14/06/2026
A moment about Music and War
In these days
of a ceasefire that is not a ceasefire and great uncertainty,
we continue to hold the spirit of Keshet Eilon like a great sail against everything that comes our way.
We invite you to take a moment and read this fascinating article
written by Baruch Askarov, as he asked Gilad Sheba — President of Keshet Eilon,
one of the project's visionaries and founders —
to speak in the first person about moments and peaks where music and war intertwine.
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"Music in the Shadow of Wars" — On the heroic, unrelenting struggle to realize Zionist ideals and artistic excellence at the Keshet Eilon Music Center for string players from around the world, at Kibbutz Eilon — a shelled and shaken kibbutz on the Lebanese border.
The center has been operating since 1990, with the crown jewel of its annual activity being a summer course at Kibbutz Eilon for young artists — string players from around the world — who study there under the guidance of internationally renowned artists.
I, Baruch, the author of this introduction, hereby openly confess in writing: I am an admirer of Keshet Eilon. Of its founders and leaders. Of its senior teachers and its maturing artists. I follow some of them in the most personal way — and am moved beyond measure. And I am not alone. We are many.
And therefore:
We asked Gilad Sheba, President of Keshet Eilon, one of the project's visionaries and founders, to speak in the first person about moments and peaks where music and war intertwine.
Gilad himself embodies the tension between Zionism and excellence in the shadow of war: Gilad is fighting for his health. And he chose to return to his kibbutz, Eilon, after the evacuation. From his small kibbutz home, together with his wife Ruti, he wages his difficult health battle — doubly difficult in the periphery — a word harsh to his consciousness and worldview, but a word that is present and painfully real. Even in medical services, compared to healthcare in the "center."
This adds a Zionist ache to Gilad's personal pain. He is the son of a Palmach fighter, Dov Sheba of blessed memory, one of the founders of Eilon and of the settlement of the Western Galilee. Between missiles, and drones — the thunder of war repeating dozens of times a day — Gilad Sheba manages to recall the hardships of sustaining the musical enterprise in the shadow of its "unfinished symphonies" — the wars that have accompanied the region and Keshet Eilon again and again.
Gilad's words are both a stunning artistic, cultural, spiritual, and human document, and a document of a burning Zionist.
Here are his words, in his own voice:
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July 1993: A large-scale IDF operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, involving heavy bombardment and civilian population displacement.
Ten days before the opening of the summer Mastercourse, the operation began. That morning, around 10:00 AM, we heard the fighter jets above us and the thunder of artillery all around. We stepped out of the old office — which was near the "Sandwich Club" that served as a concert hall and was housed in an old chicken coop — and witnessed with our own eyes the beginning of the war.
I remember it as if it were today: it was a Wednesday, the eve of the International Summer Mastercourse opening. The next day I took a car from the kibbutz and began rushing around central Israel. To our great relief, Efal Seminary in Ramat Gan, near the Sheba Medical Center, agreed to welcome us with open arms. The facility included a hall, modest guest rooms (which couldn't accommodate all the teachers and students), and a warm-spirited staff with genuine goodwill. I myself slept on student desks in one of the classrooms.
During the course, I was also blessed with a visit from my wife Ruti and our little daughter Yonat, who was nine years old at the time. The experience was unforgettable. When the summer course ended, the operation had not yet concluded and Kibbutz Eilon was a full military camp. All course participants returned to their countries and homes and became goodwill ambassadors for the State of Israel and for Keshet Eilon. Board members and many friends invited us — the Eilon staff — to stay in their homes. Ruti and I were invited to stay in the warm apartment of Rochke and Mundek Forrer (of blessed memory) on Wisotzky Street in Tel Aviv. We felt at home and returned to Eilon about ten days later.
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The Second Intifada (2000–2005): Between 2000 and 2005 we were forced to contend with the Second Intifada. During the academic year — outside the framework of the summer courses — we held music seminars for children from all over the country. I remember well one of those spring seminars, to which we invited a group of children from the Arab villages in central Israel for a visit. After they left deeply moved by the musical activities we had organized for them, we gathered with the children in the natural grove near the Bar-Uryan Hall (which had by then been built on the site of the old chicken coop). There, we were surprised to hear the Arab children say: "If you give us violins — we'll stop throwing stones at the soldiers."
This initiative moved me deeply and gave me no rest. About a month after that meeting, we held a private fundraising concert in New York at the beautiful apartment of my beloved partner Gil Shiva (of blessed memory). After the concert, dinner was held at round tables, which Gil, in his wisdom, had arranged with care for his guests — most of whom I did not know.
