‼️Europe, Summer 2025‼️
Just yesterday in Vienna, Austria, violinist Hagai Shaham, pianist Julia Gurvitch, and I were enjoying a quiet moment in a cozy little Italian restaurant — grabbing a bite before our concert. Naturally, we were speaking Hebrew among ourselves.
After…
— Erwin Javor (@erwinjavor) July 26, 2025
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After taking our order, the waiter returned and suddenly asked what language we were speaking. I replied casually, “English and German.” “No, no,” he insisted. “What were you just speaking now?” I answered, “Hebrew, of course.”
He looked me directly in the eye and said, without hesitation: “In that case, leave. I’m not serving you food.” Just like that.
The initial shock and humiliation were profound. But what struck us even more deeply was what came next — or rather, what didn’t. The people around us were clearly startled, some offered sympathetic glances… and then, quietly, they went back to their dinners, their conversations, their wine — as though nothing had happened.
Welcome to Europe, 2025.
Still shaken, we stepped onto the stage that evening, hearts heavy, and sought refuge in the music we love. Performing Dvořák’s Dumky Trio to a completely sold-out hall offered us a rare kind of healing — a fleeting but powerful moment of grace amid the dissonance…
Mick Hartley 
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