Holocaust Concert in Wellington on Rosh Hashanah
The New Zealand School of Music will perform two works commemorating the Holocaust in Wellington Town Hall…on the second night of Rosh Hashanah.
Inbal Meggido
David Zwartz, president of the Wellingtion Jewish Council, told J-Wire that there were members of the community who were concerned that they could not attend a concert on Rosh Hashanah.
He added: “The concert was not organised by the Jewish community and the evening was the only one available close to the 70th anniversary of the 1941 Babi Yar massacre. In fact, it is on the exact date of the anniversary.”
34,000 Jews were massacred by the Nazis at Babi Yar, near Kiev.
Inge Woolf, director of Wellington’s Holocaust Centre said: “I will be at the concert. I will be in shule in the morning but I am not ashamed to be going to this concert. I know the composer and the music will be evocative and have a special meaning at this time of year. It is unfortunate it happens to be Rosh Hashanah. I am aware that members of the community will not be able to attend who would have wanted to.”
New Zealand’s Minister for Arts and Culture, Chris Finlayson, personally invited many members of Wellington’s Jewish community to attend the concert which features Boris Pigovat’s Holocaust requiem and Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo for cello and orchestra. The featured cellist will be Inbal Megiddo, an Israeli who recently took up an appointment as lecturer in cello technique at the School of Music.
Israeli ambassador Shemi Tzur has written a special message to be added to the commemorative program.
David Zwartz told J-Wire that the fact that it was the second night of Rosh Hashanah will be acknowledged in the program.
