Songs of Hope From the Underground
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Israel’s battle with Hamas has driven much of the country’s music scene underground — in many cases, literally.
Since the outbreak of fighting, December 27, dozens of Israel’s best-known singers have performed free concerts for compatriots living within range of Palestinian rockets, sometimes playing in bomb shelters in Beersheba, Ashkelon and Ashdod. Musicians ranging from pop newcomer Idan Yaniv to veteran singer/songwriter David Broza have sung in more than 500 show organized as part of “Southern Spirit,” a hastily assembled cultural series intended to boost morale and show support for residents of cities and towns under attack. Co-sponsored by Army Radio, the newspaper Yediot Aharonot and the not-for-profit organization Omanut Laam (Art for the People), the initiative also has included bomb shelter performances by a number of the country’s top TV comedians, as well as screenings of recent films, attended by the stars of those movies.
For the musicians, the current conflict is not the first time that bomb shelters have become a major stop on Israel’s small-concert circuit: Many of the same artists performed similar shows in the northern part of the country during its 2006 war with Hezbollah.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
