The Moroccan Jewish Museum for Living Culture
Judean Hills Region
Draft for consultation
The Association for multi-culture development ltd.
prepared by Marc M. Eliany
Introduction
Settlers in most small villages in Israel used to make a living from farming. But the restructuring of the Israeli economy reduced the feasibility of profitable farming in small scales, making economic renewal a necessity.
As many of the villages are populated by one dominant group of immigrants, cultural tourism is proposed as a venue of economic development. The idea is based on setting up a museum and archive of a specific ethnic group, i.e., a Moroccan Jewish Museum for Living Culture and encourage settlers to build tourism services around it.
Although the focus in this presentation is on Moroccan Jewish culture, the model is applicable to other cultures (i.e., Yemenite or Russian etc…), including secular culture, such as sports (i.e., a soccer training camp) or the performing arts (i.e, Jewish theatre) or an art gallery which targets multi-cultural exhibitions.
The ultimate objective is to encourage multi-cultural development in Israel and inter-cultural tolerance, and anchor them in an underlying and self sustaining structure of productive economic, educational and cultural activities.
What is a Museum for Living Culture?
Most museums offer material culture exhibits. A variety of items convey an idea as to life at given periods of time. Visitors are expected to watch rather than take part in any given activity, except in museums geared for children and youth.
The Moroccan Jewish Museum for Living Culture intends to present multi-media exhibits, which offer visitors active participation through workshops, lectures, as well as food and entertainment festivals. For example, along an exhibition of copper arts and crafts items, there would be videos of craftsmen producing similar work, a craftsman at work, as well as, workshops for interested visitors. There would be also a museum shop selling reproductions as well as original works made of copper. The museum may also initiate an open market to sell and exchange offers used and antique copper work in conjunction an exhibit.
The museum will produce a series of activities based on the cycle of life and holidays of a specific Jewry, i.e., the Moroccan Jewry. For example, an exhibition focusing on circumcision, would offer items relating to circumcision (Elijah’s chair, circumcision knifes, related clothing, pictures, paintings, videos and films, music…), as well as, lectures on circumcision, a festival focusing on music and story telling relating to circumcision, and the possibility to celebrate circumcision on location, as a cultural event and source of income for the museum.
The objective of the museum will be to shed light on a specific culture, i.e., the Jewish Moroccan culture, through a series of festivals highlighting the way life cycle and holiday events were celebrated in a multi-dimensional context as illustrated above.
Museum income producing activities will be used to maintain programs as well as reduce dependence on donors and ensure long term existence.
The museum will produce a data base of experts interested in Moroccan Jewish culture, who will offer lectures and educational programs on location, in schools and elsewhere, as well as, host conferences from time to time.
The museum will produce a data base of bibliography lists, abstracts and selected publication with special focus on Moroccan Jewish culture, to facilitate relevant research.
The museum will act a publisher and distributor of publications (journals and books) with special focus on Moroccan Jewish culture, in a digital formats (website and CD’s) and printed copies, as the Jewish Publications Society does in America.
All museum activities shall be base on high professional standards, relying on experts and specialized juries, excluding political or immaterial considerations.
Cultural tourism in neighboring villages
In addition to activities initiated by the museum, an effort will be made to encourage settlers in neighboring villages to offers accommodation and food services in a culture specific style, i.e., that of Moroccan Jewry.
The museum will host workshops to guide settlers through the process of setting up such culture specific operations, as well as, assist in the establishment of central reservation systems, websites, marketing, etc…
The economic aspect
Most museum exhibits and selected educational activities will be priced at cost to allow access to the widest audience possible. In addition, special groups from remote or disadvantaged areas will be targeted and subsidized for educational and cultural enrichment purposes.
The museum will aim to produce revenues to finance its non-profit activities by organizing or co-producing festivals, seminars and workshops, as well as renting spaces, sales of arts and crafts, books and food.
The museum aims to contribute to regional economic development by providing economic opportunities to settlers in small village based on cultural tourism. It is reasonable to suggest that such an initiative would have economic benefit to the region as a whole. One would also expect the Jewish Agency to lend a hand to this initiative, along with the New Israeli Fund, the ministries of education, agriculture and tourism.
