Jerusalem Renewal
SFI believes in strengthening Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish people by nurturing the city's huge, untapped cultural and artistic potential. As the spiritual center of the three monotheistic faiths, Jerusalem is an inspiration to approximately three billion people around the world and has the potential to become an international hub of creativity.
Jerusalem is home to Israel's highest concentration of museums and art schools, world-class theater and dance troupes, magnificent natural and architectural aesthetics, and an exceptionally rich and diverse local folklore. However, in recent years, Jerusalem's cultural sector has suffered from neglect, damaging the city's quality of life, as well as its local and international image as a cultural hub.
To advance the cause of Jerusalem Renewal, SFI supports initiatives that
Jerusalem is home to Israel's highest concentration of museums and art schools, world-class theater and dance troupes, magnificent natural and architectural aesthetics, and an exceptionally rich and diverse local folklore. However, in recent years, Jerusalem's cultural sector has suffered from neglect, damaging the city's quality of life, as well as its local and international image as a cultural hub.
To advance the cause of Jerusalem Renewal, SFI supports initiatives that
- enhance the quality, capacity and growth of artistic and cultural centers of excellence;
- incubate artistic and cultural innovation;
- nurture and grow the local artists' community; create essential support tools for the arts and culture "scene;" and
- foster cooperation and synergy among the city's cultural stakeholders.
Grantees at a Glance
JSOC is an apolitical entity and a registered non-profit, whose mission is to create a common focus for Jerusalem's multi-faceted stakeholders by mobilizing them around a clearly defined, time-specific effort to promote Jerusalem as a unique and vibrant cultural hub. By so doing it hopes to restore Jerusalem's standing as a meaningful and relevant, international capital.
Throughout 3,000 years of history, Jerusalem served as a source of inspiration to poets, musicians, and other artists no less than to warriors, emperors and prophets. Today, the ancient muse finds expression in Jerusalem's contemporary cultural assets—world-class museums, renowned performing arts troupes, Israel's highest concentration of art schools, magnificent natural and architectural aesthetics, to say nothing of the ethnic and religious diversity that means an unparalleled richness of human resources. Despite these impressive assets, however, Jerusalem as a cultural center falls short of national and international prominence. Sadly, the city's resources are more impressive individually than the sum of their parts. JSOC offers a strategic—solution to this problem by mobilizing the city's creative forces around a world class, annual showcase of Jerusalem’s multifaceted cultural treasures beginning in the summer of 2011. The initiative builds tools for the arts and culture sector, develops high profile local and international marketing campaigns and encourage international artists to engage artistically with the city. To initiate this process, in 2010, JSOC began building strategic partnerships with leading cultural, municipal and government institutions throughout the city, held a number of cultural pilots to introduce the program and initiated a process of familiarization among the general public.
The summer pilot program was received with astonishing levels of enthusiasm and critical acclaim. The tangible sense of hope and excitement that have accompanied this summer's activities have left a definite taste for more, which one may safely assume (with an over 15,000 attendance at the last pilot event, Balabasta at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market) will only increase as time goes on and word spreads. JSOC ultimately aims to become an integral and constant part of Jerusalem's cultural landscape in much the same way that international festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival, Salzburg Festival and others, are regular and integral features of their respective cities.
Israel Museum
Since its founding in 1965, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem has become an encyclopedic center of art and archeology in the Middle East. The museum contains nearly 500,000 objects of fine art, archaeology, ethnography and Judaica, representing the history of world culture from nearly one million years ago to the present day. Its holdings include the finest collection of Israeli art in the world and the Shrine of the Book, which contains the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Lynn Schusterman is a strong advocate and long-time friend of the Israel Museum. CLSFF has supported a variety of programs of the Israel Museum since 1998 and SFI has continued this legacy. In 2006 the Foundation offered a $5,000,000 challenge grant to the museum making funding conditional on a match from Israeli funders for the museum's campus renewal project. This goal was realized within a year, making it possible to fund roughly 100,000 square feet of renovation and 50,000 square feet of new construction. The project aims to transform the Israel Museum into a venue where art, archeology, architecture and landscape converge. Most recently, SFI approved a $1,000,000 challenge grant for the endowment fund for the Museum. This endowment fund (between $50 and $75 million) will ensure the Museum's future operations.
Since 1998, the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival has attracted top chamber ensembles to Israel and has earned a reputation as one of the leading festivals of its kind anywhere in the world. Drawing on the unique spiritual and historical atmosphere of Jerusalem, the festival features an exceptional repertoire renowned for bringing first ranking international soloists together onto the same stage.
The Jerusalem Open House (JOH) is a grassroots, activist organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered (GLBT) people and allies. Since 1997, JOH has worked to make Jerusalem a place where all people are free to seek self-fulfillment. SFI supports JOH's efforts to meet the urgent needs of Jerusalem's GLBT youth population via a comprehensive program that includes peer support, group facilitation, individual counseling and a volunteer-based speakers bureau that raises awareness of anti-GLBT prejudice in schools and other youth-oriented settings.
HaMa'abada (The Lab) is a unique center for the performing arts, committed to the presentation of innovative, creative works and designed to serve as an international center for excellence. Founded in 2003 by the Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) Community and located in the heart of Jerusalem, HaMa'abada aims to draw upon Israel's many creative resources to foster the next generation of exceptional artists. HaMa'abada will embrace and enhance the diversity of Jerusalem, leveraging it for the development of original and avant-garde productions in the fields of theater, music, dance, video art and more.