ISRAEL: Jews and Arabs attend an Arab music concert in Israeli town paying tribute to famous Arab female singers

Record ID: 396328

  • Title: ISRAEL: Jews and Arabs attend an Arab music concert in Israeli town paying tribute to famous Arab female singers
  • Date: 1st September 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) BENNY, A MEMBER OF AUDIENCE, SAYING: "In actual fact, co-existence isn't a slogan, it's a way of life. There's a lot of respect and a lot of co-existence between the Jewish and the Arab populations who live here in the area and we don't talk about it, we actually live it."
  • Embargoed: 16th September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVABT6D4E65BD4JTQ9X4M346M5WW
  • Story Text: A music concert that encourages peaceful co-existence of Jews and Arabs in the Israeli city of Gilboa pays tribute to famous Arab female divas such as Umm Kulthum and Fairuz.
    A three-day music concert aimed at promoting co-existence in the northern Israeli town of Gilboa between Arabs and Jews, came to an end on Thursday (August 28) with several singers paying tribute to famous Arab divas in a festival aimed at strengthening relations between Arabs and Jews in a region long torn apart by conflict.
    The mixed audience saw performances by Arab and Israeli singers Lubna Salameh, Zehava Ben, Sarit Hadad, and Riham Hamadi. Many of the performances were originally songs by legendary female Arab singers like Umm Kulthum and Fairuz.
    Lubna Salameh, an Arab-Israeli singer, who opened the concert with songs by legendary Egyptian singer Leila Murad, said that music is language understood by all people.

    "I am used to mixed audiences, I sing in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, for Iraqis, Jews, Arabs, Muslims and Christians. It is a nice connection with the audience, the important thing is they understand what I am saying and what message I bring and feel my voice. It doesn't matter to me whether they are Jewish or Arabic, it's the same to me. I treat a person as a human and that's all," she said.
    Zehava Ben, an Israeli singer who gave a convincing performance in Arabic of songs by Egyptian diva Um Kulthoum, found music as a way to build bridges where all else, including politics, has so far failed.

    "I'm saying that if no other way works, and no one is able to do it (achieve understanding between Jews And Arabs), neither politicians nor anyone else, I'm saying I hope I can succeed through music. It's a combination of Arabs and Jews, it's very beautiful and I hope it will work," Ben said.
    Behind the initiative is the local council of Gilboa, home to 25,000 Israelis, 40 percent of whom are Arabs. The council aims to encourage peaceful co-existence between Jews and Arabs in the town.
    Omar Masalha, an Arab member of the audience, said he enjoyed the concert.

    "This is a festival that stands out because it's a Jewish-Arab concert taking place in an area where Arabs and Jews live together. The songs tonight are all traditional Arab songs by Umm Kulthum, Fairuz and others," he said.
    Organisers hope the performances will bring famous Jewish and Arab artists together in the future.
    Some in the crowd, like Benny, didn't think co-existence was difficult to achieve. He says the town has set a great example.

    "In actual fact, co-existence isn't a slogan, it's a way of life.
    There's a lot of respect and a lot of co-existence between the Jewish and the Arab population who live here in the area and we don't talk about it, we actually live it," he said.
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