Israel Popular Music
The Shtetl and The Klezmer through Songs and Musicals
A musical journey that takes us from the Jewish shtetl through the streets of Broadway to the Land of Israel. During our journey we will experience the essence of Jewish music: happy, sad, and most of all – soulful. In this lecture we will explore how the greatest musicals (Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound […]
The Child Musician’s Searches for Meaning: Children of the Holocaust who Survived Thans to Their Playing and Later, as adults, Engaged in it As Their Life’s Mission
What was the pivotal moment in the Second World War that caused Shmuel to shut his eyes while playing the harmonica near Crematorium no. 3 in Auschwitz-Birkenau? How did he get back the harmonica that was taken from him? And what was the vow he made when he realized it had saved his life? What […]
A Kibbutz* of Milk and Honey: The Kibbutz Composers
What was the status of the composer / songwriter on the kibbutz?How did s/he make a living? The lecture focuses on the kibbutz composers and songwriters, some of whom were born there and others who chose to live there for at leastsome portion of their lives. During the lecture we will visit, virtually, the highlights and unique […]
The Big Hits of Our Tiny Land
A special and exciting lecture about Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to mark the anniversary of its liberation. In this lecture, we will distinguish between songs about Jerusalem written from the time of the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) until the Six-Day War (1967) and those written after the war and the city’s […]
And Douze Points Go to Hallelujah: The Israeli Songs that Won the Eurovision Song Contest as a National and International Microcosm
How does one create a hit song for billions of viewers and listeners around the world? What are the ”musical manipulations” that cause the listeners to fall in love with that particular song despite their being unfamiliar with the language being sung? The lecture focuses the four Israeli songs that won in the first prize […]
Jerusalem of Song: A Festive Lecture to Celebrate Jerusalem Day
A special and exciting lecture about Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to mark the anniversary of its liberation. In this lecture, we will distinguish between songs about Jerusalem written from the time of the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) until the Six-Day War (1967) and those written after the war and the city’s […]
Who Has More Respect? Israeli Musicals as Shapers of the National Culture
How do Musicals reflect the entire spectrum of society and culture? What is the musical’s role in shaping the societal and national ideology Kazablan is a milestone in Israeli culture in that it exposes the ethnic disparities existing in the country since the early 1950s. Kazablan, the protagonist, was born in Casablanca (hence the nickname). […]