Rap Israel

Songs of Then, Songs of Now

We often feel how the soul of Israel was conjured for us through its music. Who can imagine connecting to Israel without Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, for example? Yet as we celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary, we find ourselves torn. On the one hand, we know that Israel is no longer the land of clean emotional simplicity that those old songs conveyed. But at the same time we feel loath to present Israel only in the light of its difficulties and complexities, without any of its pure 'soul'.

This program presents five songs that feature in the 'canon' of classic Israeli song, but that have been remade and adapted anew by contemporary Israeli artists in the last few years. It is the combination of the old beloved songs, with their modern interpretations, that will give us a fascinating window into the developing soul of Israel.

Songs of Then Redone