Young Israeli Musicians Delight Thousands of Tourists, Workers

Forty-six teenage musicians from Israel delighted several thousand tourists and office workers on their lunch hour today with a potpourri of patriotic marches and classical and whimsical orchestral pieces.

The band from Kiryat Ono, a Tel Aviv suburb, played for more than an hour on the Ellipse while the appreciative tourists–who gave prolonged applause after each song–waited for admittance to the White House. National Park officials described the orchestra as one of the most outstanding groups to play there this summer.

The youngsters, who during their five-week tour of America won the highest award in an international youth band competition in North Dakota, were welcomed to Washington by David Lissy, associate director of the White House Domestic Council.

GREETED IN HEBREW

Lissy greeted the group in Hebrew and told them he had visited Israel when he was a teenager and “would never forget it.” In turn, he said, he hoped they would forever remember their stay in the United States and that it helped to strengthen the ties between the U.S. and Israel. Lissy presented the band with a special Presidential citation for its participation in the U.S. Bicentennial celebration.

The band was also welcomed by David M. Blumberg, president of B’nai B’rith which sponsored the youngsters’ tour; Aaron Goldman, chairman of the Washington Jewish Community’s Bicentennial Committee, who gave band director Aharon Alkalay a Bicentennial proof set of American silver coins; Mrs. Betty Shapiro, cochairman of B’nai B’rith Women’s Bicentennial Committee, and Yuri Bar-Ner, Israel’s cultural attache here.

The youngsters, who go to New York tomorrow for a five-day stay before returning home on Aug: 15, were accompanied here by Avigdor Warsha, the Mayor of Kiryat One.

Before arriving here, the band received a rousing reception in Canada when they gave a concert at Camp Massad, a summer camp near Winnipeg of Jewish and Hebrew melodies, marching music and semi-sacred selections. The band was sponsored by the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council, Canadian Zionist Federation and the YMHA. The Community Center co-sponsored their visit.