Music for Peace (continued)

My dear Friends

The concert last Sunday was very exciting, with Hebrew, Arabic and Yiddish pieces. The Middle East Peace Orchestra turned out to be an ensemble of six musicians playing the oboe, the accordion, the oud, the bouzouki and the darbuka with the Egyptian singer Fatma Zidan. It was founded by the oboe player Henrik Goldschmidt, a Danish Jew. Sometimes there is a wider ensemble with musicians coming from Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

The repertoire ranged from an Arab love song to a Yiddish song about bagels to a song which is a combination of an Arab love song, a Jewish tango and a Danish psalm. There were pieces about freedom and some dances. The audience responded by extended clapping in some of the pieces and loud applause at the end. Some of the music resembled Klezmer music.

Henrik Goldschmidt proved to be a remarkable oboeist and Fatma Zidan a gifted singer.Apart from teaching children music in Bethlehem, the ensemble performs in the streets, in hospitals and prisons and everywhere there is a need for a dialogue through music.

Very much after my own heart!

Shalom from
Sister Gila

Music for Peace

My dear Friends
Sorry I haven't written for a while, but things have been a bit hectic. I am going down to London on Sunday to the Cadogan Hall to a concert. You may remember that I went there recently to hear that marvellous concert on the 50th anniversary of the independence of Cyprus. This time it's a concert for Peace, given by The Middle East Orchestra for Peace.

I have no idea what they are playing, a friend kindly gave me the ticket but I will let you know after the concert.Music is one of the best ways of making peace, its a universal language, crossing all the divides and it lifts the spirit. When I do my concerts, the people all sing together, making a special resonance and I humbly say effecting Tikkun Haolam, a Rabbinical concept meaning 'fixing the world.'

Think of the great singers for peace in our time, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton, to name but a few. They may not have ended conflicts but it s huge statement in our troubled world.

Shalom from
Sister Gila

The great debate

My dear Friends
On Thursday I went to my first debate at the Cambridge Union. The motion was 'This house believes that Islam is a threat to the West.' I knew it would be controversial and emotional, but it has a bearing on my work of Peace and Reconciliation.

First to propose the motion was Stephen Gash, founder of the movement 'Stop the Islamification of Europe.' He spoke of the huge numbers of Muslims and implied that many were converted by the sword. He also talked about people being forced to eat halal meat.

First to oppose the motion was Idris Tawfiq, writer and broadcaster, a Muslim who is a former Catholic priest. He opened his remarks in Arabic and wished peace upon the gathering. He said the message of the Qur'an is peace.

Robert van't Hoff spoke next for the motion and he based his whole argument on the notion that the West is secular and Islam being a threat by nature of its being a religion.(Where do Judaism and Christianity fit in there, I wonder?)

Farah Jassat, the Islamic society treasurer, countered the secular claim and also made the point that the Arabs were responsible for developing mathematics, medecine and many other things.

Arrash Yassaee, proposing the motion, said it might be surprising for someone brought up as a devout Muslim, to be taking this stand but argued that political Islam was a threat to the West.

Abdullah Al-Andulosi was the last to defend the motion.

The whole thing was highly charged and made me realise how important it is to love each other and live together in peace.And to find the holiness in each other's religions.

Shalom/salaam
Sister Gila