The Piyyut Festival
September 19-22
Elul 20-23 / Jerusalem * 5761 * 2011

Concerts


Babylonian Maqam – Opening Concert
The Piyyut and Musical Tradition of Iraqi Jews
This gala event focuses on the Iraqi maqam, a style that was preserved in the Babylonian tradition of song and piyyut. The concert combines the classical style with new and varied arrangements of piyyutim from the popular tradition-for Shabbat, joyous occasions, and dancing-in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic.
The concert will include a tribute to the musician and musicologist Yitzhak Aviezer (Ishaq Abu El‘iz in Arabic) for his continuous contribution to maintaining and renewing the tradition of the piyyut and music of Babylonian and Mizrahi Jews in Israel.
Artistic directors: Elad Gabbay, Rav David Menachem and Yair Dalal
Musical producer: Elad Gabbay

Guest artists: Koby Oz (vocals) and Mark Eliyahu (kamanche)
With: Rav David Menachem – vocals and nai flute / Yair Dalal – oud / Elias Zbida – violin Ne'eman Kihan - santoor / Elad Gabbay  - qanoun and oud / Assaf Zamir - percussion
Yosef Haim Harel - percussion / Hagai Bilitzky - double bass / Ariel Gabbay - Chorus

Greetings:
Mr. Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem
Mr. Shimon Alkabetz, director of the Culture Administration, Ministry of Culture and Sport.

Monday, September 19, 8 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30
BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard

A Kurdish Chafla after the concert
Kurdish-style songs for dancing and joyous occasions, performed by musicians and dancers.
For more information, see page - Piyyutim into the Night




Piyyutim in Ladino and Turkish
A tribute to Rabbi Itzhak Algazi

Rabbi Itzhak Algazi (1889–1950) is considered one of the most important Jewish singers in the Ottoman Judeo-Spanish tradition. Algazi was known throughout Turkey as the “Sweet Singer of Israel.” He recorded dozens of religious songs, Turkish folksongs, and songs in Ladino, and was admired by Jews and non-Jews alike. The concert integrates his main genres and authentic musical arrangements with the unique and colorful Turkish style of the early 1900s.

Research and vocal director: Hadas Pal-Yarden
Arrangements and musical direction: Yinon Mualem
With : Hadas Pal-Yarden  - vocals / Yinon Mualem - percussion / Hagai Bilitzky - double bass
Eliyahu Dagmy - oud and bağlama / Yaacov Cohen, Dr. Baruch Hasson, Moshe Farssi,
and Roni Ish-Ran - vocals / Ariel Kassis - qanoun / Harel Shahal - winds

Greetings:
Mr. Yitzchak Navon, fifth president of the State of Israel
Mr. Yechezkel Zackay, chairman of the Israeli Sephardic Federation
Mr. Mordechai Falkon, the Sephardic Community Council 
Initiated and in conjunction with the Sephardic Community Council of Jerusalem and the National Authority for Ladino and the Sephardic Heritage Alliance.

Tuesday , September 20, 8:30 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30
BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard

A preliminary session, from 7:30 to 8:15 PM, will address the unique personality of Rabbi Itzhak Algazi, the great twentieth-century Turkish cantor, and the Judeo-Ottoman musical tradition. The panel for this introductory discussion includes Ezra Barnea, Dr. Rivka Hevessi, Ladino folksong scholar, and Dr. Baruch Hasson, who will also take part in the concert.
Free admission, subject to available space

Songs of the Mountain Jews
The Caucasian Jewish Tradition of Piyyut and Music
in New Arrangements by Piris and Mark Eliyahu

Peretz Eliyahu, born in Dagestan, has studied the uniq ue musical tradition of the mountain Jews from the Caucasian region (Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, and Kabardino ( , whose roots can be traced all the way back to the First Temple period. This community’s unique musical tradition is presented for the first time ever in an international premiere with songs in Hebrew and Jahori (Judeo-Caucasian), alongside instrumental music that accompanied the mountain Jews throughout the generations.
Peretz Eliyahu  - musical direction, academic research, arrangements, and melodies
Mark Eliyahu  - musical production, arrangements, and melodies

With: Peretz Eliyahu - tar / Mark Eliyahu - bağlama, kamanche, and lute / Sergey Eliaspov – vocals
Maureen Nehedar - vocals / Yochai Barak - saz / Aviv Bachar - ghopuz / Yaniv Rabbah – oud
Yaron Pe'er – Afghan rabab / Itamar Shahar - nai flute / Erez Munk - percussion
Gil Hame'iri - zarb, daf, and kaval / Nissim Lugassi - Tar

Greetings:
Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Aviad, inspector of the Torah Education Department in the Ministry of Education, Jerusalem district.

Wednesday, September 21, 8:30 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30
BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard

Following the performance: Sha‘ar Petach Dodi
A round of piyyutim from Afghanistan and Morocco make their way to Israel.
For more information, see page - Piyyutim into the Night

Ahavat Olamim
Rabbi Haim Louk and the New Jerusalem Orchestra

This concert launches the orchestra’s debut album
A collaboration between Rabbi Haim Louk, winner of the Minister of Culture and Sport Prize in 2011; the Ben Zvi Institute Piyyut choir; and the New Jerusalem Orchestra, which brings together top Israeli artists from the world of jazz and Andalusian, Middle Eastern, and Western music here in Israel.
This project was created during the First Piyyut Festival (2008) and has since developed into a fascinating musical process - Jewish, Israeli, and contemporary. The concert was chosen to open the Israel Festival 2010 and now is coming back to its place of origin in honor of the New Jerusalem Orchestra’s debut album.
Omer Avital and Yair Harel - artistic director
Omer Avital - arrangements, melodies, and conductor
Yair Harel - research and choir conductor
With: Rabbi Haim Louk - vocals / Ben Zvi Institute Piyyut Ensemble, directed by Avraham Cohen
Orchestra:
Omer Avital - double bass / Daniel Zamir – saxophone /Avishai Cohen – trumpets
 Elad Levy -  kamanja (Moroccan violin) / Armond Barel (Sabah) - oud, mandolin, and accordion Elad Gabbay -  qanoun / Yaniv Rabbah – oud / Itamar Shahar - Turkish nai flute
Keren Tennenbaum – violin /   Avner Kelmer – violin / Galya Chai – viola / Hila Epstein – cello Yair Harel – percussion / Yoram Azoulay - tar (Andalusian drum) / Yochai cohen – percussion Yakir Sasson – clarinet & tenor saxsophon and other musicians.

Greetings:
Mr. Yosef (Pepe) Alalu - Deputy Mayor in charge of culture and arts
In conjunction with the Ben Zvi Institute Piyyut Ensemble

Tuesday, September 20, 8:30 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30
The Gerard Bechar Center, 11 Bezalel St.

The Aleppo Machzor
A gala event in honor of the new album "Ten Zemirot Ami" (Sing, My People) with new melodies for piyyutim from the Aleppo machzor (Aram Zova – the tradtion of Haleb Jewry)

This special project encourages and breathes new life into composition in the classical Middle Eastern tradition. The album combines ancient piyyutim from the Aleppo machzor with new maqam melodies by contemporary composers. Leading paytanim perform pieces from the album, accompanied by an ensemble of musicians, assembled specifically for the production of this album, playing classical Arab instruments.

