Spirit Captive

Spirit Captive is the impressive collection of poems, short stories, memories and artworks that Helen Bar-Lev presents to us as a real declaration of love to Jerusalem.

Emily Dickinson wrote "Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door" and this is what Helen seems to do here: ready and open to numerous opportunities to profess her unending dedication to the city she so deeply loves: the result is a sense of universal sometimes suffering - beauty that permeates us. Through Helen's eyes we see Jerusalem in the four seasons, in the passing of the hours of the day, and every time what we perceive is a city of exquisite beauty. Memories of people who remain carved deep in Helen's soul surface in this collection: friends, artists, and teachers who walked alongside her and, in some way, left a mark. She introduces us to Yoseph Hirsh - wellknown artist and her mentor, to Yaakov Pins with his woodcuts, his oils and precious Asian collection, to Miriam Tal - translator and art critic, and more.

To appreciate the real spirit of this work we should start from the end: reading the poem Spirit Captive (hence the title of the whole collection) we can feel how a real bond exists between Helen and Jerusalem, whose magnetism she cannot escape a city that does not let me go, - she says ... every street and corner is inscribed in my genetic memory. In A Love Poem to Jerusalem Helen wonders if God created the sweet air of the city just to intoxicate her and if every stone or gate or flower may have been created as a source of inspiration for her paintings. This is really Helen's masterpiece, where her poems, prose and paintings pay magnificent tribute to Jerusalem.