| Noa Israel Festival concert on Mezzo | |
| Noa's Israel Festival concert with the Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra from last June will be broadcast on Mezzo on September 4th at 22:15 CET. More» |
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| Extra concert added with special guest Esther Ofarim | |
| Due to public demand, an extra concert has been added at the Mann Auditorium on August 3rd. The concert features Noa performing her new album "Eretz Shir" with the Haifa Symphonic Orchestra and hosting special guest star Esther Ofarim. |
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| Noa sings "Hayu Leilot" | |
| Noa sings her own rendition of the Israeli classic "Hayu Leilot" from her latest album. Song» |
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| "Pep" in Israel for Noa's concert | |
| European Champions Barcelona's legendary manager Pep Guardiola is in Israel upon Noa's invitation and was present at her concert in Jerusalem last night. The two have been mutual fans for a while now, and noa asked him to come to Israel if the team wins the Cup when she was in Barcelona last month. The team won, and he is here!! Link» |
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| China tour blog -part two | |
| Part two of Noa's blog-on tour in China!! Blog» |
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| China tour blog | |
| Noa has written about her Chinese tour so far: BLOG» |
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| Noa releases two new albums | |
| Noa is releasing two albums this month. One is her rendition of classical Neapolitan songs-this album has been released in Italy and Spain, and she is touring to promote that album at the moment. At the end of the month, she will be releasing a Hebrew album, singing classical Israeli songs backed by the Jerusalem Symphonic Orchestra and will be headlining the prestigious Israel Festival with two live concerts with songs from the album. |
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| Message from Noa | |
| Here is an update on our professional activity? This year, 2011, will see the release of two new albums. One is an album of classic Hebrew song, recorded together with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. It will be called "eretz, shir"?.."ארץ,שיר" The album is coming out March 22 in Israel, and will be available on www.noasmusic.com The arrangements and orchestration were done by Gil Dor and Ilan Mochiach, with a little help from the singer J. Our stage debut will be in Jerusalem in the very prestigious Israel Festival on June 9th and 11th. http://www.israel-festival.org.il/2010/index.asp?module=ShowPage&cat=5&show=171 The French music channel "MEZZO" will be filming the concert. http://www.mezzo.tv/ There are plans to perform in the Roman Amphitheater in Caesarea in late summer. This is very thrilling for us, as it is a landmark venue, seating 4,000, and it will be our first full performance there ever! The second album is a collection of Neapolitan songs called "Noapolis". The album will be coming out in Italy and Spain in March and April respectively. There will be 2 media showcases in the Teatro Sannzaro in Naples March 3 and 4, and the first two concerts will be in Catanzaro and Foggia, March 8 and 9. The showcases as well as the concerts will be together with the wonderful Solis String Quartet, with whom we recorded the album. In addition, Mira Awad and I are hitting the road again, spreading our music and message to the farthest reaches of the planet, and this time.. to CHINA!! This will be our first time in China and we are all very excited. We have 10 concerts planned in late April and May, the dates all appear on www.noasmusic.com With all this, Gil and I are continuing our creative journey, writing new songs in English and Hebrew for new original releases next year. We are also planning a collaboration with the amazing Milton Nascimento in Brazil, for late this year or the beginning of next. Here is a live in concert audio youtube of his lovely cover version of the Beatles "hello, goodbye"?so beautifully sung?. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUDs0-Ht3Ps That's all for now dear friends.. Hope to see you somewhere down the road..:-) Much love Noa |
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| Namur, Belgium- Pictures | |
| Here are some pictures from Namur-Noa and Mira Awad Namur Pictures» |
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| Interviews with Noa-USA tour | |
| Some interviews with Noa and Mira Awad from the USA tour: http://www.noasmusic.com/27-04-10philinquire.pdf http://www.noasmusic.com/28-04-10citypulse.pdf http://www.noasmusic.com/28-10-10seattle-noa-the-woman.pdf http://www.noasmusic.com/29-04-10jewishexponent.pdf |
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| Article on the upcoming US tour | |
Article» |
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| Noa - newest project! | |
| Noa has given birth to a beautiful baby girl and has named her Yum (Ocean in Hebrew).We wish her all the best wishes possible!! |
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| Noa on Fench TV- "Vivement Dimanche" | |
| Noa will be appearing on the show "Vivement Dimanche" on French channel 2 on Sunday January 3rd, 2010. The first part of the show is on at 14:00 CET and the second half at 19:00 CET. Link to site» |
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| TV Documentary on Eurovision journey | |
| Israel channel 1 will broadcast a documentary of Noa and Mira Awad's journey to the Eurovision song contest. Sunday, December 13th, 21:30, channel 1. |
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| One billion hungry people is morally unacceptable! | |
| One billion hungry people is morally unacceptable. Support the FAO's Hunger Summit, convened by FAO's Director-General's Jacques Diouf from 16 to 18 November in Rome. FAO» |
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| New interview with Noa! | |
| A new interview with Noa in Spain More details » |
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| Noa and Mira Awad-Sesame Street | |
| Noa and Mira Awad filmed an episode of the Israeli version of "Sesame Street" recently. Pictures can be seen in the picture gallery. Gallery» |
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| Noa's blog!! | |
| Noa has started her own blog- she will be writing from wherever she is about the concerts and other stuff. Please visit! BLOG» |
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| Noa on Twitter | |
| Noa is on Twitter, and you can follow her and see what she's up to! Noa's twitter» |
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| Message from Noa | |
