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194 34 Mordechai Golinkin and the Palestine Opera (1927) This article is a tribute to Mordechai Golinkin (1875–1963), founder, director, and conductor of the Tel Aviv Opera House. Golinkin, born in the Ukraine, studied composition and conducting in Warsaw and became a conductor at the Marinskaya Opera in Petrograd. In 1917 he wrote the essay “Citadel of Art in Palestine,” and in May 1923 he came to Palestine to realize his dream of creating a Jewish opera company in the country. On July 28, 1923, in Tel Aviv, the Palestinian Opera was launched with a production of Verdi’s La Traviata. There was no opera house in Palestine at the time, and the company performed in movie theaters. Golinkin directed the Palestine opera for four years. In 1927 the opera company faced budgetary problems, and Golinkin left for the United States to raise money for it. In the 1930s there were very few operatic productions in Palestine, but things changed after the Second World War with the arrival in Palestine of the American soprano Edis de Philippe, who created the Israel National Opera. Golinkin joined the board of the Israel National Opera and conducted several productions. The article celebrates Golinkin’s achievements, but it also reveals the vitality of the cultural and artistic life in Tel Aviv, the first Hebrew city. The article also shows how cultural activities were regarded as an integral part of the Yishuv’s political efforts. ❖ It is commonly accepted that the Palestine Opera is the most accomplished of all the performing-arts institutes in the country. It was four years ago that Golinkin came here and, in one fell swoop, took us out of the dilettantism that Source: Haaretz, August 23, 1927. Translated by Marganit Weinberger-Rotman. had pervaded the profession. How miraculous it seemed that only four to five months later, the opera Faust was performed in its entirety. And then Samson and Delilah, Aida, Judas Maccabaeus, The Huguenots, etc.—seventeen of the best operas in the world. Only now that the opera has been silent for some time do we begin to fully appreciate its existence. How could such a miracle happen? And four years ago! All this happened because Golinkin brought three things with him: skill and experience that he had honed for thirty years; talent and inexhaustible energy; a capacity to work tirelessly and relentlessly. The population appreciated all this, and Golinkin garnered much recognition, affection, and admiration from all sectors of the Yishuv, with no exception. The Opera House was appreciated also as a political agent. “We have an opera house,” you’d hear the inhabitants, mayors, and administrators brag at political receptions and celebrations. The opera was considered one of our “conquests” in the country. Even the High Commissioner could not ignore it and he mentioned it in his report to the League of Nations. But the real value of his efforts was internal. Instantly, the level of musical performances in the country rose immeasurably. Golinkin pushed us forward relentlessly to greater triumphs and musical conquests. The need to forge ahead and progress is one of the reasons that impelled Golinkin to travel far and wide, in order to help expand, develop, and improve this project. We know that a whole range of operas could not be staged here because we lack performers. We also know how much time and energy the conductor had to invest attending to small matters—creating the basic conditions without which no stage performance, especially not a gigantic production like an opera, could exist. It so happened that during the time of crisis, Golinkin undertook the difficult task of expanding and improving the Opera House. But we hope that the troubles are over and that we will soon rejoice in the renewed work and construction, and that Golinkin himself will go from strength to strength, because he is one of our most diligent and dedicated builders; no burden is too heavy for him. Tel Aviv, where the opera and its creator are located, the city that benefited most from his work and that watched the project from its inception—Tel Aviv today thanks Golinkin for four years of dedicated work. Tel Aviv cheers him on and sends him off on his way with blessings and good wishes. We are saying to this excellent man, “Good luck on your mission. We hope to see you back soon on the stage that you graced with your talent, energy, dedication, and true love of...

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