The nations of Israel and Iran are sworn enemies — but that doesn’t mean their peoples don’t both love the traditional Iranain folk songs worked into pop tunes by an Israeli-Iranian singer. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new album by Rita Jahanforuz, an Israeli who emigrated there from Iran at 8 years old and now known by just her first name, takes up the Farsi-language folk songs she learned from her mother. The album became a hit in Israel despite the language barrier, and also took off in the black market for pop culture in Iran. “These days, people only know the language of war and violence and hatred,” she said, noting that Iran support for her music was bridging the divide between the countries. According to the Journal, Rita participated in a Facebook anti-war campaign that enlisted both Iranian and Israelis to send positive messages to each other. Watch the video that accompanied the Journal story:
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