Artist: Smadar Levi

About The Artist:

An exciting new voice emerging from the NYC world music scene, Smadar is an Israeli-Moroccan singer whose craft is best described as pan-Mediterranean music peppered with a gypsy sound. Smadar sings original and creative renditions of traditional tunes in Hebrew, Arabic, and Ladino. The Epoch Times International recently dubbed Smadar “a euphonious and haunting voice” for peace and unity. Currently, Smadar is hard at work writing material for her secondalbum. By the sound of it, this album promises to take Smadar’s music to dizzying new heights.

Song: Alei Giv’a – Smadar Levi

Contribution to: Soroka Medical Center Cancer Departments

Alei Giv’a was composed in the style of a shepherd’s song by Nahum Nardi (1901-1977), one of the first and most important composers of Israeli song in the pre-State era. Nardi made aliyah from Russia at the age of 22. Some of his earliest compositions and arrangements were done for Bracha Zefira, who first acquainted him with the Eastern music that so enchanted the Israeli musicians of the yishuv. Avraham Broides, an immigrant from Vilna, is famous as a poet, and wrote lyrics to several songs that continue to be popular. The one-armed hero mentioned in this song is Joseph Trumpeldor, a Russian war hero who was killed (together with six comrades) in 1920 at Tel Hai in the Galilee, while on guard duty. He was well known before the war for his bravery in the Russian army; he became a legend in death when the story circulated that his last words were “It is good to die for our land.”

About Soroka Medical Center Cancer Departments

The American Friends of Soroka Medical Center is dedicated to raising awareness about the work of Soroka Medical Center in the Negev, Israel, and providing financial support for its activities. American Friends supports Soroka Medical Center’s continued efforts to provide excellent and advanced care to the region’s diverse population and is active in a campaign to modernize the entire campus. American Friends also serves to expand Soroka’s outreach through educational programs and conferences on breast cancer, women’s health and other relevant topics. American Friends supports Soroka’s excellence in medical research.