After the first course, Gil suggested I tell the story of the children from the Arab villages. I did not know then that sitting across from me was Princess Firyal of Jordan, Gil's close friend. At the end of the meal, the Princess approached me and said she would donate the violins for this project. I was of course moved and thanked her with all my heart.
Thanks to this donation, the "Trofoni" Conservatory now stands in Jat in the Triangle region — initially called "Al-Fandi" — under the management of Keshet Eilon friend Mohammed Khalaf. The conservatory has about a hundred proud children, and the senior violin teacher is André Hajj, a student of Yevgeny After at the Haifa Conservatory. André grew up at Keshet Eilon from a young age and today is raising a generation of violinists from Jat and the surrounding area, guiding his students toward filling the ranks of Keshet Eilon seminars. And I take great pride and joy in this.
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The Second Lebanon War (2006): During the course held in the summer of 2006, we were once again forced to evacuate from Eilon due to the Second Lebanon War. This time we stayed at the Beit Berl Academic College, located in the Sharon region. Due to the security situation, half the participants canceled their attendance — but those who came will never forget the experience.
To this course came teachers from abroad such as Shlomo Mintz, Ida Haendel, and of course Yitzhak Rashkovsky, Ani Schnarch, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Vadim Gluzman. And students came as well, some of whom are today among the world's front-rank soloists (such as Alina Baba). The concerts were held at Beit Yad LaBanim in Ra'anana, thanks to the then-mayor Mr. Nachum Hofri. He welcomed us with open arms and made us feel at home. We will not forget the recital of Ida Haendel together with pianist Walter de la Hante.
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The Covid Pandemic broke out in 2020. There was a complete lockdown in Israel and around the world. And yet, as the saying goes: "The Jewish mind invented solutions for us." During this period we held several seminars throughout the year for Israelis, and even two summer courses.
At first the course was held on Zoom, but the synchronization between sound and image was problematic. Our sound engineer Vadim Bailey — a consummate professional of the highest order — managed to connect Zoom with the Beta software, and so we completed the course and upheld the tradition that "this melody cannot be stopped."
Three months later, a major article was published in the New York Times reporting on a sensational discovery developed at Yale University about the connection between these two software programs. Our Vadim had, of course, preceded the American technology experts...
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The War of October 7, 2023: When the war broke out, we were forced to evacuate from Eilon. The Pais Music Center in Ra'anana, led by Limor Akta, opened its doors, hosted Keshet Eilon's seminars, and held a series of our concerts in their state-of-the-art, high-quality hall. We hope that in the near future we will be able to repay them and invite them to Keshet Eilon in days of peace and a quiet border.
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The Second Iran War (2026): And as I write these lines, we are in the midst of the Second Iran War, which began on February 28th. The spring seminar was again conducted in Zoom format with all the wonderful teachers, students, pianists, and lecturers.
On March 27–28, a weekend of collaboration took place at Keshet Eilon between the Arthur Rubinstein Competition Association and the Competition's Board of Trustees. On Friday the 27th, we enjoyed three moving performances in a uniquely special atmosphere — three ensembles conveying deeply stirring hidden messages:
• Oud virtuoso Prof. Taiseer Elias — a member of the Keshet Eilon board and a permanent judge at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition — in a fascinating musical encounter with percussion artist Zohar Fresco;
• The Child — an introduction to young cellist Etan Mikhnaovsky, a student at the Ra'anana Conservatory and a graduate of Keshet Eilon seminars, who performed as a soloist with the Philharmonic and participated in Keshet Eilon fundraising concerts in Israel and New York;
• A Journey into the World of Silent Film — a Charlie Chaplin silent film with live music performed by Adi (Zeiger) Harnoy on violin and her partner Bshara Harnoy on piano;
• A special recital with Daniel Ciobanu — a beloved audience favorite and silver medalist at the 2017 Rubinstein Competition: "The Inner Sonorous Outer Voice" — a musical dialogue with himself and with the world, from works by Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, Chopin, Satie, Tchaikovsky, and Liszt.
On Saturday morning, a rich and varied program was planned — but at 8:30 AM we received the order to evacuate all guests quickly to the center.
And as I write these lines, a ceasefire with Iran has been declared — but in the north, nothing has changed: sirens, the thunder of our forces' artillery nearby, seeking protection in the safe room that saves our lives.
May it be that, from now on, we will once again be able to meet in person on the beautiful campus of Keshet Eilon.
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Gilad Shiba,
President of Keshet Eilon,
Kibbutz Eilon, Western Galilee, April 2026
