Can music change the world? Create peace? For some, that might be marketing copy. For the members of Diwan Saz, an incredibly skilled multi-faith and multi-ethnic 9-piece band, it seems to be an earnestly held belief. Part of its name, “diwan,” means “coming together of people” in Turkish, and Diwan Saz practices what it preaches: its members are Christian, Muslim, Jewish; Bedouin, Turkish, Israeli, Palestinian, and Iranian, and bring together these often tense strands of the Middle East to embrace the common influences behind many of the region’s musical traditions.
The video below was made at a Diwan Saz 2014 concert in Jerusalem. Notice how this mixed audience of Jews and Arabs celebrate and experience the sheer beauty and joy of the music together! Olam Habah! Soon, please.
Tent of Abraham 