Yasmin Levy
As a world music singer, Yasmin Levy ignited interest in the Ladino music traditions of her family, weaving Greek, Turkish, and Persian elements into her soulful performances. Levy’s father Yitzhak was a cantor and researcher of Ladino history who edited Aki Yerushalayim, a Ladino language magazine. Though he died when Levy was an infant, Levy cites her father as one of her most important influences. Growing up in the cultural melting pot of Jerusalem, Yasmin Levy absorbed the influences of American Jazz and Latin Flamenco as well as the music of Persia and her family’s native Turkey. She released her first album, Romance & Yasmin, in 2000, followed by La Juderia (the Jewish Quarter) in 2005. As of 2023 she has recorded nine albums, as well as a number of singles and collaborations with other artists. In 2008 she was honored with the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Award for promoting cross-cultural dialogue between musicians. She is a goodwill ambassador for Children of Peace, a group that fosters bonds between Palestinian and Israeli children through sports, art, education, and shared projects.