Project description
Between 1.5 and 1.8 million tourists go through the Judean Hills regional municipality (Matei Yehuda), 400,000 visitors at Mini-Israel, 250,000 at Yad Lashirion (an Army Memorial), 250,000 at Netifim Cave, national parks 250,000, wineries 100,000, ethnic food 50-80,000, Beith Govrin 250,000.
The region offers 50,000 acres of parks and another 50,000 acres of farm land.
Many tourists drive through the region on the way to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, North or South, so central is the region and so much tourism potential it has. A significant number of tourists spend time in neighboring villages on the way to Jerusalem, hiking the Judean Hills, but few stay at Judean Hills regional municipality villages, except for passing visits during festivals.
Collective and cooperative villages (kibbutzim and moshavim) in the region offer selected services to tourists but too little to extend their stay. Villages do not show well in many cases, in spite of a breath taking landscape, national parks, hiking and cycling trails. Marketing the region and its products, services and talent seem to have yielded limited results.
Beth Shemesh has a shopping centre which caters to neighboring residents, but offers little to tourists, and nothing to distinguish it from other shopping centres. Restaurants and food stands are common, failing to attract tourists. Tourists pass by and do not stay overnight or spend any significant portion of their travel budget in the region. In general, the image of the region, with few exceptions, is not positive enough to attract tourism at any significant scale.
The review above suggests that the choice of touristic facilities, although promising, remains narrow, accommodation opportunities are limited, and most important, the region does not differentiate itself from more attractive destinations. In order to entice tourists to stay overnight in the region and spend more of their travel budget locally, the choice of accommodation facilities must widen, their quality and uniqueness improved. Thus, it is proposed that cultural tourism built around museums of living culture would distinguish the region and make it a special destination.
Taking advantage of a multi-cultural setting
A significant portion of the population in the Judean Hills region is blessed with immigrants of a multi-cultural background. Many are of North African and Asian decent. Some are still attached to their culture of origin. An immigration society, such as Israel, should with a modest investment, encourage the development of a positive image around the multi-cultural heritage of its immigrants, in museums of living culture at villages in the region, i.e., Yemenite culture at Yshi’, Indian culture at Mesilat Zion, Moroccan culture at Sedot Micah and art at Netiv Halamed He.
It is thus proposed to set up a museum and archive in each village, focusing on a specific ethnic or secular culture, to distinguish one from another, and build around them a variety of cultural and educational activities as well as a tourism service industry. Services do not have to be concentrated at one location but planning and coordination should be centralized to benefit from an economy of scale. Thus, it would make sense to set up an Open Moroccan Market at one village (i.e, Sedot Micah), an archive at another village, (i.e., Aderet), and festivals at yet another village (i.e., Netiv Halamed He), giving the region a multi-cultural image.Tourists can buy a ‘passport’ and travel from village to village to experience the multi-cultural making of Israel.
Such events are in existence in Canada and are tremendously successful. Tourists (and families) spend long vacations in such places, i.e., (Winnipeg, Manitoba or Kingston, Ontario), because they offer a special experience in a multi dimensional and multi-cultural context.
There are Arab villages in the region (Abu gush, Rafa…) and they should be integrated in the project. Further, upon the conclusion of peace negotiations, a significant flow of tourists will pass through the region, to destinations on both sides of the border. (Hebron is close, on the other side of the border.)
The region must distinguish itself as a destination for tourists to draw economic benefits from cultural tourism. For this reason, museums for living culture and related activities are proposed to give a specific image to the region, to market itself as a special cultural tourism product. A description of cultural tourism services follows.
Note that most museum activities are non-profit. Other activities are profit oriented and are meant to be delivered by settlers in local villages. Profit and non-profit activities are intertwined for cross promotion purposes.
Selected project ideas relating to museum activities
The Museum of Living Culture
The Museum of Living Culture would consist of
an exhibition space,
workshop/studio/sales spaces, as well as,
a Guest House, and,
an open space youth hostel to accommodate students for educational purposes.
