MUSIC
Former child star Noa Kirel, 20, from Ranaana, signed a mega-deal with Atlantic Records in 2020, reportedly the largest ever for an Israeli pop star. She’s already won several MTV Europe Music Awards for her Hebrew pop and has become a huge star in Israel.
Her first two English language singles were released in 2021, and this is set to be the year she goes truly global. All while juggling military service in the IDF, which has already sparked controversy when she appeared in a video backed by two male army dancers.
Israeli alternative-pop sensation Noga Erez has broken America. Now she brings her feisty, contemporary cool music to London on 4 and 5 March on her Kids European tour. Tel Aviv four-piece El Khat featured in the JC’s Rosh Hashanah issue.
Now their second album, Aalbat Alawi Op.99 is on its way. Released on 25 March, it’s a deep-dive into leader Eyal el Wahab’s Yemenite roots, with horns, strings, electricity and el Wahab’s own DIY instruments.
BOOKS
The debut novel by Tel Aviv-based author Maayan Eitan, Love is the story of a prostitute, Libby, in an Israeli town. Having made Eitan a literary sensation in Israel overnight, it’s published in the UK on 8 March by Penguin.
Who By Fire: War, Atonement and the Resurrection of Leonard Cohen: Jerusalem-based journalist and author Matti Friedman’s new book tells the never-heard-before story of Leonard Cohen’s 1973 tour of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. It’s out in the US on 29 March; a UK date won’t be far behind.
TELEVISION
Since its debut on Israeli TV network Kan 11, espionage drama Tehran has become a global hit, even taking the 2021 Emmy Award for best international drama (the first Israeli series to do so). The second season wrapped production in December and hits Apple+ TV later this year. Glenn Close joins the cast as Marjan Montazeri, a British woman, living in Tehran.
Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff for yes Studios, Israeli action thriller Fauda is a global phenomenon, with a slew of international awards under its belt. Producers say it portrays the complex Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a new light, opening a window into the Middle East and sparking meaningful dialogue about cultural identity.
Fans love its rugged action sequences and compelling cast. Season four is currently in production in Israel, and will hit Netflix in late 2022.
FILM
Sophisticated crime thriller Manayek, starring Shalom Assayag and London-based Israeli Liraz Chamami, was Kan 11’s highest-rated drama when it aired in Israel in 2021. It is likely to be streamed in the UK by the end of 2022.
Directed by Eran Kolirin (The Band’s Visit) and based on a novel by Arab- Israeli author Sayed Kashua, Let It Be Morning won Best Film at the 2021 Ophir awards — Israel’s equivalent of the Oscars — and it premiered at Cannes.
It’s set for a US release in 2022 — UK audiences will no doubt also get the chance to see it, too
