NEWS

Israeli-Jew and Israeli-Arab to perform together at Hill Hall

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina Hillel, a foundation for Jewish life at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present a concert, "Harmony Amidst Discord," at 8 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 18) in the Hill Hall Auditorium. The concert will be free and open to the public.

Virtuoso Israeli musicians Inbal Megiddo on cello and Saleem Abboud Ashkar on piano will perform works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, Bach, De Falla, and Popper.

"With so much going on in the news about Israel politically these days, we felt it was important to show that Israel is about much more than just politics," said UNC sophomore Ruthie Warshenbrot, chair of the Hillel concert committee. "The awful news coming out of the Middle East is sometimes dominated by the conflict, but the people of Israel are not always arguing. They also produce wonderful art to contribute to the world."

Megiddo, a Jewish Israeli, has been described by maestro Zubin Mehta as "an extremely talented, very musical musician." She has received numerous awards for her cello playing, including the America Israel Cultural Foundation Award.

Pianist Abboud Ashkar, an Israeli-Arab, studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has performed at Carnegie Hall and with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. He was awarded the Palestine Prize in 1998. He is a Christian from Nazareth.

"It is inspiring that an Israeli-Jew and an Israeli-Arab will perform together in that it shows that music is one language that all people can understand," says Lauren Rauch, a UNC sophomore active in Hillel. "We do not claim that music will overshadow political turmoil, but it does cross cultures, and it is important to find and use any and all bridges to other people."

Melissa Anderson, president of Carolina Students for Israel (a co-sponsor of the event), said, "We do not want this to be a political event, but clearly the fact that an Israeli-Jew and an Israeli-Arab will perform on the same stage and make beautiful music together is significant."

For more information please contact music@nchillel.org or visit www.nchillel.org.

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Contact: Or Mars, executive director, N.C. Hillel, 942-4057, or@nchillel.org or www.nchillel.org