Special Guest Blog - Seeds Cafe

Hello All, Tonight we have a very special guest entry. As I mentioned before, my mother and brother are visiting me here in Jerusalem. Yesterday evening, we had an event at the center, and I invited my mom to share her thoughts with all of you. Here they are:


On Sunday evening we all went to the Seeds of Peace building to one of their monthly Sunday programs, called Seeds Café. That night they had an exhibit from Israeli artist Azriel Cohen (originally from Toronto, Canada). He painted some paintings of cafés in and around East and West Jerusalem - Israeli and Arab cafés. As part of the program each café that was painted sent food and representatives and talked to us a little about their establishments. Particularly interesting were the people who showed up for this event. I would say more than ½ were extremely interesting Arabs from different parts of Jerusalem. It was very interesting to watch the friendly and comfortable way everyone felt together. It did not feel like we were in Israel at all. This event could have taken place in any city in North America. Everyone was relaxed and joking and I felt a real feeling of warmth. The thought of joining art and different backgrounds together was great. I think everyone came away with a happy heart and stomach. The evening was a success. I spoke to many people there and found them to be bright and interesting. The artist’s painting reflected each café and you really felt the essence of each establishment. Some of the owners had funny little stories about their cafés and the people who frequent them. All in all, people had fun and communicated, and that’s what it’s all about, communication. We all took a little time and met someone we would never have before and enjoyed the evening. Thank you Seeds of Peace and Azriel Cohen!

- Cheryl Ross


Here are some pictures from the event:


Here is Azriel Cohen, addressing the group at the Seeds of Peace Center. Cohen painted all of these works and interviewed all of the cafe owners during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, a time when coffee shops were sometimes targeted by terrorist attacks. During this difficult time, people on both sides of the conflict still sought the refuge of a good cup of coffee.




Here is my brother, Zach, posing under a painting of the cafe at the Ambassador Hotel with an authentic Nargila (a water-pipe for smoking flavored tobacco - not for illicit drugs, as my mother thought). The Ambassador Hotel provided a delicious spread of smoked salmon, salads and pastries. Yum.

My mom and brother are leaving tomorrow night. This visit went by very fast, and I'm sorry to see it end. My mom says that this has been the most time we've spent together in years.

Cheers,
Seth