Artistic direction -  Elad Gabbay
Composition -  Rabbi David Menachem, Yair Dalal, Elad Gabbay, Roni Ish-Ran and Elad Harel
Academic consultation - Prof. Edwin Seroussi
Research and editing of piyyutim -  Hannah Pattaya
Special guest: the paytan Zion Yechezkel

With paytanim: Rabbi David Menachem, Shalom Arieli and his son Nehorai,
David Tzaliah, Dani Na'im, and Eitan Ravani

Special guest: paytan Zion Yehezkel

Orchestra members:
Netanel Yitzchakov and Raffi Shawat - violins / Elad Harel - qanoun / Elad Gabbay - oud
Rabbi David Menachem - nai flute / Ariel Cohen - darbuka / Yosef  Haim Harel - daf
Hagai Bilitzky - double bass

Wednesday, September 21, 7:30 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30
The National Library of Israel, Weintraub Auditorium, Edmond Safra campus (Givat Ram)  

Exhibition at 7:30 PM
Aleppo manuscripts and other exhibits from the National Library of Israel’s collection will be on display in the Bella and Harry Wexner Library of Sound and Song. The public is invited to listen to many selections from the traditional Aleppo Bakkashot repertory, from the collection of the National Sound Archives at the Israel National Library.
Ten Zemirot Ami and other albums will be on sale the evening of the concert.
Album concept and production by the Invitation to Piyut website and the Jewish Music Research Center at the Hebrew University, with support by the Edmond J. Safra Foundation.
In conjunction with the National Library of Israel

The High Holidays in Chassidic Courts
The Halev Vehama‘ayan (the heart and the wellspring) project in a moving piyyut concert

Some of the greatest works of music and poetry from the Chassidic tradition were composed to be part of the High Holiday liturgy. Naor Carmi and Hilik Frank’s Halev Vehama‘ayan present the Chassidic musical tradition for the High Holidays with unique arrangements for choir and instrumental ensemble, produced especially for the Piyyut Festival.

With: Naor Carmi - contrabass / Hilik Frank - clarinet and vocals / Oren Tzor - violin
Ariel Alayev - accordion / Ilan Katchka - percussion / Men’s choir
Greetings:
Atty. Yossi Sharabi, chairman of the Culture, Society and Leisure Administration, Jerusalem Municipality

Wednesday, September 21, 7 PM / Admission: NIS 50, Students: NIS 20 
BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium

Zalevski’s Melodies
A concert in honor of the composer Zvi Zalevski

A journey through more than 30 years of musical activity by Zvi Zalevski, an artist with a unique and personal style who shed light on forgotten piyyutim from the machzor and whose compositions captivated many synagogues and their worshippers. The concert features his settings of piyyutim, poems (including by Pinchas Sadeh and S. Shalom), and words from Scriptures.
With:
Zvi Zalevski - vocals and guitar / Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot - vocals
Netanel Zalevski - vocals and violin / Avraham Zalevski - bass guitar and double bass
Erez Abbadan - qanoun / David Tzur - cello / Assaf Zamir - drums and percussion
Guest musician: Avi Bar-Eitan, accordion

Tuesday, September 20, 7 PM / Admission: NIS 50, students: NIS 20
BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium






Nino Biton: In the Mood for Oud
Nino Biton in a piyyut concert inspired by the traditional Andalusian nûba

Oud player Nino Biton, one of the top Andalusian-Algerian music teachers of the generation, performs with his students in a special and moving evening of his original music inspired by the traditional Andalusian nûba and integrating texts from the piyyut tradition. The concert is based on his debut album, which came out after many years of musical activity.
With: Nino Biton - oud and vocals
Members of the Maghreb Orchestra:
 Hagai Bilitzki - double bass / Hillel Amsalem - djembe / Roni Sabag - darbuka
Eliezer Nidam - tambourine / Noa Melamed – piano / Noam Biton - darbuka / Moshe Sabag - violin Hagai Leshem - percussion

Thursday, September 22, 7 PM / Admission: NIS 50, students: NIS 20 
BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium




