Despite the war, there is “rock and roll” in Jerusalem.

In a militarized society marked by religion and constant conflict, the musicians of Les Dinamites maintain a critical spirit by addressing politically sensitive topics such as that of the famous spy Vanunu, guitarist Rob Bahr from Jerusalem told Lusa.

“Vanunu was an Israeli spy who sold secrets to the State of Israel. This topic has a spy flavor. Vanunu was kidnapped by the intelligence services. [Mossad] in Italy and was imprisoned in Israel for many years. The government has wasted all its energy. This theme tells the story of Vanunu,” explains Rob Bahr as he listens to the music.

Born in 1954 into an Orthodox Jewish family in Marrakesh, Mordechai Vanunu worked on Israel’s nuclear program in the Negev Desert and denounced Israel’s plans to the British press in 1986.

Vanunu, who claimed to be a pacifist, was eventually kidnapped by the Mossad in Italy and spent 18 years in prison, eleven of them in solitary confinement.

The “famous spy” was released in 2004 and considers himself a “prisoner of conscience.”

The life of Vanunu is one of the main themes of the album by Rob Bahr, leader of the Jerusalem group Les Dinamites (electric guitar, drums and tuba): a group of “surf” and “garage” music with flavors of the desert and the Mediterranean.”

Currently, music and concerts have stopped due to the war. The artists follow the events of war and politics, so that later they can “take the guitar out of the bag.”

“We do not accept violent acts of terrorism, we do not accept militancy and we do not agree with many things of the government, but art exists in Israel and we have a critical spirit, so we do not follow stupid leaders. on the other hand, we love our country and our culture and try not to be deceived,” emphasizes the Israeli musician, emphasizing that we live in even more difficult days.

“Life here is difficult. We don’t want a brother or sister to die and then take the facts lightly. It’s very difficult, but we are musicians, we try to channel the energy to face the horror that sometimes happens. Here we live in the fields,” he states.

On the other hand, Rob Bahr explains that the “rock and roll scene” and “alternative music” in Jerusalem is very interesting because it is not influenced by fashion trends “like in Tel Aviv” and the musicians they try . maintain “an identity that is then projected outward.”

The guitarist also says that the fact that Jerusalem is a multicultural city enriches – on quieter days – life, art and culture.

“On different days than these, people exchange a lot of ideas, which makes everything much more interesting. During these days [de guerra] There are no live performances, we could get hit by artillery fire. We live our daily lives differently. These are tough days. We must ensure our safety and the safety of society,” he explains.

On the streets, Israeli soldiers of both sexes carry machine guns on their shoulders, and many also carry guitars on their shoulders and do not always sing war songs or patriotic anthems, despite the fact that the situation is different from the lives of young people in the “rest of the world.”

“What happens here in Israel is different. We constantly live in danger. We don’t protest like musicians in Europe, because our reality is different. This is a very difficult situation. Many of us don’t want to be soldiers, but reality forces us to live that way,” concludes Rob Bahr.

The vinyl album “Les Dinamites” can still be heard in a small bar located in an alley of stone houses perpendicular to Jaffa Street in the center of Jerusalem, between the barracks and the Damascus Gate leading to the Old City.

Despite the war, there is “rock and roll” in Jerusalem.