Shufuni brings music and conversation inspired by Oct. 7 to South Hills
Israeli musical project comes to Pittsburgh Aug. 1
Fara Marcus didn’t know she would become a concert promoter when she traveled to Israel as part of the Martin Pearl Israel Fellowship. And yet, that’s what happened.
Marcus spent the last few weeks worrying about things that kept famed concert promoters like Billy Graham and Rich Engler up at night: venues, backlines, microphones, even how many people have signed up to attend a show.
For her day job, Marcus is the chief development and marketing officer of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. While in Israel, Sara Sless, assistant director at the JCC association’s center for Israel engagement, told her about Shufuni, a group of musicians she was booking in the United States.
“We discussed them coming to Pittsburgh,” Marcus said, “and it was a no-brainer.”
Shufuni is a group of young musicians from Otef Aza, in the Gaza Envelope, who began performing together in 2022 to offer different types of events and platforms to expose the public to the music of Israel’s southern communities.
On Oct. 7, Shufuni lost members of the group, as well as audience members, who were murdered in Hamas’ terrorist attack.
Since February, Shufuni has toured North America sharing, through music and stories, how the events of Oct. 7 altered their lives. The musicians will visit Pittsburgh on Aug. 1 for a concert at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills.
The concert will include a musical performance followed by a question-and-answer session where each musician will talk about their experiences.
Linor Ein Gedi, a musician touring as part of the group who sings, and plays guitar and flute, said that Shufuni’s music has a lot of “authenticity.”
“It’s acoustic, so it’s kind of folky. Vocals are a big part of it, there’s a lot of vocal power,” she said. “And, our personal stories are integrated in it, so it’s a whole experience.”
Gedi’s story is harrowing. It begins with the sound of missiles overhead that she describes as “not like the usual ones we’re used to.”
The missile barrage was followed by the sound of automatic gunshots and the loss of power.
Gedi settled into a safe room that didn’t lock, telling herself, “This is how I die today.”
“I couldn’t find anything to protect myself. I didn’t even have a kitchen knife. I was holding this pair of nail scissors in my hand waiting for someone to enter,” she recalled.
Her eventual escape included a car ride with a now ex-boyfriend and a flat tire.
“It was crazy,” she said. “We stayed on the road for an hour waiting for someone to help.”
And while the events of Oct. 7 cast a shadow over the concert, Uria Roth, the project director of the JCC Association, Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, is quick to note that the event is much more than people telling their stories of a horrific day. Rather, he said, it’s a concert with all the expectations that go along with that.
“These are 110% professional musicians, doing music from heart,” he said. “They are singers and songwriters and the amount of work behind it is tremendous.”
Marcus said that she was excited to bring the opportunity to the South Hills.
The concert, she said, is about community building, awareness and neighbors, including those who aren’t part of the Jewish community.
In fact, Mt. Lebanon High School is supplying the instruments for the concert.
“It’s music, a universal language,” she said. “I really hope that not only the Jewish community of the South Hills comes and attends the event.
It would really be amazing for the greater community to come and just experience the beautiful music.”
She said that music can be the best therapy, and she hopes the event brings a little of that to Pittsburgh.
“We hope to fill Beth El’s sanctuary,” Marcus said.
The free concert is recommended for ages 16-plus and is sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, StandWithUs, Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, Temple Emanuel of South Hills, the South Hills Interfaith Movement, Moving to our Center, JCC Association of North America, Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and the Zionist Enterprises Department of the World Zionist Organization.
Those wishing to attend the concert can register here. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
comments