LATRUN, Israel— It would be difficult to decide which task was more intricate for the
operators of Mini Israel, the country's newest major tourist attraction. Was it minutely photographing and then building precise 1:25-scale models of Israel's most famous sites? Or was it navigating the country¹s religious and political cross-currents so as to offend the least amount of people?

Yoni Shapira is the creative director for the $20-million theme park, which exhibits more than 330 models over seven acres of land. A seventh-generation Jerusalemite who is married to an American citizen, he became an expert about Israel's cultural and religious heritage— as well as about what interests tourists— as an educator and tour guide for leadership groups from North America and Europe.

Initially, the creators of Mini Israel had thought to lay out the theme park in the shape of Israel, but they quickly realized that would be a recipe for disaster. In the first place, Shapira said, "there is not a consensus of what the borders should be. So if we had done that, it would have become
political."

There were geographic considerations as well. "Israel is long and narrow, so we couldn¹t make the shape of Israel for the movement of crowds," Shapira said. "Also, it is 60 percent desert, and most of the sites are not in the desert."

Instead, the operators laid out Mini Israel in the shape of the Star of David. "The minute we did that, it became a symbolic park," Shapira said. "So we only had to show symbols. I have one kibbutz, one moshav, one port city; I don¹t need every moshav, kibbutz, port and every industry."

The biggest problem facing the creative team was what could be excluded. Not only did the park need to be responsive to the expectations of ordinary Israelis, it also needed to take into account the fact that "as the Holy Land, Israel's importance goes beyond the importance of most other countries to other populations," according to Shapira.

"Here it is important to Christians, to Muslims, to Baha'i, to Jews and their identification is so deep," he said. The selection process involved "looking at very detailed information about the different groups of this country and then trying to find architecturally, archeologically and
historically what would represent them properly."

At 1:25 scale, some of the tallest buildings are 18-20 feet high, while the figures of people near them are only three inches tall. There are other miniature theme parks throughout the world, but none faced such complexities as Mini Israel concerning how those three-inch figures of people should be dressed.

"Here I had to put monks in the churches, and God forbid if I should put a Russian Orthodox into a Greek Orthodox monastery. We have (a model of) a Trappist monastery. They are Catholic, but I cannot put a Franciscan Catholic in there, it has to be a Trappist. Each has a unique dress code. And it is the same if you put in a Chabadnik, then you also have to put in a
Shasnik."

The park had its "soft" opening last November and its formal opening on April 7, when Israel's President Moshe Katsav cut a ribbon around the model of the president's official residence.

In the time since, there have been complaints, of course, Shapira said.

A 14-year-old girl who lives in a settlement beyond the Green Line asked why there were no models of similar settlements. Shapira said that such a settlement is "on our wish list, but currently we are beyond budget."

Some Jews complain that the park seems to showcase more Muslim and Christian sites than Jewish sites. That is their perception, Shapira said, but "actually we have three times more Jewish sites than Christian sites. However, we don't have one Jewish site that is as impressive as the Latrun monastery or the Church of the Anunciation. The Jewish sites are relatively
small. Rachel's Tomb is tiny. Since the destruction of the Temple, we don't build temples."

Sometimes people ask if Mini Israel wants to show reality, why doesn't it also show bus bombs or scenes of police responding to an emergency. "Our answer is that we are trying to show how Israelis can live, not how Israelis can die," Shapira replied. "We really are trying to show a positive view, so people come here and smile and find themselves represented in different
activities in miniature—whether that be picnicking in the forests or at the beaches, walking in a mall, or praying at the Wall."

Mini Israel owners also have their complaints about some of the tourists who visit the park. Vandalism has become a problem, especially against models depicting Muslim and Christian sites, Shapira said.

Children picking up stones or clods of dirt from the landscaped grounds and hurling them at models occurs unfortunately more than expected. Solving this problem will require education and perhaps additional security, Shapira said.

The landscaping is extensive. There are 20,000 miniature trees, representing 50 species, planted in the park. Additionally, there are 30,000 seasonal plants that change colors in different seasons.

Building the models required teams of photographers and architects first to obtain permission to professionally visit the buildings. "We had to write to the Vatican to take pictures in a church, because to them if you come with a measuring tape and a camera, you are immediately an official. 'So what kind of tax are you planning to add here?' If we couldn't get architectural plans, we would start measuring.

"You start counting the levels of stone, measure the width of the window, the door and so on and so forth. You take thousands and thousands of picture per model, and out of that you create a model file for the modelists."

Some of the models are enlivened with moving, walking little figures, as well as music and light displays that are activated at night. There are military ceremonies (complete with at least one soldier out of step in every platoon) and an animated soccer game, which Shapira says is perhaps the most popular exhibit among Israelis.

Mini Israel is off the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, not far from the famous armored corps monument in Latrun. The park also is within sight of the Trappist monastery, a model of which has been placed in such a position that it is possible to photograph the replica and the original together.

Shapira said 300,000 visitors were projected in the first year, but by the time November rolls around again the first-year total will be more than 500,000. Crowds have averaged more than 2,000 persons a day.

Single admission is approximately $10, with children under 5 admitted for free. Usual hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but on Friday evenings the park closes at 6 p.m. On Tuesdays and Saturdays it remains open until 11 p.m.

Shapira said people who want to see the park at the best time ought to come an hour or two before sunset and then stay for a few hours into the evening. Lights come on after dark, offering different views of the buildings. "It's like two parks in one," he said.