Yoko Ono Greens the Passover Atmosphere at the Ecosphere Festival in Israel

With Passover coming up so soon many of us are preparing in a variety of ways, whether it be purging our homes of every last remaining bread crumb or learning how to make that special family haroset recipe. 

But when the cleaning is done, the seder dinner is eaten, and the afikoman is found – then what?  What do you do for the rest of the holiday, other than try to find new ways to make matzah more edible?

A variety of Israeli environmental organizations – such as the Jewish National Fund, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the Ministry of the Environment, the Parks Authority, “Adam Teva VaDin”, the Council for a Beautiful Israel, Life & Environment, Greenpeace, and the Heschel Center – have all joined forces to bring us Ecosphere. 

So what is Ecosphere?

Ecosphere is the first green festival in Israel for art and the environment, and it will take place in the open, natural surroundings at the foot of the artist’s village of Ein Hod.  It will be held from Sunday, April 12th to Tuesday, April 14th from 10am-5pm.

Ecosphere will offer a variety of content, activities, and theater for families and children in the Eco Park – including activities about existence, environmental preservation, the importance of forest and trees, animals, waste, global warming, organic garbage and compost. 

There will be creativity workshops, children’s plays, short films about green issues, meetings with environmentalists, guided nature walks, and other activities in open areas and the Carmel beach area.

Ecosphere also explores the relationship between art and the environment, and is centered on an exhibition of contemporary international art titled “On the Spot.”  Artists paricipating in the show will include Yoko Ono (with her work “The Wishing Tree”), Jean-Luc Vilmouth, Avraham Eilat, and the Tav Group.  “On the Spot” is curated by Danna Taggar Heller.

In a more detailed explanation of the exhibition, the Ecosphere Festival website explains that “most of the artists invited to participate in ‘On the Spot’ do not typically work within the realm of environmental or ecological art, and this was a deliberate curatorial stance; to explore and enrich the concept of art pertaining to land, nature and ecology. 

The exhibition includes works from a wide spectrum of creative mediums including painting, sculpture, sound, video and performance.  Artists from Israel and abroad were invited to create works integrated into the landscape without being a burden ‘on the spot.'”

Ecosphere Festival, outside Ein Hod, April 12-14 from 10am-5pm.  Admission is 20 NIS per person with children under the age of 3 entering the festival free of charge.  For more information, visit the Ecosphere website.

Read more about eco Passovers::
Eco Rabbi Explores Passover Cleaning As A Good Opportunity to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
A Happy, Sustainable Passover to All
Eco-Rabbi: Parashat Vaera – Plagues, Pharaoh and Dissonance