Each week, I’ve been posting mini profiles about all kinds of Cool Jews. This week, get a listen of Israeli Lior Kaminetsky an internationally renowned violinist currently living in Los Angeles. Lior recently returned from a concert tour through Jewish communities in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. “I was honored,” Lior says, “to have a unique interaction with the black African community as well.”

During his trip, Zulu dancers invited Lior to play African music, also known as “Violina Violina.” The performance took place in Durban, South Africa. At this time of rejoicing in the holiday of Sukkot, Hoshana Raba, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah (holidays you may have never heard of!), here’s something easy on the ears: a sampling of Lior’s musical adventures. Chag sameach/happy holidays!

Lior plays violin at the far left hand side of the screen!

For some reason, ck, these embeds never work… can you help? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3aI4y7UdrI&hl=en&fs=1&]

Watch Part II here or below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrnWD3ujfHc&hl=en&fs=1&]

Lior Kaminetsky earned a Masters’ degree in Violin performance & Musicology from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and the Hebrew University. Currently lives in Los Angeles, pursuing a D.M.A degree (Doctor of Musical Arts) at the Thornton School of Music at USC. He has won various awards from the Universite De Sorbon, Gratz Academy and the Schwerin Academy institutions, and from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable, Nowakowsky and America-Israel Cultural foundations. Kaminetsky serves as the west coast music critic for the Israeli newspaper
Yedioth. He has performed widely abroad and has appeared on radio and TV as well as in the documentary film, “Dying to Live,” by Ben Mittleman.

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Lisa Klug

Wordie. Foodie. Jewie. Nerdie. Ashkefardic keyboard addict. Visit me at lisaklug.com, on my travels and in the pages of my books, "Hot Mamalah: The Ultimate Guide for Every Woman of the Tribe," and "Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe."