14.01.2024
James-Simon-Galerie
From 14 to 28 January 2024, the “Yellow Piano” remains on display following an opening concert with Igor Levit at the James-Simon-Galerie on Berlin’s Museumsinsel. The Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) is very pleased to support the idea of Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, and the World Jewish Congress.
For 100 days, around 110 Israeli men, women and children have been held captive by the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip. The captives’ situation and the worries of their relatives dominate the daily lives of many families. Their suffering is hard to imagine. Among the captives is 22-year-old pianist Alon Ohel, who was kidnapped on 7 October 2023 during the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im. His family wants to commemorate his fate and that of the more than 100 other hostages with the Yellow Piano initiative. A yellow piano is placed in public places and may be played by anyone who would like to contribute to this campaign. After this was done in Tel Aviv’s pedestrian zone and Tokyo’s subway, the Yellow Piano may now also be played on Museum Island in Berlin.
It was truly a matter close to our hearts. We are horrified by the dreadful crimes Hamas committed in Israel and by the unimaginable suffering of the many families. We hope, together with the relatives, that the many Israeli men, women and children can finally be freed from captivity. I am very concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in German society, including within the cultural sphere. If there is anything we as cultural institutions can achieve, then it must involve two things: promoting knowledge and strengthening the power of sound judgement.
Hermann Parzinger, president of the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz
