Mira Awad: Israeli Arab Singer and Actress
Haaretz just featured a profile of Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab Christian who appears in a new hit TV comedy called Arab Labor. Awad began as a professionally trained musician and recorded demos which no Israeli record company wanted to touch with a 10 foot pole because they are petrified of Arab music. Not necessarily petrified in an overtly racist way. Just petrified of its supposed ‘alienness’ from Israeli pop culture and of their inability to market it to the public:
In guitarist Amos Hadani’s small studio in downtown Tel Aviv she is completing the recording of her debut album, which will comprise songs whose lyrics and music she has written herself, mostly in Arabic.
The long road she has traveled until arriving at the final stages of the album began during her days as a student at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat Hasharon. “Eight years ago I already had demos ready and I tried to interest several people in them. But it didn’t really work out, and at a certain stage I got tired of trying and abandoned music for a number of years,” she recalls. “Arabic is apparently a language that still arouses fear and reservations in Israel. The fact is that no one jumped into the cold water, no one took a risk with me. Most of the reactions about the album had nothing to with the music or the production, and this began to affect me. My career in theater began to gain momentum and I said to myself, ‘Thank God, at least there is another place where I can express my creativity.’”
But as sometimes happens, the mass market may be far more ready to embrace “the other” than the doyennes of pop taste recognize. Visit her MySpace site and listen to Bahlawan and tell me she’s not ready for Israeli prime time. Azini is a song with more rock-pop “chops” recorded with the enormously popular Idan Raichel Project. Awad also recorded a duet with Noa of the Beatles We Can Work It Out that’s making the rounds of YouTube. It’s cute and makes a political statement but doesn’t showcase either of them to best effect. Far more compelling musically are these videos of more “hard core” Arab pop performances featured at MySpace video. As far as I’m concerned Awad has all her bases covered and if an Israeli record company can’t take a risk on her then they can’t take a risk on anything.
One warning: this is a woman who speaks her mind. Hearing Hatikvah doesn’t make her heart beat pit-a-pat. It makes her sad as one might expect coming from an Israeli Arab:
Mira Anuar-Awad was born in an Arab village in the northern part of Israel and has a full Israeli citizenship. She will sing Zman (Time) in the Kdam-Eurovision, combining Hebrew and Arabic. “There will probably be some people thinking I am not eligible to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest because I am not Jewish, and I do feel, to some extent, that this country does not represent my true being” says Anuar-Awad. “When the Israeli national anthem is played I am usually sad and embarrassed cause it doesn’t stand for anyone of my national symbols” Mira adds. These statements by the star of the musical My Fair Lady have caused quite a commotion in Israel, just 5 days before the contest.
In certain Israeli nationalist circles, they can’t understand why Israeli Arabs don’t just shut up and get down on their knees and thank Jews for putting up with their endless whining and carping about discrimination and inequality.
tags arab-labor-tv-show, idan-raichel-project, israeli-arab-pop-singer-actress, mira-awad
Bill Pearlman said,
January 5, 2008 @ 6:55 am
Enlighten me has to the ways in which the Zionist jackboot has crushed the hopes annd dreams of this poor girl, She seems to have gone to a pretty good school, is not making her debut album, and is now on a hit TV show. Sounds like a pretty good life to me.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 5, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
I think it would be very difficult to englighten you, Bill, since your views are so immobile. But do enlighten me with the list of all the other Israeli Arab actors and singers who are stars in Israel. Given that they are 20% of the population surely there should be thousands of actors, singers, writers & directors populating the Israeli TV & film industry. So where are they? Or is Mira Awad perhaps the exception that proves the rule?
Mira Awad is the equivalent of Sidney Poitier in the 1950s. He was one black star. Where were the others? Will Israel have to wait another 40-50 years before there are thousands of Mira Awads making films and singing popular songs enjoyed by Jewish and Arab audiences?
Amir said,
January 6, 2008 @ 8:35 am
I wasn’t alive in the fiftees, but according to wikipedia, In 1963, Poitier became the first black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. To compare Israel today to the United States of the fiftees seems to me far fetched. Your comment also does a disservice to those Israeli Arabs and their achievments before Mira Awad. Awad may certainly be talented, but she is not breaking new ground.
Already in 1984 Mohammed Bakri won an Israeli Award for the Best Actor for the role in “Beyond the Walls”. He was also nominated for best actor in the year 2000. His son, Salah Bakri recently won Best Supporting Actor for his role in “the Band’s Visit.” Salim Dau was nominated for best supporting actor in 2003.
