Sacred Music Hits The Israeli Pop Charts: Music, Money, and Mizrahiyut (Ethnic Identity)

Over the past several years, some of Israel’s most noted secular rock singers have begun performing their own renditions of traditional Middle Eastern religious songs for large crowds of adoring fans, and recordings of these songs have soared to the top of Israeli pop charts. This lecture/musical talk draws on several years of Dardashti’s fieldwork in Israel to explore the complexities of cultural and artistic production today, as ethnic identity politics and religion converge with the agendas of global philanthropic organizations.