The exhibition space would offer rotating multi-media exhibitions focusing on the holidays (i.e., Passover) and life cycle (i.e., weddings) of a specific culture, highlighting material and non-material aspects. From time to time, the Museum will also hold art exhibitions with a particular focus, i.e., synagogue scenes in photography and paintings.
Multi dimensional activities
Activities at the Museum of Living Culture would consist of multi-dimensional activities as described below. A rotation of resident and guest artists/experts and the particularity of each festival would make the place unique and attract tourists on an ongoing basis.
The market associated with the museum, the workshops run by artists, arts and crafts people and other experts, together with culture specific accommodation and food services will immerse visitors in a particular culture, i.e., Jewish Moroccan life.
In the case of the Moroccan Jewish culture, an effort will be made to set up the exhibition space, the workshops and the guest rooms around interior gardens in Moorish/Spanish/Oriental style. Unique Moroccan interiors and landscapes would distinguish the place and provide it with the image needed to attract tourists on a regular basis.
Residential units, at one side, would include a bedroom, washroom, kitchenette, and a multi purpose living room, to be used as an additional sleeping space. Exhibition and workshop spaces would be located on the opposite side. Mixing living spaces with exhibition and work spaces would bring life to the place.
Guest rooms would be located in a converted chicken house. (Many chicken houses stand abandoned. They offer basic structures ready for conversion into exhibition and living spaces at a vey reasonable cost).
Exhibition and workshop spaces would be located in a second converted chicken house, facing the first. The space in between would turn into an interior Moorish/Spanish/Oriental courtyard and garden.
In addition, the planned interior courtyard, currently on a slope, will be turned into wide steps, to allow for an amphitheatre like space, for multi-purpose uses, i.e., shows, festivals, celebrations, etc…
This unique Moroccan design would distinguish the place from other and make it a special attraction for tourists.
A register of artists and experts
A survey will be conducted to prepare a register and data base of artists and experts interested in a particular culture, i.e., Jewish Moroccan culture. The purpose is to enlist as many collaborators as possible on a voluntary basis. There is little doubt that the initiative would encourage local and regional development and have an economic multiplier effect.
An artist/expert in residence program
A residency program would be established to host artists, arts and crafts specialists, as well as other experts to work locally, offer workshops and lectures. The length of stay would be limited to an agreed upon period, to meet programming needs. The residency program would be financed by museum revenues, as well as, program sponsors.
Studio and workshop rentals
Rooms and studios would be rented to specialized arts and crafts people interested in setting workshops on location on as need basis.
A jewelry market
The museum will hold jewelry exhibits. At the same time, jewelers at work will demonstrate their skills, jewelry making will be taught at workshops, all this in conjunction with a jewelry open market, offering new and antique jewelry.
Arts and crafts market
The museum will host an arts and crafts market in the region. The museum will have a arts and crafts exhibits from Morocco but in addition to exhibits, arts and crafts people at work will demonstrate their skills to visitors and offer workshops to visitors, combined with occasional open market sales.
A Market of Moroccan Arts and Crafts and related products
The museum will host a market of Moroccan Arts and Crafts and related products. An attempt will be made to shift the focus from product to product, i.e., a market of copper arts and crafts on one occasion and a market of carpet at another time.
An Open Market
It is proposed to set up an Open Market at one the Azeka Junction, adjoining the Britania Park, on the road to Ashdod and Kiriat Gat. This market would be a means to attract tourists on a re-occurring basis, i.e., every Friday. The market would rotate fairs offering jewelry one week, arts and crafts a second week, products from North Africa a third week, combined with a farmers market.
A Museum Guest House and Hamam
It is proposed to establish a Museum Guest House, in a specific ethnic style, adjoining the Museum, to host visitors on as need basis. To distinguish the museum guest house from other places, it is proposed to incorporate in it a ‘hamam’ steam bath and to the extent feasible, a Moroccan style spa, with a store selling traditional as well as contemporary beauty and cosmetics products.
The Museum guest house to be built in a converted Chicken house around an interior Oriental Moroccan garden. Each unit will contain a bedroom, a washroom, a kitchenette, and an adjoining living room. Each unit will have a private entrance, giving to the interior oriental garden. The design around a lush interior garden will distinguish the guest house from other places, add to its image and help attract visitors.
