The following announcement was provided by the concert organizers:
The Light of Palestine concert that took place at First Parish of Watertown on December 18 raised $8,800 for humanitarian aid to people in Gaza. The funds supported Anera, a U.S.-based nonprofit with no political or religious affiliations. Anera will use the funds to provide meals, water, shelter, and medicine to those affected by the ongoing war.
The concert was sold out, and access to the livestream was purchased by more than thirty households.
Artistic director Lina Malshy selected a program of songs from her native Palestine and neighboring countries, ranging from traditional folk tunes like “Ala Dal’ona” to present-day popular songs such as “Mawjou Qalbi.”
Malshy confessed, “This concert was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I’ve had as an artist and director. The weight of responsibility was immense—to deliver a performance of exceptional quality, to represent my people, my culture, and our collective pain in a way that touches hearts, and to connect with a diverse audience.” But, she continued, “as we began playing, all the nerves disappeared, and I was fully immersed in the music.”
The audience responded with exuberant applause and some tears. Concert attendee Izzy Tappan-deFrees described the music as “gorgeous” and “both healing and awakening to the beautiful, resilient culture and people being attacked in Gaza.”
Tappan-deFrees, a member of First Parish of Watertown, and Reverend Sophia Lyons were instrumental in offering the church as a venue for the concert. Reverend Lyons also spoke of the concert as a healing experience: “In the face of the atrocities taking place in Gaza, it’s easy to feel utterly powerless on this side of the world. The ‘light’ that this concert brought to Watertown was a profound feeling of community–the music opened our hearts, blessed our sanctuary, and reminded me that we really are connected in our humanity. It was an evening of hope, healing, resilience, and love. I will never forget it.”
After the final song, audience members lingered to enjoy a reception with treats provided by Arax Market, Sevan Bakery, and Massis Bakery. “I was very moved to have support from those Watertown businesses,” shared Alyssa Lawson, the concert coordinator. ““It felt like our whole community was lifting us up.”
The ensemble included three vocalists, violin, cello, percussion, flute, nay, qanun, oud, piano, and accordion. All of the musicians donated their time. Several video clips from the performance are available on the concert’s Instagram account, @Light.of.Palestine (https://www.instagram.com/light.of.palestine/).
As the crisis in Gaza continues, Anera is one of the few organizations on the ground delivering meals, blankets, water, hygiene kits, health clinics, learning spaces, and psychosocial sessions to those in need. To make a donation, please visit www.anera.org.
Malshy, the artistic director, is preparing to relocate to Los Angeles, where she will work in the field of film scoring. A GoFundMe campaign has been started in her honor to allow her to complete her college tuition payments and cover her moving expenses. The campaign can be viewed here: https://gofund.me/8797e521
This is wonderful, and so necessary!
Humanitarian aid for the civilians of Gaza is critical. I just wish Anera, the recipient of these funds, were more honest about why. The war in Gaza didn’t just “happen”. It began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas and opportunistic civilians launched the deadliest single day in Israel’s history: 1,200 slaughtered and 240 kidnapped, including several Americans. Those hostages not since murdered have now been held longer than the hostages held by Iran in 1979-81. Anera doesn’t see fit to mention any of that on their website. Not Oct 7, not Hamas, not the massacre of innocents, not hostages held or murdered; none of it. In fact, they call it the “War on Gaza”, when it’s patently not. It’s the war on a zealous death cult, Hamas, only too happy to see its own people suffer. Abate their suffering, please. But please be truthful about why they suffer. This war would have ended the day Hamas surrendered and released the hostages. It still would. No amount of beautiful music can drown out that truth.
This organization and this concert are to help the residents of Gaza who were affected by events there. Should they have not helped these innocent people because of the terrorist attacks by Hamas? Do you have any evidence these funds are assisting Hamas? Sometimes music is quite beautiful even in the face of horror, and even lies by some.
