Music

Noam Bettan takes second place at Eurovision, Switzerland to release Mengele files

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

Noam Bettan, winner of the reality show "The Next Star" poses for a picture after winning the final in Neve Ilan, near Jerusalem, January 21, 2026.
Kav Rakia.

Music, food and an open skyline: Kav Rakia returns under the stars

ISRAELI SINGER Noam Bettan, representing Israel with the song 'Michelle', celebrates in the artist's zone during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (ESC) at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria on May 16, 2026.

Israel’s Noam Bettan takes second place in Eurovision 2026, Bulgaria wins

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, representing the United Kingdom, attends the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest’s ‘Turquoise Carpet’ event in Vienna, Austria, on May 10, 2026.

The BBC’s commitment to losing Eurovision is genuinely impressive - comment


From Harbin to Hollywood: The tale of two talented Jewish sisters in China's 'Ice City'

Once home to a thriving Jewish community, Harbin now preserves its past through music - and the enduring legacy of the Schoenfeld sisters.

CHINA’S ‘ICE CITY’: The giant snowman at Harbin Musical Park, a city landmark. Tourists enjoy Harbin’s Ice and Snow World (L) and the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

Miriam’s beat: From Exodus to modern Israel, women reclaim rhythm and resilience

Pe’imat Miriam, a female percussive endeavor, revives an ancient rhythm to find a collective voice of hope – core to the biblical Passover narrative and to our spiritual well-being.

ZOHAR FRESCO: The work of acclaimed percussionist Zohar Fresco traces the roots of frame drumming back to ‘Miriam’s drum’ and its place in Jewish cultural memory

Peiwen Su – service on international competition jury panels

Evaluating artistic standards at the global level.

"Peiwen Su plays a key role in shaping how emerging musical talent is evaluated and developed on the international stage."

Dancing through the crackdown: The satirical song soundtracking post-Khamenei Iran

As Iranian regime forces opened fired on citizens celebrating the dictator's death, London-based artist Naz used music on social media to make the voices of a jubilant, yet battered, nation heard.

BEHIND THE scenes of Hey Arr Arr, a track by Hamed Fard in which Naz dances, which became the first song marking the death of Ali Khamenei.

'The first woman E Streeter': Springsteen band drummer remembers Suki Lahav, Jewish violinist

“Suki and Louie were quite literally the first people associated with Bruce and the band that I came to know, respect, admire, and yes, love,” he wrote to The Jerusalem Post from Portland, Oregon.

TZRUYA ‘SUKI’ Lahav‎ in 2008.

Israeli lyricist Tzruya Lahav dies at 74 after cancer battle

Lahav played a major role in shaping popular Israeli music across generations and wrote the lyrics for many songs that have become embedded in the country’s canon.

Portrait of the Israeli Writer and poet Tsruya Lahav in Jerusalem. July 31, 2008.

Paul Ben-Haim’s war symphonies get just deserts

Performed at Carnegie Hall in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, Ben-Haim’s two symphonies are foundational works within the Israeli art music tradition.

CONDUCTOR LAHAV SHANI with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

AI is already coming for your jobs, your Passover song parodies may be next

Earlier this year, a contestant in Kveller’s Passover Song Parody Contest explained that her son wrote a first draft of their entry using AI, but that she helped polish the result. 

AI is already coming for your jobs. Your Passover song parodies may be next.

The memory that turned into a song

A childhood memory of growing up in a crowded Ukrainian apartment, surrounded by family and unconditional love - suddenly became the inspiration for a song written in just half an hour.

Eduard Shyfrin- UNCONDITIONAL

Jerusalem highlights: March 27-April 2

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‘A Ma’apilim Ship,’ painting  by Marcel Janco (see Friday).