Similarly, an open space youth hostel will house visiting students on annual tours, so common in Israel, as part of the curriculum program. Students will be exposed to the rich cultural making of Israel. The youth hostel may be located in a neighboring village.
A campground is also being considered pending collaboration and approval of KKL authorities.
Accommodation at private homes
In addition to the Museum guest house and youth hostel, it is proposed to encourage the development of Guest Rooms in a specific ethnic style, in private homes or backyards, to host visitors on as need basis. A survey will be conducted in the region to identify interested parties in Judean Hills villages.
The museum will assist interested parties through the process of building private guest rooms in specific ethnic styles, and coordinate marketing and reservations to reduce cost and vacancies. It is reasonable to assume that at least 40 parties would join the project.
Festivals and cultural events
It is proposed to establish festivals with special focus on life cycle events such as circumcision, bar mitzvah and weddings, as well as the holidays cycle, i.e., Passover, Mimuna, Succoth, Simhat Torah, etc… The museum will coordinate its activities with existing regional festivals and contribute to their amplification.
The region offers a food festival in February and March every year. This festival attracts an estimated 50-80,000 visitors to food served in private homes, in most cases.
In the month of August, the region holds a Bible festival of one week duration. This festival attracts an estimated 10,000 visitors.
The region offers a wine festival in September every year (5,000 visitors). About 28 wineries attract an estimated 100,000 visitors.
Most current festivals are of one dimension, i.e., focus on wine sales. Museum sponsored festivals will aim to offers a multi-dimensional experience which includes a focus on a cultural theme, with an exhibit, workshops, lectures, story telling, music, food and so forth. An effort will be made to beef up existing festivals by incorporating into them cultural activities, to entice visitors to stay in the region longer periods and spend more of their travel allowance in Judean Hills’ villages.
The objective of the festivals is to expose visitors to an Israeli multi-cultural society but also make the region known to tourists and increase the volume of visitors at times, outside of the festival season.
Art festivals
The museum will host two art festivals every year:
The first will focus on
Israeli artists painting and photographing Israeli scenes and landscapes.
The second festival will host
international artists focusing on Bible and Jewish scenes.
The two festivals will be based on an open call to artists and participation will be based on jury selection to ensure high quality.
Holiday festivals
The museum will sponsor festivals with special cultural character, i.e., a Passover festival which ends with the Mimuna. Such a festival will highlight the way an Israeli group of immigrants celebrates a holiday. Visitors will be invited to spend the holiday in the region, at local guest houses and private homes, to celebrate Passover and Mimuna with people of Moroccan Jewish background. Exhibits, workshops, story telling and food fairs would be held in conjunction with this festival. A music component will be incorporated in the festival, i.e., a piyut festival (religious chanting).
The proposed location of museum, close to Park Britania, at the intersections of Haela and Azeka junctions, and at the edge of existing villages, is likely to facilitate holding music festivals of large dimensions, while alleviating noise and disturbances nearby. The inclined landscape would allow building an amphitheatre at a reduced cost. The music component of the project is of essence, as it tends to attract a large audience and bring in a significant income.
Food services, receptions and life cycle celebrations
It is proposed to establish a quality ethnic restaurant, a winery, a Mahia making facility using local crops, a beer making facility, catering services, a tea house, all in a particular cultural style, i.e., Moroccan Jewish style, and link between them and other services, using a map and guide.
In addition, it would be of great value to encourage the establishment of regional marketing facilities for local products, i.e., a wine marketing centre, etc… It is proposed to revitalize village store by turning them into regional marketing stores for local products, .i.e., wines in one village, cheese at another village etc…
A regional register of food service providers
The museum will sponsor a survey of food service provider and enlist homemakers into this projects. Women at home, who have the skills to provide jams, cookies, cakes, or any other food that meets given requirements, shall be given the opportunity to join a regional register of food service providers. This initiative would have a significant multiplier effect, by providing an additional source of income to people who are now considered unemployable. Home made products will be sold at regional marketing facilities mentioned earlier, possibly at specialized and revitalized village stores.
