been a favourite with writers and artists, and there you can visit the former home of poet Robert Graves, now a museum. It's also a very handsome place with equally stunning vistas from its windows. Surprisingly, the desks where Graves chose to write don't take advantage of them. The towns are undeniably touristy though, so there's no escaping the tacky souvenirs, tour groups and menus in four languages, but they're still enchanting and worth a visit all the same. The best way to avoid the crowds of course is to stay overnight when the tour groups have gone home and the moonlit streets are more tranquil.

Old Gate

When you travel around Europe, you occasionally see old gates for protecting their villages in the old days. Here is one of those gates in Riquwihr, near Strasbourg, France. Look at this how cool it is and is centuries old...We don't see this in America.

My Alexander Wang blazer.

I love my Alexander Wang blazer, it is versatile piece. To me, we just need two or three good blazer and we can pair it with many different clothing for different looks. The pictures below show five different looks of Wang blazer and I could pair it over a slim, full or long dress.

Pairing with my old nude body suit, Givenchy legging, Valentino belt, Prada shoes.

Pairing with F21 skirt, YsL shoes.

Pairing with Helmut Lang tank, F21 short, Balmain shoes.
Pairing with Helmut Lang tank, F21 legging, Rick Owens shoes.
Pairing with Current/Elliott jeans, Ysl shoes, F21 sunglasses.
Wishing you all have a fabulous weekend!!!!hugs...from Hanh ;-)

Hi guys, after I posted this post and knew that Lucrecia-Fashion is Poison has my interview on her blog. Please, check it out for fun!!!!Love...Hanh.

Postcard from Mallorca: Reads Hotel

If you've been following me on Twitter you would have read my comments about some of the stunning boutique hotels we've stayed at, including Son Brull, Reads, La Residencia, Esplendido, Portixol and Maricel among others. Generally, we've been very impressed and what has set these Mallorca hotels apart from the rest has been their stylish decor and attention to detail, luxurious amenities (including beautiful toiletries in most), superb restaurants, enormous swimming pools and spas, an array of facilities (Read's for instance has a bike room with over a dozen state-of-the-art bikes, from mountain bikes to road bikes, and all the gear that guests can borrow), hands-on managers, and attentive staff.

We still have some time left on Mallorca, and more hotels to test out, so I'll wait until the end of the trip to give you a full rundown of the island's best, with more detailed reviews. In the meantime, here's a pic of our Arabian Nights-inspired suite at Reads, which features Moroccan furnishings and carpets the owners picked up on a trip there. One of the things I loved about Reads was the individually decorated rooms (no two are the same) and the idiosyncratic character of the property - the result of an eclectic decor that has developed over the years as the owners have gathered intriguing objects. While the building is grand, the decor is elegant and occasionally whimsical, and wandering about the rooms is as much fun as exploring a fascinating museum. More on Reads and Mallorca's other wonderful properties soon.

Postcard from Mallorca: Portocristo

As we've been on the road in Mallorca working - Terry has had a massive photo shoot and I've been updating a book - with long, busy days and no time for anything else but work, I haven't had time to blog. However, a reader has asked that I post some photos instead. So here goes, a series of pretty pictures from Mallorca (mine of course, not Terry's), that I'll call 'postcards' accompanied by shorter posts than I usually write...

There's no denying that PORTOCRISTO on the east coast of Mallorca is incredibly touristy, however, I couldn't resist including a pic of the place because the bay is so beautiful, surrounded by low cliffs, with floating pontoons you can drive from, and the sandy beach looked striking with the umbrellas lined up in rows. It was a scorching hot day as you can detect from the shadows on the sand. Unfortunately, due to Terry's tight shooting schedule and the fact I didn't have any sights, hotels or restaurants to check for my book, we spent a whole half an hour here...

Croatia -- Jewish Tours in Zagreb

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I've just been contacted about a new program that provides Jewish heritage tours of Zagreb, Croatia. They are being conducted by the recently formed Rimon Center for Jewish Education in the city.

Take a walk through ages, starting at 11th century foundation of Zagreb, over to the 14th century and the first arrival of Jews to Zagreb, through the golden years of late 19th and early 20th century, when Zagreb developed rapidly, with Jewish community reaching it's peak - just before almost completely perishing in the Shoah.

Our tour includes visits to all the landmarks and sites of Zagreb, with detailed insight into history of Jews in Croatia and surrounding areas, and the revival of Jewish life today.

I expect to be in Zagreb in a few days, and will check them out!

