An up-and-coming pianist who many consider to be one of the greatest in the world made a statement at his most recent concert by performing the Israeli National Anthem. The young star was performing at New York’s Carnegie Hall when he decided to begin his show with a clear statement of support for the current war that is plaguing the Middle East.
Kevin Chen, an 18-year-old pianist who is a legend on the keys already at a young age, was seen sitting down at the piano bench before immediately diving into the “Hatikvah,” the national anthem for Israel and a song titled the translates to “The Hope.”
Chen, a Canadian, still has ties to Israel as he is the reigning winner of the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv. The Jewish Telegraph Agency went on to explain even more of his accomplishments, and it becomes clear that he is no stranger to the part of the world in which Israel lies.
The JTA explained that Chen has played with the “Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Camerata.” Such a wowing ability to play the piano has given Chen the ability to stand up for those whom he has plied his craft with, and he did not hesitate to play their anthem and give his support to the Israeli people.
In the touching video of the performance, shared in the Twitter video below, some members in the crowd can be heard quickly beginning to sing the words to the anthem after they recognized the first few notes.
Watch: Kevin Chen opens his concert at @carnegiehall with Hatikva, Israel’s anthem, paying tribute to the Israeli victims murdered and those who are being held hostage by Hamas.
Thank you. pic.twitter.com/kQzfagaqK0
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) October 20, 2023
The video was shared by Israel’s official page on Twitter with the caption, “Watch: Kevin Chen opens his concert at @carnegiehall with Hatikva, Israel’s anthem, paying tribute to the Israeli victims murdered and those who are being held hostage by Hamas. Thank you.”
The Daily Wire, which has been bravely outspoken in support of Israel following surprise attacks by Hamas in early October, shared a translation of the Hebrew lyrics of “Hatikvah.” The translation reads as follows.
“As long as the Jewish spirit is yearning deep in the heart, With eyes turned toward the East, looking toward Zion, Then our hope – the two-thousand-year-old hope – will not be lost: To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
This conflict, now officially a war according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has caused a massive rift in American politics with a strong support of Israel seeming to be the only stance taken by major Republican politicians. On the other side, groups like “The Squad” have not been quick to jump to the side of Israel with some democrats even jumping to give some sort of soft support to Hamas.
Across college campuses, protests are being seen frequently and even some pro-Hamas demonstrations have bafflingly taken place in America even after the brutal surprise attack committed against Israeli civilians.
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