In this interview for the Magazine, Ziv Yehezkel talks about his love of Arabic music and the power of singing piyutim, especially during slihot and the High Holy Days.
Dec 21, 2020
A beautiful new song of peace and unity by Israeli and Arab artists is making waves on the internet, ILTV reports.
Although Tunisia and Yemen are not among the Arab countries that have recently made peace deals with the Jewish state, a new and beautiful song of peace and unity by artists in those countries, together with an Israeli, is making waves on the internet.
The song ‘Peace Between Neighbors,” performed by Israeli Ziv Yehezkel and Tunisian singer Noomane Chaari, and written by an anonymous Yemenite, expresses the desire for peace and an end to hatred.
The moving song, performed in Arabic with Hebrew and English subtitles, gives hope for a peaceful future for Israel and the entire region!
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Israel’s vaccine drive officially began on Sunday morning, with healthcare workers, President Reuven Rivlin, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi set to receive the coronavirus shot throughout the day. Starting on Monday, Israelis aged 60-plus and at-risk populations will be able to get inoculated.
The government hopes to vaccinate some 60,000 people per day and as many as two million Israelis by the end of January. However, Hebrew media has reported that the first week would serve as a pilot program, tamping down expectations that hundreds of thousands of people would receive the vaccine within a matter of days.
Tunisian singer Noomane Chaari performs Peace Between Neighbors (video screenshot)
Though Tunisia and Yemen are not among Arab countries to have normalized relations with Israel recently, a new initiative by artists from the three nations seeks to bring the peoples closer together.
The song “Peace Between Neighbors,” released this week, is performed by Israeli Ziv Yehezkel, a religious Mizrahi Jew who sings primarily in Arabic, and Tunisian singer Noomane Chaari.
The song was penned by a Yemenite artist who wishes to remain anonymous, for his own safety.
In the duet, Yehezkel and Chaari sing in Arabic about their religious identities and their desire for peace and an end to hatred. It includes such lines as “In my faith there is a place for all religions” and “My book calls on neighbors to overcome their differences,” while calling for “peace among neighbors” and building “bridges to one another.”