"It was almost as complex as building a new town, but we succeeded in bringing Bocelli to Masada"
After establishing six new towns and building the National Information & Relocation Center for populating the Negev & Galilee, bringing Professor Nouriel Roubini to lecture during the 2009 sub-prime economic crisis and producing Broadway shows supporting the Negev & Galilee; OR Movement marked up another achievement: A concert saluting the Negev & Galilee featuring legendary opera tenor Andrea Bocelli
Advancing the populating of the Negev & Galilee is not just establishing new towns or developing the area; to the OR Movement, the change includes a complete switch in the national thought process.
A year and a half ago Professor Nouriel Roubini arrived to lecture at the economic conference in Israel as an honored guest and friend of the OR Movement, during the 2009 sub-prime economic crisis. Since then, the organization has produced two separate fundraising events on Broadway for the Negev & Galilee, an international photography competition about the Negev, and on a daily basis, leads visitations from Knesset members, ministers, businessmen/women, artists and actors throughout the peripheral regions in Israel.
At last Sunday night, the NGO marked up another achievement, thanks to a partnership with the Israeli Opera and the Tamar Regional Council. This concert, saluting the Negev and Galilee at Masada features opera legend Andrea Bocelli, in which proceeds will go towards the completion of the first and only Negev Visitor Center to be opening next year in the Bloomfield Family Gateway to the Negev, in the heart of the old city of Be'er Sheva.
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| From left: Veronica Berti, Roni Flamer, President Shimon Peres, Andrea Bocelli, Dov Litvinoff and Ofir Fisher |
"The idea of bringing Andrea Bocelli to perform in Israel began three years ago during a conversation with one of our donors, Karen Abramson. We then decided to start talks with his people, while seeking sponsors for the event. At a certain point we understood that this task may be a bit too big for us alone", explains VP and Co-Founder Ofir Fisher. "Karen Abramson told the CEO of the Israeli Opera Hanna Munitz about the idea, which as it turned out was shared by all of us including Esther Mor from Hadassah WIZO. She then turned to the Italian Ambassador in Israel Luigi Mattiolo. It was through the Ambassador, a proposal was sent to Bocelli, who agreed to come to perform in Israel, and the rest is history".
"More often than not, people ask us about the connection between these events and these famous people coming to the Negev and Galilee", relates CEO of OR, Roni Flamer. "People ask us what is the connection between OR and Professor Roubini and the economic conference? What is our connection to the site visits with Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer? What is our connection with Ambassadors from foreign countries, movie makers and incredible artists like Andrea Bocelli?
"The answer is, we want to connect as many people as we can to the Israeli, Jewish, Zionist mission", Flamer explains. "To renew old values with a modern touch; to speak in the language of young adults our age willing to take part in this mission on the tough issue of populating the Negev and the Galilee. We need to aim high and connect anyone we possibly can to this mission, anyway at all and in every corner of the world".
