The Israeli Opera returned to the southern city of Ofakim on Monday evening with a special community production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, marking both the city’s 70th anniversary and the opera company’s 40th year of activity.
The performance, the first by the Israeli Opera in Ofakim in more than a decade, was created in full collaboration with local residents and formed part of the company’s 40th-season events. The project was carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ofakim municipality, and Friends of the Israeli Opera in Israel and abroad.
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Israeli Opera in Ofakim. Guests (form right): Prof. Nili Cohen Chair of the Israeli Opera’s board, Chair of the Friends of the Israeli Opera Association Aliza Jaffa, Ofakim Mayor Itzik Danino and his wife, Israeli Opera CEO Tali Barash Gottlieb, Ofakim residents Rachel Edri, Tali Hadad, Ran Shapira head of the Culture Administration at the Culture and Sports Ministry
(Photo: Rafi Delouya)
After months of joint work, rehearsals and community meetings, some 250 Ofakim residents — children, teenagers and adults — took part in the production. About 200 appeared on stage in singing, movement and acting roles, alongside seven Israeli Opera soloists, a conductor and professional production teams. The opera was performed entirely in Hebrew and dedicated to the themes of renewal, creativity and healing for the city and its residents.
Among those attending the event were Ofakim Mayor Itzik Danino and his wife; Prof. Nili Cohen, chair of the Israeli Opera’s board; Israeli Opera CEO Tali Barash Gottlieb; Chairwoman of the Friends of the Israeli Opera Association, Aliza Jaffa; and Ran Shapira, head of the Culture Administration at the Culture and Sports Ministry.
Also present were Ofakim residents Rachel Edri, Tali Hadad and Superintendent Moran Tedgy, three women who have become symbols of civilian courage following the October 7 terror attacks.
Ofakim lost 55 residents in the October 7 massacre and the war that followed. The city now stands at the center of a broad community-cultural initiative led by the Israeli Opera, combining professional operatic production with deep engagement in the local community. For one evening, the city’s local hall was transformed into a full-fledged opera house, offering audiences an emotional encounter between art, community and hope.
The Ofakim production is one of the central initiatives among 40 social and educational projects marking the Israeli Opera’s 40th anniversary, reflecting a vision of art as a tool for connection, healing and strengthening social resilience, particularly in Israel’s periphery and in communities affected by trauma.