Farewell to an Israeli musical giant

May 12, 2009 - 7:57 AM by David

Conducter Mendi Rodan

It’s an Israeli cliche that there’s no degree of separation among us – but it’s true. You don’t need six degrees to get to Kevin Bacon, he’s right there, living next to you, shopping at the same mall, and sending his kids to the same schools.

I was reminded of that fact yesterday morning, when reading the obit of violinist and conductor Mendi Rodan,

Rodan, who died Saturday at the age of 80 following a long battle against cancer, was a 2006
Israel Prize laureate for music.

Rodan immigrated to Israel in 1960 from Romania, and a year later was already conducting Ramat Gan’s Cameri Orchestra. He later served as the musical director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, as a guest conductor at the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, and as the musical director of the Israeli Sinfonietta in Beersheba, the Education Corps Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Belgium, and the Israeli Symphonic Orchestra of Rishon Lezion. He also headed the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance,

“Mandi Rodan was an inseparable part of the Israeli culture for nearly 50 years. He left his imprint on all of Israel’s greatest orchestras,” Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat said in a statement.

As I was thumbing through the rest of the paper, my 17-year-old daughter Sarit came out of her room on her way to school.

“Which bus goes to the Givat Shaul cemetery?” she asked. “One of my friend’s grandfather’s died and we’re all going to the funeral.”

I told her the best way to get there, and thinking to myself that she’s got a tight group of friends who would all show up at a funeral for a grandparent, I went about my day.

That night, when Sarit returned home, I asked her how it went, and she said the funeral was really crowded and that she thought she recognized some faces in the crowd as celebrities.

“Wait a minute, what was his name?” I asked.

She replied, “Mendi Rodan.”

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