Festival Beshekel (The One Shekel Festival) is a non-profit organization established in the spring of 2001 by a group of musicians, artists and social-change activists. Festival Beshekel`s founders came about with the idea of the festival while they were working and performing all around Israel and became aware of the influence of socio-economic gaps in exposure to and expression of culture. At the same time, the founders wanted to combat the lack of multi-cultural awareness and openness in the Israeli society that unfortunately builds barriers between people and societies. The price of admission to all of our events is a symbolic one Israeli shekel (approximately 20 cents), which enables all sectors of Israeli society access to the richness of our local culture.
Over the past 8 years the festival has established three to four outdoor festivals and production workshops a year (cultural leadership workshops). Each year, over 20,000 citizens of diverse social, economical and ethnic backgrounds attended those festivals.
This year, there will be 3 festivals: in Gilboa Regional Council, in the mixed city of Lod, and in the Katamonim neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Among the artists featured this year:
Hadag Nachash, Mooky, Achinoam Nini, Zehava Ben, Mira Awad, Sagol 59, D.A.M, Alma Zohar, Eifo Hayeled and many others.