The city's Jewish community has been split by some very bitter personal (and ideological) conflicts in recent years. But there is quite a lot to see Jewishly that -- I hope -- would not mean having to get involved in local spats....

Prague -- Holocaust Era Assets Conference

By Ruth Ellen Gruber


The Holocaust Era Assets Conference convenes in Prague this weekend, gathering representives from many countries to deal with the unresolved issues of property restitution and recovery of art and other objects looted from Jews (and others) during and after the Shoah. You can see the program HERE. The meeting is a follow up to several other major international conferences on these issues.

More than six decades after World War II the terrible ghosts of the Holocaust have not disappeared. The perverse ideology that led to the horrors of the Holocaust still exists and throughout our continents racial hatred and ethnic intolerance stalk our societies. Therefore, it is our moral and political responsibility to support Holocaust remembrance and education in national, as well as international, frameworks and to fight against all forms of intolerance and hatred.

The stated aims of the conference are:

• To assess the progress made since the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust Era Assets in the areas of the recovery of looted art and objects of cultural, historical and religious value (according to the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art and the Vilnius Forum Declaration 2000), and in the areas of property restitution and financial compensation schemes.
• To review current practices regarding provenance research and restitution and, where needed, define new effective instruments to improve these efforts.
• To review the impact of the Stockholm Declaration of 2000 on education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust.
• To strengthen the work of the Task Force on International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, a 26-nation body chaired by the Czech Republic in 2007-2008.
• To discuss new, innovative approaches in education, social programs and cultural initiatives related to the Holocaust and other National Socialist wrongs and to advance religious and ethnic tolerance in our societies and the world.

Volterra

Dear readers,

Today we’re going to talk about Volterra, the precious medieval architecture jewel, set in the south of Tuscany, a few kilometers away from Siena and San Gimignano, and about the beautiful coast of Tuscany.

Volterra arouses admiration because it has 2000 years of history, which you can enjoy when visiting our city. The city originated in the VII century BC and turned into an important Etruscan capital in III century BC, reaching a population of 25000 inhabitants.

Then it became a Roman city. In the V century AC, the first church is built under the domain of the Tuscan Marquisate, which amazingly boosts its economic, social, religious and legal development.

In the Middle Ages Volterra continues playing an important role in the struggles between Siena and Florencia and beautiful walls are erected, which can still be admired nowadays.

Besides the marvelous walls, when visiting Volterra you can’t miss a stroll through its narrow streets and through the historical city center, where houses and palaces intermingle, in a city with 2000 thousand years of history.

Other landmarks you can’t miss are the Etruscan Museum, the Roman Theater and the Archeological center.

I am uploading a video of Volterra, which though in Italian, I think you will manage to understand.

Yohji Yamamoto

Look at this Yohji Yamamoto belt/corset/waist band...25% off on top reduced price 40% off and tax free. Love this excellent sale! I could wear it with everything as harem pants, pants, legging, dress or skirt. I also could adjust it to low or height waist. Love this piece!!!

Wearing it with Sacai harem pants.

Fallon necklace. This necklace could be worn like in this picture or could wrap around the neck for a different look.
Side trim of the pants.

Giuseppe cage boots.

Wearing with F21 skirt and Abercrombie & Fitch shirt.

Balenciaga shoes.

Wishing you all have a wonderful day!!!Thank you very much for your time!!xoxo..Hanh,

Romania -- New Guidebook News

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

A Romanian web site (using my pictures....) is highlighting Simon Geissbuehler's new guide to Jewish cemeteries in the Bucovina, for which I wrote the Foreword. The launch of the book in Bucharest is this Friday.

Volumul intitulat „Cimitirele evreieşti din Bucovina” al diplomatului elveţian, dr. Simon Geissbühler, va fi lansat joi, 25 iunie a.c., ora 18.30, la IF Gallery din Str. Tokio nr. 1, Bucureşti. Publicată de editura „Noi Media Print”, cartea este disponibilă în română, germană, engleză, franceză şi ucraineană.

Vernisajul va cuprinde scurte alocuţiuni ale directorului editorial al editurii „Noi Media Print”, Adrian Manafu, ale preşedintelui Federaţiei Comunităţilor Evreieşti din România, dr. Aurel Vainer, şi ale autorului, deschiderea unei expoziţii de fotografie cu cimitirele evreieşti din Bucovina, cât şi un cocktail unde vor fi servite cele mai bune vinuri româneşti.

