About Us

WHO ARE WE?!

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We are both city persons: we were born and raised in a city, live in one of the most "cities" in the world and spend our vacations in cities. At the same time from the mid 19 seventies we are very much involved with cultural life and developing and managing cultural institutions as evident from our resume presented below.

In 2004 our professional life took a turn when we detected the need –during a meeting with Jerusalem Development Authority-for a plan to revive the city center as a way to revive the city as whole and stop the outflow of people that were uncomfortable with increasing religious environment.When then came up with the city survival model which simply states that:

Every City has Assets- Cultural, Educational and Environmental.

Are they being used or abused? Are they being appreciated or neglected?

Recognizing your assets is the first step. The second is to appreciate their value and put them to work together as the heart of the city and its environment so that maximum economic benefits can be obtained together with a higher quality of culture and life.

 Diss is Culture has developed a unique model based on the following elements:  -we define culture in the broad sense of the word that is: education, ecology and even shopping and food. We incorporate the cultural strategy within the long and short term physical planning of the city and it relates directly to economic development.

We take a bird’s eye view of the city to determine the tracks along which the cultural life of the city must be developed: that is how the people will move between the clusters of culture (again in the broad sense of the word) and how the individual institutions will be spread along these tracks.It is a strategy that makes the most of existing assets and thus makes the most sense economically.

We have been working with the Jerusalem governing bodies since then and accomplished a lot as can be seen going thru this website. It is not easy task for municipalities to follow such a path.We on the other hand have since gone to a higher level called Urban Investment Impact. The idea is to consider not a single project on its own merit but to compare projects by their ability to impact their cultural and urban environment.However it is quite evident that without taking these steps a leap towards the future or digital city will be even more difficult than it is.

 Nava Dissentshik
 

Graduate: Business Management of Cultural Institutions course-Tel- Aviv University

A leading expert in applying urban cultural strategy to and management of cultural institutions.

1982-1993 :Assistant to Mayor Lahat of Tel- Aviv  for cultural affairs and was in charge of developing and applying cultural strategy and relations with cultural institutions.

Initiated Project 15 the first major professional outdoor sculpture project in Tel Aviv.Initiated the establishment of the artists' studios project and free renting of war shelters to artists.Was part of the unofficial steering committee for the establishment of the New Israeli Opera and the Tel –Aviv Performing Art Center.

1995-2000: general manager of the Tel-Aviv Performing Arts center.Managed to turn what was expected to become a "white Elephant" into the most important and successful center in Israel.Nava developed under difficult circumstances the most successful dance, chamber music and world music programs among others.

2000: Advisor for art and culture: one notable project: The art of the Land Festival in Reding power station in Tel- Aviv.Fund raising for Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and the Emek Yeezrael AcademyAdvisor to the Jerusalem Development Authority on cultural strategy (with Ronnie Dissentshik)

2009-present: adviser for art and culture to Mayor Barkat-the city of Jerusalem

 Among others: initiated advised and fund raised the Beit Mazia Theater center;Assisted in establishing criteria for the support of cultural institution, Initiated reduction of city taxes for cultural institutions, Acts as go between the institutions and the city,Developed the Mayor strategy of a "home" for every cultural institute.Advises Eden the corporation or the development of the Center of Jerusalem on the establishing of the Jerusalem Arts Campus

For a few months in 2006 assisted interim Minister of Culture Meir Shitrit .At that time the national cultural budget was fixed for the first on a long term basis at the highest level ever.

The deadlock around the national theater was solved and a long road to its recovery started.

Ronnie Dissentshik

MBA with distinction from New-York University

B.A. in Economics and Social Sciences from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

Career:  A demonstrated rare ability of combining strategic planning with trouble shooting and moving easily between the art and business worlds.
 

   Developed for the city of Jerusalem a model on cultural development as a tool to save the inner  city.

 Together with his wife and partner Nava completed the establishment of 5 mil. USD Theater center in Jerusalem. Developed the concept for the Jerusalem campus  of art and culture involving investment of $40 Mil. Which is under construction .

June 2005-9/2013:  Director of Gutman Museum of Art where a new strategic exhibition concept was developed and turnaround plan was executed. A new wing opened on  September 2009 and a lasting fundraising operation was established.       

Former Director of Tel Aviv Museum of Art (See below)

11.99- 7/03:   Director of Israel Chamber Orchestra: Initiating successful strategic and turnaround plans. Executed a successful fundraising effort.

          .          1998-10.2000:  Chairman Board of Directors, Zora Furniture Ltd. In 1999 and 2000 Zora enjoyed two of its best years ever. A search for a multi-national strategic partner was concluded in an takeover agreement.

1/10/96-31/3/98:  Manager, Deloitte Touche Management Consultants (Israel) re-build the economic consulting section:.

  Buying Yozma Venture fund for Ofer Bros.
Valuation of Isras Ltd. and solving the problems of Isras with the Israel SEC. among others.

 1.7.1989-31/21/94  Appointed acting Director and later Director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art during a major crisis and executed a turnaround in all aspects of museum operations. Acquired significant collections; executed major international exhibits and a major renovation and expansion plan.

 Before that: Was one of the leading business consultants is Israel involved in numerous turn around projects, valuations and the financial markets.