Feast in Time of Plague? The network discussed the Forum of Russian Culture in Tel Aviv

A photo of Russian celebrities gathered in Israel at the annual Slovonovo Free Culture Forum, which was established by the famous cultural figure Marat Gelman (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation), caused a controversial reaction on social networks. In Tel Aviv these days, the "flower of the Russian intelligentsia" is represented - poets, writers, artists, directors - those who opposed the special operation in Ukraine. The photo of Pugacheva, Makarevich and Grebenshchikov with glasses of wine flew around, it seems, the entire Russian-speaking, and not only, Internet. However, many people felt that it was unethical to take pictures in such surroundings and hold the Forum right now.

For example, philologist and journalist Gasan Huseynov called this reaction “a scandal in a noble family”:

“Social networks were circulated with a photo of the leaders of the late Soviet pop music - Pugacheva, Grebenshchikov and Makarevich, who found themselves in these difficult days for the entire former USSR in Israel. Brilliant impresario Marat Gelman took advantage of the situation. Israel is a country, so to speak, culturally a third Soviet, and here in recent years, there have been added, not to mention the last months and weeks, people knocked out of their usual nests and habitual rut: for them, any memory of cultural stability is a sip freshness. And Gelman gave these people what they want and what they deserve.

Of course, another Zoil will ask what kind of SLOVONOVO you can hear from people of my generation. And if it weren’t for the events in Ukraine, started, by the way, also by people of my generation and even, perhaps, by lovers of this very pop music, I would not write what I write.

But I want to ask former compatriots who have experienced an attack of nausea not to be offended by this cultural urine therapy.

Say thank you again that Ksenia Sobchak, Anatoly Chubais and other direct intruders of Erefia do not participate in this vibrating urination of cultural life.

Remember the joke? "I told you that this is shit, and you - "candied, candied!" ... "

Blogger Liza Zhukova is perplexed:

“Absolutely nothing, for the life of me, I can’t understand who and why came up with the idea in May 2022 to organize an expensive celebration of the triumphant (ok, whimpering, doesn’t matter) Russian culture in a fashionable, newly built museum in Tel Aviv, flock here under the palm trees to drink vodka and do sessions "Should we be afraid of the "Russian World"?" and "Culture cannot be canceled" for connoisseurs who bought a subscription for a thousand shekels.

This is such a wild timing for such a thing that I want to write it on my blog on a par with other hell that is happening right now... (...) A festival with such a program in the midst of a special operation looks like madness cut off from reality sorry sorry sorry.

But the poetess Alla Bossart, on the contrary, believes that this Forum is very timely:

“I confess: not only my husband (poet Igor Irteniev, editor's note) takes part in the Forum, but I would, if I could, take part in it. I don't know, it doesn't seem like a crime to me. People continue to write poems, including anti-war ones, and they, of course, sound there. I don't know what the round tables are devoted to, I don't rule out that, like all round tables, they are meaningless and stupid, the genre is so, completely idiotic. But people communicate almost around the clock in addition to the program, and what if they drink vodka. Well, they drink. Well, they drink people - poets. This does not prevent them from being quite decent and writing honest poems and honest songs. And far from all of them left Russia, this is not true..."