The Mann Auditorium, which can seat 3,000 concertgoers, is the home of this prestigious orchestra, founded in 1936 by Bronislaw Huberman. Concerts are also given at the Smolarz Auditorium in Tel Aviv University and in other towns, carrying on a tradition that began during the War of Independence when it played just behind the lines for the troops near Jerusalem and Beersheba. The orchestra is on vacation during August, September, and October until after the Jewish holidays.