Muscovy Mandala
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SHELI RONNEN Interview by Harryet Candee
Harryet Candee: Sheli, can you describe what it was like to work in a dark room that was originally made to be a local bomb shelter in your village, in Jerusalem, Israel? Tell us about this experience. Sheli Ronnen: It was actually quite comforting and exhilarating… I knew I didn’t have to go anywhere in case of an air raid siren. I knew I was in the safest place possible. Shai was a wonderful teacher and as long as there were no sirens it really just felt like a darkroom. I was learning “magic“ in a very safe place. We were in a small storage section as the rest of the shelter was used for different activities in peaceful times. Occasionally movies would be shown there. A lot of James Bond movies. I could see how this might sound strange, but to me, and I imagine, to most Israelis bomb shelters feel like a safe place. Most homes have 34 • OCTOBER 2021 THE ARTFUL MIND
individual ones or the very least what’s called a safe room against biological attacks. I’d rather have one then not. You mentioned working for the Jerusalem Post, what was that like? I absolutely loved working for the Jerusalem Post. There wasn’t an aspect of it that I didn’t enjoy or learn from, not to mention all the wonderfully talented people I got to work with. I worked in any department that would have me, starting at the bottom, pasting articles into binders and eventually winding up as the assistant features editor. Each department had its own charm and was instrumental in developing different skill sets. I was even the soccer “medic/coach’ for the paper’s team. I loved every minute of it, and occasionally I was allowed to stand in for a player.
Tell us about the village you grew up in, what was it like? What was it like for you? Do you know if it has changed much? I grew up in a village in Judaean Hill’s just outside of Jerusalem. It was a small village where we all knew each other for the most part. No stores, no traffic lights. Vegetable trucks came through as well as dairy, for anything else you had to go into Jerusalem. It was beautifully set into the hillside with many different fruit orchards and open fields. At first glance, one may mistake it for the Italian countryside, as the terraces built into the hill are very reminiscent of Italian landscapes. One of the central streets in the village was lined with carob trees on both sides. Let’s just say we never went hungry— there was always a tree to climb up at your heart’s desire. There was never a reason to stop playing and go home for lunch.