| Dear friends, Finally it?s all behind us, the Eurovision madness. I admit it has been a challenging several months for Mira Awad, Gil Dor and myself, and for our devoted production team, preparing for this huge event with no support from anyone (except for a few close friends), not knowing what the outcome would be, knowing only that we were following our hearts, not anything else. We made it to the finals and fared reasonably well in the final count-down, but at the end of the day, what mattered most was the message of co-existence and tolerance we were conveying, our two voices in harmony, and the honesty behind it all . We are honoured to have had this opportunity, we are endlessly grateful for the countless messages of support and encouragement we received from so many people everywhere, and to the international media for giving us the platform to extend our reach father than we ever expected. We were also grateful to Sir Paul McCartney for his message support that came just a day before the Final . it was a great gust of wind beneath our wings! A special thanks to all our fans and devoted e-groupers for their support and hard work on the web and beyond, helping us get the message across! I send you all my deepest gratitude!! We did not win the contest, but the letter below, from an Iranian man, is and example of what i consider to be our personal victory. I wanted to share it with you, as it moved me so very deeply. (the sender was kind enough to give me permission to do so) With all my love, Noa (Achinoam Nini) Letter: Dear Noa and Mira Awad; I am an Iranian who cried for your song at Eurovision contest. You deserved to be the winner but it was the shallow people who could not understand the soul of the poem. We, Iranian, respect Jews and people of Israel but it is the illegitimate Islamic hardliners in the government who prevent of using "another way"; the way of peace, humanity and justice. You can not imagine how suffering it is for the people of Iran when the world takes us as a cause of this war instead of the Islamic regime. Black or White, Muslim or Christian, Jewish or Atheist, it does not matter; we all are human beings. Hope for the peaceful coexistence of all nations. Ramin Vatani; an Iranian blogger |
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| Breaking news-Sir Paul McCartney sends a message! | |
| Sir Paul McCartney has recently written to President Barack Obama making him aware of an organisation called OneVoice ? an organisation that Paul first came into contact with during his memorable trip to Israel last year. Whilst performing in Tel Aviv last year, Sir Paul?s message was to bring people together via the power of music ? a sentiment that is shared by two singers, Noa, an Israeli Jew and Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab, who are members of OneVoice. They are to perform a song together for the Eurovision song contest titled "There Must Be Another Way". Sir Paul said: ?This seems to me like a great idea, the symbolism of two people from both sides coming together to spread their message of peace via music is exciting and inspiring for me. I hope President Obama looks into this Organisation and feels that OneVoice could be part of a peaceful solution.? When Noa and Mira heard of Paul?s involvement with OneVoice they said: ?Paul is a great source of inspiration for both of us, and we would like thank him from the bottom of our hearts for the amazing gift he has given us with his music and for supporting the great work that everyone at OneVoice is doing. Our first collaboration, 8 years ago, was a cover of Paul?s song, ?We Can Work It Out?. We?ve performed it all over the world, using the timeless words and music to carry our small torch of hope for a better future.? |
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| New Duet Album Released!! | |
| Noa and Mira Awad will release a joint album of duets and songs. It will include 6 duets and three individual songs each, and will be called "There Must Be Another Way". The release date will be around the middle of May.. The songlist: 1. There Must Be Another Way- noa/mira- 3:00 2. Will You Dance With Me- noa/mira- 3:00 3. Where Can We Go From Here- noa/mira- 2:59 4. Cloud- mira-4:02 5. Nanina- noa- 3:46 6. After the Rain- mira- 4:23 7. A Word- noa/mira-4:04 8. Frozen- noa- 4:37 (cover of the Madonna song) 9. Alakatuna- mira-3:40 10. Second Chance- noa/mira -3:01 11. We Can Work It Out- noa/mira-3:50 12. Dance of Hope- noa- 3:18 |
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| New message from Noa | |
| Hello friends, Just a few weeks ago Israel celebrated its 61st anniversary. One day prior, it was israel?s memorial day. This is a very serious event in Israel, as almost every family has suffered painful losses as a result of our ongoing violent conflict of 60 years. I had the honour of singing in 3 memorial day ceremonies. The third was very special as it was a ceremony joining Arabs and Jews together, with bereaved families from both sides of the fence telling of their loss and mourning together. I had the pleasure of singing together with Mira Awad in this important event. The evening was organized by Combatants for Peace, a brave group of people whose efforts i support whole-heartedly. You can learn more about them here: http://www.combatantsforpeace.org/ Another organization present there is one of the most amazing in Israel, The Parents Circle...read about them here. http://www.theparentscircle.com/hebrew/about.asp You can find photos from the event here: http://www.demotix.com/news/eurovision-duo-headlines-alternative-israeli-memorial-day-ceremony Mira and i are in Moscow now, preparing to participate in this year?s Eurovision contest with our song, ?There must be another way?... As all the people mentioned about here prove, there definitely must be another way... sending love noa |
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| One Voice | |
| Dear friends, Mira and I have decided to join forces with a wonderful organization called One Voice, the voice of the moderates on both sides of the fence, urging their leaders to reach a solution as soon as possible, before we all go up in flames. You can learn more about One Voice on their site, http://www.onevoicemovement.org/ It would be great if you decided to sign up too! Thanks and love noa One Voice» |
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| Noa's Peace Plan | |
| Noa?s peace plan: 3 steps: 1. RECOGNIZE- Each side must recognize the rights of the other to life, freedom, independence, identity, the right to flourish, the right to a peaceful existence. This is the first and critical stage for the plan. Without formal recognition, in writing, signed by the recognized leaders of each nation, no progress can be made. 2. APOLOGIZE- Both sides have done horrible things to each other in the name of this and that ideal. Since the death of one life is parallel to the death of all of humanity, there should be a true and deep remorse for these actions, a heartfelt apology on both sides for the pain and anguish they have caused. 3. SHARE- Each side should revoke their dreams of a complete ?anything?. Only through compromise is peace achievable. In this way, on one small piece of land, we can create 2 countries, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully and respectfully alongside each-other. |
