Israeli hip hop artist Shaanan Streett speaks at Muhlenberg College By Liron Daniel Muhlenberg College Hillel Israel Fellow I’ve always believed the role of art is universal. It touches people in the deepest way possible. It has a say, a meaning, and people can express their feelings through it. That is a universal human need, and art is being used as a means to do it. The people and their feelings are different, and art can be different in different places and times, but its role is always the same role. As the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Muhlenberg College Hillel, I am in charge of Israel engagement, Israel education and Israel experience. One of the most rewarding elements of my job is that I get to bring speak-
ers to talk about Israel and Israeli culture. My intention as a fellow this year is to show our students the Israel I love and care about. As someone who was born and raised in Jerusalem and who sees Jerusalem as a big part of my life, I decided to bring an artist from my hometown to talk about Israeli culture, music, night scene and, most importantly, life in Jerusalem. On Thursday, Nov. 3, over 65 students, faculty and community members came to hear Shaanan Streett speak about Israel, Israeli culture, music and, most importantly, hope. Streett, the lead singer from Hadag Nahash, one of Israel’s most popular bands, opened his talk by challenging the audience to believe in
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what we do. He said that as an artist, he can’t do something if he doesn’t really believe in it. Whether it is a singer, a sculptor, a songwriter, a painter, a musician or a dancer – an artist has to follow his heart, go with his own truth and to be loyal to himself. An artist needs to trust his gut and follow his instincts. Streett spoke about Jerusalem, the city that I love, with so much pride and hope. In fact, in the last clip that he showed, “Friday” (Yom Shishi), I found myself tearing up a little bit. The clip shows a lot of pictures of Jerusalem as people prepare to welcome the Shabbat. While watching the clip, I couldn’t help but think of how special Shabbat in Jerusalem is and
how much I want to share this special feeling with my students. His music touched me when I least expected it, even though I’ve heard this song a million times before, hearing it with my students, far away from home, was very special. That is the power of art. Following the clip, Streett spoke about his Jerusalem – “I live in a place that is the heart of the problem, but also the key to the solution.” This sentence describes exactly how complex Jerusalem is – and I still love it with all my heart, in spite of all the difficulties. And you know what? I still have hope. I still believe in people and in the power of art to cross cultural lines. This is the Jerusalem I see, filled
with possibilities despite all the conflict. At the end of this inspirational talk, the crowd had the opportunity to ask questions about Israeli politics, music and Hadag Nahash. Students posed for pictures with the speaker and shared favorite Hadag Nahash memories. The event was made possible thanks to the support from Muhlenberg College Hillel, Hinenu, the ZBT fraternity and Jewish Studies Program. Muhlenberg College Hillel is very thankful to Hillel International for their support and helping us bring Shaanan Streett to campus. We received two grants which enabled the event to be free for all attendees.