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Leonard Bernstein was one of the most celebrated Jewish musicians of all time. Join the Museum and the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for a program exploring Bernstein’s remarkable legacy in Israel.
Bernstein’s musical career in Israel began in 1947, when he first conducted a symphony in Tel Aviv for the Palestine Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he conducted an open-air concert for Israeli troops in the middle of the desert during Israel’s War of Independence, within earshot of retreating Egyptian forces. Over the next several decades, he went on to conduct and perform in dozens of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts, including leading their first American tour.
This program will feature a screening of Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic, a new short film commissioned by American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic that tracks the decades-long relationship between the maestro and the Orchestra. The film includes interviews, archival images, and special video footage, and is hosted by playwright, actor, and pianist Hershey Felder.
After the film concludes, the program will feature a panel discussion between Bernstein’s son Alex Bernstein; Danielle Ames Spivak, Executive Vice President and CEO of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic; and Ivy Weingram, curator of the exhibition Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music.
A $10 suggested donation enables us to present programs like this one. We thank you for your support.
Live closed captions will not be available during the program, but captions will be available afterwards on the program recording. Find the recording on the Museum’s YouTube channel.
Public programming at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy C. Hochul and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities New York CARES Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal CARES Act; and other generous donors.
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