SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

‘I Was Sitting in the Midst of Magic,’ Says Philanthropist Seeing Shen Yun

Apr 08, 2023

TEL AVIV, Israel—“I have one word to say about the show—magic! I was sitting in the midst of magic. The show was amazing!” said Hedva Sadikaro, a partner in aviation companies and a member of the Aryeh Yehuda Israel Foundation, a unique community of philanthropic women for the promotion and empowerment of women and girls in Israel.

Ms. Sadikaro enjoyed Shen Yun at the Shlomo Lahat Opera House on April 8, the opening night of Shen Yun’s rare stop in Israel.

Ms. Sadikaro mentioned three aspects that impressed her in particular—the costumes, the background, and the music. “They explained to me that the screen is a unique patent,” she said.

“And there are no words to explain the costumes. There is such an enormous variety of costumes, it’s so aesthetic, so bright, so amazing! The music also surprised me greatly. At first, I didn’t understand how one can combine East and West. But here, there was an extraordinary combination.”

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Since its inception in 2006, it has grown to have eight touring groups set to visit nearly 200 cities this season.

Each performance shows the breadth and depth of China’s 5,000-year history, with ancient histories and legends from various dynasties and dances from some of the 50-plus ethnic minority groups across China.

Sadikaro also noted the segment in the show that tells about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China: “It was powerful. Wow!”

She says she had read about the subject beforehand and therefore knew about the organ harvesting that takes place in China. “In Israel, there is a professor who accompanies the subject,” she says, referring to Prof. Yaakov (Jay) Lavee, a transplantation specialist from the Sheba Medical Center.

Prof. Lavee assisted in enacting an organ transplant law in Israel in 2008 which completely stopped the travel of patients to China for organ transplantation, due to the suspicion that organs were taken from innocent people.

Shen Yun ‘Once in a Lifetime’

“I would definitely recommend going to the show. It’s something you don’t see every day. It’s ‘Once in a lifetime.’”

Sharon Abenhaim, who works in marketing at a gaming company, also felt it was magic.

“It was amazing. It was magical. I was constantly surprised—by the colors, by the music. I really enjoyed it,” she said.

The orchestra, which combines instruments from the West and the East, particularly captivated Abenhaim’s heart. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Each of the instruments was demonstrated during the performance, and they explained each one of them, some of which have existed for many years. Understanding the sounds of each of the instruments was really special.”

Abenhaim says that not only does she recommend the performance, but she also thought about purchasing a ticket for her mother and her partner.

“I thought about it during the performance. I said to myself—there’s no way they’re missing this performance! People who come to watch the show are exposed to the oldest culture in the world. It’s something that should be recognized.”

Reporting by Oren Shalom.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.