(AP) Diaa Hadid - A young Arab woman, Nissren Kader, 25, recently won first place in a popular Israeli music competition for the best performer of Mizrahi songs, the musical tradition of Middle Eastern Jews. By singing beautifully in Hebrew, she charmed her audience. "I am so proud: I'm the first Arab to win a Hebrew singing program," said Kader, who is from Haifa. Moshe Alfassi, an Israeli of Moroccan descent, said he found it strange to see an Arab woman singing Mizrahi music, but like many other Israelis, was quickly won over by her voice. Her victory is part of a small but growing trend of Arab artists and entertainers rising to prominence. One of the country's most popular sitcoms is a comedic satire about an Israeli-Arab journalist trying to fit into Jewish society whose attempts frequently backfire, written by Sayed Kashua, an Arab writer. All but one of Israel's soccer league teams have Arab players, including the season's top scorer, Ahmed Saba.
2012-04-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive