The 64th Anniversary of the State of Israel Reception

Israel Ambassador Menashe Bar-On

It is no secret that I’ve had a good relationship with the Embassy of Israel for some time now. It all started when pianists Yaron Kohlberg and Haroni Bishara were here during the 62^nd Israel National Day back in 2010. Since then, I’ve been a guest to many of their events especially those that were related to music, culture and the arts. This year, I was honored to be a guest once again at the 64^th Israel National Day celebrations held at the Grand Ballroom of the InterContinental Manila.

Invited guests in this event included members of the diplomatic corps, local government officials including Rep. Imelda Marcos, and noted personalities in various fields. Being among these distinguished guests could’ve left me dumbfounded and uncomfortable. Thankfully, also present in this evening were a few people from the cultural scene whom I regularly see at concerts like Rey Sison of ROS Music Center, pianist Lorenzo Medel and Martin Lopez of FilFest Foundation and FEU. Seeing them there helped me feel at ease and be more comfortable.

Rep. Imelda Marcos (middle) with guests

This year also marked the first time that Ambassador Menashe Bar-On and his wife Madame Esther Bar-On hosted the celebrations. The Embassy invited over writer Eran Katz (Where did Noah Park the Ark?: Ancient Memory Techniques for Remembering Practically Anything) who has helped numerous people around world to improve their memory. Katz gave about an hour long lecture, offered tips on how to improve memory and even demonstrated the extent of his amazing capabilities in remembering things. He recalled from memory twenty random numbers given to him on the spot and even recited those numbers backwards. A few days after, he also had a book signing and a mini-workshop which I was unable to attend due to urgent tasks that I had to attend to over the weekend.

Lorenzo Medel, Eran Katz and RAd

This was my third year to attend the Israel National Day celebrations and I am very grateful to the Embassy and all the people who work there. And it’s not just for inviting me to be part of their celebrations but also for giving me the opportunity to experience Israeli culture through music, cuisine and cinema. Coming up on the horizon is yet another opportunity for me to experience a different branch of Israeli art/culture which is dance. Now, I just hope that the Embassy do not require me to dance.