The Division of Cultural and Scientific Relations - Israel Foreign Ministry

Dear Guests,

Welcome to Israel and to Jerusalem, on the occasion of the International Festival of Puppet Theater.

The Division of Cultural and Scientific Relations of the Israel Foreign Ministry is proud to be a dedicated and long-standing partner of the Festival, and this year we are honored once again to bring festival directors from around the world, who over the course of the week of the Festival will be exposed to Israeli artists, veterans and young artists, as well as recent graduates of the local art schools.

This exposure has already proven itself and led to a tightening of relations and cultural collaborations between Israel and the world.

The Train Theatre – the initiator and producer of the Festival - is celebrating 35 years of activity and 25 years for the international festival. This year the Train Theatre will have a special event ZOOOO, an alternative Zoo, which is an interdisciplinary project under the guidance of Mr. Hadas Ofrat, one of the founders of the theatre and recently the recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize.

I am glad that among the various plays we will have two Arab theatres that will present their Arabic spoken plays and thus the two official languages of Israel - Hebrew and Arabic – are represented in the Festival.

Pulling the strings behind the important activities of the Train Theater, including this wonderful festival, are Dalia Yaffe Maayan and her dedicated staff, who deserve thanks and praise.

To all the visitors, artists from Israel and abroad, and Festival directors who join us from overseas, I wish much enjoyment and an exciting artistic experience, and to all of us – peace and tranquility here and everywhere.

Sincerely,

Shalom,

Raphael Gamzou

Head of the Division for Cultural and Scientific Affairs.

Israel Foreign Ministry