Celebra scriitoare, fotografă şi jurnalistă americană, Ruth Ellen Gruber, deţinătoare a două premii Simon Rockover pentru jurnalism iudaic, o autoritate în domeniul chestiunii evreieşti din Europa, a apreciat că “prin publicarea acestui ghid turistic Simon Geissbühler face un pas important, prezentând publicului larg o serie de localităţi minunate. Domnia sa deschide astfel, noi dimensiuni pelerinajului spiritual, adresându-se aparţinătorilor tuturor credinţelor şi orientărilor religioase, care doresc să intuiască nemijlocit frumuseţea, semnificaţia istorică şi vitalitatea cimitirelor evreieşti din Bucovina”.

La rândul său, preşedintele FCER, dr. Aurel Vainer, consideră că „această carte este şi trebuie să fie primul pas al autorului, la care ne alăturăm fără nici o rezervă, către un proces de cunoaştere şi recunoaştere a bogatei tradiţii culturale şi religioase evreieşti în sine şi ca parte din Patrimoniul Cultural Naţional”.

Spain -- Cemetery Controvery in Toledo Resolved

Philip Carmel, the executive director of the Jewish cemetery preservation organization Lo-Tishkach reports a successful conclusion to the controversy over about 100 graves dug up from the medieval Jewish cemetery in Toledo, Spain to make way for the expansion of a school that already occupies part of the cemetery site.

All the bones were reburied in their original grave sites at a ceremony on Sunday.

As Sam Gruber and I have noted in earlier blog posts, the Toledo construction was halted earlier this year after heated protests, including demonstrations outside Spanish embassies.

Phil makes clear that the government, local authorities and Jewish organizations cooperated to work out a satisfactory solution to the problem.

He writes:

I am pleased to inform you that yesterday, Sunday June 21, saw the reburial of all the bones removed from the medieval cemetery in Toledo. The remains were buried on site in the actual graves from which they had been removed. This was achieved after protracted negotiations which only reached fruition last Thursday in Madrid at which point we decided not to publicise details of the reburial until after it had concluded.

This remarkable and historic solution brings a satisfactory conclusion to a chapter which has seen a tremendous degree of solidarity and cooperation on the part of the Spanish government and the local Jewish federation and a willingness to work together with the Conference of European Rabbis and the Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe to achieve an amicable solution within the boundaries of Halachah.

At all times, we have insisted that the remains of these Toledo Jews should be buried in their chosen resting place and not transferred to another site. We are highly satisfied that the moving ceremony which took place yesterday in the presence of local Jewish leaders, heads of the regional authority of Castilla la Mancha, and the president of the CPJCE, Rabbi Elyokim Schlesinger has given the correct conclusion to our work.

I want to also state for the record our deep gratitude for the unstinting and dedicated work of Ambassador Ana Salomon and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in assisting us to find a solution to this matter in the face of unwarranted protests and misinformation directed against the Spanish government and the local Jewish Federation.

I hope that our work to save this historic cemetery in Toledo will prove to be a prototype for how governments, local Jewish communities and representative Jewish organisations can work together for the benefit of preserving these cemeteries in Europe.

Great Design

JEAN-MICHEL OTHONEIL.

The sculpture in this photo was taken on my Paris trip at Palais Royal, near the Rick Owens store. I took this because it 's unusual and beautiful. When I got back home, my husband looked through the Architectural Digest Magazine's May 2008 issue and saw this sculpture in there. We were both in awe... and that's when we learned it is the work of artist Jean-Michel Othoniel. He is a contemporary French artist born in 1964 in Saint Etienne (France).

This is photo in the Architectural Digest magazine. There are two sets to this sculpture, one represents day and the other is for night. It is made of glass beads, coloured and threaded on an aluminum structure. His work has unusual, sensual beauties and subversive sweetness. This sculpture is a entrance for the Palais Royal Metro station in Paris.

Jean-Michel Othoneil.

COMME de GARCONS.
Don't you think this Comme de Garcons t-shirt has an interesting print? The print is like a contemporary painting and reminded me of Picasso. I asked my kids what it looked like; they said "It looks like crazy city with crazy people, has odd flowers and a hot sun". What do you think? This season, I'm very much into Comme de Garcons. Each piece is art, has its own character and unusual design. This great design asks for time to grow in love with it. You may not like it at first, but admiration grows and eventually it turns into love.

Comme de Garcons sheer skirt. I love it because its sheer material, and has mysteries look. I can see me wearing it with back top, Rick Owens jacket, The Row leather legging for fall/winter season. It's a versatile piece.

Rick Owens shoes.

Wishing you all a beautiful day!!!!xoxo...Hanh.