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The AM-IS Museum (short for America - Israel
Museum)
is a repository
and exhibit institution for the many human, artistic and
philanthropic connections between Israel (Palestine) and the
United States. It is a tribute to unprecedented inter-personal
links between our people. It is these connections that allowed
for the creation, growth and development of the American Jewish
community and the Jewish State.
The Museum is also an answer to a
paradox between avowed centrality of Israel for American Jewry
and the absence of a needed institution to preserve, document
and exhibit this relationship. Past contributions of hundreds of
thousands of Americans have not received adequate protection
from the passage of time. Many are in danger of being misplaced,
ignored or lost. We owe it to ourselves to make home for those
that are not.
One of the notable philanthropists,
whose name adorns University buildings and even a street in
Israel, commented: "My children respect what I did, but my
grandkids do not seem to care much for any of this!" as he
pointed at his virtual history wall. Indeed, several of the
items you are about to see have been saved from the trash bin
after being donated to the local thrift.
As we plan for future - alarmed by
changing attitudes of young American Jews towards Israel, we
must do more then just preserve our past. It may not be
sufficient to pay tribute to the past sufferings of our people
without properly commemorating our personal and collective
triumphs. We need to balance condemnation of Death with the
celebration of Life. Without this effort, the spirit of giving
respect and support to Israel (and reclaiming strength and pride
for Diaspora) would have to be reinvented anew. This effort
extends beyond philanthropy or government bonds. As in any true
relationship, the real American-Israel bonds were and remain an
intricate web of two-way street. The collection you are about to
see is focused on the often invisible poetry of different paths
we traveled together.
 The
collection is a private undertaking of attorney Boris Gorbis,
founder of Am-Is Museum, in whose office it is now located. It
consists of over 5,000 artifacts, from early Israel (1930's to
1970's) as well as number of rare books, magazines, graphic
materials, photographs, plaques and other materials reflecting
America-to-Israel and Israel-to-America passage of people,
images and ideas. While relatively new and in some ways still
raw this collection delivers powerful messages from that unique
time period.
When we think of Israel in the first
decades of its existence, we often see it as scenes of heroic
struggle against Arab armies over the backdrop of an arid land
yet to blossom. We see it in black and white images of refugees
pouring in from four corners of the world ready to fight for the
survival of their new homeland. Little, if any of this imagery
is present in artifacts reaching America from Israel. In fact,
one of the most amazing features of the Israeli artisans
creations in 1940's, 50's and 60s is the depiction of Israel
outside of the scope pf strife and war.
These decorative, ritual and
functional objects (together with oranges and roses - the
major source of foreign revenue fir Israel's struggling economy)
provide a lyrical, naive and romantic narrative. Hundreds of
small kibbutz-based enterprises, foundries and metal shops
produced images of women carrying water (Life), dancers and hora
(Joy), baskets of fruits with flowers and enormous vine
(Abundance). They carries bas-reliefs of Ruth and David, Solomon
and Tamar (Tradition) and scenes of victorious Maccabies
(Strength) and the symbols of the 12 tribes (Unity).
And so it was that American
travelers to Israel returned home with gifts made in new visual
language of Joy and Abundance, of Strength and Tradition, of
Unity and Life which served to facilitate and strengthen
perception of Israel and its people. Made of copper and bronze,
from silver and brass, these items ranged from Art Deco to
Machine Age, from Traditional to Arts and Crafts, from Modern to
Socialist Realism.
We need not romanticize the early
metalcraft production - these images were made at great personal
sacrifice. While the raw materials, especially bronze, brass and
copper, were in great supply (following its many wars Israel had
one of the largest stockpiles of spent ammunition) the
technology was primitive and dangerous. The use if hazardous
chemicals (usually arsenic or cyanide salts) to create the
famous green (verdigris) effect was banned in the mid 1960's,
but it was the dard green color of Israeli made items that made
them identifiable are treasured.
The early artisans had little
interest in making souvenirs - the need to maintain quality and
to balance their artistic integrity with economic reality
resulted in massive pieces like Pal Bell and Daygi lamps, 25"
decorative plated and smaller hand made Menorahs remarkable fro
gracefulness and uniqueness of the design.
As times and tastes changed so did
the manufacturing process. By the 1970's production of
Israeliana (as distinguished from Judaica) artifacts shifted to
India before being phased out by ceramics glass and textiles.
Today, few items are made in Israel proper. The winds of change
closed most if not all enterprises devoted to spreading the
spirit of early Israel from four decades that seem so close and
so far removed from today.
Welcome and enjoy with pride. Our
facility and displays seem to be so close as to be overwhelming.
However, we hope to expand soon and will always recognize and
treasure your contributions. We welcome donations of
memorabilia, Israeliana items, photographs, diaries of Israel
trips, certificates of appreciation for your past donations,
planting of the trees and any other Israel related items you
wish to preserve. We would be grateful for donations of funds to
enable us to build a bigger home and deal with large personal
archives.
We are open Monday through Friday 10
am to 5:30 pm for groups of four persons or less. Please call
323-651-1600 and let us know when you are coming. Thank you.
Donations are graciously accepted
by NAFI (New Americans Foundation, Inc), a 501 (c) (s)
non-profit organization. Tax Exempt Certificate EX 217495
issued June 5, 1998.
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