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| A message from Noa at the onset of her Spanish tour, Feb, 2009 | |
A message from Noa at the onset of her Spanish tour, Feb, 2009 Dear friends, In light of the current events, i cannot start the concert without saying a few words to you. I apologize for my Spanish. In the spirit of freedom and democracy i support the right of people to demonstrate wherever is legally possible. i also support the right of non Spanish or non catholic minorities to live in Spain enjoying equal rights. i have always expected the same attitude from the Arabs and Muslims towards the Jewish people and its right to live in freedom, security and self expression in Israel since it was founded and recognized, and anywhere else for that matter.. Unfortunately this has not been the case until this very day. We in Israel are still struggling to make it happen. We are praying for this day to come soon. We hold out our hand in peace to anybody who will listen, to people like the great president Saadat of Egypt who paid with his life for this! And to the venerable late king Hussein of Jordan. We ceaselessly continue the dialog with the brave leadership of the PLO headed by Abu Mazen. The Waste of human life is heartbreaking. I believe that violence is a primitive substitute for dialog, sharing and reconciliation. These beautiful human values can materialize via communication based on empathy for all human beings. We should all stay away from justice based on religion, self righteousness, national extremism, racism, and anti-Semitism. Justice that is not a prologue for reconciliation is a license to kill. We hold true that actions may be tragic, but sinister intensions especially those wearing a cloak of freedom and democracy are very dangerous. One last point, to my Spanish friends: The Spanish nation who has a great mind and a great heart has had its share of oppression and fascism.. Your sensitivity for the sorrows of other people is admirable. i wish all people will be as involved in the horrors of the world between and within nations in all continents. I also urge you to lift your spirit above your own traumas so that you do not, by mistake, judge other struggles automatically as similar cases to your own experience. In the same way i call for trusting my Palestinian and Arab brothers whenever they declare peace and not war, in spite of the Jewish endless traumas since the Spanish inquisition and through the Holocaust. |
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| Message from Noa | |
| Hello all, Yesterday Mira Awad, Gil Dor and myself had the pleasure of participating in a live broadcast from Jerusalem on Dutch Television covering the elections. It was a co-production between the Dutch Christian, Jewish and Muslim channels! A ray of light. Here you can get a glimpse of what Mira and i sound like together, of our love for each-other (it?s in the eyes...) and the kind of message we convey. (you can also see both of us removing our problematic in-ear monitors and singing with no help from technology....mind and heart over matter!) This beautiful song was written by Mira, and will appear on her upcoming album (it is not the song we will sing in the Eurovision song contest) Much love Noa Video of song» |
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| New blog entry on iPeace | |
| New blog entry Blog» |
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| New blog post by Noa | |
| A letter to my friend Miguel from Spain, after he sent me a video from Gaza Letter» |
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| An answer to Noa's iPeace post | |
| One of many answers to Noa's post on iPeace, Answer» |
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| Noa writes on iPeace | |
| Noa has written her thoughts on iPeace at: Thoughts» |
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| Review of the "Genes and Jeans" Album | |
| Review |
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| Interview and feature story on iPeace | |
| Interview |
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| Noa On-Line Videos | |
| Many songs: Video "Eye in the Sky" : Video "Noa & Nicola Piovani live at Colosseo: Beautiful that way" : Video "I Don't Know" : Video "We" : Video "Jewish Yemenite music" : Video "Kazot Anochi" ("The Way I Am")-Hebrew: Video - Noa "My Heart Calling" (OST The Messenger): The videoclip. Video We Can Work It Out- With Mira Awad Video - Noa: "Beautiful That Way" (OST "La Vta י Bella") The videoclip: Video - Noa - Nini Kangi (The videoclip) Video ES, Morocco. (August 13, 1999). Short Video Clip. Noa sings "I Don't Know" (1.3Mb) Video "Manhattan-Tel-Aviv"- documentary for downloading (payment) : Video |
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| Message from Noa - June 27th, 2008 | |
| I want to share something with you. As you all know, I am very often subject to some pretty intense political interrogation, despite my declared status as singer-songwriter. Many journalists seem to confuse me with the prime minister or at least defense minister of Israel . when I was younger I made some feeble attempts to ward off these attacks waving the musician? flag with all my mite or trying to sum it up with ?I believe in peace? but I quickly realized that wouldn?t work, so I decided to take the opposite approach. I understood that for many I was their only connection to Israel beyond CNN, and that I had a combined responsibility-opportunity here that could not be ignored. Since those early days I have been involved in endless debates, forums, collaborations, think groups and other activity centered round the peace process and the Palestinian-Israeli dilemma in general and it has been quite a trip. I am attaching a recent interview, by a political journalist in Girona where I played a few days ago. I could sense from his questions that he was semi-knowledgeable (or at least perceive himself as such) and quite anti-Israel. At first the interview pissed me off but then I decided to take advantage of it. With the help of the one and only Gil Dor, I did some serious research before answering the questions, obtaining most of the historical information from Arab web-sites. It was really interesting, I learned quite a few things I hadn?t known before. I thought you?d be interested in reading it. You may find some answers here to things you?ve wanted to know yourselves. Sending lots of love. Noa INTERVIEW NOA Q: I had been living in Israel for two years in a very difficult period, during the invasion of Lebanon, the killings of Sabra and Shatila; but I had never seen the country in such a state of shock as after the Murder of Itzchak Rabin. What did you feel that night on the 4th November 1995 in that square in Tel Aviv? Noa: From your question I