Daniel Lubetzky

Listen to the music here.  And also check out the Pope’s expressions…he seems to be wondering what he got into…

An older man walked in to a subway car, offering to sing some songs…

When he realized a young guy was already performing in that car…

But rather than compete, they extemporaneously started jamming together… …quite nicely, far nicer than what we had been hearing before…

And the whole subway car started paying attention and enjoying it – I even skipped my stop and kept riding for a few more, as there was real magic in the air…and far more contributions from the riders, who knew they were witnessing something special.

When my team members first connected with Paul McCartney, none of them imagined he would become such an engaged and passionate leader for the cause of peace among Israelis and Palestinians.  Not only did he passionately embrace the work of OneVoice Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders and rally behind the courageous partnership of the Noa and Mira singing duo, but he now also wrote to President Obama to let him know about OneVoice, and encourage him to support their work!

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Noa and Mira Awad, friends and supporters of the OneVoice Movement, are representing Israel in the EuroVision contest.  Here is a glimpse of their inspiring song:

Check this out for confirmation of the human potential of the most unassuming:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

We are so humbled and honored that, following his meeting with our young Israeli and Palestinian leaders in OneVoice, and following his further learning on our movement over the last few months, including the leadership of our colleagues in OneVoice Europe, Paul McCartney agreed to join the OneVoice Movement’s International Honorary Board.

Sample story follows….

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A very neat experiment I read about from my sister…

A Violinist in the Metro


A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Here and here are a couple of examples of Joshua Bell’s work…

And here is a song by John Lennon that Gil Shamy from OneVoice Israel sent to me celebrating baby Romy’s arrival…

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I just got this book for my wife (eh, well, and for me).  Paul Simon is a real genius.  I strongly recommend this book.