Page 274 - ISRAEL'S CRADLE

Danny Kaye and Yitzhak Rogow from Keren Hayesod, 1967
Goldstein got excited, invited Danny Kaye to his office in Jerusalem and the matter started to progress. The IDF and Ministry of Defense, who were responsible for the Gadna Orchestra, were also excited. Shalom Ronli-Riklis, the regular conductor for the orchestra, which had 90 musicians ages 14 to 22, was let in on the secret and in coordination with him, it was decided that each of the dozens of concerts that would be conducted around the world would include a serious first half conducted by him, and an amusing second half conducted by Danny Kaye.
The 27-year-old Yitzhak Rogow, the Director of Public Relations for Keren Hayesod, was established as the liaison to the orchestra. He set out on two preparatory trips in Europe, North America and South America, in order to plan the tour with the various branches of Keren Hayesod. The delegation was headed by the Gadna Commander, Colonel Moshe (Moussa) Zohar, who was joined by Rogow, an army surgeon, a travel agent, a financial supervisor, a reporter and others. On October 29, 1967, the orchestra flew to Rome, its first stop. Further on the tour, the orchestra would play in Milan, Geneva, Belgium, The Netherlands and Denmark. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, concerts were held in three cities in Canada – Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. The tour continued to Mexico
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