JERUSALEM: Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli DJs mix beats at a Jerusalem club to promote peace through music

Record ID: 349240

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli DJs mix beats at a Jerusalem club to promote peace through music
  • Date: 5th November 2005
  • Summary: CLUBBERS OUTSIDE THE CLUB CLUBBERS QUEUEING OUTSIDE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RUBA MAZAWI, RESIDENT OF NAZARETH, SAYING: "The idea is very nice - having such an initiative by Arabs and Jews, especially having Palestinians and Jews (working together). This is the first time. It is like a path to peace." (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) YEHUDA, RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, SAYING: "I think it is
  • Embargoed: 20th November 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAHMJWNVLJC5R1TF3RYWGPXRQL
  • Story Text: It was a historical kick off to a new Middle Eastern club scene - Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli DJs recently joined their beats at a Jerusalem club to promote peace through music. Hundreds of Israeli clubbers shook their bodies to the sounds of Arabic and house music played by Jordan's famous DJ Kalice and Palestinian DJ Khalil from the West Bank city of Ramallah, at a party in one of the most well-known clubs in the region - Ha'oman 17, located in the heart of Jerusalem.
    The special one-time event, titled "Bridge For Peace", was hosted by DJ Srulik Einhorn from Israel, and combined the three DJs from neighbouring countries which share geographical borders but are detached in their cultural ties.
    Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian flags were draped above the DJs stand, where the three DJs played their discs one after the other, and at times shared the same stage to mix their talents and sounds into a cross-cultural experience.
    "It's a first time event that we are performing together - three DJs - Israeli, Palestinian from Ramallah and a Jordanian DJ from Amman, and it's the first time that this type of event is happening in the region," Einhorn, 26, explained.
    Paper doves hanging from the ceiling and olive branches were among the symbolic decorations put inside the club to create an atmosphere of peace, in holy city for both Muslims, Christians and Jews, but have been a frequent flashpoint between the different nationals and religions. Khalil Kamal, who was born in East Jerusalem but now lives in Ramallah, has been DJing for the past 11 years, and for the first time in his career he performed in front of an Israeli crowd.
    "I would like to see different opportunities which can offer services provided by the Arabs and Jews. If we can create an understanding on the social level, we will be able to have a new generation which may be more understanding of the (political) situation," DJ Khalil told Reuters Television.
    Einhorn, the producer of the event, had to confront Israeli authorities for months ahead of the party to allow the visit of Amman-born Mourad Kalice to Israel. He told Reuters that the interior ministry did not approve DJ Kalice's arrival to Israel last May, but Einhorn's continuous efforts eventually succeeded. "We are all about the music, it is not anything else," said Kalice, who has been DJing in many countries in the world, but just now had the chance to play at his neighbouring country across the Jordan River. Outside the club, a mixed crowd of Jewish and Arab Israelis and Palestinian clubbers came to take part in the rare event that gathered to dance to the same rhythms of peace under one roof.
    "The idea is very nice - having such an initiative by Arabs and Jews, especially having Palestinians and Jews (working together). This is the first time. It is like a path to peace," said Ruba Mazawi, an Arab resident of northern Israel.
    "I wish for peace in the world, the ending af all wars of course, and if it can happen through positive means, such as music, and of course music serves as a great inspiration, I wish it a great success," said Yehuda, a resident of Jerusalem and a frequent visitor to the club. The hope to extend the musical bridge for peace to the political arena as well was expressed by both the performers and the crowd, who shared the same musical experience and the same dreams for better relations between the countries in the region.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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