Ein-Hod Artists Village – A magical visual and musical tour

Ein-Hod village center, Photo: David Hyman

I planned to spend an hour in Ein Hod today, but I stayed three hours and it still wasn’t enough. I am planning to return again this week, to fill in the blanks.

This tiny , picturesque , romantic , surprising , cultural village does  not reveal its secrets easily. It takes some investigating and scratching the surface to unfold her hidden gems.

I started at the village center , at the Yanko-Dada museum. I enjoyed the artwork, but especially liked the underground water cistern that also holds some of the art. You descend via a metal ladder to an underground space, carved into the bedrock, and can’t overcome the joy of hiding here for a short while.

Next door is the late Marcel Yanko’s home. Mr Yanko , the world famous Dada artist, founded this artists village in 1953, and made it the thriving cultural colony it is today. A tiny shop at the entrance to the Yanko home, offers many products, mainly authentic arts and crafts items. Jorge from Holland was patient enough to unfold the full explanation and a brief history of Yanko’s biography and life story.

I then walked the narrow roads and paths of the village, passed by the outdoor stone theater and sat for a while at Abu Yaakov’s little restaurant. I saw a pot of steaming soup on the stove and bought myself a bowl. It was the most tasty bean soup I have tasted. I miss the days when you could buy real homemade soup and not the industrial powdery stuff.

But the biggest surprise was yet to come -follow the signs that lead to the “Nisco Museum of Mechanical Music” and look for the founder Nisan Cohen. I am not sure what impressed me more- the museum or this mysterious man. Nisan is a former American who has been collecting mechanical musical instruments for over forty years. They are now presented in a small hall and can be enjoyed when you join one of the daily tours, or the weekly concert.

These mechanical musical instruments were the popular means of entertainment before the gramophone was invented, so you are actually exploring a musical journey by going back hundreds of years.

All through my visit to Ein-Hod today, I felt a dual vibe of mixed feelings from the locals. The artist and gallery owners love the peace and quiet, but are eager to host more visitors and travellers, as long as they behave and appreciate culture, art and music.

Most of the galleries are open daily from 10am- 4 pm,  to visit the Nisco Museum you should call in advance: 052-4755-313

Enjoy your visit, and please pass this secret on, but only to the most worthy…..

David Hyman    www.davidhymanisrael.com