December 20, 1936
Arturo Toscanini, considered to be one of the finest virtuoso conductors of the 20th century, arrives at the Lod airport at approximately noon so he can conduct the opening performance of the Palestine Philharmonic. He is received by Bronislaw Huberman and Chaim Weizmann, among other dignitaries, and is taken directly to the concert hall to rehearse with the orchestra.
A sold-out crowd of 3,000 watches Toscanini conduct the orchestra in its first concert December 26.
Toscanini was conducting the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra in 1935 when he was approached by Huberman about helping launch the Palestine Philharmonic. Huberman, a violinist, recruited Jewish musicians to form the orchestra from among those who had been dismissed from their positions in Germany after the Nazis rose to power. Toscanini’s agreement to conduct the opening session helped attract even more musicians to the new enterprise.
Toscanini was a noted opponent of fascism and the Nazi Party. In 1933 he refused to participate in a festival in Bayreuth as a protest of the Nazi regime and was honored by Jewish community leaders in New York and by the Jewish National Fund for his public stance. He refused to take payment or reimbursement for his travel, saying, “I had to show my solidarity. It is everyone’s duty to help in this cause according to one’s means.”
In addition to his time with the orchestra, the renowned conductor tours the Land of Israel and meets with Jewish refugees and immigrants from Europe and even participates in a tree-planting ceremony. He returns to Palestine in 1938 during the height of the Arab riots and again conducts a series of concerts with the Palestine Philharmonic.