Piyyut & Roll
Piyyutim, Prayer, and Rock ’n Roll

In conjunction with the Yedidi Hashachachta project of Beit Hillel
Members of the Piyyut ’n Roll Ensemble host Alma Zohar, Efrat Gosh, and Ilan Damri (Hamadregot) for a musical journey in the footsteps of centuries-old piyyutim.
The Piyyut ’n Roll Ensemble was conceived in the Beit Hillel beit midrash for singers as part of the Yedidi Hashachachta project. The concert was produced especially for the Piyyut Festival and includes contemporary musical interpretations of prominent elements in piyyutim and songs: individual songs, songs of one person to another, and songs of Man to his God.
With: Guest artists (vocals): Alma Zohar, Efrat Gosh, and Ilan Damri
Members of the Piyyut ’n Roll Ensemble:
Dudy Levy - vocals and guitar / Eran Tzur - vocals and guitar / Erez Lev-Ari - vocals and guitar Nitzan Chen Razel - violin and vocals / Aviv Stein - bouzouki and percussion / Alon Yoffe - drums Shaul Besser - keyboard
Artistic direction: Dudy Levy and Merav Livneh-Dill (director of Yedidi Hashachachta, Beit Hillel)
Production: Merav Livneh-Dill

Thursday, September 22, 8:30 PM / Admission: NIS 60, students: NIS 30 
BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard

Following the concert: a party in P7 with DJ Ofir Tubul
Guest: Merav Livneh-Dill
For more information, see page - Piyyutim into the Night


Piyyutim into the Night
Every evening starting at 10:15 PM, after the main concert, the Piyyut festivities continue in free performances in the BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard.

Free admission.

Kurdish Chafla
Kurdish songs for dancing and joyous occasions, performed by musicians and dancers
Yaniv Ovadya - saz and zurna / Yaacov Ovadya - dohola / Yochay Barak – saz
Eliyahu Dagmy - saz / David Dagmy - percussion / Ilan Keinan - bass guitar
The Kurdish Dance Troupe, The Jerusalem Gonenim Community Center
 
Monday, September 19, 10:15 PM

Nagila Halleluya
The Kehillot Sharot piyyut ensemble performs in this celebration of piyyutim from a variety of Jewish ethnic communities, accompanied by instrumentalists and paytanim, with audience participation.
Ensemble Members:
Itamar Holin - oud / Zurit Ya'ir - percussion / David Weinberg - nai flute
Adi Horesh, Raffi Ben-Shushan, Tom Fogel, and Michal Tamari - vocals

Tuesday, September 20 , 10:15 PM 

Sha‘ar Petach Dodi
A cycle of piyyutim from Afghanistan and Morocco, with that old-time synagogue air that makes you want to sing along.
With : Shimon Lev-Tahor - vocals and guitar / Yaron Pe'er - vocals, bouzouki, and harmonium
Lev Ellman - percussion

Wednesday, September 21 , 10:15 PM

Party

DJ Ofir Tubul (editor of Café Gibraltar) plays music from the Balkans, North African dance, and gives everyone a taste of Beirut, Cairo, Tehran, and eastward.
Guest: Merav Livneh-Dill with up-beat American Jewish music

Thursday, September 22, 10:15 PM / The party takes place in P7

Piyyutim in the Streets of Jerusalem
Piyyut Festival Events in Jerusalem’s Neighborhoods

The Piyyut Festival is expanding and playing in cultural centers throughout Jerusalem. A mosaic of paytanim, singers, musicians, and storytellers from the city’s veteran neighborhoods present original performances and join professional and amateur artists who live there.

Gilo
A mosaic of North African piyyut, Chassidic melodies, Ashkenazi cChazanut, klezmer, and Israeli prayer songs

Host - Maimon Cohen
Organized by Maimon Cohen, Yonatan Niv, and Inna Luxemburg
Guest paytan: Rabbi Meir Atiya, who first recorded Shir Yedidut - a collection of Moroccan Bakkashot.
With :
The Gilo Community Administration choir "Tsliley HaChoshen", directed by composer and conductor Michael Bendikov, with singer Binyamin Shapira and boy soprano Yonatan Giogilev (vocals)
The ensemble of musicians and singers from the Beit Yisrael urban kibbutz (Kvutzat Reut), conducted by Yonatan Niv
Paytanim: Maimon Cohen, Shimon Illuz and Shlomo Amzaleg
An Andalusian ensemble, led by violinist Yossi Shriki.

In conjunction with the Gilo Community Administration 

Tickets are available at the BEIT AVI CHAI box office
and at the branches of the Gilo Community Administration.
For more information, contact the Administration office: 02 646-1111
Tuesday, September 20,  8PM / Admission: NIS 30, students: NIS 20
Eshkol Payis Auditorium, 12 Vardinon St., Gilo

Qiryat Yovel
Piyyutim from the Moroccan, Aleppo, and Babylonian traditions to ancient and unique melodies

Host: Maimon Cohen
With : Paytanim and Chazanim from the Qiryat Yovel neighborhood:
Rabbi Haim Biton, Maimon Cohen, and Shimon Illuz; a new piyyut ensemble of residents
of Ein Karem (and its environs) residents, led by nai player Itamar Shahar; a wind ensemble from the Yovalim Community Administration Music Center, which specializes in jazz and funk, directed by Noam Malka (for the joint concert, the ensemble worked with paytan Maimon Cohen to combine the world of piyyut with that of jazz and funk); An Andalusian ensemble, led by violinist Yossi Shriki.

In conjunction with the Yuvalim Community Administration

Tickets are available at the BEIT AVI CHAI box office
and at the branches of the Yuvalim Community Administration.
For more information, call: 02-6414896
Thursday, September 22, 8 PM / Admission: NIS 30, students: NIS 20
Beit Taylor, 23 Zangwill St., Qiryat Yovel

Nachla’ot
Stories, Piyyutim, Aggadot, and Bakkashot

The Jerusalem Parliament talks about the Bakkashot tradition and tells stories of the alleyways, paytanim, hamin, and more. Past, present, and future come together in the microcosm of the Jerusalemite world of piyyut, accompanied by an ensemble of paytanim from the neighborhood synagogues, who sing the Bakkashot and other piyyutim in the Jerusalem-Sephardi style.
Host: Moni Moreno Armoza
With : Paytan and Chazan Rafi Naftali / Paytan and Chazan Yehuda Naftali / Chazan of Hesed Verahamim synagogue, Yosef Haim Yuval / Paytan and Chazan David Tzaliach / Author and storyteller Shuki Ben-Amy / Author and storyteller Yehuda Atzava / Storyteller Nori Harish
Ensemble conducted by Yitzchak Attiya
Greetings:
Mr. Eyal Sher, Director of the Culture Division, the Jerusalem Foundation

Tickets are available at the BEIT AVI box office.
In conjunction with the Sephardic Heritage Alliance
Thursday, September 22, 8 PM / Admission: NIS 30, students: NIS 20
Courtyard of the Lev Hair Community Administration, 42 Ohel Moshe St., Nahla'ot






Piyyut in Nachla’ot
Tour and encounter with the neighborhood synagogues

The Nachla’ot neighborhood represents the full constellation of the world of piyyut. Guests attending the Piyyut Festival are invited to get intimately acquainted with the neighborhood, visit one of its synagogues, and meet the Chazanim, gabba’im, and congregants, who talk about the special atmosphere there and present the tradition of song, prayer, and music from their countries of origin. This year, we focus on the Jerusalem Sephardi tradition.
The tours are led by guides from the Tour Guide Department of the School of Jerusalem Studies of the Ben Zvi Institute. Please come equipped with a hat, water, and comfortable shoes. The tour lasts about ninety minutes.
In conjunction with the Sephardic Heritage Alliance and the Ben Zvi Institute

Tour: 4–5:30 PM
Meeting at the synagogue: 5:30–7 PM
Admission for tour and concert: NIS 30, students: NIS 20
Gathering point: outside the Gerard Bechar Center, 11 Bezalel St.

