New web portal spotlights Israel
Omanoot.com showcases vitality of Israeli film, music, literature and visual arts, connecting people with Israel and nation beyond 'conflict'
Omanoot.com, the newly launched web portal showcasing the vitality of Israeli film, music, literature and the visual arts, connects people with Israel and the nation beyond “the conflict.”
Indeed, it is attracting a global audience, including visitors from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Indonesia.
Omanoot - “art” in Hebrew - is the brainchild of Edoe Cohen, who received a grant from the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, a worldwide network of young social entrepreneurs created by American Jewish philanthropist Lynn Schusterman. Cohen worked with ROIers from around the world to develop the site.
'Why do people fall in love with Israel?' (Photo: Avishai Finkelstein)
“Everybody knows about Israeli technology and start ups, but the same creative energy is pouring into the arts,” said Cohen, 32, a serial artistic entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv who was bringing Israeli performers like Idan Raichel and HaDag Nachash to US campuses while still a university student.
“We want to bring that energy to the world. Why do people fall in love with Israel? It’s not the politics. It’s the culture and the vibrancy of our society.”
'Presenting beautiful Israel'
Omanoot.com today spotlights Israel’s flourishing film scene, including documentaries and shorts by film students at Israel’s leading film schools (with English captions). Eventually, it will offer full-length Israeli features. In the coming months, Cohen and his 15-strong volunteer staff from North America, the UK, France and Israel will add music, literature and other visual art forms to the site.
Cohen is passionate about exposing the entire gamut of Israeli art. “Israel’s cultural diversity is remarkable,” he emphasized. “We’re committed to featuring artists of every ethnicity and religion. Nor will we shy away from art that might be critical of Israel. That’s part of being a thriving democracy.”
While Omanoot.com is a commercial venture supported by advertising, it sponsors Omanoot.org, its teaching and curriculum arm. Jewish day schools and Hebrew schools in the US are using the lesson plans, as is Jerusalem’s Ma'aleh Film School.
“Omanoot.com delivers the beautiful Israel to Israelis and to Jews and non-Jews everywhere,” said Justin Korda, director of ROI Community for Young Jewish Innovators. “No other country boasts such a site. We are especially proud that ROIers on both sides of the Atlantic have teamed up under Edoe’s visionary leadership to showcase Israel’s multifaceted art scene.”
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