Musical Bridges Around the World has lengthy labored to foster understanding between cultures, together with these which might be seen to be at odds. So as armed battle in Israel and Gaza intensifies, it ought to come as no shock to see a klezmer band enjoying conventional Jewish instrumental music on the Musical Bridges concert schedule this Sunday.
Advancement director Suhail Arastu mentioned the scheduling of the Russell Hill Rogers Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral concert collection is deliberate up to a yr and a half prematurely, so the arrival of California klezmer rock band Mostly Kosher is coincidental.
However, “We really try to showcase the humanity of peoples from conflicting regions,” Arastu mentioned of MBAW, a non-political, non-religious arts group that within the current previous has introduced an Israeli/Palestinian piano duo and a Ukrainian soprano singing with a Russian string quartet.
“There’s a lot happening in the world right now … we do like to highlight certain areas where sometimes the news that people get and the understanding they have is very negative,” he mentioned.
To mark the solemnity of the event, the Sunday night concert will start with a prayer for peace by Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Mara Nathan, senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El and Omar Adib Shakir, resident Imam at Masjid Bilal Ibn Rabah of San Antonio.
“We really want to offer a blessing,” Arastu mentioned. “We know there are challenges around the world, and we celebrate our shared humanity through music.”
Arastu mentioned that whereas he can’t converse for members of Mostly Kosher, “just knowing that they’re rooted in Judaic poetry and Yiddish refrains, their focus [is on] themes of social justice and human dignity and mutual understanding, so I feel like they would think this is a very appropriate time to be sharing their music and their message.”
Musical Bridges is ready for the potential of protests close by, as occurred two weeks in the past when CEO Anya Grokhovski attended a marriage within the cathedral, Arastu mentioned. “Those places like Main Plaza and the area in front of City Hall are designed for that very purpose, for peaceful public gatherings and demonstrations, so people can be heard.”
The Mostly Kosher concert is free and open to the general public, although tickets are required via advance registration.
Arastu mentioned Musical Bridges has taken precautions and could have enhanced safety readily available. He described San Antonio as a “compassionate city” that welcomes individuals of various heritages, cultures and faiths, and that the Musical Bridges group itself represents a fancy combine, “founded by a Russian Jew with me as an Indian Muslim … and operating in a Catholic sanctuary.”
And presenting Mostly Kosher might be one other step in fulfilling Musical Bridges’ mission, Arastu mentioned. “When you have people from lands that are in conflict on stage together … they’re bound in their common humanity.”