get the impression that you perceive Israel to be a very sensitive, free, open, and generally humanistic society. Much like spain and the rest of the free world. Well it is! Israelis were sensitive enough to criticize their own government during a retaliatory operation against a PLO armed "state" in south Lebanon attacking northern Israel in much the same way that Hamas has been operating against southern Israel lately. Israelis were sensitive enough to call for a national judicial investigative committee after Lebanese Maronite Christian Arab militias under the command of Eli Hobeika (later Lebanese parliament member and minister) massacred civilians in Sabra and Shatila. Many Israelis knowing the brutal reputation of internal Arab massacres in Lebanon ( black Saturday, Damour, Karantina, October 13th, Safra and Tel al Zaatar massacres which claimed about 4500 casualties altogether) felt at the time that Ariel Sharon and the army GHQ should have foreseen such atrocities and should have prevented them. Israelis are sensitive enough to consider exchanging hundreds of Hezbollah and Hamas prisoners including the cold blooded murderer Samir Kuntar, for two Israeli POWs and most probably only for their remains!!! In light of this obviously the country was in a state of shock when Rabin was murdered by an Israeli citizen. A pluralistic society based on real freedom is, and should be very tolerant towards extremely disturbing views coming from all directions. But there is a red line and political murder is a blatant crossing of it. A good demonstration of that was the dismantling of settlements from the Gaza strip and the Israeli army pullout, performed by Sharon. Extremists had all the reasons in their warped world view to assassinate PM Sharon but they did not! It all went surprisingly quickly and quietly. Rabin symbolized hope for a peaceful settlement with the Palestinian people. I whole heartedly support the peace process as do the majority of Israeli citizens. We were all ecstatic with joy seeing the hundreds of thousands that came to show support for Prime Minister Rabin on that fateful November 4th night. I was there singing for peace with all my heart. Moments later my joy turned to horror which left me and the whole country devastated to this very day. Q: Many years have passed. Many opportunities have been missed. The last serious attempt to seal a peace agreement at the Camp David Summit in July 2000 resulted in failure. Who has missed more opportunities, the Israelis or the Palestinians? Noa: An opportunity missed is always an opportunity missed by both sides. Still the question may be asked: an opportunity for what? If the answer is: for real peace where the price is a territorial compromise then the Palestinians missed more since we Israelis have had a flourishing state for 60 years now and they unfortunately still do not have one . However If the answer is: an opportunity for so called "justice" as commonly seen from the Moslem Arab perspective, meaning: the demise of Israel and its Jewish population (and a lot of its Arab population if we consider what Hamas people did to PLO people in Gaza or the Sabra & Shatila massacre which you've mentioned before), then nothing was lost and the whole process was just a façade for a much more sinister ideology. Fortunately, the peace process has survived the murders of president Saadat and PM Rabin and the death of PA President Arafat. It has seen many changes of governments and still it's alive and kicking. This demonstrates the genuine aspirations of both people for peace in spite of the missed opportunities. Q: With the break out of the second Intifada in autumn 2000, the Israeli peace camp looked like it was going to surrender. It was if fear had made good the speech of the right. Later came Sharon and the wall, and since then few voices have been heard criticising Israel. Too few? Noa: Both the Israeli and Palestinian peace camps never tire! Sadly enough it does not seem that way because the media tends to project whatever sells best at any given moment and we all know very well that fear rates higher then hope. To the argument that free press is a business and that we best accept it unless we prefer "Pravda" like Bolshevik press, I will answer: true, but we still can and should call upon all journalists, wherever they are, to refrain from sensational, shallow, detrimental journalism, and stick to good ethical practice. We should urge them to seriously search and research the truth and to fairly project doubt and ambivalence remembering that so often they are the only "objective truth" so many people are exposed to. Referring to the question about the separation wall, I feel it is a defensive act of frustration not a substitute for dialogue. It is worth mentioning that since the construction of the wall the number of buses blowing up in the streets of Israeli cities has shrunk to nothing! Of course I'm frustrated by its being a unilateral act and I totally support, together with many Israeli organizations whose work you are obviously and sadly unaware of, all legal protests and lawsuits bent upon alleviating the unnecessary suffering of innocent people. On a hopeful note, I'm convinced that the wall along with all other obstacles will disappear once a peace agreement is signed. Q:You are a defender of the 2003 Geneva agreements. The solution for the two states with a small exchange of territory, share Jerusalem with the Palestinians. But there are those who say, both in Israel and in Palestine, that the solution for the two states is now impossible. There are too many settlements, the Palestinians are too weak and divided. Do you believe that sooner or later a binational state will be established which is today Israel-Palestine? Noa: To answer this difficult question we must try to understand the meaning of national and bi-national state. The rationale behind a Jewish/ Israeli national state is threefold. 1. The national historic memory which goes back over two millennia: this shared memory has connected all Jewish people around the world for centuries. Touching upon the validity of historic memory the same goes for the Palestinian refugees of 47-48. Both sides? propaganda tends to deny the legitimacy of this argument when coming from the other side. Ask the Palestinians if they would forget their origins if we persistently ignore them 10 more years? 100 more years? A 1000 more years? 2000 more years? I'm sure they will unanimously reply "no way!" well neither would we, except that we, the Jewish people have already lived through the experience. We remember the golden age and the massacres, the harmony and the inquisition, the acceptance and the expulsion over hundreds of years; still we do not claim the Iberian Peninsula as a homeland. We remember exactly where we came from and we wish the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world would respect our memory just as they demand we respect theirs. This mutual recognition is the first step towards peace. Territorial compromise will follow, I can assure you! 2. The second argument is the right of an indigenous minority for self expression. The Jews were a minority in Palestine since the Roman conquerors gave it that name, and all through the Ottoman Empire rule of the 16th to 20th century. This argument goes along with the right of any people for at least one safe and peaceful territory free of fear and of the threat of persecution. 