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'Israeli Exhibition '

From Russia with love: The 'Israeli exhibition' in Moscow

A cooperative project between the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow and National Geographic will see the display in Moscow of photos of Israel depicting the country's finest light; 'The people thank us for bringing the Israeli sun here. They say they want to visit Israel.'

With Russian tourism to Israel on the decline in recent years, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow has undertaken a unique project in cooperation with the National Geographic in an effort to give it a boost.

 

 

An exhibition of works by different Israeli photographers will be held in one of the main streets in the Russian capital over the course of the coming week which shows Israel in its best light. The name of the exhibition is entitled, “Israel: The entire world in one country.”

 

Photo of the Western Wall in the Old City (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)
Photo of the Western Wall in the Old City (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)

 

After a week in which a pro-Israel rally was held in Sweden—in which Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid participated in response to growing anti-Semitism in Europe in general and Sweden in particular on the heels of the BDS movement—Israelis could find solace in the fact that some countries in the world are still prepared to portray the country in a more positive light.

 

Exhibition advertised in Russia (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)
Exhibition advertised in Russia (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)

 

The exhibition is taking place on Moscow’s central avenue, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, and is open to the general public. More than 60 photographs, which were taken by known Israeli photographers, will be displayed. In addition to the exhibition itself, the National Geographic created a special website dedicated to the Israeli exhibition.

 

“The entire world in one country”

 

“National Geographic has good relations with us and they approached us asking us to do the exhibition together,” said Ksenia Kobiakov, the director of the Ministry of Israeli Tourism in Moscow.

 

Photos of Israel in the exhibition (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)
Photos of Israel in the exhibition (Photo: Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Moscow)

 

Kobiakov also described the difficulty in choosing which pictures to add to the display. After thousands of photos taken by Israeli photographers were sent to the ministry, they were carefully picked by the bureau and the Russian National Geographic. “It was important to us that we chose the most beautiful photos which best represent Israel,” she said.

 

“It was important to us to first show Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and the contrast between the two cities. Moreover, we wanted to show that we have ‘entire worlds in one country,’ and therefore we couldn’t help but also show Israel’s wonderful nature, whether it be the desert in the south, the Dead Sea, Eilat to the north.”

 

‘Thank you for bringing the the Israeli summer here’

 

Kobiakov said that the reactions of passers-by was “extremely good” and posited that the reason for this was that the Russian summer was very short and is going to conclude in the coming days.

 

Russian passers-by enjoy the photos of Israel
Russian passers-by enjoy the photos of Israel

 

This, at least, is what she said people were saying at the exhibition, which is supposed to continue until the end of September. “Thank you for bringing the Israeli sun here,” she said people say.

 

“Those who already visited Israel say that the photos fill them with a sense of nostalgia and those who have not been say ‘now we really want to go to Israel,’” Kobiakov said, adding that despite the economic crisis in Russia, Russian tourism continues in Israel. “Israel is really ideal for the Russian public,” she concluded.

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.04.16, 15:10
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