The Sha’arei Rachamim Synagogue (known as the Bana Synagogue)

The synagogue was founded in 1903. Rahamim Bana (Aharoni) bought the building in 1934; ever since then it has borne his name. For several decades, the synagogue buzzed with life and became a center for kabbalists, led by Rabbi Mordechai Sharabi. Now, after many changes in the neighborhood, the synagogue is home to a new and diverse congregation of local residents.
Address: 2 Rabbi Yosef Haim St., Nahalat Zion
With : Rabbi Rahamim Cohen Shauli / Synagogue Chazan, Avraham Itshar
Paytan, David Tzaliach
Ensemble of musicians who play in the classic Mizrahi style
Refreshments served, Sephardi hospitality-style

Tuesday, September 20;
gathering outside the Gerard Bechar Center
at 3:45 PM; tour starts at 4 PM.

The Chessed Verachamim Synagogue
This is one of the oldest synagogues in the neighborhood and continues the Jerusalem-Sephardi tradition dating back to the expulsion from Spain. It was founded in the Mazkeret Moshe neighborhood by Yitzhak Armoza in 1925. The first members of the congregation were from the Sephardi (samech-tet) community who left the Old City and wanted to continue to worship in their ancestral tradition.
Many years of extensive renovations and beautification as well as the collection and preservation of centuries-old Jewish artwork now displayed in the synagogue have turned it into a target for pilgrimage and a source of wonderment for worshipers, tourists, and art lovers.

Address: 18 Karmel St., Mazkeret Moshe

With: Synagogue Chazan, Yosef Haim Yuval / Paytan Moni Moreno Armoza
Ensemble of musicians who play in the classic Mizrahi style / Synagogue gabbai, Meir Armoza
Refreshments served, Sephardi hospitality-style

Wednesday, September 21,
gathering at 3:45 PM, tour starts at 4 PM

Piyyut, Emotion, and Thought - Exhibition

A multidisciplinary exhibition of works inspired by the world of piyyut. Sixteen artists from a variety of fields present their art in ceramics, visual media, sculpture, video, silver craft, and animation, expressing leading Israeli artists’ personal, novel, and contemporary interpretations of ancient piyyutim.
Curator: Yoel Gillinski
Participating artists:
Orna Oren Yizraeli / Arik Weiss / Archie Granot / Jacques Juneau / Dov Abramson
Dorit Feldman / Zohar Yules / Chaya Esther / Hani Liron / Tal Ora Bar / Yossi Lemel
Israel Rabinovich / Nona Orbach / Prof. Yoram Vardimon, Israel Prize laureate for design in 2007
Nechama Golan / Roni Someck

Exhibition opens on Monday , September 12 , in the BEIT AVI CHAI gallery

Calendar of Events

Hours	Monday, Sept. 19	Tuesday, Sept 20	Wednesday, Sept 21	Thursday, Sept 22
4 PM Tour and concert		Tour and concert Sha‘arei Rachamim synagogue in Nachla’ot	Tour and concert Chessed Verachamim synagogue in Nachla’ot
7 PM Concerts		Zalevski’s Melodies A retrospective of composer Zvi Zalevski BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium	The High Holidays in the Chassidic Court Halev Vehama‘ayan project in a moving piyyut concert BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium	Nino Biton: in the Mood for Oud A piyyut concert inspired by the traditional Andalusian nûba BEIT AVI CHAI Auditorium
8:30 PM Concerts	8 PM Babylonian Maqam Iraqi traditional piyyut and music BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	Ladino and Turkish Piyyutim Concert and tribute to Rabbi Yitzhak Algazi 7:30 PM Preliminary meeting BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	Songs of the Mountain Jews The Caucasian tradition of piyyut and music BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	Piyyut ’n Roll Piyyut, prayer, and Rock ’n Roll BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard
8 PM Concerts in neighborhoods		Piyyutim in the Streets of Jerusalem Gilo		Piyyutim in the Streets of Jerusalem- Qiryat Yovel Piyyutim in the Streets of Jerusalem-Nachla’ot
8:30 PM Concerts outside of BEIT AVI CHAI		Ahavat Olamim Rabbi Haim Louk and the New Jerusalem Orchestra Gerard Bechar Center	Aleppo Machzor New melodies to piyyutim from the Aleppo machzor Israel National Library, Weintraub Auditorium
10:15  PM Piyyutim into the Night	Kurdish chafla:  Kurdish songs for dancing and joyous occasions performed by musicians and dancers BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	Nagila Halleluya Public sing-along with Kehillot Sharot BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	Sha‘ar Petach Dodi Piyyutim from Afghanistan and Morocco BEIT AVI CHAI courtyard	10:30 PM Party A wild party with DJ Ofir Tubul At - P7

