Kulna Israeli Sephardic Music Fest

Kulna, part of the School for Traditional and Creative Arts and Music, is a nonprofit organization in Miami’s partner city of Yerucham in the Israeli Negev. The Kulna mission is to elevate Sephardic culture in Israeli society and educate younger generations about Judeo-Moroccan heritage both in Israel and in Morocco.

Shir Shealtiel

Shir Shealtiel, 27, is an actor and singer. Shir was born in Rehovot and has been singing, dancing and acting from a very young age. After serving in the IDF’s air force department, she spent time teaching at a Jewish summer camp in Pennsylvania. She has also traveled in South America. Shir studied acting in Tel Aviv and today lives in Yerucham. She currently acts at the Dimona theater and studies music at Kulna’s School for Traditional and Creative Arts and Music.

Aviv Trabulsi

Aviv Trabulsi, 27, a gifted musician, was born in Petah Tikva and studied at a musical high school. He completed a year of civil service as an instructor in the rehabilitation village Malkishua and served for three years as a fighter in the elite IDF Duvdevan unit. After the army, Aviv was a Jewish studies student at the Ziv Seminary and studied music at the School for Music and Silence, both in Jerusalem. Aviv started playing music at weddings at the young age of 15. Since then, he has been entertaining audiences in Israel and overseas, playing a variety of musical instruments including piano, saxophone and guitar. Today, Aviv lives in Yerucham and studies music at Kulna’s School for Traditional and Creative Arts and Music.

Ashira Horvitch

Ashira Horvitch, 34, was born in Jerusalem and has lived in Mitzpe Ramon for the past four years. Ashira served as a teaching officer in the IDF’s education corps for three years and then traveled in South America for six months. Upon her return to Israel, she worked as a tour guide while studying for her B.A in social work and Jewish history at the Hebrew University. She also specialized in group facilitation at Tel Aviv University. For the past two years, Ashira has worked as the coordinator of Kulna’s School for Traditional and Creative Arts and Music.