Detective Elchmanyahu's auto-da-fe' follows a doomed investigation into a fire that destroyed a public art collection in southern Tel Aviv. The dubious officer in charge employs every trick from whodunit novels to navigate a police inquiry that offers a dark yet clear view of Israeli culture and its visual art scene. Through Jonathan Touitou's tendentious writing, the narrative blurs the lines between fact and fiction, creating a layered exploration of the art world and its complexities. Set against the backdrop of the second Intifada and ongoing violations of Palestinian rights, this provocative work offers an outsider's perspective on Israeli society. It serves as a welding torch for cynics, a bonfire for eccentrics, and fireworks for the passionate. Touitou, born in Paris to North African immigrant parents, embodies the wandering Jew. He moved to Jerusalem during the Oslo agreements, only to find disillusionment two decades later. A graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, he directed and curated its gallery, established the Reservoir—a freely accessible temporary art collection—and initiated the BAAD gallery as a collaborative platform for creative minds. His works have been exhibited in museums and galleries across Zurich, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, and he has contributed writings to notable institutions, including the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. He currently resides in Berlin with his wife an