3. The need, and the right of the Hebrew culture, with its secular and religious writings and its living, spoken language, for a territory on which it can flourish safely. This requires a different level of autonomy then the one securing the right of individuals in a free pluralistic society to follow their people's traditions. These subtleties are probably most understood here in Spain where different indigenous people with different languages and cultures demand various degrees of autonomy. Addressing the issue of bi- or multi-nationalism I can carefully say that yes! In the long run we should all strive to construct a multinational, free, democratic, pluralistic, tolerant, orderly, secular and generally humanistic society. How long is the long run? Pretty long considering the fact that a most liberal European society such as yours as well as the rest of the western free world are still struggling with these issues domestically! Pretty long because the Jewish people, their culture and language, have no alternative territory but a tiny strip of its historic homeland, so we have to be pretty stubborn about fighting for it (unless of course we all return to Toledo, Cordoba , Baghdad, Teheran and the rest of the Jewish Diaspora and establish utopian autonomies!) I doubt that Spanish, French or Italian people would give up their language and culture! Would they accept a kind of multi nationalism that will annihilate their uniqueness? Probably not! The Palestinian Arabs, specifically the inhabitants of the historic 7th century "greater Syria" which controlled today's Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Kuwait, Cyprus and parts of turkey, have always considered themselves a part of the great Arab nation and the Muslim world (which currently numbers 1.5 billion people in general and 22 Arab league states ). This alone demonstrates that their culture, religion and language are not and were never threatened. The bottom line is: although the first two arguments hold true for both sides, the symmetry between the Jewish and Palestinian claims breaks down as soon as one depart from the ?indigenous? and the ?national awareness? arguments. This asymmetry is why Bi-nationalism is not the answer, at least not for the Jews. . Q: Israel has just turned 60, but there is still no consensus on its history, on what happened in 1948 with the Palestinians, whether there was or not a premeditated expulsion. Is peace possible without a historical consensus, without a reconciliation with the other? Noa: The problem does not seem to be one of reaching a consensus on the history of the conflict since it basically exists. Here is the short version: The Arabs, Alienated by the" young Turks' " secular inclinations, revolted against the ottomans and sided with Britain. Then, in the aftermath of WWI, they found themselves misled and cheated by the British and French. Soon the Middle East was torn to pieces rushing towards fractured nationalism. Jordan was given to the Hashemite dynasty. The Palestinians felt left aside while The Jews looked forward to a commonwealth type national homeland fostered by the British Empire. Add to that good old dash of anti-Semitism, Pogroms, persecution and the holocaust and you get a winning recipe for frustration, suspicion, hatred and brutal violence spiced with a sense of absolute justice on both sides. Anyone can dive into endless pages on the web and find it out for themselves. But this would not solve the problem. The premeditated expulsion and annihilation of the Jewish presence in Palestine was openly declared by Palestinian and Arab leadership. It was met with armed resistance. Unfortunately war is barbaric and ugly: expulsion met with expulsion and killings met with revenge operations. Atrocities are the monstrous children of war. They should never be justified or compared in service of cheap propaganda! Otherwise mountains of horrors will pile up. The Jewish tradition says that saving one soul amounts to saving the whole world. In the same manner I believe that one soul taken amounts to the massacre of all humanity. Brutality is inexcusable. Yet honour and Justice only bring more bloodshed as they have always done, because they are regarded holier and more important then life itself! We should study the past in order to realise how important it is to bury it! Then we must look into the eyes of our children, reach out our hand in peace and walk towards a better future. Q: In the song that gives the name to your last album, ?Genes and Jeans?, the protagonist is debate between change and the pertinence of a tradition. Surely this is a reflection of your own life, the way you are. -In fact, especially since the fall of the Berlin wall, it seems as if the whole world is debating between modernity and tradition. The problem is that the debate is very violent. Some ?fundamentalists of all types- want to go back to tradition by using the force of weapons. Others want to impose modernity, democracy ?they say- through war. Are we in a clash of civilisations or, as Tareq Ali says, in a clash of fundamentalism? Noa: ?Civilizations? seems to be too big a term. It is rather a clash between oppressive regimes and free societies. Q: Do you think that the West is really interested in the Arab-Muslim world becoming democratised, or do you fear that a democratisation of these countries would make them stronger in the defence of their own interests? Noa: I do not know about the "west". I personally am extremely interested in the Arab Muslim world becoming democratised and many individuals in the so called "west" share this interest. I have no fear. People should be allowed to defend their interests, hopefully in peaceful ways, and it is our duty as existing democracies to meet their efforts with empathy and willingness to help. Q: How can the dialogue, the proximity between the East and the West be recomposed? Noa: A dialogue, as indirect as it may seem, is always going on. This interview seems to be a good example of one. The question is: who is who? Q: I have read on your website an open letter that you wrote in the summer of 2006 in the middle of the war between the Hezbollah and Israel. You use very strong words against the Islamist Shiites. They started that war, but I was working in Lebanon and I can assure you that the Israeli response was of a violence completely disproportionate. This is backed up by reports made by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. I have the feeling that one of the