Jerusalem—An unprecedented experimental festival taking place next month in Jerusalem will harness the Holy City’s timeless energy to inspire artists and other participants to transcend cultural and spiritual borders and unite in these troubling times.

Presented by The Jerusalem Season of Culture (JSOC), the Mekudeshet Festival, Sept. 4–23, will feature dozens of artists, actors, musicians, media figures and others from around the world and draw thousands of participants. Mekudeshet, which is Hebrew for “holy” or “sanctified,” will feature an eclectic array of events, including docutheatrical immersive city tours, a night of alternative realities called “Recalibrating,” the Mid-east’s largest ever singing circle with surprise guests, underground sounds and voices in Jerusalem’s forest and people reading each other’s secret confessions aloud. A range of musicians hailing from England to Senegal will mix traditional and contemporary world music, and a famed ultra-Orthodox Jewish singer will perform classical Arab music.

For the first time, Mekudeshet will also host a gathering called “Amen—A House of Prayer for All Believers,” which will unite Christians, Muslims and Jews under one roof for the week of Sept. 4–11 to pray, sing, study and even debate together.

“The power of Mekudeshet flows from the ancient depths of Jerusalem and returns back into the source,” said Mekudeshet Artistic Director Itay Mautner. “With the help of a collective sound and different languages, we will try to prove that Jerusalem is, and not just fleetingly, the home of a unified voice that is calling for tolerance, inclusivity and collaboration. We will see if it is possible, despite all the corporeal difficulties and earthly obstacles, to create a new Jerusalem reality.

”For more details please visit http://www.mekudeshet.com. We will gladly connect you with the people behind this bold cultural trial in Jerusalem, from the organizers to the participants themselves, to learn more.

By JLNJ Staff