Shaanan Streett & Yehudah Katz
Shaanan Streett & Yehudah KatzIsrael news photo

Yehudah Katz is known for his Shlomo Carlebach-inspired folk rock with Jewish themes. Shaanan Streett is known for his sarcastic, political hip-hop lyrics mixed with funk. They will perform on stage together for two shows.

Katz is the leader of the band Reva L'Sheva, famous in religious Jewish circles for songs such as Ahavat Yisrael. Streett is the leader of the band Hadag Nahash famous for songs such as "The Sticker Song", which received heavy airplay from mainstream Israeli radio stations. Katz spoke about his new musicial partner on Israel National Radio's Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast. 

"I think it's really good for people in Israel to see two artists that come from totally different places in terms of their world outlook and daily life saying that they'd like to perform together," Katz says. "I think it's also a happenstance, if you believe in such a thing, that the few concerts that we were supposed to do last month fell out on the week in which we read the Torah parsha about Yosef and his brothers. In the beginning, the brothers saw each other from far away. They didn't really know each other, so it was hard to get along." 

Katz is a resident of the Gush Etzion region of Judea. His new CD, entitled "Not Without You", was released this year. He previously released 6 CDs with Reva l'Sheva. "Something I learned from my great friend and teacher Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach," Katz relates, "is that Jewish people have to get to know each other better." 

So what exactly happens when a funky rapper and an acoustic singer/songwriter perform together? Katz says he doesn't want to give away all the secrets, but said they will do some Hadag Nahash songs and some of his own numbers as well.

"We will do the single that we recorded together. After I sing a pasuk from the Torah, he goes into a very beautiful rap that he wrote. There will be some other surprises too," Katz says. 


Jewish People have to get to know each other better.

Shaanan Streett released 6 CDs with Hadag Nahash and one solo album. As a youth he was a member of the Hashomer Hatzair movement. In the summer of 2011, he participated in the tent protests.   

"I think he's very outspoken," says Katz of his younger musical collaborator, "but I don't see anger in the material we are doing together. I think that speaking out and saying what's on your mind is healthy. But for me personally, I'm not interested in expressing anger."

"There is a lot of sarcasm and social commentary in the lyrics of Hadag Nahash," Katz continues, "but I think we have to listen to each other. We don't have to agree. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure we won't agree, but in spite of that, if we are willing to come together, we've made a giant step for the nation of Israel. 

The two previously performed together at the CD release concert for Katz's new disc. On stage, special guests Koby Oz from Teapacks and Roi Levy from Shotei Hanevuah joined in. But the two new shows feature Streett and Katz alone.

"It will be interesting to see who shows up," comments Katz. "On Facebook I have been billing this show as 'Come Together', hoping that people from our two worlds will be able to come together in the same room and sing together." 

Katz concludes by quoting the famous rabbi from the 1700s. "None other then the Vilna Gaon said that the only way that redemption will come is through the unity of the Jewish people. And the only way unity will come, the Vilna Gaon says, is by singing together." 

Yehudah Katz and Shaanan Streett performed Thusday night at the Shamayim Center in Tel Aviv. They will perform Saturday night, December 17th, at the Yellow Submarine in Jerusalem. For more information visit http://www.yellowsubmarine.org.il or call 02-679-4040.

Ben Bresky is a music journalist and host of the Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast on Arutz Sheva - Israel National Radio. For show archives click here.