Last Wednesday, a special concert for Hanukkah was held in Gerard Bechar

Center in the city. The symphony "The suffering of the innocents", composed by the Spanish artist Kiko Argüello, arrived in Jerusalem for a one time performance. The event was organized by the Catholic Church’s "The Neocatechumenal Way" and by members of the international center "Domus Galilaeae" (Latin for "The house of Galilee"), a presbyters formation center, located on the Mount of Beatitudes in the Galilee. The symphony, which was previously performed on stages in Rome, Paris, Düsseldorf and Madrid, and soon will be performed on the stage of the New York City Metropolitan, was played in the capital of Israel as a Hanukkah present from the members of "The Neocatechumenal Way" to the Jewish people and to the residents of the city. 140 musicians and 80 chorus singers all members of "The Neocatechumenal Way", from Spain and Italy, arrived to Israel especially for the event. The entrance to the performance was free, and about 600 people filled the theater hall and enjoyed the concert.

“I have seengreat suffering in the world”In the event’s opening speech, Fr. Rino Rossi, the head of the international center "Domus Galilaeae" said he was pleased that the symphony was taking place in Jerusalem and that he believes that events of this kind contribute to the strengthening of the relationship between Christians and Jews. Then he introduced Kiko Argüello, the composer of the symphony. Argüello, a painter and multi-disciplinary artist,

is the initiator of "The Neocatechumenal Way", which he founded together with the Spanish chemist and theologian Carmen Hernández.Argüello moved the audience with his speech. "Good evening, my name is Kiko Argüello, I'm a believing Christian and a Spaniard", he said. "I introduce myself this way in front of a mostly Jewish crowd because I believe this is the way to open a dialogue between our religions". Argüello explained that the members of "The Neocatechumenal Way" work to strengthen the relationship between the Christian and the Jewish worlds. "We act according to the last wishes of Pope John Paul II", he said. "We remember that the roots of Christianity are in Judaism, and that since the beginning, God made Israel the chosen people".Argüello related that he compose the musical work played that evening as he looked for a way to express the sufferings of the innocent all around the world. "I have seen great suffering in the world", he said. "I have seen homeless people lying in the streets. I have seen abandoned children in orphanages. I have met sick people abandoned because of their illness", he conveyed. "In approaching this subject, I have realized the magnitude of the disaster that the Jewish people experienced in the Holocaust".Argüello added: "Some say that after the horrors of Auschwitz it is not possible to continue believing in god. That is not true! God created man, and in his mercy helps us to carry the suffering. In spite of the horrors that we witness throughout history, in this piece I wanted to remind everyone that inside the human heart, hope is always preserved".

"Shema Yisrael" Jewish prayer in Hebrew

"The suffering of the innocents" symphony was performed wonderfully. The wonderful composition included 220 musicians and singers, who filled the stage, and performed it in a contemporary, precise approach. One could not ignore the refined color given to the piece by the harmonic choir singing movingly and the surprising ensemble of acoustic guitars incorporated into the orchestra, a rare thing to see in symphony ensembles of this kind. As an encore, the members of the orchestra moved the audience when they played a part of the piece and the choir sang in Hebrew the prayer "Shema Yisrael" to which many of the people in the audience joined.The event was graced by the presence of Deputy Mayor Naomi Tsur and Deputy Mayor Pepe Alalu.Tsur congratulated on stage Argüello and the members of "The Neocatechumenal Way" for their initiative and present to Jerusalem. She added that this act contributes to the promotion of good and strong ties between Jews and Christians. Rabbi David Rosen, director of the American Jewish Committee's Department of Interreligious also spoke. He commended the activity of the members of "The Neocatechumenal Way" and

"Domus Galilaeae" in Israel, as contributing to the relationship between the religions. He added that this is very important after centuries of persecution of Jews in the Diaspora. Rabbi Rosen also recited the prayer "El Male Rahamim" in memory of the Holocaust victims which

were commemorated by the piece played that night.Other personalities who honored the event with their presence were Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, conductor and composer Eli Jaffe, Raphael Ben-Hur, pilgrimage tourism expert and consultant to Christian denominations in Israel, director general of the Chief Rabbinate, Oded Wiener, the Spanish vice-consul Javier Bodieres, Chairman of the community center of Talpoit East Yehuda Ben-Yoseph, Gilad Wittenberg executive director of Saltiel Community Center, Deputy Political Advisor for International Affairs to the Mayor Elad Halevi, member of the directorate of the community center Darom, Hila Lipnik, and more.

Moti Elmaliah • Image article

The Symphony “The suffering of the innocents” in a one time performance as a present to the city of Jerusalem

140 musicians and 80 chorus singers from Spain and Italy, all members of “The Neocatechumenal Way”, part of the Catholic Church, arrived last week to the city to perform the symphony. The composer of the work, the Spanish artist Kiko Argüello: We strive to strengthen the relationship between Christians and Jews according to the last wishes of Pope John Paul II and

remember that the roots of Christianity are in Judaism

About 600 people filled the theater hall and enjoyed the concert. The symphonic orchestra playing “The suffering of the innocents” in Gerard Bechar

Moti ElmaliahPublic Relations & Media Consultant052-2875706 • motielm@gmail.com

Commended the activity. Rabbi David Rosen

“I wanted to remind everyone that inside the human heart, hope is always preserved”. Kiko Argüello