Festival website:
www.bac.org.il/piyut
Tickets may be purchased from the BEIT AVI CHAI box office: (02) 621-5900; www.bac.org.il
Some of the events will be broadcast live on the festival website, on the BEIT AVI CHAI website, and on the Voice of Israel.

Greetings
 
Jerusalem is a place of encounters and blends. The city’s history, its constantly renewing cultural and spiritual world and its streets create a spectacular encounter of diverse traditions and styles.
The Piyyut Festival has been a unique Jerusalem tradition for quite some time, a sparkling gem strung on the multicolor necklace of the city’s cultural life. Piyyut, like Jerusalem, is a combination of tradition and continuity with innovation and renewal, a fascinating blend of Jewish tradition from all over the Diaspora with contemporary Israeli culture. The harmonious mixture of voices, forming a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts - in Jerusalem as well as in piyyut - is what makes Jerusalem an innovative cultural and spiritual capital, always full of surprises.
We will continue to do all we can to preserve and to develop Jerusalem, provide a venue of authentic expression for the human mosaic that lives here, and keep Jerusalem a pluralistic, open, and free capital.
Everyone attending the festival has an enjoyable and unforgettable Jerusalem experience in store for them. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the festival and I hope you have an enjoyable and fascinating evening.

Nir Barkat Mayor of Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Piyyut Festival, now in its fourth consecutive year, excites us each time. Our excitement stems from the opportunity to open up a window onto piyyut traditions that have not received sufficient exposure, from the enriching encounter with top artists and performers, and from the connection we forge with the large and varied audience, whose presence and love of piyyut testify to the great importance of the festival and of the values that underlie it.
Many partners helped make this festival happen - without them, we would not have been able to put it on. I would like to mention the Culture and Arts Department of the Jerusalem municipality, the Jerusalem Foundation, the Culture Administration of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and the Ministry of Education’s Department of Torah Education. Special thanks to the Israel Broadcast Authority for its constant support throughout the festival.
We are expecting you,
Shana Tova,

Dani Danieli Festival director and director of BEIT AVI CHAI

 
We are pleased to begin the fourth Piyyut Festival at this auspicious time,
The world of piyyut is multidimensional, and, as the festival develops, we hope to open up more and more channels that merge to form an artistic, cultural, and social tapestry that is both sophisticated and intriguing. The artistic processes that began in previous festivals have continued to coalesce, over the years, to create a unique dynamic and moving artistic language, which finds expression in the main festival events.
In keeping with tradition, all concerts are premieres produced especially for the festival. New channels are opening up this year also for unique traditions, settings of ancient piyyutim, and even newly composed piyyutim.
Alongside the main concerts, a considerable portion of the events of this year’s festival will take place in the neighborhoods and will bring a mosaic of their own voices to the stage.
We’d love for you to join us
Yours,

Yair Harel Artistic Director, Piyyut Festival

The Piyyut Festival’s Steering Committee:

Dani Danieli, Michal Nakar, Yair Harel, Yaniv Yitzchak, Eyal Sher, Eli Levy, Mimi Shacham, Avi Schmidt, Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Aviad, Amnon Shiloni.
Members of the Artistic Committee
Elad Gabbay, Noam Gilor, Merav Livneh-Dill, Yair Harel, Heli Tabibi, Dudy Levy, Michal Nakar, Prof. Edwin Seroussi.

