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Israel Remembers Daniel Pearl Through Cultural Understanding, Music
By
Herb Brandon Jerusalem ---- October 26, 2009 ..... As the Hazel Hill String Band members tuned their instruments and positioned themselves in an unobtrusive corner of the hall, local residents of Jerusalem, Israel began to roll in. Waiting expectantly for the musical evening to begin, this contra dance was not another monthly dance – this contra dance was part of an international memorial event in honor of respected journalist Daniel Pearl. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by Islamic terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan in 2002. Since then, Daniel’s friends and family created the Daniel Pearl Foundation in order to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music and innovative communications. After his untimely death, it became known that Daniel was an avid musician and violinist. In every community where he lived he found musical groups to join. By the time of his murder, he had a wide network of musician friends from around the world. Joshua Goodman, the Hazel Hill String Band guitarist, was proud to dedicate the evening’s performance in Jerusalem to Daniel Pearl for the third year running. “What we’re doing here in Jerusalem is a drop in the bucket, but for our band it’s the most important and meaningful performance of the year,” said Goodman. Daniel Pearl World Music Days was formed in response to Daniel’s horrific and brutal death. It is celebrated around Daniel’s birthday, October 10, every year, but the musical events attributed to Daniel Pearl go on for the entire month of October. Using the universal language of music, the World Music Days encourage fellowship across cultures and build a platform for “Harmony for Humanity.” This year the 8th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days will include at least 3,100 performances in 85 different countries. US President Obama has stated: “Music has been called a universal language that transcends cultures and borders. Its power to move us, touch our hearts, and speak to our souls enriches our lives. Through artistic creativity and expression, music can build bridges between individuals and communities thousands of miles apart. This month-long event to celebrate music and honor the legacy of Daniel Pearl is a fitting tribute to a man who promoted respect and dialogue throughout the world. On this occasion, we recommit ourselves to tolerance, compassion, and ‘Harmony for Humanity.’” In grateful recognition of President Obama’s remarks, Daniel’s father, Judea, said: “Danny was a passionate believer in the power of music to bring people together and transcend ethnic, religious or cultural differences.” According
to Daniel’s mother, Ruth, the message of “World Music
Days’ has clearly struck a chord. Included among the artists participating worldwide this year are Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, Matisyahu and Joshua Bell. In the tiny country of Israel alone there are 32 events scheduled in honor of Daniel Pearl. Shortly after Daniel’s murder in 2002, Jonathan Cooper, a well-known violin maker who lives in Maine, decided to remember Daniel Pearl’s musical legacy by crafting a work of art to be used as an instrument of peace – the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin. It was during a concert in Boston that Jonathan presented that special violin to Mark O’Conner, intending to have it passed on to a talented violinist at O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp each year. To spread this message of Daniel Pearl and peace even further, a second violin was anonymously commissioned in 2005. At the annual Mark O’Connor Strings Conference, the most spectacular of participating violinists are given the honor of playing one of these violins for the period of one year. Although the lucky recipients to date number only a handful, folk musicians in Israel were grateful to have the privilege of hearing one of those violins played when musician brothers, John and James Abrams of Canada, brought it with them on tour. Like Daniel Pearl, the Abrams Brothers learned classical violin but later expanded their repertoire to include bluegrass fiddle. They were very young boys aged nine and twelve when they made their first appearance on Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Featured on several award winning radio shows, bluegrass and gospel venues and festivals, they relished in the opportunity to take the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin to Israel for performances. They were hands down the stars of the show when they performed at the Jacob’s Ladder Festival hosted by Menachem and Yehudit Vinegrad on the Sea of Galilee, Israel for two years running. The Jerusalem
Contra Dance is only one of a total of 32 performances in Israel
this month that are dedicated to the memory of Daniel Pearl. The
Hazel Hill String Band, with L. Joshua Goodman playing lead guitar,
Gayla Goodman playing folk harp, Ruti Yonah on flutes, Judy Montel
on fiddle and Judi Ganchrow on mountain dulcimer, is proud to
have taken part in such a meaningful memorial event. Joel Leyden contributed to the above news story.
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