The Confederation House, which is located across from the Old City walls behind the King David Hotel, seeks to bring together the multifarious communities and groups that inhabit Jerusalem, using the universal languages of music and art.
Taking a cue from its location astride the east-west Jerusalem divide, the Confederation House has come to serve as a venue for the exploration of the musical heritage of many traditions: Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Ethiopian, Ashkenazi/Sephardi - you name it. The Confederation House regularly hosts concerts, poetry readings and theater shows, producing nationally and internationally- acclaimed events such as the annual Poets’ Festival (which takes place in the northern town of Metula), and the Jerusalem International Oud Festival, which manages to attract a cadre of stellar oriental musicians every single year.
When it comes to theater, the Confederation House serves as a warm home to the much-needed Ethiopian Hullegeb ensemble, which it also initiated. Besides a heady dose of culture, visitors to Confederation House will enjoy one of the best views of the Old City walls, perhaps while sitting down at Te’enim, among the capitals longest-standing vegetarian restaurants, which always has some culinary surprises up its sleeve.
Photo by Dina Guna
