Welcome to the fourth Israeli origami convention and to the "Origami Greetings from the World to Jerusalem" festival. We hope that you will enjoy the convention and the festival, and enjoy meeting our international guests.

Please review our rules and program!

At the convention you will have the opportunity to present your origami works at the convention hall and the hotel lobby. All models presented at the hotel lobby will be placed and arranged by the artist Paul Jackson.

Entrance to the folding hall will be permitted only with your convention badge. Please do not forget or lose your badges.

Our international guests are:

* Eric Joisel, an origami master artist from France and the guest of honor of the convention

* Larry Hart, the editor of the magazine "British Origami," the most important origami newsletter since 1967

* Judy Hart, an origami enthusiast from England

* Peter Wielinga, a psychologist and chairman of the Origami Society Netherlands

* Janneke Wielinga, a professional origami teacher and folder of decorative models from the Netherlands.

* Joel Stern, a prominent member of a Jewish community in Los Angeles, CA, origami book author, and creator of POP-UP models.

* Faye Goldman, an origami enthusiast and instructor from Pennsylvania, USA.

* Deborah Winograd (?), an origami enthusiast from Dallas, Oregon (?).

* Irene Rosenberg (?), an origami enthusiast from Dallas, Oregon.

* Ruthanne Bessman, an important origami artist from Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and a board member of origamiUSA.

* Hagit Shalev, an Israeli living in the USA, an origami enthusiast and teacher.

We hope you will enjoy the convention,

The convention organizing team.

The opening reception of the "Origami Greetings from the World To Jerusalem" festival will be held on 24 July, 2008 at the Moriah Classic hotel, Jerusalem.

Every year one country is chosen, to which hundreds and thousands of origami models are sent. These models are sent from all over the world from various communities who want to express their love with origami.

This year, Jerusalem was selected. This festival is recognized by Unicef as one of the preferred art projects.

On July 24, 2008, at 14:00, children of Eastern and Western Jerusalem will fold with 14 international origami artists. These artists will fold and have fun with the kids. At 17:00 a special ceremony to unveil the 1500 models will be held together with various distinguished guests. The ceremony will take place with the 1500 models hanging over our heads.

These models arrived from various Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities from all over the world.

Master artist Eric Joisel will present for Mr. Gideon Ezra and special origami crane from recycled paper. A film will be shown in which children from Eastern and Western Jerusalem will sing the Sakura song together with the opera singer Isako Ikada in Japanese, Hebrew, and Arabic. This song is about the cherry blossoms after the hard winter.

After the ceremony, the models will travel and will be shown at various communities in Israel.

Festival

Visitors to the Convention may also wish to stay for the Festival.

Dates              24 July, 2008.  The official opening is at 5.00pm

25-26 July.  Folding events at the Festival site, visits to Jewish, Moslem and Christian schools within the Old City.

28 July.  Closing of the Festival

Place              Inside the Old City of Jerusalem, between the Moslem, Jewish and Christian Quarters, at the intersection of several ancient, narrow, covered streets

Organised by the Folding Together Project (see www.foldingtogether.org/), this is an Origami Peace Tree event, retitled:

‘Origami Regards from the World to Jerusalem’

Thousands of origami designs will be hung above the narrow streets of the Old City at the intersection of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem quarters, to create a spectacular canopy of origami under which people will walk.  The Festival has the enthusiastic support of the Jerusalem City Council, though to maintain its neutrality in a City of three religions, the event is not affiliated to any religious group nor receives any official sponsorship.

During the Festival, 800 children of the 3 religions will be bussed to the site from all over Israel to fold together.  Origami artists will visit schools within the walls of the Old City to give special workshops.

 

Please send model contributions for the Festival

1. We will ACCEPT
     a) stars, kusudamas, modulars, decorations
     b) birds, butterflies
     c) hearts
     d) models less than 20cm along the longest dimension
   
   2.  We will NOT ACCEPT
     a) models with any religious motif (Star of David, cross, crescent, angel,
   etc)
     b) models not specified in 1. above
     c) mobiles, diaramas
   
   3.  We need all the models to be strong, so we are happy for glue, wire,
   etc, to be used to give them extra strength.
   
   4.  If you are sending a bird or butterfly, please be sure that the model
   balances correctly and the wings will not droop.  It will be seen from
   below
   
   5.  1m of white cotton must be VERY SECURELY attached to each model.  Please wrap the cotton around and around a small piece of stiff cardboard.  .
   
   6.  Place each model into a transparent nylon bag, with your name and address.
   
   7.  Please send models to

                  Project Jerusalem: 2008

                  Israeli Origami Center

                  Abba Hilel 146

                  Ramat Gan

                  Israel 52572

                  Tel +972-3-751 3483

To arrive before 15^th June, 2008.

Please fold with your family, friends, school, or club to send as many models as possible.

To help us recoup the cost of bringing children to the Festival site, we would gratefully receive small donations.  The donation form will be on the bookings page for the Convention hotel (see above).

THANK YOU!

With this Festival, we will show the love of the world for Jerusalem, for reconciliation, for tolerance and for togetherness. 

*** There is no better place in the world for origami from around the world to be exhibited.  Please send models!  Please come! ***

Other Events

Concurrent with the Convention and Festival is a major exhibition of Paper Art by 35 artists at the Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv (a suburb of Tel Aviv), curated by Paul Jackson.  It features art from a diversity of paper techniques, including paper making, papier mache, paper cutting and of course, origami.

If required, tours of the Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, the Negev Desert and other places may be organized for overseas visitors.