Acknowledgements

Jerusalem Foundation: Eyal Sher, director of the Arts and Culture Department
Jerusalem Municipality: Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem; Shemi Amsalem, manager of the Culture and Performing Arts Branch; Pepe Alalou, deputy Mayor in charge of culture and the arts;
Milka Burstein, senior assistant to the director of the Culture Department; Atty. Yossi Sharabi, director of the Culture, Society and Leisure Administration; Anat Raveh, secretary to the deputy director of the Culture Department; Patty Vardika, marketing coordinator; Eli Cohen, professional assistant to the director of the Culture Division; Baruch Goldman, director of the Department of Research, Planning, and Marketing.
Torah Culture Department, Ministry of Education: Shmaryahu Herman, department director; Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Aviad, Jerusalem District inspector
Israel National Library, Heritage Foundation management and staff.
Sephardic Community Council: Yechezkel Zackai, chairman of the Israel Sephardic Federation; Mordechai Falkon, Sephardic Community Council
National Ladino Authority, Yitzhak Navon, fifth president of the State of Israel and chairman
Jewish Music Research Center: Prof. Edwin Seroussi, director
Beit Hillel: Heli Tabibi, director of the Jerusalem Beit Hillel; Merav Livneh-Dill, head of the Yedidi Hashachachta project.
Sephardic Heritage Alliance, Moni Moreno Armoza, chairman
Ben Zvi Institute: Yaakov Yaniv, director; Adi Ofer, deputy director; Miriam Shacham, tour-guides coordinator
Ministry of Culture and Sport: Limor Livnat, Minister of Culture and Sport; Shimon Elkabetz, chairman of the Culture Administration; Betty Dan, director of Department of Culture and Heritage Institutions
Israel Broadcast Authority: Amnon Shiloni, Voice of Israel; Noam Gilor, director of Reshet Gimmel;  Avi Schmidt, director of the Moreshet Network; Tzipi Wiztum, the Voice of Music; Yoav Ginai, director of the Culture and Entertainment Department; Yigal Buton, director of Reshet Bet.
Yuvalim Community Administration: Michael Ben Avi, general manager; Etti Vanunu, culture coordinator; Linor Elkayam, production
Gilo Community Administration: Yaffa Shitrit, general manager; Inna Luxemburg, head of the Music Division; Nurit Achdut, head of the Culture and Arts office
Chessed Verachamim synagogue: Meir Armoza and Moni Moreno Armoza
Sha‘arei Rachamim synagogue: Yechezkel Mangan, Yitzhak Agai, Rachamim Mizrachi,
and Rabbi Nissan Cohen
Avram Music Bar: Barak Weiss; Yossi Vazana, Ariel Karassanti

And special thanks to those who do the work
Dani Danieli - festival director and director of BEIT AVI CHAI; Yair Harel - artistic director, Piyyut Festival; Yaniv Yitzchak - producer, Piyyut Festival; Michal Nakar - deputy director of BEIT AVI CHAI and director of programs and projects; Ronit Bekker-Blankovsky -  festival coordinator, BEIT AVI CHAI; Prof. Edwin Seroussi - academic advisor; Hannah Pattaya  - written content editor;
Eli Weissbart  - author and copywriter
Kinneret Yifrach  - language editor; Sari Yisraeli and Keren Rivlin - media advisor and PR coordinator; Gabi Vinokur - marketing coordinator, BEIT AVI CHAI; Anat Sella - marketing,
BEIT AVI CHAI; Gal Tamir - Festival website updates; Nissim Sheizaf - technical support,
BEIT AVI CHAI; Mariana Janin -  production assistant; Halleli Elazar - Festival website construction & design; Tal Ora Bar - picture research, Invitation to Piyut website;
Maoz Weisstuch – photography; Sharon Guini - advertising, Festival program and website editor, BEIT AVI CHAI; Dov Abramson Studio - graphic design