Makram Khoury was nominated for best actor in both 2004, and 2005. In 1987 he won ‘The Israel Prize’ – the highest award given by the state of Israel for achievements in theatre, TV and cinema. In 1986 he won ‘The Israeli Oscar’ for supporting film actor in two films. (you can see his resume here: http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com/presskit/CVs/makramcv.doc)
Israeli Arabs have done very on Israel’s reality shows as well, where the viewers vote on the winners, such as Firas Khoury and Niral Karantiji.
Samir Shukri is a very popular Israeli Arab singer who has produced albums in Hebrew and Arabic. I guess someone was willing to “touch him with a 10 foot pole”. There probably hasn’t been a wedding in Israel where his song “Rona” hasn’t been played. As far as Arabic goes, many Jewish singers have produced music in Arabic including Zehava Ben who had a concert tour dedicated to the songs of Um-Kultum.
I’m not saying Israeli Arabs in the entertainment industry don’t have obstacle they have to overcome, but it is also not as you have stated it. I hope this at least answers your question: Where are the others?
Amir said,
January 6, 2008 @ 10:19 am
BTW, since its inception in 1968 Israeli television has had Arabic language programs including the legendary (among Israelis) Sammy and Susu starring George Ibrahim as Sammy and his doll Susu as Susu. George Ibrahim, incidentally is the nephew of Dr. George Habash who led the PFLP.
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3342816,00.html
Lisa said,
January 6, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Good stuff, Amir. I’d just like to add a few names of famous Israeli-Arab (1948 Palestinian) actors / film directors:
Kais Nashef, who co-starred in Paradise Now and is currently starring in the critically acclaimed Israeli TV series, “Portion of the Week” (Parashat HaShuvua). Kais lives in Tel Aviv;
Ali Suleiman, who co-starred in Paradise Now and is currently acting in a film at the Arab-Jewish Theater in Jaffa;
Clara Khoury (Makram Khoury’s daughter), who starred in The Syrian Bride and is currently co-starring in two prime-time, critically-acclaimed Israeli TV series: Parashat Hashavua and Avoda Aravit;
Youssef Sweid, who starred in The Bubble, the telenovella Ha’Alufa and several other television series. Youssef lives in Tel Aviv with his Jewish-Israeli wife;
Ibtisam Mar’ana, a documentary filmmaker from Faradis whose most recent film, Three Times Divorced, won first prize at Tel Aviv’s DocAviv film festival and was later broadcast on Israeli television. Ibtisam lives in Tel Aviv;
Hiam Abbas, who co-starred in The Syrian Bride and has played major roles in several Hollywood films;
Ashraf Barhom, who acted in The Syrian Bride, Ahava Colombianit, Paradise Now and, most recently, in the Hollywood film The Kingdom (as the Saudi police officer).
And the list goes on…
There’s plenty of discrimination in Israel, as there is against minorities in most countries. The arts scene, however, is not the place to look for it.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 6, 2008 @ 10:01 pm
Amir: I thank you for filling us in on Israeli Arab performers who have made a mark in Israeli popular culture. I applaud their success. But the fact of the matter is that you have mentioned exactly six actors & musicians. There are 1.5-million Israeli Arabs. Even if we say there are other prominent figures you might have omitted–are you still willing to say that Israel has a defensible record of inclusion of Israeli Arabs in popular culture, let alone the professions or politics?
Amir said,
January 7, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
To make a long story shirt, and to answer your question, yes I do.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 8, 2008 @ 12:49 am
Lisa: You have named 7 Israeli Arabs who have attained some level of success in Israeli films or TV. Amir has named six. That makes 13. I repeat: there are 1.5 million Israel Arabs. Are 13 all you can name? And this proves what exactly? That Israel embraces the Israeli Arab experience in its forms of popular culture? Please. You can’t possibly be arguing that.
Amir foolishly believes Israeli media’s record of inclusion of Arabs is defensible. Lisa Goldman claims there is no discrimination against Arab participation in the Israeli arts scene. Today’s NY Times notes that 2% of TV roles were filled by Israeli Arabs and almost all of them were negative. How do you explain this?
Oh & Lisa, I challenge you to interview any of the artists you & Amir have named about their personal experiences competing for roles & opportunities as Arabs. I’d like to see a single one who claims Israel is fully open to them as Arabs and that their achievements were not won in the face of terrific obstacles.
And another thing Lisa, if you make common cause with Amir you might want to examine what his views are about Israeli Arabs & Palestinians. You claim to be a progressive Israeli & sympathetic to their plight. It would be hard to be progressive & find much in common with him. If you do, then that says a lot.
