Creative Community Events

The original TLV Halloween Event in the Old North commenced in 2016, with Eliza Duenow at the helm, working with Smadar Barak, another mother from their English-speaking gan. These two mothers were bound by their shared nostalgia for Halloween, and dreamed of sharing the beloved holiday tradition with their children in Israel. Eliza initiated the community event for Halloween to gather parents and children for a shared celebration before Trick-or-Treating. Halloween held a special place in her heart, having grown up in the States with two artist collector parents who put great celebratory emphasis on the tradition, alongside All Saints All Souls Day and Dia De Los Muertos. Her father's art focused on Momento Mori, exploring themes of Death and dying, and Eliza grew up surrounded by his extensive collection of skeletons and death-motiffed artifacts he’s been amassing for over 60 years(!) Their home was a haven for Halloween enthusiasts, every nook and cranny adorned with macabre paraphernalia from diverse cultures and media. On Halloween her sculptor father's pumpkin carving was elevated to an art form, and her mother's talents in textile and decorative arts guaranteed exceptional Halloween costumes. For the last 8 years, Eliza has been thrilled to share her love of Halloween with ARC families and local community. Halloween in 2016 marked The ARC’s first larger scale collaborative community event, spanning multiple locations, including Wonder School, Magid Community Center, the Boulevard on Nordau, and a costume parade leading to the Castel plaza and then past Kikar Milano up Yehuda Macabi. Activities such as face painting, “Altars of Past Homes”, circus-like posing posters for selfies, and sidewalk chalk drawings engaged the community. Every year since, The ARC artists and students have produced extensive installations and interactive activity areas for local families to come celebrate the holiday. The famous Pumpkin Pop-Up event, “Installation of Items Lost”, black cat cut-outs, cardboard grave markers, sugar skulls, sheet ghosts, stenciled bats/rats/spiders, mummy wrapped sculptures, and the impressive haunted house murals have made Halloween a homey playtime for all! Each year, Eliza and her creative teams of Teaching Artists at The ARC have exponentially expanded their pre-trick-or-treating event and activities, involving more local schools and families from new neighborhoods. Last year the ARC programs engaged over a hundred children in creating the Halloween decorations for the park. And The ARC staff welcomed over 300 people to the little Aristobulous Park before the trick-or-treating in 2022(!) Halloween has become one of the most well-attended and cherished annual events in the area, touching the lives of countless families in the international community, preserving the unique traditions of so many Anglo parents’ childhoods, and introducing the joy and spirit of this fun holiday to so many Sabras across further TLV neighborhoods, who have just fallen in love with Halloween~ The ARC has self-funded all aspects of the Halloween event for years, from project preparation to materials, staff time, setup, and cleanup. However, the event has grown exponentially, stretching their resources to the limit. Eliza is managing Halloween on her own this year, funding her team of young local Teaching Artists, and The ARC crews are now asking for support to continue delivering an extraordinary Halloween experience to the community. The ARC is welcoming donations and volunteers from participating families. We so hope you’ll join to help— Halloween literally takes a village to make it what it is!