The violinist
January 12, 2007. A chilly morning in Washington DC, L’enfant Plaza Metro subway station.
A young man in a baseball cap is standing there, violin at hand, playing his instrument. More than a thousand people pass through, most on route to work. After three minutes someone slows his pace, stops for a few moments. At the end of four minutes the violinist got his first dollar: a woman threw it into his red hat without stopping. After six minutes a young man leaned on the wall, listened to the music, checked his watch and went along. After ten minutes, a three year old stopped but his mother dragged him away. He tried to stop again, but though he kept turning his head, she pulled him on. A few children repeated that pattern, but all the parents forced their youngsters to move ahead (nu, parents…). Altogether, only seven people stopped briefly. He collected $32.17 from 27 passersby. After an hour of non-stop playing, he finished, and silence resumed. No one clapped. Only one person recognized him: He knew him to be no other than violinist Joshua Bell, one of the greatest, most gifted and famous musicians in the world.
Two days earlier, Joshua Bell played to a full house in Boston, where a ticket was $100. In both concerts, he played one of the most complex pieces ever to be written on his 3.5 million dollar, 300-year-old Stredivarius violin which was made in 1713. This curious experiment, initiated by Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten for which he won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, raises many critical questions and leaves much room for thought. Primarily one must wonder, if we can’t even spare one minute to stop and listen to one of the world’s top, most renowned musicians, playing one of the best pieces ever written, using one of the finest instruments there are, how many other things do we take for granted, ignore and miss while running after life?
On June 5, 2011 there will be a grand event. Thousands of people will come, as they have in the past, to celebrate Israel, its amazing achievements, its arts and culture. A wide variety of community organizations, vendors, crafts and food, activities for all ages and of course, a fun and dynamic concert will be presented. Lots of invisible details will “just happen”: there will be security and garbage pick-up and signs and sound and so much more. You would think it costs at least $10/person like the State or County Fairs, yet, the well know annual Israel in the Gardens has been free. Indeed, it is free - to the public, that is. But the event cannot happen without the generosity of our sponsors and donors, vendors and other community organizations. Further: its probably would have never existed in the first place without the on-going financial, logistic and stead-fast infrastructure and support of the San Francisco based Jewish Community Federation. This is just one example why Federation asks for our help: so we can continue to provide programs and services that make our Jewish community and our region proud. It’s never too late. It’s easy. And it doesn’t have to be much: just don’t ignore the talented violinist because he plays for free, and drop something in his hat. Visit our website (www.jewishfed.org), see the photos, check out all we do and know there is much more in store.
- Michal Kohane, Israel Center Director