Receptions and Life Cycle Celebrations
The museum will offer a reception service. Families will be given the opportunity to hold celebrations in open spaces within the museum. Such celebrations will be modest and take place according to specific cultural traditions. A cultural program shall be a key component to such celebrations, i.e., music and story telling. Hosting such even will provide reasonable revenue to the museum to sustain its activities.
A quality ethnic food restaurant
The museum will sponsor a quality ethnic food restaurant to provide for guest house visitors as well as other visitors. The same restaurant would also cater receptions and life cycle celebrations on location as well as elsewhere.
More modest meals would be available ay road side restaurants, neighboring gas stations, as well as at home ‘canteens’ at Judean Hills villages.
A winery, a micro brewery, a wine house and a pub
|
It is common in many European and North American destinations to combine wine and beer production with wine and beer consumption and sales, served with and without food.
In some places, guests are given the opportunity to make their own wine or beer on location. An effort should be made to create a pub and wine house as well as a do-it-yourself beer or wine club.
This component is likely to attract a different type of tourism and turn the region into a destination for young adults. It would be worthwhile to offer good music and dance floors for young crowds to mingle. Such places could be marketed as places to hold birthdays as well as students’ year end celebrations.
The pub and wine house will sell:
beer made at local micro-breweries (boutique beers with private labels),
wine made at local wineries (boutique wine with private labels),
Mahia (a Moroccan style vodka) brew house (specialty mahia with private labels),
Wine, beer and mahia brewing workshops,
Sales of brewing equipments.
A Moroccan tea house
One of the unique features of the Moroccan Jewish Museum for Living Culture will be a Moroccan Tea House, a place to consume tea and coffee of exotic flavors, along with delicious Moroccan pastries. The tea house could become a destination in itself, as well as, a place to hold family celebrations of quality modest scales, i.e., a hena ceremony or a birthday.
The tea house will sell:
specialty teas and coffees,
specialty pastries,
tea and coffee making equipment etc…
Gas Stations, Information and Road Side Services and Local Specialized Stores
The volume of traffic in the region, at least four times the number of visitors, (1.6Mx4= 6.4 millions per year), points to more than average fuel sales at gas station in the regions.
It is proposed to establish information stations at existing gas stations, road side businesses as well as at revitalized village stores and businesses, and village offices and billboards. It is proposed to revitalize local village stores by adding to them local products (wine, oil, cheeses, flowers, and arts and crafts) to turn each store into a unique regional attraction, i.e., one specialized in olive oil products, another in local wines, etc….
It is essential to develop a road signage system to guide tourists to attractions and services in the region.
It would be highly effective to use gas station to promote the region, using information stations and volunteers to guide and inform tourists as to nearby attractions. The information station could be located at a canteen or a restaurant alongside the gas station. Information services have an impact on tourists’ decision as to where to fuel, eat, rest, or visit nearby locations. An effective information service would guide visitors to Judean Hill sites. It is very important to negotiate with the ministry of tourism the installation of information station at key points in the Judean Hills region, i.e., gas station and roadside canteens and restaurants.
Another matter is esthetics at the gas stations, information boots and road side food stops. Well cared for stations, welcoming landscaped and cleanliness would open the door to a visit in the region. Attractive stations with good roadside services will enhance the image of the region and entice tourist to visit or extend their stay in the region or come back at another time.
The traffic volume also justifies the establishment of road side canteens. However, an effort should be made to combine them with information and fueling station.
To conclude,
The region must distinguish itself as a destination for tourists to draw economic benefits from cultural tourism. Museums for living culture and related activities are proposed to give a specific image to the region, to market itself as a special cultural tourism product. It is proposed to conduct a regional survey, produce a consultation document on the basis of the survey results, as well as a series of public consultations to enlist local villagers to join into this initiative. There is room for everyone to make a contribution, the young may find in this initiative business and employment opportunities, while the elderly may turn into active good will ambassadors, informants and story tellers.
