Filed under: music
Check out this new single/video from Israeli singer Yael Deckelbaum of Banot Nechama fame:
Israeli DJ Kutiman (myspace.com/kutiman) has put together an incredible group of songs made entirely of youTube videos. You can check out all the tracks at thru-you.com
Filed under: music | Tags: avishai cohen, Israel, music, shalom aleichem, video, youtube
Israel jazz musician has put out quite a good video for his popular version of the Shabbat song “Shalom Aleichem.” Enjoy!
Check out this vedio from Cohen@Mushon. It’s kind of like what would happen if the Beastie Boys were Israeli and still in High School.
Filed under: music | Tags: Eisenman, Israel, music, posted by beanieman12, Tamar, Tamar Eisenman
Over at Makom, they have a nice interveiw of Israeli guitarist Tamar Eisenman with what she is listening to, reading and interested in. Check it out here.
Filed under: arts/culture, music, politics, religion, science/nature | Tags: college, gap-year, high school, Israel, Kivunim, Masa, Nativ, posted by ak, program, Siach, Year Course
As December 31st approaches and the first of my college applications is officially due, I’m beginning to browse through another set of applications and supplements: the ones for Israel gap-year programs.
I’ve been told over and over again that “You’re never as free as you are before college. During college there are classes, then there’s internships and jobs, and then maybe grad school, and then jobs, and a family, and kids… and it becomes harder and harder to pick up and travel.”
So I’m going to Israel next year. I haven’t decided yet which program/s to apply for. There are a lot of great ones out there, some affiliated with each movement of Judaism, others pluralistic, some specifically designed with social justice in mind, others for nature lovers, some for studying, others for volunteering, some for musicians, others for dancers, some for five months, some for ten, some for just Americans, some for people from all over the world.
The internet is probably the most fantastic resource for finding a program that’s good for you, and the Masa organization offers scholarships for many of the programs it advertises.
I want a program that allows me to live like Israelis: speaking Hebrew, making friends, meeting kids, going to museums. But I also want to learn. I want to travel. I want to gain a firsthand experience of what it would be like to be seventeen-going-on-eighteen year old living in Israel.
Check it out some programs, but do it soon. Bring up the idea with your parents (you can even play the maturity card: You’ll be living on your own thousands of miles away for a while year, making decisions and friends… it will give you a step ahead of your classmates freshman year of college, when they’re just starting to hold those responsibilities).
Filed under: arts/culture, movies/television, music | Tags: Belgrade, Boaz Mauda, Dana International, ESC, Eurovision Song Contest, Fire in Your Eyes, Israel, Keilu Kan, posted by madeinisrael, Serbia
Congratulations to Israel’s Boaz Mauda for placing an impressive 9th place (out of a total of 43 spots) in the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Belgrade, Serbia. The event, which took place from May 20-24, is an annual contest where countries that are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)* send a singer/band to represent their country in a continental-wide singing competition. Viewers from all the countries then vote for their favorite performer, crowning one country the victor. Russia won 1st place with Dima Bilan’s performance of “Believe.”
The ESC, which once was credited and respected as an international contest of musical merit, has become over the past several years known to showcase ostentatious costumes and meaningless pop lyrics. However, to me, it still represents an incredible feat of international collaboration for a common cause. A “musical Olympics” of sorts.
Filed under: arts/culture, music, religion | Tags: Arabic, Aramaic, Ethiopia, Hebrew, hip-hop, Latin, music, NPR, posted by aklionsky, Puerto Rican, Y-love, Yeshiva
I was listening to NPR this evening, and I heard something about setting Talmud to a beat, so I started paying attention. A few minutes later, the full segment came on (listen to the segment here)–it was about Yitzchak “Y-love” Jordan.
Y-love has become a famous musician in religious-hip hop genres, and took away more votes than even Matisyahu at the Jewish Music Awards.
He was born to Puerto Rican and Ethiopian parents, and began keeping with Jewish traditions at 7 years old. When he was older, he went to Yeshiva in Jerusalem, where he and his chavruta (studying partner) used rap to help with quick recall of Talmudic passages.
Now, Y-Loves music is in Hebrew, English, Latin, Arabic, and Aramaic–something which he says he hopes will connect people of all faiths, as all these languages are holy to some group of people. Y-love says he’s “building bridges and not walls between people” with his music, and anyone who likes music and is devoted to their faith will find something for them in his music.
Check out this video with some music clips and also Y-love talking about his background!
Filed under: arts/culture, music | Tags: Chicago, David Broza, Elie Wiesel, Idan Raichel, JUF, kosher, posted by aklionsky, Solidarity
Thanks for the heads-up, aji525!
Chicago’s got great plans for celebrating the big Six-Oh with Israel, as well, also including the Idan Raichel Project.
On Sunday, May 4 the Jewish United Fund/Chicago Federation will host Israel Solidarity Day/The Walk With Israel. The Walk, an annual tradition that brings Jews from all around Chicago to celebrate, will commence with an Israel rally, that will turn into a 6k walk along the lake.
After eating falafel (delicious!), pizza, and other delicacies from kosher restaurants in and around Chicago, everyone will get to hear the famous Idan Raichel Project!
This will be Raichel’s second time playing in Chicago in less than a year, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone’s pretty pumped up about hearing him again!
The birthday celebrations continue that week at Northwestern University with guests like David Broza and Elie Wiesel.
