With peace and war in balance over Israel, daily violence in Gaza and on the West Bank, the embattled 77-year-old Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lying in a coma, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, waving his fists and going nuclear, now more than ever, the world needs to hear the voice of Israel's premier cultural ambassador - its philharmonic orchestra.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and its Mumbai-born Music Director Zubin Mehta are to return to Carnegie Hall Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. for their only U.S. appearance this season in a benefit concert highlighted by a performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with guest soloist Lang Lang, the 23-year-old native of Shenyang, China, who calls Mehta an important mentor in his career.

The Carnegie Hall concert will be followed by a $1,500-$3,000-$6,000 a ticket (includes concert) dinner reception given by the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.Funds raised from the benefit will help to ensure the financial security of the Orchestra.

Founded when the tide of Nazi anti-Semitism threatened to engulf Europe by Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, the Orchestra provided sanctuary to Jewish musicians who lost their jobs due to the rise of Nazism. But it was not a platform only for Jewish artists. It was symbol of opposition to Fascism and Nazism at a time when most Western powers were appeasing Hitler.