On Sunday night I attended, with much anticipation, the “Israel Taverna,” an evening offered annually by Tucson’s Israel Center. To my dismay, only a small handful were there to take part in what, in all the preceding years, had been joyful, exciting and fully attended musical evenings.
I cannot understand why, at a time when Israel is devastated by a raging fire, so few of us thought of showing solidarity with that beleaguered land of which we are all part, and with the Israel Center that represents it in Tucson with its new, young and energetic “shaliach,” Guy Gelbart.
Those who were not there missed a delightful evening: David Dor and his accompanists provided a rich repertoire of Israeli and Yiddish music to an enthusiastic audience response. We few lit the Chanukiah, offered the prayers, ate soufganiot, collected aid for the victims of the fire and reveled in our joint love of the music.
But this was not only about the fun, it was about the response of Israelis and local Jews to the State of Israel as one of the centralities of our lives. It was especially sad for me to see no members of our community leadership from any of our institutions. We are very fortunate to have an active and competent Israeli representation in our city: the least we can do is support its activities.
—Lily Brull
