Milka Benziman: "The Longing for Old Jerusalem Never Fades"

Milka Benziman is a talented artist born in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem about sixty years ago. For her, Jerusalem is the center of her life and the source of all the nostalgia-filled and sweet memories that flood her. "To me, it's a bit funny that people remember to talk about Jerusalem only once a year because, for me, Jerusalem is something you feel every day, all day," she emphasizes.

She can never forget her childhood years. "We lived near the Machane Yehuda market in a neighborhood that looked like a small village. All around were single-story houses, in the middle was a water well, and our home was like the homes of the past – tall and wide, with one large room and another tiny room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Every morning I would wake up to the sound of the iron gate slamming when my father would rise for the early prayer."

Despite her family's modest means, Milka says they never felt poor. "We loved living in the house. My siblings and I would put on shows and play there, and in the summer we used our large yard outside, with a big pine tree in the center. I mostly remember Passover Eve when we took the entire contents of the house to the yard. Even on Yom Kippur Eve, there was special activity in the yard when the chickens would come for the kaparot ceremony."

The pine tree in the yard was very significant in her life. "I used to hide behind it when we played hide and seek, climb it, and sit under it to write poems. Sometimes my mother would tie a clothesline to the tree and hang clothes to dry. She never understood why the clean clothes got dirty... only we knew they were a great hiding place during hide and seek."

"I remember," Milka continues, "that one day the neighbors decided to cut down the pine tree and I wrote a poem in its memory with great excitement: 'Pine, how I loved to nestle behind you during hide and seek, I felt protected... you sheltered me...'"

Memories of the Past

"One night," Milka recalls an unforgettable story, "I was about five when my sister woke me in a panic: 'Dad and mom ran away!' We immediately understood we had to find them, so we woke our two younger brothers, I put shoes on the baby, and when he burst into tears, I calmed him: 'We are going to find dad and mom.' Outside, the cold was freezing, and what should we do? As the eldest and responsible one, I immediately decided - 'we're going to Yosef,' meaning the grocery store. We held hands and trudged to the store, only to find to our amazement that it was locked tight. I didn't lose my wits and immediately led the group to the Druck family, our dear neighbors. When they opened the door for us, we all burst into bitter tears, but they, on the other hand, laughed heartily. It turned out that dad and mom had gone to a nearby bar mitzvah. From time to time they returned home to ensure everything was okay; they probably didn't think we would wake up..."

The unique aspect of the Nahlaot neighborhood, as Milka emphasizes, is that everyone was together there. "We loved everyone, rejoiced with everyone. When weddings were held in the big yard, we all participated. Even with the Arab women, my mother maintained contact, buying eggs and figs from them."

In Milka's neighborhood also lived the father of the cantors, Zalman Rivlin. "One day, another cantor from Hungary joined him. It was an extraordinary experience, and everyone spoke excitedly about having a cantor from abroad. Later he lived in our yard, and we would all fall asleep to the tones of his students, who later also became famous cantors."

The prayers of the high holy days are well-remembered by her: "We used to wake up for the early morning prayer at the Etz Chaim yeshiva near the Machane Yehuda market. It was an exciting experience that cannot be described in words..."

On the eve of the Six-Day War, new neighbors moved in next to them, this time from the Yemenite community - Rabbi Chaim Kaisar, of blessed memory. "The smell of the Yemenite foods comes to my nose till this day," Milka notes, "the hilbeh, the zhug... mixed with the smell of the adjacent Halperin matzah bakery. To this day, I make hilbeh for all the family..."

Writing Hand, Painting Hand

What made you decide to document these scenes in paintings?

"Since I was little, I loved to write and paint very much. My parents always encouraged me, and every time guests came, they would have me show them what I wrote and painted. There was so much to paint – the sunset between the roofs, the water wells, so much... I would stick many pictures of sunsets of all kinds on the walls near my bed. Naturally, this led to drawing and painting my childhood years and experiences over time. I am also a member of the 'Art and Faith' project, managed by attorney Omer Yankelvich, which provides a warm home for artists and personally helps me grow greatly."

Currently, Milka is engaged in woodcutting, carving, and painting, then coloring and printing using a press. She uses various styles, such as wax on metal, wood carving, and more, and paints in oil and charcoal drawings, among others...

"To this day," she reveals, "when I visit the Nahlaot area as a passerby, I feel the unfinished symphony of childhood... the ink may have dried but the longing has not..."