Brooklyn-based singer Laura Elkeslassy creates music that reclaims the Judeo-Arabic cultural heritage of North Africa, infusing ancient tradition from a modern woman perspective.

In Ya Ghorbati: Divas in Exile singer Laura Elkeslassy musically excavates her family’s history in Morocco, France, and Israel, coming face-to-face with forgotten ancestors and reclaiming a lost family name. Developed in collaboration with music director Ira Khonen Temple,this project weaves together the stories of Judeo-Arab divas from the last century with new performances of folk and sacred music. Ya Ghorbati looks across time and space to tell a tale of political upheaval, exile, and displacement—ultimately questioning the supposed binary of Arab and Jew.

Featuring Mehrnam Rastegari, Eleonore Weill, Rachid Halilhal, Ran Livneh and Nizar Dahmani.