[There are 3 music videos in this story]
If you've traveled through Judea and Samaria in the last six months you've surely noticed the posters:
Melave Malka in Tapuach Village!
This week's Feature Artists include…
Jewish Spiritual Rock Singer Sinai Tor in Tapuach – Part 1
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A Melave Malka is a weekly celebration on Saturday night just after the close of the Jewish Sabbath.
In Kfar Tapuach - there's something happening here, what it is, ain't exactly clear. It's not that Tapuach doesn't draw attention without the new music jams. The community is regularly in the news for its uncompromising Jewish and nationalist stance – one that also puts it in the sights of the government secret service agencies who are less than sympathetic to its radical outlook.
But what's happening every Saturday night in Tapuach doesn't appear to have Israel's Shin Bet unnerved.
"There's a whole new music cultural scene developing in the hills of Judea and Samaria," says organizer, Yekutiel Ben Yaakov. "We're pushing to get it recognized as a powerful and inspirational force in the Jewish music scene in the Land of Israel."
Jewish Spiritual Rock Singer Sinai Tor in Tapuach – Part 2
Ben Yaakov speaks amid the din of amplified guitars and bongos in the village's Central Synagogue. All about are spectators, young and old, traditional and not-so, chatting, listening to the music, drinking a beer and enjoying home-made soup and the classic Jewish Sabbath dish cholent - a stew of beans, potatoes, beef, spices and the holiness of Sabbath.
A sample poster for the Tapuach Melave Malka
What's most remarkable about this crowd, dressed predominantly in the loose and flowing garb of the hilltop youth, is the anti-establishment – almost hippie-like – vibe it casts. This is a culture as marked by its passionate love of the Land of Israel as it is the unique yarmulkes and scarves worn by the men and the beautifully-designed and hand-made, long modest dresses of the women.
"The music is a genre of its own," continues Ben Yaakov. "It's born of the struggles of this generation to hold onto a land it loves, a land it cares for with a passion that's entirely religious. This music speaks of that passion. It's deeply spiritual. You can't sit here on a Saturday night and not be moved by the love these kids feel for everything that is holy."
Jewish Spiritual Rock Singer Sinai Tor in Tapuach – Part 3
And while the impetus may be Jewish, certainly other influences can be seen. Tapuach is now the venue where the Holy Land meets Haight Ashbury, Rastafarian dreadlocks meet sidelocks (peot), and Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie meet Shlomo Carlebach. Roll all this into a night of songs about the Final Redemption, shepherding sheep, working the fields, and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and you have the village of Tapuach's Melave Malka.
"Originally our goal was to bring encouragement, strength and inspiration to youth in the hills of Judea and Samaria," says Ben Yaakov. "But in the end, the youth who flock to Tapuach Saturday night have strengthened us and brought great inspiration to yeshiva students from throughout the country who also join us – and to the thousands who view the Tapuach Melaveh Malka over Arutz Sheva online. The hilltop youth are the true Jewish heroes of today."
For information on upcoming concerts at the the Tapuach Melave Malka, transportation, or if you are a talented performer who is seeking exposure, call: +972-54-487-6709
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