An economic perspective
Location Location
It is proposed to set up a Moroccan Jewish Museum for Living Culture At the Ela Valley, at Moshav Sedot micah, close to Azeka and Ela Junctions, near entrances to Park Britania (roads 38, 383, 375). These roads lead south to Kiriat Gat and Beer Sheba, west to Ashdod and Tel Aviv and east to Jerusalem and Hebron in the West Bank. Access to the region via toll road number 6 is close. So is the access via road number 1 from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Access by train, buses and taxies is ample. Some of the satellite projects would be located at neighboring villages, i.e., Aderet, Gefen, Tirosh, Givat Yshayahu, Zafririm, etc…
Specific statistics on traffic in the region were not available when drafting this report.
However, it is known that between 1.5 and 1.8 million tourists go through the Judean Hills regional municipality (Matei Yehuda), 400,000 visitors at Mini-Israel, 250,000 at Yad Lashirion (an Army Memorial), 250,000 at netifim cave, national parks 250,000, wineries 100,000, ethnic food 50-80,000, Beith Govrin 250,000.
Traffic is certainly much higher than tourism statistics, probably 3 to 4 times as much, or 4.5 and 7.2 million cars driving by nearby roads. Therefore the potential for attracting some of it is tremendous and an effort should be made to tap into it, as proposed in this paper.
Target population
Israeli visitors at the Judean Hills region
Young couple preparing weddings
Youth preparing Bar mitzvah
Foreign tourists interested in multi-cultural Israel.
Artists and arts and crafts people in the Judean Hills region based on a survey
Israeli artists on the basis of a an annual call for artists at art schools and artists associations
Foreign artists on the basis of a an annual call for artists at art schools and artists associations
Israeli Children and youth through school programs
Foreign youth through the Jewish Agency (Taglit, Birtright)
Foreign adults youth through the Jewish Agency (Gideonim),
Israeli tourists interested in multi cultural arts, music and traditions
Foreign tourists interested in multi cultural arts, music and traditions
Cultural Enrichment and Economic in the Judean Hills region
Museum activities will contribute to the cultural revitalization of the region as well as stimulate its economic growth, thereby giving it a positive image.
The museum will make every effort to involve settlers to join into the project at various capacities, as volunteers (i.e, retired people and youth) but also to make a living from tourism services such as food, art and crafts and accommodation sales.
Cross promotion through intertwining cultural non-profit activities with profit oriented tourism is likely to be most beneficial to all.
The concentration of tourism services in close proximity will distinguish the region from others and entice tourist to stay longer in the region and spend more of their travel budget. It will also encourage cooperation between neighboring parties, and facilitate festival organization.
Job creation
The museum will initiate a survey of the population in the region in order to prepare a register of artists and settlers interested in contributing to the project through volunteer and profit oriented activities. Interested parties would be given the opportunity to participate in fairs, markets and festivals to improve their income.
A special effort will be made to enlist homemakers who do not work out of their home and are considered unemployable, to prepare specialty foods at their own home, i.e., Moroccan, Yemenite, Kurdish, Russian foods, for sale at fairs, as well as, museum sponsored events. Thereby the museum will contribute to improving the income of a hard to reach segment of the population that is experiencing hardship.
Similarly, it would be worthwhile to collaborate with small restaurants and catering services to provide specialty foods to events organized by the museum.
The museum undertakes activities that would normally be initiated by public organization. Regional and national authorities should be interested in such activities, and hopefully provide some support to sustaining them, as they aim to improve the prosperity of settlers who face limited employment or economic opportunities.
Revenue estimates – markets
Jewelry market, every third week, 20 stands,
Arts and crafts market, every third week, 20 stands,
Arts and crafts imported from Morocco market, every third week, 20 stands,
48,000 shekels per year from rentals, ($13,700)
480,000 shekels in sales per year ($137,000)
Revenue estimates – accommodation
Diverse and rich cultural choices, spread over the whole calendar year, are likely to increase occupancy in guest rooms and thereby improve the level of income of settlers in the in the region.