greatest problems for dialogue is the lack of respect for the pain of others. Many Arabs deny the Holocaust, they were happy about the 11th September terrorist attacks, true, but many more Israelis and Westerners ignore the historical injury that colonialism and imperialism caused in the region. Wrongs that have also resulted in the death of hundreds, maybe millions of deaths. The latest example is very recent: the war in Iraq. Maybe the dialogue between civilisations ought to start by establishing an interpretation of history agreed upon by consensus? Noa: I hope people will always empathize with the pain and suffering of others! As for proportions and disproportions: I believe proportions should be judged relative to intentions. The openly declared intention of the Hezbollah was and is to destroy and eliminate Israel. This was demonstrated, in part, by their random bombing of civilians in our country, including an area right nearby my home, where no military installation has ever existed to the best of my knowledge. What exactly are the ?right? proportions for fighting that??especially in light of the Hezobllah?s questionable habit of placing their most deadly instruments of war and headquarters cruelly and cynically in the midst of the densest, poorest, most defenceless civilian populations. Israel?s only claim has ever been the recognition of its right to exist where it does, on the Jewish people?s promised land. It also agreed to several British plans of land-sharing with the Palestinians which were very problematic for Israel, just for the sake of claiming stake to any part of the land. This was always greeted with refusal and violence from the other side. Israel was always willing to accept any agreement which integrated the rights of the Arab population within its borders. Proof: 1.5 million Arabs live in Israel as full-fledged citizens, in a country whose population is 7 million! That is 20 percent of our population! Is there anything parallel or even remotely similar in any Arab country? Israel has never denied the legitimacy of any of her neighbours, from Jordan to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, etc, all conceived in that same aftermath of WWI. This attitude was never reciprocated, as i?ve stated before, even after millions of jews were brutally butchered in the holocaust. The right measure of military response to an attack, as i see it, is one that will prove just enough to put an end to the aggression, unless you expect Israel to be a pacifist nation saying that if it is Allahs will that we all perish, so be it. Obviously that is not the case. Israel?s response did not stop the violence, on the contrary. So, maybe it was not strong enough? Finally, my view is that all violence is disproportionate and should be avoided by both sides. But, given no choice, i will be the first to fight violently to protect the lives of my children and loved ones were they threatened. And i am sure everyone here would do exactly the same. Q: To finish then. Given the hegemony exercised by the United States in international politics, what perspectives will be opened in the Middle East with a victory, in November, by Barack Obama? Noa: We should always be hopeful and use whatever pretext to advance peace and dialogue. On the subject of hope: I don?t think we could ask for a greater example of hope than the transition the American People have made in only 50 years from leaving blacks dangling from the trees to possibly electing one as their president. This dynamic is only possible in a free, democratic society. It is for this reason that we can only wish that kind of transformation for all of our neighbours in the middle east, and any other country burdened with an oppressive, non-democratic regime. |
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| Message from Noa - April 20th, 2008 | |
| Hello everybody, We are back from the first leg of the tour which was very intensive. Thank you all for your support, especially concerning the disruption of our concert in Tolosa by a pro-Palestinian demonstrator. It made me very sad, nothing is worse than ignorance and fanaticism, but I finished the show and the audience gave me a great deal of love. In general, the tour in Spain was phenomenal. I admit I have been dealing with a very biased, anti-Israeli media who in general know nothing about the complexity of our conflict, that has been so very exhausting, but I have been trying to set them straight and ultimately focus on the music. It has been working well? I have been ?making souls? as we say. My small contribution to better understanding. But ah, the music! What a joy! My savior? Since I feel this is our best album, it is pure heaven to perform these songs every night. The audience is Spain, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, gave us enormous amounts of love, and I want to thank them all!!! It was a wonderful experience! Now the tour goes on, and I want to ask for your help, I NEED YOU!! It is not easy to get people to come to the shows, in some countries the promoters hardly believe in us (France, Germany for example) and it is hard to even BOOK performances?so first you must all know that if I don?t come to your town it has nothing to do with me?I WISH I could come everywhere..it Is mostly the state of the music business and financial considerations of promoters and the ?fashion? and the deteriorating state of the world!. On top of that, if you all don?t COME to the shows and bring ALL OF YOUR FRINEDS, we will be in big trouble. You know my friends, for me music is not a job and not a way to make money (ha ha..joke). it is my calling. It is art for the ake of art. It is to leave something after me. It is to bring something good and hopeful into this world. Please, prove that good music can still exist! Prove that not only brain dead fashion addicts can rule the world! Prove that the internet, the people?s voice, real people, has real power!! I need you?. Hope to see you all out there, Spread the word, Sending you my deepest love and gratitude for your time and support, Noa |
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| "Genes & Jeans" - 15th on the Spanish selling chart | |
| Noa's album "Genes & Jeans" reaches the 15th position on the official Spanish top 100 selling chart of the week 10.03.2008-16.03.2008 and best new entry of the the top 100. |
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| "Genes and Jeans" number 2 on iTunes Spain!! | |
| Noa's new album "Genes and Jeans" which was released a few days ago in Spain, has shot up to number 2 in downloads on iTunes Spain!! We've only just begun.. |
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| Nice Photo | |
