A Message from the Executive Director

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony in Israel? Amazing, but true! On May 14 and 15, the sounds of the LAJS will reverberate in Eretz Yisrael. Thanks to a generous grant from the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony will represent the City of Los Angeles at the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. Leading the symphony will be Noreen Green, Artistic Director of the LAJS, who will conduct a 55-piece orchestra composed of the top music students from Tel Aviv University's Rubin Academy. LAJS Concertmaster Mark Kashper, principal cellist Barry Gold, and I, Wendy Prober, pianist, will perform as soloists.

If you think this sounds a bit like bringing ice to the eskimos, think again. There is no Jewish Symphony in Israel. Not only will these concerts alert Israeli audiences to the existence of the LAJS, they will also help demonstrate the status which the orchestra has achieved among Los Angeles' own Jewish community. In addition, the symphony stands as testament to the importance for Jews outside of Israel to nurture and promote their cultural heritage.

Dr. Noreen Green chose the popular Cinema Judaica program for these concerts. As you may remember, the LAJS performed Cinema Judaica to four sell-out crowds last season at the University of Judaism's Gindi Auditorium. Consisting of musical scores from some of Hollywood's greatest films and TV movies on Jewish themes, the program includes music from The Ten Commandments, Exodus, The Story of Ruth, Schindler's List and Victory at Entebbe. Maestra Green selected this program because it is ideally suited to the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership's mission: to build bridges of understanding and appreciation between the Jewish communities in Los Angeles and in Tel Aviv. Fradya Rembaum, the Jewish Federation's Director of Israel and Overseas Relationships, says that 3The music of American Jewish composers is a unique aspect of American culture, but it also represents a branch of contemporary Jewish world culture as vibrant as that which is developing in Israel itself. The Cinema Judaic! a program offers a prime example of Jews, composing on Jewish themes for the film industry. And film, which is so prominent a part of Los Angeles culture, reaches far beyond to impact the entire world.2

The concerts are scheduled for Sunday, May 14, at Tel Aviv University's Rubin Academy of Music and Monday, May 15, at the Enav Center, Gan Ha'ir. Both concerts will begin at 8:30 p.m. A group of LAJS board members, headed by Chairman Dr. Bernard Franklin, will be traveling to Tel Aviv to support the symphony. If you are interested in joining the group, please call Jennifer at the LAJS office at (310) 472-8031, and she'll put you in touch with fellow travelers. If you can't cross the Atlantic with us but have friends or family in Israel, please tell them about this fabulous opportunity to hear the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony in Tel Aviv!

Finally, I'd like to offer our profound thanks to LAJS board member Jean Friedman, who, as co-chair of the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership's cultural committee, supplied the initiative to make this wonderful event possible. Thank you, Jean. Your creativity, dedication, and hard work are greatly appreciated!