Amir said,
January 8, 2008 @ 6:06 am
That should say “to make a long story short”
Off the top of her head my wife adds two names: Yussuf abu-Warda and Juliano Mer (Juliano has an Arab father and a Jewish mother). Of course there is also George Ibrahim who played Sammy, from Sammy and Sou Sou as far back as 1968 when Israeli tv was just starting.
That your analogy with Sidney Poitier in the US during the fifties is wrong (an understatement).
It doesn’t say that at all. It referred to prime-time commercial television which you conveniently ommitted. What is Israel supposed to do about that, regulate the content like in a communist country. Prime-time commercial television is all about rating and going after the biggest markets. The biggest market in Israel are Hebrew speakers. The elderly are also under-represented during prime-time commercial television as are Haredim as well as other smaller markets. Prime-time commercial television is not the only measure of entertainment and culture though it is an important one. For that exact reason, Israel has had Arabic language programming since it’s inception.
One of the programs on Israeli Arabic television which was popular mostly among Jews in 1989 and dealt with stereotypes about Arabs mostly was called Neighbors (see IMBd Sh’henim) and it was a takeoff on All In The Family. (So even the new comedy “Arab Work” is not something new, in spite of all the media coverage it is getting as being a novelty). The series starred Bassam Zoama, another popular Israeli Arab actor from theater, television and stage. While your at it, add Marlene Bajali to the list. Basam Zoamat also starred in the tv show “the Restaurant” and according to HaAretz reached cult status in Israel. He died in the year 2004.
I’d like to hear about any actor admitting that his carrear was not marked by obstacles. In any case, the next to last sentence of my first comment on this thread was an admission that Israeli Arabs must overcome obstacles. I can even expand: being typecast, having an accent in Hebrew, in many cases having to deal with a conservative upbringing and culture, being labelled a traitor by their society’s more radical elements and so on.
Thank you Lisa for making common cause with me. I hope being identified with me, the right wing reactionary that I am, doesn’t harm your career or disqualify you from political office in the future. I’m being sarcastic, of course.
Richard, people can disagree with each other on some things and agree on others. I even agree with you once in a while (so what does THAT say about you?)
Lisa said,
January 9, 2008 @ 3:22 am
Richard, I fail to see the connection between Amir’s political views and the accuracy of the information he supplied in this thread. I don’t know Amir and I do not care what his political views are. I am interested in facts - not political dogma. I don’t understand why you persist in leveling personal attacks. Amir’s comments are politely worded and factually correct.
The fact is that Israeli Arabs are quite prominent in the local arts scene. And the interesting fact is that most mainstream Jewish Israelis are indifferent to their ethnicity. I think it’s very interesting that art succeeds in crossing political boundaries in our fractured country.
This year, for example, The Band’s Visit was a major hit in Israel. It won the Ophir Award (the Israeli Oscar) in the categories of best film, best actor and several others. It also won Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, and best film at the Tokyo Film Festival.
Arab and Jewish Israeli actors star in the film, which is about a fictional visit of the Alexandria Policeman’s Band to Israel. The film’s themes are about co-existence, cultural commonalities and bridge-building, and the fact that it was a hit in Israel is, I think, evidence that art transcends political boundaries.
Unfortunately, the organizers of the Dubai Film Festival were forced to cancel the film’s screening due to the threat of a boycott by the Egyptian Actors’ Union. The film was not screened at the Cairo Film Festival, either. I think this is a great pity, because it’s a missed opportunity to create dialogue through art between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
Richard, I provided you with a short list of Arab-Israeli actors. It was not intended to be a comprehensive list. I did not claim there is no discrimination against Arabs in Israel. There is. I believe it is quite difficult for women over 40, African-Americans and Hispanic Americans to obtain roles in Hollywood films, too. In other words, there is discrimination everywhere. But your post gives the impression that Arab actors in Israel are sidelined or face serious obstacles in obtaining good roles. And that is simply not true.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 9, 2008 @ 11:51 am
That’s a big part of yr outlook on the entire IP conflict. You have no political orientation or understanding of the issues. It’s all based on some feel-good notion or a Rodney King-like “why can’t we all just get along” notion of ethnic harmony–which is hopelessly muddled as far as the IP conflict is concerned.
Concerning Amir’s politics: would you embrace David Duke if he agreed with yr perspective on some aspect of Israeli political life? Well, that’s what you’ve done in endorsing Amir’s views. He’s not as bad as Duke, I admit, but he’s an Israel Firster pro-settler through & through w. odious views of Palestinians.
