A Musical Journey Through Jewish Culture

A concert evening with the FOLKADU ensemble at the Sukkat Schalom Synagogue

Text by Undine Kugler | Event Management

Last Saturday, the VBKI, together with the Sukkat Schalom synagogue congregation, hosted a special concert evening: “FOLKADU – A Musical Journey Through Jewish Culture.”

After the opening remarks, the FOLKADU ensemble took the guests on an impressive journey through the diversity of Jewish music. In the intimate setting of the liberal and egalitarian synagogue, a concert experience unfolded that was marked by a sense of closeness, warmth, and expressiveness.

The band led by singer and trumpeter Yael Gat captivated the audience with its extraordinary authenticity, charisma, and musical versatility. Through vocals, trumpet, shofar, oud, and accordion, they created a soundscape that uniquely blended tradition and the present. Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino songs—both well-known and rediscovered compositions and poems—brought Jewish culture to life in all its breadth, at times quiet and melancholic, at other times rhythmic, lively, and full of energy.

Particularly impressive was the interplay between such diverse instruments: Yael Gat’s voice, the trumpet, and the archaic shofar blended with the warm tones of the oud and virtuoso accordion playing. This created a musical bridge between the East and the West, between memory and the present, and between cultural roots and openness.

At the get-together that followed, the evening came to a close with conversation, wine, and light refreshments, accompanied by the band.

The VBKI would like to thank Richard Markus for his initiative, the Sukkat Schalom synagogue congregation for their trusting cooperation, and FOLKADU for an extraordinary concert experience that will remain in the memories of many guests for a long time to come.