By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It’s well-nigh impossible to take a step anywhere in Israel without encountering some evidence of ancient life, whether from Biblical or Roman times, as well as before and after those periods. There is even evidence of prehistoric Homo Sapiens in caves in the north of the country, and let’s not forget the ruins of fortresses and castles built by the Crusaders (one of which I can see from my study window as I write), as well as their monumental underground structures in the town of Acre. Of course, Jerusalem is the supreme site in both historical and archaeological terms, with unbroken evidence of events mentioned in both the Old and the New Testament.
The picturesque village of Ein Kerem, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, is the supposed birthplace of John the Baptist, who was also Jesus’s first cousin and his baptizer in the River Jordan. In a complicated family saga worthy of the most lurid television series, John was the victim of first the desire and then the vengeance of Salome, the daughter of Herodias, a wife of Herod. Salome is reputed to have danced so well that Herod offered to grant her anything she wanted, and what she wanted – and got — was John’s head on a platter. The historical connection has given the village an aura of sanctity, and a convent as well as several churches have been built there.
A natural spring which is found at the heart of the village attracts visitors and pilgrims throughout the year. Just a few feet away from the spring is a winding stairway carved into the side of the rock and surrounded by lush greenery which leads to the Eden-Tamir Music Centre. This commemorates the musicians who lived there and turned the old Arab building into a site where music is performed on a regular basis. The piano duo of Bracha Eden and Alexander Tamir has left a lasting legacy in the form of recordings of their performances as well as the music center itself. It is there, in that place of beauty and tranquility, that regular chamber music concerts are held.
The concerts held there every Saturday morning attract a select audience of aficionados. The auditorium has room for just about 120 persons and Ein Kerem is far from the center of Jerusalem, so that anyone wishing to attend those concerts has to be really determined. In accordance with the tradition established by Alexander Tamir, urns with hot water and tea bags are provided in the spacious vestibule before the concert, and two huge tureens of spicy soup are available to the audience in the intermission between the two parts of the concert.
The small auditorium provides an appropriately intimate venue for chamber music, and so the audience is able to sit as close as possible to the musicians on their slightly-raised stage without disturbing them. At last Saturday’s concert, where the Carmel String Quartet played quartets by Haydn, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, while enjoying the music we could observe their use of a computerized device for turning the pages of the score using foot pedals. No more fumbling with paper pages for these up-to-date young musicians!
The bucolic atmosphere of the village, the charm of the setting and the beauty of the music all combine to make us look forward to our Saturday morning treat with eager expectation. It all goes together to create a little piece of heaven for us every week.
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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is an author and freelance writer based in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion, Israel.