Engagement
“Fear is something that constricts the voice. I have never allowed anything to constrict my voice!”
Hilde Zadek always kept her connection to the land and people who gave her family refuge, helped her to heal and to find her way. While not observant, her Jewish identity would always be very important to her. She returned to Israel many times, both privately and professionally: performing at charity and public events, e.g. in 1968, when she sang eight performances of Tosca with the Israeli Philharmonic in celebration of Israel’s 20th anniversary.
Hilde would also hold classes in Israel, often pro bono, and worked to put voice instruction in the country on a solid footing. She was highly supportive of the development and progress of Israeli singers in Israel and abroad, and there are many today who cite Hilde Zadek as their mentor.
Hilde regularly sang at Jewish charity concerts in the US, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany and her new home Austria, where she also donated generously to the Solidaritäts-Fond für Israel.
She spoke frankly in interviews about the predicament of garnering applause from the people who persecuted her family. Ultimately, she opted to embrace her role positively: to give joy and foster understanding through music and to nurture the younger generation.
