Part of The Portland Jewish Music Festival 2026!
Yoni Avi Battat amplifies and transforms the echoes of his Iraqi-Jewish ancestry to broaden perspectives, touch hearts, and build community.
CONCERT DESCRIPTION:
Fragments is a collection of original and traditional music that invites listeners into the complexity of Yoni Avi Battat’s fragmented Iraqi-Jewish identity. Inspired by traditional Arab musical forms, the project combines Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Yiddish lyrics to express the fragmenting effects of migration, lost languages, colonialism, assimilation, and erasure. Described as "an education for the ear and the soul," this concert aims to complicate and nuance your understanding of Arab and Jewish history, culture, and identity. In doing so, Fragments offers visibility and recognition for the many unseen Middle Eastern Jews in America, while making room for listeners of all backgrounds to find resonance and healing in its message.
This intimate evening of story-telling and music will feature Battat on oud and vocals, and artistic supertitles that translate the lyrics in real time.
All Ages, $22/Adv, $25/Door
Kids Ages 6-12 $11 (kids under 6 free).
Sponsor: EJC, Ahavath Achim, ArtLab, NevehShalom, Bubbaville, Portland FolkMusic Society, The Yiddish Book Center