| Hello all: This picture was taken by my great friend Nabil Salameh of Radiodervish. Nabil is Palestinian, his family lives in Lebanon , they were refugees , Nabil studied in Italy and has lived in Bari for many years. he is a talented singer songwriter, journalist and engineer (!!) and also an amazing person. I am honored to call him my friend and brother. We sang together many times, and he has dedicated one of his albums to my son Ayehli!. Nabil put these two flags up on his favorite beach in Puglia , south of italy . What a sight to see! The photo fills my heart with joy and hope for a future I know is within our reach!! I hope you will feel the same Sending all my love Noa Click on "more details" to see picture More details » |
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| New York Concert review | |
| The Melody of Dreams: An Evening with Noa By Maxine Dovere In an intimate setting in the Loft at the Tribeca Grill in New York City, Achinoam Nini, the singer known as Noa, and performance partner Gil Dor, presented the first in a series of concerts designed to celebrate Israel?s 60th anniversary. A concert sung by NOA is an experience in vocal diversity. Singing in English and Hebrew, Noa is the consummate performer. Her melodies exhibit wide stylistic diversity, with clear influences from the Yemenite tradition, references to the melodies of prayer, and melodies influenced by Hebrew and American folk music, classic musical forms and contemporary Israeli strains. This exciting, yet gracious performer has been composing, creating both music and lyrics, since childhood. ?Music,? she says ?is a most important part of my identity.? Her lyrics are written largely in English: as the basis for her Hebrew songs, she often turns to poetry, generally by Israeli woman poets, as well as the lyrical creations of musical partner Gil Dor. There is elegance in Noa?s performance rarely seen on any stage. She carries her audience with grace and warmth, inviting all to soar with her in ?Now I Know,? to ?fly high in the sky.? Enthusiastically self-accompanied on a set of waist-high Conga drums, this spirited vocal-instrumental experience shows strong traditional roots. ?Shalom, Shalom,? composed by the artist, reflects her search for peace and communication. The prayerful lyric and melody are audibly influenced by Paul Simon, ?my number one hero? I am very inspired by him,? she says, adding that he, together with Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, ?are my trilogy. In one melody, Noa creates a ?percussion of the body? accenting her songs with drum- like sound originating within her own chest. Asked about the concept of the body as a percussion instrument, accompanist Gil Dor notes that such pounding of the chest is characteristic of mourning rituals but rarely heard in singing. ?Music has been a wonderful way to reconcile? the many facets of her identity, says Noa. As a Yemenite Israeli child growing up in New York, a secular child in a religious school, Noa has had to contend with many conflicts within herself. Pursuing her musical studies, she enrolled in the multi-dimensional Rimon School of Music, where co-founder Gil Dor says the philosophy is ?an over-all view that music is one, and you can choose your direction.? There, in 1989, she met guitarist Dor, a deeply serious musician. He has been her teacher, colleague, composing partner and friend for almost two decades. He has been called a ?technically perfect player? whose arrangements for Noa are ?breathtaking. Dor says the crystallization of musical creation demands ?an internal compass that must dictate, must choose the direction without any other force taking you ?.If it doesn?t hit you in the heart and you don?t feel its resonance, then you don?t do it!? As her professional contribution to the 60th Anniversary celebrations, Noa is planning a ?multi-media, Lori Anderson inspired show based on Yemenite music, complete with many originals songs - a ?dream? she plans to actualize in 2008. ?How can you give compliments to someone who deserves all of them?? asks Yoram Morad, Cultural Attaché at the Israeli Consulate in New York. ?She keeps amazing me over and over again? (it?s) like witnessing a miracle.? He expressed strong support for producer Michael Dorf?s ?60 @ 60? concert plans, noting that ?there are great things going on with Israeli culture.? The Consul placed special emphasis on Israeli music, calling it the ?jewel? of Israeli culture. Dorf, he notes, will enable ?people here to have the benefit of enjoying the wonderful music of Israel? throughout the 60th anniversary celebration. |
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| Noa receives the "TENCO" award | |
| The "Tenco" Award, founded more than 30 years ago, is awarded by "Club Tenco", an association founded after the suicide in Sanremo of Luigi Tenco, a famous Italian songwriter. Noa received the award for career achievement. She performed at the awards ceremony held at the famous Ariston Theater, a 30 minute performance that received a standing ovation. Among past recipients for this award: Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello and Antonio Carlos Jobim. |
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| Noa receives Italian Peace award | |
| In Maiori the local Tourism Office has awarded the peace award "UNA CAMPANA PER LA PACE" to various people for their efforts for peace and charity. Noa was one of the recipients for her efforts to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. Present at the ceremony was the Italian Foreign Office Vice Minister Patrizia Sentinelli. |
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| Noa -Site recommendation | |
| Dear friends, As part of the aftermath of this horrible war I have discovered this very interesting site about Arab media which strives to help us not-Arabic speakers understand the Arab world better, thus helping the peace process (on the premise that you cannot make peace with someone you don?t really know). There are several different languages there so everyone can understand. I find this very interesting. It seems totally non-biased and very positive by nature, while at the same time not making any effort to bend the truth in any direction. Check it out! Love, Noa Here is an example of an article: Libyan Reformist Writer Dr. Muhammad Al-Huni Criticizes Abuse of the Term 'Resistance' in Arab Political Discourse In an article titled "The Lexicon of Resistance" posted on the reformist website Elaph.com, Libyan reformist writer Dr. Muhammad 'And Al-Muttalib Al-Huni criticizes the abuse of the term "resistance" by Islamic fundamentalists and other extremist groups. [1] The following are excerpts from the article: Resistance "Has Brought Nothing but Destruction Upon the Region" "The word 'resistance' has come to be constantly used in the killing fields known as the Middle East. The old ways resist modernity; barbarity resists civilization; the ideology of suicide resists the desire to live; hatred resists tolerance; totalitarianism and dictatorship resist democracy; poverty and disease resist continuous development. All these [types of] resistance prevail in this paralyzed part of the world. "However, the most noisy [type of] resistance is the suicidal resistance which wraps itself in the cloak of jihad, [but in fact] distorts the justness of the causes [it purports to promote], and corrupts their noble demands by adopting this barbaric style of struggle. This behavior has brought nothing but destruction upon the region. It has caused the whole world to unite against those who act in this manner, and consequently, to oppose the causes that [these people] aim to promote." The Types of Resistance "Rampant in the Killing Fields [of the Middle East]" "Let us now closely examine the [types of] resistance so rampant in the killing fields [of the Middle East]. "1. When Shi'ites kill Sunnis and Sunnis kill Shi'ites in Iraq merely for their [sectarian] identity, it is called 'resistance.' "2. When Janjaweed gangs murder unarmed civilians in Darfour, it is called 'resistance.' "3. When year after year, Hamas and Islamic Jihad extinguish any spark of peace which can end the suffering of the Palestinian people, it is called 'resistance.' "4. When Hizbullah takes an entire people hostage and refuses to obey the elected [authorities], dragging Lebanon into destruction, it is called 'resistance.' "5. The war which is being waged by the new global terrorism under the command of bin Laden, Al-Zawahiri and Al-Zarqawi is called 'resistance.' "6. The alliance between the defeated remnants of the pan-Arab nationalist chauvinists and [the defeated remnants] of the Islamists - who are both [willing to] ally themselves with any murderer - is called 'resistance.' "7. Establishing television channels like Al-Jazeera, which misleads the Arab public and causes [the Arabs] to wager repeatedly on the victory of the losing side - is called 'resistance.' "8. When distinguished Arab lawyers rally by the thousands to the defense of Saddam Hussein while neglecting his victims and disregarding their cases, it is called 'resistance.' "9. When people eulogize and mourn terrorists who have murdered thousands of Iraqis in the streets of [Iraqi] cities and villages, presenting them as heroes of the Arab nation, it is called 'resistance.' "10. When Muslim religious scholars issue fatwas permitting murder, suicide, and slaughtering of brothers and compatriots, and when [these scholars] condemn every rationalist idea as 'stupid'... And show contempt for modernity, it is called 'resistance.' "11. The murder of more than 130,000 innocent Algerian citizens, and the annihilation of a whole generation of journalists, writers and thinkers in Algeria, is called 'resistance.' "12. Murdering tourists and bombing hotels in Egypt is called 'resistance.' "13. Bombing hotels in Amman and killing the bride and groom, and anyone [else] who tries to celebrate in these sad killing fields, is called 'resistance.'" "These Resistance [Groups]... Have No Future" "What is common to [those who carry out] these types of resistance is that they all present themselves as 'Islamic,' and as the only force that still fights against imperialism in the Arab theater which has been destroyed by political autocracy. They all call for political programs that can be summed up in the slogan 'Islam is the Solution to All Problems.' "The project of these resistance [groups] has had its day in the Arab world. It made the most noise and [caused] the most bloodshed, and therefore its dreadful collapse is highly imminent. [This program] betted on a wild horse, and has left not a single seed that can sprout, nor a single bud that can open. They are the murderers of the future, and therefore they have no future." |
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| Concert Review- Murcia,11.5.06 | |
| NOA ? SUBLIME (English version of Article in La Verdad de Murcia,11.5.06) Stunningly brilliant. That was the inaugural concert of the 7th edition of MURCIA?S THREE CULTURES FESTIVAL, performed by Noa accompanied by the Murcia Region Symphonic Orchestra, directed by Ilan Mochiach. Just between symphonic and popular music, it flowed with the grace of a squirrel reaching maximum quality. Graced with a pale garment and a diamond collar, and accompanied by that Talisman guitarist Gil Dor, Noa again proved that she is gifted by nature with the best of possible voices. The Israeli artist doesn?t merely sing, she performs sublimely. Her ample tone register is so wide that it can outperform any equalizer. But best of all, in the whole range she converts her singing in pure waterfall. She naturally lets the melodies flow with their own life, thus completing the miracle. The accompaniment by the Murcia Orchestra, was subtle and optimal as always. It happened with Alan Parson?s ?Eye in the Sky?, first silently, then the strings, and the final clamour of the metals, as well as with ?My Funny Valentine? with its dramatically melancholic musical score. These were climatic moments of a blemishless concert. It would be unfair not to emphasize some aspects of Noa?s concert. Achinoam Nini (sister of Peace) ? her Hebrew name, is as brilliant singing Moslem pop and Maria Callas arias, where it?s even more surprising, but opera is always an impacting way to show vocal ability. Then, in a playful way with Hawaiian resemblances, one of her first compositions with Gil Dor, ?Child of Man?, or in a very convincing ?Glitter And Be Gay? by Leonard Bernstein. Noa has a don, of which she is not only aware, but is happy to share. With tender care, amiability, personal sympathy, intensity and harmony, combined with the audacity based on hard work, curiosity and the will to investigate, MURCIA THREE CULTURE FESTIVAL had an explosive start. Congratulations. |
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| From now on, it's Lady Noa! | |
| The Italian Ambassador to Israel has recently notified Noa that the president of the Italian Republic, President Neapolitano, has decided to award her the prestigious "Stella de la Republica", (the "Star of the Republic"), with the status of "Cavalliere", (knight). This is the highest honor Italy has to give, and Noa is thrilled and honored to have received it. The date of the formal ceremony is pending. Brava Noa! |
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| Noa Receives Critics' Award at the San Remo Festival!! | |
| Noa, together with Carlo Fava and the Solis String Quartet, received the prestigious Critics Award in the San Remo Festival. The festival, viewed by many millions of Italians, is the most important media event of the year in that country. The vote in favor of "Un Discorso in Generale", the beautiful song Noa performed together with Carlo Fava and the Solis Quartet, was almost unanimous, a great honor for everyone involved. More details » |
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| Noa Receives "Prize For Peace" | |
| 23/1/2006, Milan- Noa received the "PRIZE FOR PEACE 2005" award from the President of Region Lombardia, Mr. Roberto Formigoni for her contributions toward peace. |
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