If you could just get past your blind bias, Paul, you’d see how much we agree. I wrote in SUPPORT of the concert and its goal; I lamented only that the recipient organization made no mention of how the war in Gaza (not ON Gaza) started. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are the ugliest phenomena, made even uglier when the victims of both are slandered as the perpetrators. The blame is not on those who desperately seek their hostages (now held 465 days and counting) and to bring to justice those guilty of the most vile crimes against humanity. Hamas started the war, and Hamas could have ended it on any of the past 465 days. How astonishing to have to make that point once, never mind over and over. And yet again over.
And what does any of this have to do with raising money to help people who are suffering? I don’t disagree with you about how disgusting Hamas is. These people are trying to help vulnerable people and you are criticizing them for it. If that’s my blind bias, I’m good!
Again, read.
Jerusalem Post – 8/30/2024
“ The IDF attacked gunmen who took control of a vehicle in a humanitarian convoy in the southern Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, the military said on Thursday night.
The convoy, belonging to the ANERA organization, entered the area earlier on Thursday in coordination with the IDF.”
There are no guarantees that donations to ANERA – or to others similarly situated – will reach the so called “innocents” in Gaza. Like the aid from USA, UN, etc. contributed to the building of miles of tunnels underneath Gaza.
So people shouldn’t help innocent residents of Gaza, whose lives have been destroyed by the war, because you believe the money might be misdirected. Got it!
Feel free to send them all the money you want. Go ahead.
How about help Americans suffering here at home? Crazy idea, right?
And thank you Mr. Passell for adding conspicuously absent context.
Please tell us about your efforts to help people in the United States. I’m sure residents of Watertown will join your effort when you start your campaign.
This concert was such a moving experience! The music was absolutely beautiful, and I could feel the solidarity on stage and in the audience. I am so grateful to Alyssa, Lina, Reverend Lyons, and everyone else involved in making the concert happen – and of course to Anera for the critical work they do.
This was a fundraiser for victims of a devastating war, who will now have generational trauma because of gross acts against humanity, like victims of the Holocaust, the Congo War, the Armenian Genocide, and so man, many others. Conflating Hamas with Palestinians would be the same as conflating Israeli with Netanyahu, who has been severely criticized by his citizens for waging a war rather than focusing on getting the hostages back from Hamas. The hostages who could have been safely back home with their loved one so much sooner. And now they will also have long term trauma. It didn’t have to be this way.
Let’s concentrate on the real anti-Semites (https://beverlypolice.org/2025/01/beverly-police-department-charges-man-with-antisemitic-threats-multiple-firearms-violations/ on the real anti-Semites here: https://beverlypolice.org/2025/01/beverly-police-department-charges-man-with-antisemitic-threats-multiple-firearms-violations/) Thank god for the FBI for watching out for these pieces of s***
And the 0ctober 7 atrocities were about “Some people did something”.
There would have been no war but for the beast-like attacks from Hamas.
And your analogy is correct for the wrong reasons. Many Palestinians support Hamas – like many Jews support Bebe. Conflation is a tricky thing, Isn’t it?
And there would have been no attack if Israel wasn’t illegally occupying the West Bank and Gaza. We can go down this road as far as you want.
“We can go down this road as far as you want.”
As you wish. There have been no Jews in Gaza—not one—since 2005, when Ariel Sharon “disengaged”, forcibly emptying communities decades old of 8,000 Jewish residents. Some occupation. Gazans elected Hamas to run the place in 2007, the last election permitted, and with catastrophic results. But that’s what you get when you elect a death cult: death.
Your statement is false. Hamas will continue to attack Israel under any circumstances. Whether Israel occupies or not, it does not matter to these Islamic terrorists. They just want all Jews dead, along with those they consider infidels. A modest example of its position follows, as noted by this bastion of conservative views:
The Atlantic -11/8/2023
“Last week, a spokesperson for the group vowed that “we will repeat the October 7 attack time and again until Israel is annihilated.””
If this doesn’t suffice for you, go read the Hamas Charters, all versions. Go visit Gaza as well.
“The hostages who could have been safely back home with their loved one so much sooner.”
How? Even the ones murdered in captivity? Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities on Oct 7 (so I won’t speak of them: I expect you already know). Seriously, by what mechanism would they have released the women, children (including infants), and elderly they kidnapped? Please share.