54 Days

George Frideric Handel wrote some pretty famous oratorios in is day, like the "Messiah" and "Judas Maccabaeus." the 54th composition in his catalogue, HWV 54, is called "Israel in Egypt." It tells of the Exodus, the process by which God first delivered the Jewish people from Egypt to the land of Israel according to the Bible.

You can hear this piece performed by the Collegiate Chorale shortly before the Parade on May 12th, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University. Interestingly, in July 2008, this same Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa.

Fun fact: Israel has more violinists per capita than any other country in the world. Surely anyone still reading this post has heard of Itzhak Perlman (if for no other reason than that he performed the haunting violin theme of "Schindler's List")... and perhaps you've heard of world-class Israeli violinist Gil Shaham as well?

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Itzhak Perlman was the Grand Marshall of the Salute to Israel Parade in 2002. Who will the Grand Marshall be at the 2010 Salute to Israel Parade? Keep checking our website for the announcement: www.salutetoisrael.com.