The House of the Fallen and the Risen

.03.Fall.2010. .138.139. The The memorial House centers found in most Israeli cities are designed, above of all, to commemorate the country’s fallen soldiers, yet these the emblems of national identity are rife with contradictions. In the process Fallen of documenting history, death and and pain, they also attempt to direct the visitors’ gaze the “‘[…] while as for you, Achilles, no man was in the past more fortunate, nor in the future shall be; for formerly, during your life, we Argives gave forward, toward you equal honor with the gods, and now you are a mighty lord among the the future – and dead when here. Then do not grieve at having died, Achilles.’ thus have been ‘So I spoke, and straightway answering me said her: ‘Mock not at death, Risen glorious Odysseus. Better to be the hireling of a stranger, and serve a man transformed of mean estate whose living is but small, than be the ruler over all these into full-fledged dead and gone.’” museums (Homer, The Odyssey, translated by George Herbert Palmer, ¬ TULA AMIR New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004) . .03.Fall.2010. .140.141. hen I entered the which was originally lined with windows, The Paths on one side of the path, while vegetation when one stands to the south, the only parts memorial center was similarly blocked, and in the past four The garden is traversed by two paths that The use of vegetation in may be seen peering over the wall on its of the building that are visible are the roof for fallen soldiers years, as already mentioned, the northern create a pedestrian passageway running on a other side. The wall conceals the building and the windows located below it, which in Tel Aviv during wall has gradually been covered over. This north-south axis, from Bnei Moshe Street to Israeli gardens is often from those passing by on Bnei Moshe Street; jut up over the vegetation-covered hill. The my last visit there, memorial center, which is situated on Pinkas Pinkas Street. The central path is wide enough in this manner, the small residential street roof lends the building the appearance of a the lobby was filled Street, was planned in 1960 by the architects (about 14 meters) to serve as a plaza of sorts charged with meaning is not overshadowed by the building, while monolith – a single block of stone rising up withW a graceful group of girls in pink ballet Israel Lothan[2] and Zvi Toren.[3] It is situated at the entrance to the building. This is not a that exceeds aesthetic affording an enjoyable view of the garden. At from the terrain – thus endowing it with a suits, holding up their faces to the parents within a spacious garden in the center of Tel ceremonial plaza, yet it clearly communicates the same time, the wall isolates those walking dramatic quality and distinguishing it from the who were busy applying their makeup. The Aviv, like a negative space cut into the urban to those walking or driving down the street down the path from the surrounding urban surrounding urban environment. girls and their families had assembled for sphere. In 1993, an auditorium planned by that the wide path leads to an official building. and gardening values. sphere. The wall continues into the building the dress rehearsal of a dance school’s annual the architect R. Teldor was integrated into The path-plaza is located on the western side and bisects it: The larger, southern part of Memorial Centers performance. In contrast to this scene of the building. of the building, closer to the heart of the city, In this case, the the building contains the lobby and entrance The memorial center in Tel Aviv is one sweet mayhem, the courtyard of the eternal and invites visitors into the garden and into to the auditorium on one side, and offices of a series of similar institutions located flame, which is open to the sky, seemed more The Garden the building itself. The same path narrows to memorial center is and restrooms on the other. The texture of throughout the country. These sites share no silent than ever. The hall of the fallen, which When viewing the memorial center approximately three and a half meters as it the scrubbed concrete wall is transformed clear-cut visual or architectural characteristics. is entered through this courtyard, was entirely from Pinkas Street, one hardly notices the continues north toward Bnei Moshe Street. surrounded by local on the interior by a layer of plaster, only to They were built over an extensive period of empty. Empty, yet filled with the names of concealed building, which is enveloped by, The second path running through the garden re-acquire the same rough, scrubbed texture time based on different plans, were finished numerous fallen soldiers – more than 4,800 and partially buried in, the garden. Tali Alon is located on the eastern side of the building, vegetation, which in the courtyard, which is accessed through with a variety of materials and were designed dead residents of Tel Aviv. As writer and Moses notes that the garden, which was and similarly enables pedestrians to walk across the lobby. Outdoors, the wall is transformed to serve a range of additional functions. The translator Dan Daor has described this space, planned by Avraham Karavan as a memorial the lot. appears to have always once again into a sign, which bears the names one element that is common to all the centers three of its walls are covered with “lists with garden, supports and enhances the experience of “The brave men who rebelled and rose up I have visited over time is the hall bearing the names of all the soldiers who died in of commemoration that unfolds within the The Wall existed there naturally, in defense during the battles fought for Israeli the names of the fallen. This hall is typically Israel’s wars. Democratically listed, without building’s interior.[4] The use of vegetation Standing at the beginning of the main path, sovereignty and independence – members of separated from the rest of the building and rank, position or heroic feat […]. As the gaze in Israeli gardens is often charged with one can see the five-meter-high wall rising up so that the visitor the Haganah, Etzel and Lehi.” from the activities that take place there by progresses through the list of names, from meaning that exceeds aesthetic and gardening at the point where it ends, and separated from means of a second lobby, and it is usually the War of Independence through to the values. In this case, the memorial center is it by a pebbled area. Like the facade of the seems to be walking The Building empty, silent and dark. Lebanon War, something rather surprising surrounded by local vegetation, which appears building itself, it is made of brushed concrete The memorial center is divided into four The initiative to create the country’s first is revealed. If this presentation is to be to have always existed there naturally, so that (an iron brush is used to expose the aggregate through a fragment of main areas. Its central space serves as a lobby, memorial center preceded the end of Israel’s believed then not only are there no heroes, the visitor seems to be walking through a concealed within the cast). This wall fulfills from which the building’s different functions War of Independence. An announcement but in fact there has only been one long fragment of the local landscape. The garden numerous functions: To begin with, it serves as the local landscape branch out. The lobby provides access to the written by two bereaved mothers, and war, which began with the establishment of created by Karavan isolates the building from the support for a sign composed of large metal auditorium, which may be used for theater, published in three morning newspapers in the state of Israel and continued until there the road; visitors may walk along the wide letters, which are affixed to it individually music and dance performances.[5] It also leads December 1948, urged all mothers who lost was no more room on the wall.”[1] Since this granulite paths that lead to the building, yet to form the words “Memorial Center” (in to the artists’ entrance, which is located below their sons in the war to unite and found a essay was written in 2006, a new portion of they cannot enter it. The garden is filled with Hebrew, Yad Labanim, the name for this type the auditorium, to the offices and restrooms, center dedicated to fallen soldiers. This first the memorial wall has been affixed to the plants that Karavan collected throughout the of commemorative building, literally translates and to the courtyard. The courtyard, in turn, step toward the creation of the country’s adjacent wall of windows, bearing additional country: It contains a mixture of different as “Memorial for the Sons”). The words leads into the building’s main space, the hall of ongoing commemorative tradition was names. The fallen continue to die. The year species, which were brought together in an “Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality” appear below, the fallen. The building is surrounded by an significantly described as a “memorial for the the hall was inaugurated, the names of all the attempt to create a seemingly natural and followed by the symbol of the city, which is unusually high roof (about 2.3 meters high), sons,” rather than a “memorial for the fallen.” dead soldiers fit onto its western wall, which untouched landscape.

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