In 2004, Paul Mor, a musician originally from England, suggested to the headmaster of the Democratic school in Ramat Hashron, to teach children in his school to play the ukulele. At the same time he persuaded the headmaster of the el-Zahara school in the Arab town of Tira to open a class there. The project caught on quickly and soon there were classes in both schools for children aged 8 to 18.
But Paul Mor was not satisfied with running classes separately in each school, in 2005 he established an orchestra of ukulele players from both schools.
As more and more children learned to play the ukulele, parents of the children became involved and this led to meetings from both communities and joint projects to help cover the expenses of the orchestra for visits to communities overseas and participation in ukulele annual festivals in many countries. The orchestra appeared before groups of children with special needs and children in hospitals.
At the end of these concerts, the ukulele players answered questions from the audience about life in their communities in Israel, and how they overcame differences of their background and had learned about the way of life in each community leading to tolerance and better understanding between them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z8hsJdP0HU
In 2015, the orchestra went on a concert tour on the West Coast of the United States and was well received by mixed audiences, especially when they performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington. During this tour the Ukuleles for Peace orchestra participated in an international Ukulele Festival in Hawaii.
When the British singer Donovan appeared in Israel, the Ukuleles for Peace orchestra was invited to join him on the stage.
Thank you , Raoul for your support. IIt means a lot to us.
Each support gives us confidence to continue our work.
Daphna, Ukuleles for Peace.
This afternoon I have taken time out to listen and enjoy Ukuleles for Peace video clips, including the American tour.
I like everything about this blog and, especially, its philosophy and objectives in bringing together young people from different cultural backgrounds. Music is a great way to do it. Inter-ethnic, intercultural and inter-religious programs are very worthwhile in the search for greater understanding, warmer relations and celebration of differences. Well done Keren and your associates.