Who would believe this mess would continue 600 days.  If the hostages were returned today, wouldn’t it be difficult to rationalize this war in any way?  

Tonight while normal people were marching in the street we were in a concert.  Now this may seem like escapism, but when you hear Benjamin Britten’s music against war, and then Beethoven’s Eroica, you know that every aspect of every day is influenced by our situation.

Beethoven’s Eroica, that  was written to welcome the dawn of a new age with Napoleon, was last performed in the symphony hall here on October 23, 2023.  The home front wouldn’t allow an audience to gather because of the plethora of rockets so it played to a full audience of pictures of victims and hostages.  This symphony of hope tonight, while we are still hungering for the remaining hostages to be brought home, has special meaning.