A special partnership: music that crosses nationalities, religions and cultures

Last weekend I was at the Ein Kerem Music Festival, which lasted three days: Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This festival is special in that it crosses nationalities and religions, bridging Arabs and Jews, between Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, Egyptian and world music, modern and classical. It is a very important channel for strengthening the partnership, coexistence and rapprochement between Arabs and Jews in this country. The festival was organized by the "Zimbalista Music Factory", a bridging music association, under the musical direction of Shadel Chen Zimbalista.

I really enjoyed a special concert that featured a selection of wonderful musical works: music by Bach, songs by the Beatles, Hebrew and Arabic songs by Shoshana Damari, Fairuz, Farid Al-Atrash, and they were arranged and performed in an operatic style by the wonderful and unique singer Nour Darwish – a Palestinian-Israeli opera singer. This cultural integration, which crosses nationalities, religions and communities, is a courageous and humane act of the first order. In these difficult days, it is like a new religion and a new nation that unites everyone – this is one of the strongest proofs that it is possible and must build a Jewish-Arab partnership and a common life – not only in everyday life but also in cultural, artistic and creative life.

What amazed me personally was that fascinating combination between the usual oriental song like "Anemones" by Shoshana Damari, and the Christian prayer songs of Fairuz (the concert took place in the Russian church) accompanied by the traditional oriental instrument "oud" played by Ahmed Darwesh, and by the voice of the Palestinian opera singer, Nour Darwish. How beautiful are the shades of this unique mosaic!

Tamim Abu Khait