The Mediterranean Sea, the Missed Sea

The sea and its relation to land has extra-political and extra-national ("The sea belongs to no-one") conceptual depths to be explored.

Of primary importance among these expanses that offer new horizons and openness to territory – the natural and the human.  Unlike past views of Israel based on simplistic land-origins, the Mediterranean Sea and its surroundings is the hotbed for the appreciating the underlying tensions and motifs.

The project will include a research seminar comprised of leading scholars, that will cover a variety of artistic and theoretical topics related to urban development in costal, island and oceanic cities, ecological issues, coexistence in port cities, culture and acculturation, language and migration, archeology, economics, music and cultural centers, center and periphery, conservation and development. The seminar will venture to touch upon the most foundational topic related to the sea—mythology and mysticism—and to use these as a resource in examining the multidimensional renewed and tolerant local culture in Israel that is open to the Mediterranean Sea and Europe.

In addition to coordinating the project and constructing a methodological, artistic and intellectual agenda for the colleagues program, Professor Pedaya will write and develop the topic of The Mediterranean Sea and the Missing Expanses in the form of a new and original essay.

The project will seek joint collaborations ranging from exhibitions and music to tours of Israel's coastal cities and the editing of a book with the project results

Haviva Pedaya is an Academic Scholar, Poet, Author and Cultural Critic. Pedaya is involved in community-impacting projects in music and art and culture. She was born in Jerusalem to a family of rabbis and kabbalists, resides in Beersheba. Studied at the Hebrew University and the School of Visual Arts in Jerusalem. Pedaya is at present professor of Jewish history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and head of the Elyachar Center for Sephardi Heritage. Widely published, with many articles and books (5 so far) on religion, sociology, art, history, and mysticism, as well as volumes of poetry (4 so far), the most resent translated with the support f the Matanel Foundation. She is also involved in musical and artistic projects, founded the 'Yonah Ensemble' which revitalized liturgical and Near East music. Multiple laureate, including the Harry Harshon Award, the Warburg Prize, the Bernstein Prize (1997) the President`s Prize (2004) and the Amichai Prize (2012) for Poetry.