This is a perfect example of how muddled you are. You are a white Ashkenazi saying how find & dandy conditions are for Israeli Arab artists in Israel. There’s a certain noblesse oblige in that I’m afraid. Again, I repeat since you fancy yrself a journalist I challenge you to do a profile of a cross section of some of these supposed high Israeli Arab achievers & ask THEM what their own perceptions are of this issue. Ask them if THEY perceive that Jews are indifferent to their ethnicity. Don’t insert yr own perceptions of the issue. Instead go to the source & ask someone who faces the issue fr. the inside to comment on it.
I have written here extensively about this film & applauded its success. You shouldn’t assume that I or my readers don’t know about these things. It would’ve taken all of 10 seconds to search through this site to find what I’ve written about this.
But anyway, this is a single film, not a movement. While it’s true that progress is made in small increments like this & that Israeli society is making tortured, but slow progress in facing its demons–it has a LONG way to go. And perspectives like yrs which claim that all is sunny & good don’t really help Israel confront & overcome those demons.
Again, you adopt the approach of Israel apologists everywhere when you tut-tut about Israel’s problems being no diff. than those of every other society in the world. That’s besides the pt. Of course there is discrimination here. But my pt. is that there is far more widespread, and more entrenched discrimination in Israel against Israeli Arabs. To deny this as you seem to do is to deny reality, which is what Israel’s apologists so often do.
Instead of being so eager to defend Israel, which Israel doesn’t really need btw, a forthright & unflinching approach to facing its social inequities would be far more powerful & honest.
It “simply” IS true. Again, you use anecdotal evidence to attempt to make a global pt. instead of actually going to the source to examine attitudes of those most affected.
And btw you refuse to confront the statistic that Israeli Arab TV roles consist of 2% of the 50% of roles that are not played by Israeli Jewish male actors. Why is Arab Labor one of the few, if only, programs that feature Israeli Arab actors playing “normal” starring roles?
Amir said,
January 9, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
Richard, I don’t know what an Israel Firster is, so I can’t say if I am one or not. I don’t know what you mean when you say I am pro-settler through and through, since I don’t recall ever commenting on the settlements on this blog or anywhere else. But to say that I have odious views of Palestinians, is quite offensive. When have I ever expressed views for or against Palestinians as a group?
Lisa hasn’t embraced me or my views. She merely agreed with one comment I posted on your blog. Even you agreed with me once about something that I wrote on your blog.
And thank you for admitting I’m not as bad as David Duke.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 9, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
These are precisely the arguments made by TV & film executives to defend their exclusion of minorities fr. acting, directing & cinematography assignments in American media during the 60s & 70s. But all of this has been proven utterly wrong by the fact that if you have a homogenous society then you CAN get a majority to watch TV & films about the minority as long as you write material that draws in the entire audience. This is what Arab Labor has done. It’s what All in the Family did. It’s what Israeli media is failing to do except in exceptional cases like Arab Labor. Prime Time TV is where it’s at. That’s where the most prominent roles are; it’s where the artistic recognition is; it’s where the big shekels are. If Arabs can’t make it widely & consistently in prime time little else matters. And saying Israel has ghettoized Arabic language programming watched by precisely NO Jews is entirely unpersuasive.
You were referring to their own Arab society. But far more powerful & telling is virtually all Arabs being regularly viewed as suspect & “traitors” by Israeli Jews. You “conveniently” left that out too.
Once is VERY GREAT while if at all.
Amir said,
January 9, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
I’m glad to see we’ve progressed from the 50’s to the 60’s and 70’s.
Richard Silverstein said,
January 9, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Asking me to go back & review comments you’ve posted here which I’ve found offensive or racist towards Arabs & Palestinians is like asking someone to find a drop of water in a river. It’s pretty much everywhere. I’ll try to find a few comments if you really want me to. But I do have other things in my life to do than review yr old comments to find objectionable sentiments toward Arabs.
Ann said,
January 10, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
I think the vast majority of Israeli Arabs themselves would beg to differ about the Israeli establishment’s record of inclusion, and agree with Richard: I applaud the very few, vastly under-represented token artists, but Israeli society is overwhelmingly still very much inhospitable to Israeli Arab success and representation. Holding up the apparent success of a few as somehow evidence that all is well is like saying that because falafel is now Israel’s most popular national food, it has now integrated into and made with its neighborhood, which clearly it has not.
Amir said,
January 13, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Than you shouldn’t make such vile accusations against me if you have no intension of backing them up. Perhaps you are confusing me with other commentators on this blog, but I certainly have not made any anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian generalizations. In one post I made comments concerning statistical data about Israeli Arabs and I backed them up with sources.