Museum guest rooms, 20 rooms, 60% occupancy,
4380 rooms rented per year, 300 shekels per room,
1,314,000 shekels per year ($375,000)
Private guest room, 40 rooms, 30% occupancy,
4380 rooms rented per year, 300 shekels per room,
1,314,000 shekels per year ($375,000)
Youth Hostel rentals, 60% occupancy,
36 groups, 3 groups per month, 4000 shekels per group,
144,000 shekels per year ($41,000)
Food services and family celebrations
Museum guests food sales
foreign visitors
breakfasts 3495 per year at 25 shekels
or 87377 shekels per year ($25,000)
hot meals 3495 per year at 50 shekels
or 174750 shekels per year ($50,000)
local visitors
breakfasts 3066 per year at 25 shekels
or 76650 shekels per year ($21,900)
hot meals 876 per year at 50 shekels
or 43800 shekels per year ($12,500)
Total income at museum guest house food sales
382,577 shekels ($109300)
Private homes’ guests food sales
Similar assumptions were applied to food sales at private guest homes to produce the estimates below:
Total income at private guest homes food sales
382,577 shekels ($109300)
Museum visitors food sales
382,577 shekels ($109300)
Road side tourists food sales
500,000 shekels per year ($142,800)
Museum restaurant sales to family celebrations
40 weddings per year, 200 guest per wedding, 100 shekels per guest
800,000 shekels per year ($228,000)
40 Bar mitzvahs per year, 200 guest per Bar mitzvah, 100 shekels per guest
800,000 shekels per year ($228,000)
40 circumcisions per year, 100 guest per circumcision, 100 shekels per guest
400,000 shekels per year ($114,000)
total in come from family celebrations
2,000,000 shekels ($570,000)
winery and wine house
About 20% of foreign and Israeli visitors, 11469 people at 25 shekels
286,725 shekels per year ($82,000)
About 10% of local buyers or 8595 buyers at 25 shekels per person
214,875 shekels per year ($61,400)
Total winery income
501,600 shekels ($143,400)
Micro brewery and pub
About 20% of foreign and Israeli visitors, 11469 people at 25 shekels
286,725 shekels per year ($82,000)
About 10% of local buyers or 8595 buyers at 25 shekels per person
214,875 shekels per year ($61,400)
Total micro brewery income
501,600 shekels ($143,400)
Other roadside services
An additional gas station in the region with average sales level to meet the increased traffic level. 25,000 liter or 98,000 shekel per month
1,176,000 shekels per year ($336,000)
A road side canteen and information station
500,000 shekels per year ($143,000)
Total Museum gross income
1,177,300 shekels per year ($336,000)
Total contribution to neighbors income
2,622,900 shekels per year ($791,000)
All estimates above are conservative. Comparable operations use higher estimates. Furthermore, the estimates above include only key operations.
Estimated income from music and story telling festivals were not included to remain on the conservative side, assuming that it would take some time to establish basic operations before building on them…
Implementation strategy
Planners behind this initiative do not intend to carry out this project all at once but in increments and in response to collaboration with local parties. A key feature of the project is motivating local people to carry out profit oriented operation to complement non-profit museum operations. Planners will conduct preliminary surveys, prepare consultation papers and rely on extensive consultations to enlist and motivate people in the region.
Planners behind this initiative have tentative support from foreign donors as well as professional survey and planning specialists.
Project financing
private sources (key investors) 20%
other private sources (misc. local investors) 40%
donations 25%
grants (forgiven municipal and land development taxes) 15%
total 100%
Institutional assistance
Although project initiators rely on private sources and donors to finance most of the proposed project, they do expect the support and assistance of regional and national authorities, through permits, forgiven taxes, grant and access to subsidized loans.
Developers are willing to begin development as soon as land is allocated. Land allocation must include infrastructure development. In addition, developers expect the usual grants from the Ministry of tourism for guest houses establishment (about 25%), as well as other grants for wineries from the Ministry of agriculture and so forth.
The draft above was prepared by Marc Eliany to initiate a consultation process in the region as well as with potential foreign supporters. As in any consultation process, comment and contributions are expected to improve this proposal and adapted to local and regional needs.
Comments and inquiries:
M. Eliany
Sedot Micah 15
Doar Na Ha Ela 99810
tel: 029951250
eliany2603@hotmail.com
For additional info on M. Eliany please see website below:
www.artengine.ca/eliany/