After a year’s delay due to the Israel-Hamas War, the Hullegeb Festival of Israeli-Ethiopian Creativity returns to Jerusalem for its 16th edition, September 9-11, 2025.
Produced by the Confederation House, and under the artistic direction of Effi Benaya, the festival once again places the spotlight on the vitality of Israeli-Ethiopian music, dance, and theater.
“This edition underscores the resilience and creative renewal of Israeli-Ethiopian culture, even in difficult times,” Benaya notes.
The festival unfolds across some of the city’s most dynamic venues – the Confederation House, the Yellow Submarine, Mazkeka, and the Machol Shalem Dance House – with a program that bridges heritage and contemporary expression.
Supported by the Culture and Sport Ministry, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Beider Foundation, Hullegeb has become a cornerstone of Jerusalem’s cultural calendar, where tradition is reimagined for the current milieu.
Opening night highlights
The opening night belongs to Teddy Neguse, one of the most original and captivating rappers on the local scene. Born in Lod to Ethiopian parents, Neguse has always drawn from the tense and often violent reality of his hometown.
Music became both shield and sword: a way to express identity, channel rage into art, and transform hip-hop into a vehicle for protest, spirituality, and change.
With four albums behind him, he arrives at Hullegeb with his hits “It’s in My Blood,” “No One Will Tell Me Who I Am,” “So Hot,” and more – and will be joined by rapper Cohen for a charged performance at the Yellow Submarine (September 9).
Dance opens the festival as well, with the premiere of Maharen-Ne (“Have mercy on us,” in ancient Ge’ez), choreographed by Dege Feder and Tzvika Hizkias for the Beta Dance Ensemble (September 9, Machol Shalem). The piece confronts layers of loss and grief through movement and song, weaving elements of spoken word and traditional mourning rituals into a contemporary dance language.
That same evening at Mazkeka, saxophonist-clarinetist Nadav Haber, keyboardist-singer Yossi Marshall, and saxophonist Ashta Malada offer an intimate tribute to the legendary 84-year-old Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed, who moved Hullegeb audiences to tears in past editions.
Their reinterpretations breathe new life into Ahmed’s timeless classics, with both instrumental settings and beloved vocal numbers.
Program highlights
The program continues with an intimate trio concert by Oshi Masala (September 10, Confederation House). Accompanied by two guitarists, Masala blends originals with Hebrew favorites reimagined in Amharic. Her warm voice and ethno-jazz phrasing transform familiar songs into fresh emotional journeys, proving music’s ability to cross languages and borders.
That evening, Hullegeb brings a rare encounter: saxophonist and singer Abate Barihun, oud virtuoso Yair Dalal, and bass innovator Yossi Fine share the stage (September 10, Confederation House). Together they reinterpret their works with percussive and string textures, joined by singer Rudi Bainesain.
Barihun, a leading figure in ethio-jazz and Jewish-Ethiopian song, meets Dalal, a pioneer of world music who bridges Jewish and Arab traditions, and Fine, whose résumé includes collaborations with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Brian Eno. This summit of masters promises to be one of the festival’s unforgettable highlights.
At Mazkeka, Hullegeb taps into raw urban energy. Eden Dersso (Eden D), one of the fiercest voices in Israeli hip-hop, performs with DJ Mash, with whom she recorded the hit “Whatever Will Be” (September 10).
The following evening, the stage turns over to the leading female groove artists of the Israeli-Ethiopian scene: Ariella Baruch, who has released two albums including the R&B hit One Foot Here, One Foot There, with DJ Carmel Yahalom; and Hanny Masala (Hannyz), known as “The Big Boss,” who slips effortlessly between dancehall, Afrobeats, biting rap, and tender soul with DJ Dshark.
Theater offerings
Theater also finds its place. The Hullegeb Theater Company, directed by Moshe Malka, presents Come to the Buna: A Story of Coffee (September 11, Confederation House).
With humor, dance, and music, the play tells the saga of the Beta Israel community from the days of the First Temple to their immigration to Israel, complete with the folkloric trickster figure Aba Gabra Hanna and plenty of buna (coffee).
Dance returns with Zuva-Ethiopia, in a free outdoor performance preceding the play. Dancers in dazzling costumes, brought directly from Ethiopia, bring to life traditional styles from Gondar, Wollo, Tigray, Wolayta, Oromo, and more, in a vibrant reminder of the community’s rich heritage.
The festival closes with a surge of rhythm and spirit: Tamrada in the performance Artebe (September 11, Confederation House). Born into a family of musicians, blessed with a singular voice and electrifying stage presence, Tamrada creates a soundscape that begins with Ethiopia’s hypnotic beats; passes through Afrobeat, ethio-jazz, and soul; and embraces Israeli folk songs.
Her performance embodies the very essence of Hullegeb – a celebration of rhythm, energy, joy, and the promise of better days ahead.
Hullegeb Festival of Israeli-Ethiopian Creativity, September 9-11, Jerusalem. Confederation House: (02) 539-9360, www.confederationhouse.org