JUL 24, 2001 Israelis Urge Boycott of Conductor By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JERUSALEM (AP) -- An Israeli parliamentary committee on Tuesday urged the country's cultural bodies to boycott world-renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim for performing music by Hitler's favorite composer at Israel's premier cultural event. Barenboim, a Jew who was born in Argentina but grew up in Israel, conducted a piece by Richard Wagner with the prestigious Berlin Staatskapelle at the Israel Festival on July 7. The original program consisted of the first act of Wagner's opera Die Walkuerie, but it caused an outcry in Israel and Barenboim agreed to play music by other composers instead. However, at the end of the concert he played the overture to Wagner's opera "Tristan and Isolde," as an encore. Most of the audience applauded, but some protested. Both sides included survivors of the Nazi Holocaust. The education and culture committee of Israel's parliament on Tuesday condemned Barenboim and called on Israeli cultural institutions to boycott him until he apologizes. "He should be declared a cultural `persona non grata,"' said committee chairman Zvulun Orlev. Barenboim is also musical director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Copyright 2001 The Associated Press "Gretchen Ehrenberg" <[log in to unmask]>