Israel Philharmonic Plays Concert to Salute Israel and its People: Hatikvah, Fanfare to Israel, and Beethoven's "Eroica"

On Sunday, October 22, 2023, the Israel Philharmonic, conducted by Lahav Shani, presented a special live concert to play hope-filled compositions to salute Israel and its people.

The program began with the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah”, followed by Paul Ben-Haim’s “Fanfare to Israel” and Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, “Eroica.”

The full orchestra played to a concert hall without an audience. The seats were occupied by posters depicting the missing hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.

Maestro Lahav Shani addressed all the viewers during the broadcast –

Dear audience, listeners and friends around the world,

The Israel Philharmonic, founded in 1936 in order to save Jewish musicians and their families, has witnessed all the wars in Israel. We never believed that in our lifetime we would witness the violence and inhuman atrocities we saw in the massacre on Saturday, the 7th of October. We are concerned for the safety of the hostages and hope for their swift return. Our hearts go out to those killed, to their families, to all those who are wounded in body or in spirit, and to all who have lost their homes.

We stand with the soldiers, who are protecting us in these hours. We are tremendously inspired by the many heroic stories of the volunteer soldiers, ordinary citizens, neighbors and acquaintances, stories that are gradually revealed to us daily. The solidarity of all Israeli society is a ray of light in these dark times. The resourcefulness, cooperative spirit and willingness to volunteer inspire us and give us hope.

I wish us all better days.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Welcoming Shabbat with Ein Keloheinu Sung by Hazzan Daniel Halfon to a Melody by Beethoven

Daniel Halfon is the Emeritus Hazzan of the Yad Harav Nissim synagogue in Jerusalem and a leading authority of the cantorial style of the western Sephardim. A classically trained baritone, Halfon was born in England and grew up in London's ancient Spanish and Portuguese community under the tutelage of Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy. 

He studied Hazzanut with three of the outstanding cantors of the Western Sephardi tradition: Eliezer Abinun z"l, Abraham Beniso z"l and Abraham Lopes Cardozo z"l. As a young man he received the call from Congregation Shearith Israel in New York to serve as Hazzan, and over the past 30 years he has been invited to sing in Sephardi synagogues across the world. 

In this video Hazzan Halfon sings a multitracked rendition of Ein Keloheinu, a song sung toward the conclusion of the Shabbat Shacharit service. The melody is based on the second (allegretto) movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony.

Scroll down to watch and listen to Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as they play the full second movement.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.