Hear us sing: Women musicians raise their voices against discrimination

Marginalised in the music industry and facing religious discrimination in public spaces, Israel's female musicians are fighting to be heard.

During the democracy demonstrations, a new presence appeared on stage in Tel Aviv. Eliyana Hayut, 13, a student at a music conservatory in the Galilee, sang the Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem, before massive crowds.

Her performance was a protest against the fact that she was cancelled the previous week from singing at a public event in her local council because the organisers decided that they did not want to “offend” a Haredi man in the audience whose religious beliefs prevent him from listening to women sing.  But the organisers were prepared to  offend the young artist, as well as women everywhere.

Women and girls in Israel have been facing this kind of exclusion for years – from female soldiers to female Knesset choir members to countless male-only line-ups that take place all around Israel – despite the fact that it is against the law. But this was the first time that the silencing of women’s voices had a boomerang effect.

Not only did Hayut sing beautifully in front of hundreds of thousands of people, but people now also know her name. As a result of her cancellation, she has now become a star – and a symbol of women’s fight to be heard.

Some of the women responsible for this turnaround belong to Kadma, a group that formed in August to advance women in the music industry in Israel. Bolstered by the fighting spirit of Hayut’s mother, Avigail, who posted widely about the injustice her daughter experienced, the women of Kadma collaborated with Bonot Alternativa, which has been leading women in the street demonstrations, to support the young singer.

They decided to bring this story to the public’s attention, to make sure her voice would be heard, and to raise awareness about the gender barriers women artists face in the music industry.